DePuy Synthes Launches 2.7 mm Variable Angle Locking Compression Plate Clavicle System

The Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies* announced that DePuy Synthes** has launched the 2.7 mm Variable Angle Locking Compression Plate (VA LCP) Clavicle Plate System for the treatment of lateral, shaft and medial fractures for small, medium and large clavicles.¹ This new system offers plate shapes that reflect the correlation between patient stature and clavicle size to match the bow and contour of the clavicle and accommodate a broad range of anatomic variability of the clavicle.² The VA LCP Clavicle Plate System offers thinner plates, a more accurate plate-to-bone fit, and reduced prominence.²⁺
 
Clavicle fractures, or breaks in the collarbone, account for approximately 5 percent of all adult fractures.³ In complicated cases, patients may need surgery using fixation devices to realign the collarbone.⁴ One of the most common complications from this surgery is the need for hardware removal due to irritation caused by prominent plates.⁴
 
“The next generation VA clavicle plate system was designed as a result of collaborative and integrated morphological and epidemiological research by the AO Research Institute, the AO Technical Commission, and the DePuy Synthes Upper Extremity Research & Development team,” said Simon Lambert of London, England, who serves as orthopedic surgeon and chairman of the AO Technical Commission Upper Extremity Global Expert Committee,*** who assisted in the development of the System. “This system provides an optimized sequence of lengths with novel shape and form; matching the spectrum of adult clavicle dimensions, with better plate fit, optimized fixation of fractures in all adult patient groups, and a potentially reduced need for implant removal due to plate prominence.”
 
Throughout the development process for the 2.7mm VA LCP Clavicle System, DePuy Synthes conducted extensive research; examining more than 600 clavicle CT scans from a broad-based patient population and analyzing 15 different parameters on each bone to identify the correlation between patient height and clavicle shape.⁵ The data was used to engineer lower profile plates with enhanced plate to bone fit for a broad range of patients with different statures, including those with small statures.²⁺
 
“There is a tremendous need for treatment options that can accommodate the anatomic variability of the clavicle in patients who experience these types of fractures” said I.V. Hall,**** worldwide president of Trauma, Extremities, CMF and Animal Health, DePuy Synthes. “We are incredibly proud to offer this new system as part of our comprehensive Extremities portfolio.”
 
The VA LCP Clavicle System is launching globally this year.
 
*Comprising the surgery, orthopaedics, vision and interventional solutions businesses within Johnson & Johnson’s Medical Devices segment
**DePuy Synthes represents the products and services of DePuy Synthes Sales, Inc. and its affiliates.
**** I.V. Hall is an employee of Medical Device Business Services Inc.
*** The AO Research Institute and the AO Technical Commission are part of the AO Foundation, an independent, medically-guided, not-for-profit organization, a global network of surgeons, and the world’s leading education, innovation, and research organization specializing in the surgical treatment of trauma and musculoskeletal disorders, funded in part by DePuy Synthes. 

References 
¹ DePuy Synthes 2.7mm VA LCP Clavicle Plates Surgical Technique Guide, 103752541 rev 2 01/21.
² DePuy Synthes. Shape Verification Analyses. Windchill #0000290902, 0000295170, 0000290186, 0000290903, 2020.
³ Robinson CM. Fractures of the clavicle in the adult. Epidemiology and classification. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 1998;80:476-484.
⁴ Iannotti MR, Crosby LA, Stafford P, Grayson G, Goulet R. Effects of plate location and selection on the stability of midshaft clavicle osteotomies: a biomechanical study. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2002; 11(5):457-462.
⁵ DePuy Synthes. Shape Verification Analyses. Windchill #0000294539, 2020. Fontana AD, Hoyen HA, Blauth M, et al. The variance of clavicle surface morphology is predictable: an analysis of dependent and independent metadata variables. JSES International, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jseint.2020.05.004
⁺ Compared to Stryker Variax 2 Clavicle System, Acumed Clavicle System and DePuy Synthes 3.5mm LCP® Clavicle System.