HydroCision Inc has announced the purchase of the majority of the Company by new investors, led by venture capital firms Volcano Capital, Bioventures, and Omega Funds. HydroCision is the developer, manufacturer, and marketer of SpineJet®, whose innovative Fluidjet surgical technology allows discectomy and interbody fusion procedures to be performed faster, less invasively, and with a higher degree of precision than traditional surgical modalities.

Read the full story here

Amedica Corporation announced that it has been granted two United States patents for its total disc replacement (TDR) technology that features the use of silicon nitride in the construction of the complete implant. U.S. Patent No. 7,758,646 B2 and U.S. Patent No. 7,771,481 B2 cover the disc’s design and the use of the silicon nitride ceramic materials in its construction. This is yet another important addition to Amedica’s growing patent portfolio for spinal implant applications.

Read the full story here

A study appearing in the August 2010 issue of Anesthesiology found that patients receiving a total hip or knee replacement in Taiwan had a higher incidence of surgical site infections (SSIs) when general anesthesia was administered for the operation than when the same procedures were performed under epidural/spinal (regional) anesthesia. The study’s findings support the evolving concept of long-term consequences of anesthesia.

Read the full story here

The Stone Research Foundation released findings of the longest and largest study of its kind on biologic knee joint repair. The study is published in July’s issue of The British Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.  Study findings indicate that arthritic patients can forestall, or in some cases, avoid, total knee replacement with artificial joints by opting for meniscal allograft transplantations performed concurrently with articular cartilage repair.

Read the full story here

Patients subjected to major orthopedic surgery seem to face a risk of developing a blood clot within a vein, known as venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, experts from the McMaster University say that this risk can be reduced by the usage of an ultra-low-molecular-weight heparin called semuloparin.
Read the full story here.

Medtronic, Inc. has announced the launch of KYPHON ActivOs 10 Bone Cement with Hydroxyapatite, a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) bone cement containing hydroxyapatite (HA) for use in the treatment of patients with vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) who are undergoing minimally invasive surgery with KYPHON® Balloon Kyphoplasty. The launch of KYPHON ActivOs 10 Bone Cement with Hydroxyapatite in the US marks a milestone for the Kyphon Products Division, part of the Spinal and Biologics business at Medtronic.

Read the full story here

Data from the RE-NOVATE® II study presented at the 15th  Annual Congress of the Europea Hematology Association (EHA) have shown that dabigatran etexilate 220mg once daily is as effective and safe as enoxaparin 40mg in preventing venous thromboembolism (VTE) after total hip replacement surgery. The results also showed that dabigatran etexilate significantly reduced the combined endpoint of major VTE and VTE-related death compared to enoxaparin.

Read the full story here

The US Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has decided that all federal lawsuits over Zimmer Durom Cup hip implants should be consolidated for pretrial litigation in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. Lawsuits involve allegations that the hip replacement device caused problems such as loosening of the hip joint and the need for additional surgery.

Dr. Seth Greenky replaced Susan Romanick’s right knee this morning in an operation at St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center. It was the first Syracuse surgery to be “tweeted.” Greenky’s brother and fellow surgeon, Dr. Brett Greenky provided play-by-play while hospital spokeswoman Kerri Ganci and nurse Kim Murray, director of surgery services gave 140-word updates on twitter.com/stjosephshealth.

To watch the video click here.