FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Innovative Spine Device First-of-its-kind to be Implanted in Florida
BEVERLY, MA, December 10, 2008 -
A patient at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Palm Beach, Fl, was the first in Florida to receive an innovative FDA-approved spine implant developed by SpineFrontier™. The FacetFuse implant relieves severe lower back and leg pain by fusing two vertebrae together using two proprietary screws, eliminating the movement that causes pain.
Dr. Kingsley R. Chin, M.D., renowned spine surgeon and inventor of the FacetFuse implant, performed the first surgery and has subsequently implanted other FacetFuse devices in patients at Good Samaritan Hospital. The patient, a 46 year-old male with severe back and burning right leg pain, was implanted with FacetFuse screws on one side of his spine, and with traditional pedicle screws on the other. He was up out of bed and walking in the hallways the following morning after his surgery. Six days after his surgery he walked into Dr. Chin’s clinic and said, “I have no more of the pain I had before surgery” and wanted to know if he “could start having intimate relations”.
Designed and evaluated by world-renowned practicing spine surgeons, the FacetFuse implant is state-of-the-art. “Facet screws are the least invasive technique to securely stabilize the lumbar spine. The cutting-edge FacetFuse design stemmed from my experience with the limitations of other competitive products,” said Dr. Chin, an inventor of the FacetFuse minimally invasive screw system, and who is also an inventor of the MANTIS™ minimally invasive pedicle screw system for spinal fusion.
The FacetFuse device is implanted through an open or minimally invasive surgical technique, the latter only requiring an incision about 1.5 centimeters long. In comparison to traditional spine surgery, the minimally invasive technique is preferable due to the fact that the smaller incision heals significantly faster, there is substantially less blood loss, patients have less pain after surgery, the surgery is much faster, patients recover more quickly, the operation is easier for the surgeon, and the device can be placed with more precision using fluoroscopy.
Dr. Chin said, “this device will significantly benefit surgeons and their patients.”
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SpineFrontier was founded by practicing spine surgeons with the belief that, as surgeons, we are best able to identify our own needs as well as those of our patients. Our team of surgeons, engineers and industry experts collaborate seamlessly on our innovations, helping us develop SpineFrontier into a company that is primarily driven to be a leader in innovation and cutting edge technology. SpineFrontier will assist us surgeons in solving the challenges we face daily, while treating our patients in the operating room.
SpineFrontier is constantly striving to design products that are rooted in the idea of providing the patient with a pain-free and comfortable lifestyle.
Contact:
Marwan M. Aylouche
Director, Product and Corporate Image
SpineFrontier
Phone: +1 978 279 9270
Fax: +1 978 232 3001
innovation@spinefrontier.com