Two New Studies Demonstrate INTERTAN Intertrochanteric Antegrade Nail Improves Patient Outcomes

Smith & Nephew announced two new studies showing positive clinical results and cost savings through using its INTERTAN Intertrochanteric Antegrade Nail.
 
Patients recovering from a hip fracture often deal with various complications, including decline in mobility and daily living activities, and reduced ability to walk following fracture union. More than 6 percent will require reoperation due to complications and approximately one in four patients over the age of 65 die within 12 months of fracture.^1,2,3

“Smith & Nephew is dedicated to developing products that will improve patient lives. The INTERTAN nail is a prime example of the type of game-changing technology we at Smith & Nephew strive to create. These two publications show how true innovation can both make clinical improvement and provide economic benefits,” said Andy Weymann M.D., chief medical officer, Smith & Nephew.

In a meta-analysis published in Rheumatology and Orthopedic Medicine, the INTERTAN implant, which uses the Smith & Nephew proprietary Integrated Compression Screw, was compared to other intertrochanteric nails using a customary single screw. The results showed that INTERTAN significantly reduced the risk of implant related failures by 81 percent (p<0.00001) and revision surgery by 65 percent (p<0.0001) when compared to single screw nails.⁴
 
According to a further study, published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research, the improved clinical outcomes from the meta-analysis also led to a cost savings of $2,700 per patient when using the INTERTAN nail compared to single screw nails.⁵
 
“Hip fractures and their sequelae in elderly patients can be debilitating, and potentially life threatening, and contribute a significant portion to overall health care expenditure. These new studies demonstrate that the Integrated Compression Screw used in the INTERTAN nail not only improved the clinical outcomes for these patients studied, but also reduced the cost to the overall health economic system by reducing the revision rates, compared to those that have been demonstrated in prior studies,” commented J. Tracy Watson M.D., an orthopedic traumatologist in Phoenix, Ariz., and co-author for both papers. 
 
Smith & Nephew is a global medical technology business developing products in in Orthopaedic Reconstruction, Advanced Wound Management, Sports Medicine and Trauma & Extremities. Smith & Nephew has around 15,000 employees and a presence in more than 100 countries. Annual sales in 2017 were almost $4.8 billion.

References
1. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Hip fractures in seniors: a call for health system reform. Position Statement 1144. Rosemont, IL: 1999.
2. Mundi S et al. Similar mortality rates in hip fracture patients over the past 31 years: A systematic review of RCTs. Acta Orthopaedica 2014; 85(1): 54-59.
3. Bentler SE, Liu L, Obrizan M, Cook EA, Wright KB, Geweke JF, et al. The aftermath of hip fracture: discharge placement, functional status change, and mortality. Am. J Epidemiol. 2009 Nov 15;170(10):1290-9. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwp266.
4.Nherera LM, Trueman P, Horner A, Johnstone AJ, Watson JT. A meta-analysis of integrated compression screw compared to single screw nails using a single lag screw or single helical blade screw for intertrochanteric hip fractures. Rheumatol Orthop Med 2018; 3(4): 1-10. doi: 10.15761/ROM.1000156
5. Nherera LM, Trueman P, Horner A, Johnston AJ, Watson JT, Fatoye FA. Comparing the costs and outcomes of an integrated twin compression screw (ITCS) nail with standard of care using a single lag screw or a single helical blade cephalomedullary nail in patients with intertrochanteric hip fractures. Journal of Orthopedic Surgery and Research (2018) 13:217. doi: 10.1186/s12018-018-0923-x