DePuy Releases Line of Revision Instruments

Warsaw, Ind.-based DePuy Orthopaedics Inc. has made the Sigma high performance revision instruments available for use with its Sigma fixed-bearing total knee implants. The instruments are designed for increased efficiency in the operating room.

According to the company, the revision instruments can reduce the average number of instrument cases required during surgery by 40 percent versus leading competitive systems, combined with a 70 percent reduction in tibial preparation steps versus other systems. The system reportedly also incorporates visual cues and easy adjustments on the cutting blocks and a simplified trialing system to allow surgeons to increase efficiency throughout the procedure.

“The number of sets and trays traditionally needed for revision knee procedures can lead to inefficiency and additional costs in the operating room,” said Andrew Ekdahl, worldwide president of DePuy Orthopaedics. “Reducing the number of instrument cases by nearly half and the number of steps required to prep the tibia by 70 percent could lead to a more efficient surgery—and that’s better for the patient and better for the healthcare system.”

The top reasons revision knee implants fail are loosening and instability. DePuy has attempted to address these problems with its revision instruments, which include the Sigma rotating platform knee and the Sigma metaphyseal sleeves. The rotating platform features a mobile bearing option for every constraint level. Revision knees using rotating platform technology diffuse shear and torsional forces typically produced at the implant bone interface, DePuy officials claim. Metaphyseal sleeves are stepped sleeves designed to compensate for substantial type 2 and 3 cavitary defects, while bringing the implant into contact with strong, supportive bone. The sleeve is stepped to compressively load the bone and form a stronger foundation for implant stability, potentially avoiding excessive bone resection and restoring the joint line.

“The future predicts a substantial growth in the need for arthroplasty, placing an increasing burden on both general orthopedists and arthroplasty surgeons to manage these patients,” said Aaron Altenburg, M.D., of Altenburg Orthopedics and Total Joint Surgery in Pocatello, Idaho. “With continued economic and performance pressures, success will inevitably depend on collaborative efforts between surgeons, hospitals and industry to increase efficiency and curb costs while still maintaining the highest levels of care.”

DePuy Orthopaedics is part of the newly merged DePuy Synthes Companies of Johnson & Johnson.

Photo of Sigma rotating platform knee courtesy of DePuy Orthopaedics.