News from AAOS: Tesa Medical Granted Patent for ACL Reconstruction Technology

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued Tesa Medical Inc. a patent that covers a device designed to aid surgeons performing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction and to improve patient outcomes after surgery.

Patent number 8,603,115 is for invention of the GraftGrab, a novel device to fix an ACL graft with a single fluid motion to maintain graft tension and reduce surgery time and instrumentation, according to the company. Successful restoration of ACL function using soft-tissue grafts requires stable fixation with sufficient stiffness to withstand the repetitive loading forces that occur in the early post-operative rehabilitation period and during routine activities.

ACL injuries are one of the most common knee injuries, especially among athletes, with an estimated 200,000 occurring each year in the United States. Ligament reconstruction has become the treatment of choice for patients who experience instability following ACL rupture. Unfortunately, clinically significant knee laxity occurs in only 10-30 percent of knees within four months of ACL reconstruction, according to figures cited by the company.

“Loss of initial graft tension continues to be a problem with soft tissue interference screws and can contribute to problems associated with joint instability,” said Mandi Lopez, M.D., co-inventor. “The bioabsorbable GraftGrab is positioned on the cortical surface of the tibial bone tunnel and has a simple mechanism for anchoring the graft immediately after tensioning that minimizes the likelihood of graft tension loss.”

The company has engaged business development advisors from Salus Consilium who were on handduring the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons annual meeting in New Orleans, La. (March 11-15, booth 3630.

Tesa currently is looking for companies that are interested in licensing the technology or in a strategic alliance for commercialization.

The GraftGrab was invented at Louisiana State University by Lopez and W. Todd Monroe. Working prototypes have been used successfully in recent animal trials. Tesa Medical was formed in 2008 to manage the intellectual property and to prepare for sale of the technology.

The company anticipates applying for U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance and approvals in key markets worldwide, with estimated product launch within two years, officials said.