Stryker Launches Aero Cervical Interbody Fusion Device at AAOS Meeting

Timing, as the age-old adage goes, is everything.

And Stryker Corporation made the most of its time at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) 2016 Annual Meeting this week by launching the Aero-C Cervical Stability System, a product the company touted as the “only straightforward ACDF device that offers uniform compression across the interbody space.”

Released by Stryker’s Spine division, the Aero-C is the latest addition to its Aero portfolio of spinal implant devices based on patented compression technology — an advanced anchor fixation system designed to draw the vertebral bodies toward the implant to create compressive forces at the implant-to-endplate interface, helping provide an environment for healing fusion.

Aero-C’s straightforward in-line insertion and instrumentation are intended to minimize the potential for instrument impingement on patient anatomy such as the chin or chest, offering a more streamlined, less disruptive approach compared with traditional screw-based ACDF (anterior cervical discectomy and fusion) technologies. 

“We are pleased to launch Aero-C featuring patented compression technology,” said Brad Paddock, Stryker Spine president. “In collaboration with our surgeon customers, our goal is to provide solutions designed to provide enhanced outcomes for patients. The expanding platform of anchor-based spinal fixation products reflects Stryker’s ongoing commitment to innovation and advancing spine health.”

Stryker officials said the company has received positive feedback from the limited number of surgeons who have used Aero-C. The product was in development for roughly 12 months.

“My experiences clinically with Aero-AL and LL have been fantastic. I love the fact that I don’t have increased exposure and that I can get fixation all inline (with the disc space). I’m looking forward to Aero-C, which has the properties of Aero — in-line compression, the potential for great fixation and ease of use,” said Dr. Hyun Bae, professor of surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, Calif., and director of Education at Cedar’s Spine Center. Bae contributed to the development of the Aero technology.

Aero-C received U.S. Food and Drug Administration 510(k) clearance in December 2015. Other products in the Aero product family include the Aero-AL (used to treat the lumbar spine from an anterior approach), and the Aero-LL (designed for a lateral lumbar approach).

Stryker designs, develops and manufactures an array of products in orthopedics, medical and surgical, neurotechnology, and spine.