Dive Brief:
- Medtronic announced the U.S. launch of a system for use in spinal fusion surgery that is designed to immobilize and stabilize the spine while it fuses. The company promoted the launch during the North American Spine Society meeting in Los Angeles.
- Called the Infinity Occipitocervical Upper Thoracic (OCT) System, the product is intended to simplify posterior cervical spine surgery. It integrates navigation, biologics, devices and instrumentation for fusion procedures for the upper back and neck, the company said.
- Medtronic said its newly-launched system is indicated for conditions including degenerative disc disease, instability or deformity, tumors and traumatic spinal fractures or dislocations.
Dive Insight:
Medtronic is doubling down on spine surgery. The company’s new product launch follows on the heels of its $1.64 billion acquisition of Mazor Robotics, a big move into the robotic-assisted surgery sector that was announced last week. Mazor’s technologies allow surgeons to plan procedures in 3D modeling software and then perform them with the aid of robotic arms.
The OCT system’s components include: multi-axial screw with 60 degrees of angulation in any direction; set screw (locking cap) with a quick-start thread to minimize cross threading; and 3.0 millimeter and 5.5 millimeter diameter screws for expanded clinical applications. It incorporates a range of implant materials and sizes and can be paired with the company’s O-arm Imaging System and StealthStation Navigation System, the company said.
"Some of our posterior cervical patients arrive in critical condition and their lives depend on our surgical skills and the performance of the tools we use to treat them," said Greg Trost, neurosurgeon at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, in a press release. "An integrated procedural solution with Stealth navigation and Infinity was game-changing as a 3D-view of the anatomy allows me the precision to place pedicle screws with confidence and accuracy."
The Infinity OCT system is available in the United States and will launch in various global markets in 2018 and 2019.
