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Extremity Medical: New Midfoot Fusion Device
Extremity Medical gets “back to nature.” The company has just announced the release of the TarsX Intramedullary Midfoot Fusion Device, a product which replicates the natural arch of the foot while delivering significant compression and stability across the joints. As indicated by Extremity Medical, the TarsX system is an intraosseous fixation device that allows surgeons to create a variety of midfoot arthrodeses in each of the five rays while avoiding complications associated with plates.
Christopher W. DiGiovanni, M.D., Professor and Chief of the Division of Foot and Ankle Surgery in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Brown University/Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, RI, led the design team for this product and commented in the news release, “The TarsX system is a very novel intramedullary device designed to expand the armamentarium of Foot and Ankle surgeons when faced with the many challenges associated with reconstructing complex midfoot deformity. The intervention is designed to simplify our approach to an historically difficult foot problem which has never been easy to treat.”
Jamy Gannoe, President and co-Founder of Extremity Medical, further stated, “The introduction of the TarsX System is an example of Extremity Medical’s commitment to delivering specialized solutions to the difficult challenges faced by extremities surgeons.”
The TarsX Midfoot Fixation System was approved by the FDA this past April; the company is beginning the limited release of the product in selected centers across the country.
Commenting on the limited release, Scott Hunter, VP, U.S. Sales and Marketing for Extremity Medical, told OTW,
We plan to release the TarsX system to 15 centers across the US. This includes some of the leading foot & ankle centers in the United States such as Brown University/Rhode Island Hospital and The Cleveland Clinic. We will closely monitor user preferences by maintaining a detailed registry of all procedures.
When asked about the impetus behind the device, Hunter said to OTW,
The TarsX Intramedullary Midfoot Fusion device was designed to give the surgeon another tool to aid in reconstructing the complex midfoot deformities. It was conceived by Christopher W. DiGiovanni, MD, Professor and Chief of the Division of Foot and Ankle Surgery in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Brown University/Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, RI. The device allows surgeons to fuse a variety of joints in the midfoot while avoiding the complications associated with plates and screws. The devise locks together to reproduce the natural arch of the foot while delivering compression across the joints being fused.
He added, "When designing the implant we set out to make an implant that achieves rigid stability through intramedullary fixation, minimizes wound complications by keeping all incisions on the dorsal side of the foot, and allowed the surgeon to fuse multiple joints where indicated. The devise can also be used in multiple rays across the midfoot to meet the different challenges surgeons face when reconstructing complex midfoot conditions. We also recognized the need to provide advanced instrumentation to make the procedure reproducible and simplify the technique."
As for details on sales and training, Hunter told OTW,
Extremity Medical products are sold through a network of independent orthopedic distributors in the United States and around the World. Our sales force in the United Sates includes approximately 40 distributors with roughly 200 sales representatives. Extremity Medical recognizes the need to provide detailed training to surgeons and our training program includes cadaveric workshops, sawbones training, and participation in workshops at major conferences including AOFAS and ACFAS.