Pioneer Surgical just announced the first human use of nanOss Bioactive 3D. The procedures were perfomed by Dr. Nicholas Matagaras at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers, Illinois. The product is a three-dimensional shaped biologic bone graft which utilizes proprietary nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite as well as a collagen-based biopolymer to promote bone growth in posterolateral spine. Dr. [...]

Sporting increased mobility and a low profile, Exactech’s new Gibralt Spinal System has gone to full market launch. The Gibralt is a comprehensive solution for posterior stabilization and an adjunct to fusion of the cervical and upper thoracic spine. The product features top loading polyaxial screws, hooks, offset connectors, and rod-to-rod connectors which can be [...]

Zimmer Holdings, Inc. may launch two “significant” new products at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ (AAOS) February 2012 annual meeting in San Francisco. That’s what Mizuho Securities Analyst Mike Matson wrote to investors on December 9. Matson said the products would include a new knee to replace the company’s “aging” NexGen knee and vitamin [...]

Zimmer Holdings, Inc. says it has a new hip stem technology now available in the U.S. that enables surgeons to “better match patients’ individual anatomies” with modular neck options designed for independent, intraoperative adjustments. The CLS Brevius Hip Stem with Kinectiv Technology is based on the Zimmer CLS Spotorno Stem, which has been in use [...]

Smith & Nephew (NYSE:SNN) laid off 80 employees following the merger of its Andover, Mass.-based endoscopy unit and its Memphis, Tenn.-based orthopedic reconstruction unit, according to a report in the Memphis Commercial Appeal. The British orthopedic giant announced that it would combine the two units in July, alongside the resignation of Memphis-based orthopaedic reconstruction president Joseph [...]

Don O’Hearn is K2M, Inc.’s new Senior Vice President of Sales in the Americas. The company announcement on December 13 stated that the appointment of O’Hearn is “an important milestone in the company’s strategic plan to become a global leader in the spine market. With O’Hearn’s 20 years of medical industry expertise, K2M’s President and [...]

Per the November 16 press release, Francis Harrison, the former global vice president, regulatory affairs for Covidien of Boulder, Colorado, accepted the position of vice-president for Regulatory, Clinical Affairs and Quality at Alphatec Spine, Inc. At Covidien she was responsible for global registrations, regulatory compliance and product labeling for a business unit with more than [...]

The numbers just keep going up. Knee replacement surgery among the middle-aged in the U.S. increased two and a half times between 1997 and 2009 according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), as reported in MedPage Today. The hospitalization rate for women ages 45 to 64 for knee arthroplasty increased 157% from 16 [...]

Stryker Corp, claims that DePuy’s, Wright Medical’s, Zimmer’s and Smith & Nephew’s hip replacement systems utilizing a dual-locking mechanism, all infringe on Stryker’s ‘243 patent. Howmedica Osteonics Corp. in New Jersey, and Stryker Ireland Ltd of Cork, Ireland, (Stryker) is suing DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., Wright Medical Technology, Inc., Zimmer, Inc. and Smith & Nephew, Inc. [...]

Strike one up for the team from Warsaw, the “Orthopedic Capital of the World,” as Warsaw-based Zimmer Holdings, Inc. announced on November 10 that it has acquired Memphis-based ExraOrtho, Inc. Memphis is home to numerous orthopedic companies and enjoys a healthy competition with it’s neighbor to the north. ExtraOrtho makes an external fixation line called [...]