Hi all, my last topic for the day.
I have heard that Zimmer Inc has just got FDA approval for a new range of gender-specific knee implants.
In the past, the "one style fits all" approach caused problems because the range of movement of the female knee tends to be greater than the male knee. Also the ligaments and tendons that support the kneecap tend to be looser in women than in men.
You can read more about this here:
http://www.sanangelostandardtimes.com/sast...4885192,00.html
Also, here is the press release on the Zimmer site:
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Zimmer Holdings Displays Gender Solutions⢠â the First Knee Replacement Designed to Address Unique Anatomical Needs of Women
(WARSAW, IN) March 22, 2006âZimmer Holdings, Inc. (NYSE and SWX: ZMH), a leader in the orthopaedics industry, announced today it is demonstrating at the worldâs largest orthopaedic surgeon meeting the first knee replacement system designed specifically to address the unique needs of women patients.
âOur Gender Solutions⢠Knee Femoral Implants have been specifically designed for women, which distinguishes our system from those which are merely downsized versions of existing designsâwomen are clearly not little men,â said Ray Elliott, Zimmer Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. âWe have a pending 510(k) regulatory clearance to market this system as a means of addressing the specific anatomical differences typically seen in women. We believe we are the first company to do so.â
Women represent the majority of knee replacement patients with approximately 60% of all cases. A womanâs knee anatomy is different from a manâs in the ratio between the width and height of the femur, the angle of the femur in relation to the tibia, and a less prominent anterior surface of the femur, among several other differences. The ligaments supporting the knee tend to be more âlaxâ in women than in men.
âThe new Gender Solutions implants will address a need that we as surgeons have realized for some time nowâthat compromises are made in matching implant sizes to a patientâs anatomy,â said Dr. Robert Booth, Chief, Orthopaedic Surgery, PennsylvaniaHospital (Philadelphia, PA). âThe design of these implants is significant because it is based on anatomical studies of the differences between men and women, meaning that we are able to address real differences and come closer to matching components to each patient. With women representing so much of our patient base, it only makes sense that we would take this step to try to improve implant fit through very specific design features. I honestly believe that the Gender Solutions design is one of those leaps in knee surgery and I think, with Zimmerâs help, this is going to be the advance of the decade.â
The Gender Solutions knee implant is based on the tradition and clinical success of Zimmerâs flagship brand, the NexGen® Complete Knee Solution. The Gender Solutions implant will first be available in Zimmerâs âflexâ design, which enables patients who are able to achieve high degrees of flexion for their specific lifestyle needs, such as bending and kneeling.
According to Dr. Mohamed R. Mahfouz, Co-Director, The Center for Musculoskeletal Research, The Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Assistant Professor, Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Tennessee, who was part of the research team for the Gender Solutions implant design, anatomical studies indicated some clear distinctions between female and male knee anatomy.
âWe created what we call âanatomical atlases,â or bone morphology atlases, which are huge collections of data sets that we can combine in a statistical way and then start using the atlases to highlight differences between males and females,â said Dr. Mahfouz. âDuring the course of more than five years of research and, in the aggregate, more than 800 femurs and patellae reviewed, we found significant differences between males and females, including the narrower width of female femurs, reduced anterior condyle height and a tendency toward a more lateral patellar track. Zimmer addressed these anatomical differences in their Gender Solutions design.â
The Company hopes to receive regulatory clearance to begin marketing the implants with specific claims regarding women patients in the second half of this year.
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And here is a link to the Zimmer press release:
http://www.zimmer.com/z/ctl/op/global/acti...prcat/M3/prod/y
I have heard that Zimmer Inc has just got FDA approval for a new range of gender-specific knee implants.
In the past, the "one style fits all" approach caused problems because the range of movement of the female knee tends to be greater than the male knee. Also the ligaments and tendons that support the kneecap tend to be looser in women than in men.
You can read more about this here:
http://www.sanangelostandardtimes.com/sast...4885192,00.html
Also, here is the press release on the Zimmer site:
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE<!--quotec-->
Zimmer Holdings Displays Gender Solutions⢠â the First Knee Replacement Designed to Address Unique Anatomical Needs of Women
(WARSAW, IN) March 22, 2006âZimmer Holdings, Inc. (NYSE and SWX: ZMH), a leader in the orthopaedics industry, announced today it is demonstrating at the worldâs largest orthopaedic surgeon meeting the first knee replacement system designed specifically to address the unique needs of women patients.
âOur Gender Solutions⢠Knee Femoral Implants have been specifically designed for women, which distinguishes our system from those which are merely downsized versions of existing designsâwomen are clearly not little men,â said Ray Elliott, Zimmer Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. âWe have a pending 510(k) regulatory clearance to market this system as a means of addressing the specific anatomical differences typically seen in women. We believe we are the first company to do so.â
Women represent the majority of knee replacement patients with approximately 60% of all cases. A womanâs knee anatomy is different from a manâs in the ratio between the width and height of the femur, the angle of the femur in relation to the tibia, and a less prominent anterior surface of the femur, among several other differences. The ligaments supporting the knee tend to be more âlaxâ in women than in men.
âThe new Gender Solutions implants will address a need that we as surgeons have realized for some time nowâthat compromises are made in matching implant sizes to a patientâs anatomy,â said Dr. Robert Booth, Chief, Orthopaedic Surgery, PennsylvaniaHospital (Philadelphia, PA). âThe design of these implants is significant because it is based on anatomical studies of the differences between men and women, meaning that we are able to address real differences and come closer to matching components to each patient. With women representing so much of our patient base, it only makes sense that we would take this step to try to improve implant fit through very specific design features. I honestly believe that the Gender Solutions design is one of those leaps in knee surgery and I think, with Zimmerâs help, this is going to be the advance of the decade.â
The Gender Solutions knee implant is based on the tradition and clinical success of Zimmerâs flagship brand, the NexGen® Complete Knee Solution. The Gender Solutions implant will first be available in Zimmerâs âflexâ design, which enables patients who are able to achieve high degrees of flexion for their specific lifestyle needs, such as bending and kneeling.
According to Dr. Mohamed R. Mahfouz, Co-Director, The Center for Musculoskeletal Research, The Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Assistant Professor, Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Tennessee, who was part of the research team for the Gender Solutions implant design, anatomical studies indicated some clear distinctions between female and male knee anatomy.
âWe created what we call âanatomical atlases,â or bone morphology atlases, which are huge collections of data sets that we can combine in a statistical way and then start using the atlases to highlight differences between males and females,â said Dr. Mahfouz. âDuring the course of more than five years of research and, in the aggregate, more than 800 femurs and patellae reviewed, we found significant differences between males and females, including the narrower width of female femurs, reduced anterior condyle height and a tendency toward a more lateral patellar track. Zimmer addressed these anatomical differences in their Gender Solutions design.â
The Company hopes to receive regulatory clearance to begin marketing the implants with specific claims regarding women patients in the second half of this year.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
And here is a link to the Zimmer press release:
http://www.zimmer.com/z/ctl/op/global/acti...prcat/M3/prod/y