Renown orthopedic trauma surgeon Attila Poka, M.D. has joined CoNextions Medical as the company’s Chief Medical Officer. As indicated in the September 2, 2016 news release, Dr. Poka’s role will be to “lead CoNextions Medical in its development and practice of clinical education and training for physicians and distributors, oversee clinical research collaboration and educational grants, work with physical therapists in recovery protocols, support sales and marketing programs, and help guide product development initiatives to further improve and expand CoNextions Medical’s products.”
Dr. Poka was previously Chief of Orthopaedic Trauma at Grant Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio and Clinical Professor of Orthopaedic Trauma of Ohio University. He has also held many appointments at Shock Trauma Center/MIEMSS, in Baltimore, Maryland.
Company Chairman, CEO And Co-Founder Richard J Linder said, “Dr. Poka brings us the critical perspective of a tremendous health care provider and patient advocate. Dr. Poka’s first-hand experience in caring for injured patients will be invaluable as we maintain our focus on the achievement of our mission to dramatically improve patient outcomes, reduce surgical complications, improve the quality of life for patients, and improve the health economics of tendon repair worldwide.”
Dr. Poka told OTW, “In the history of mankind, from the very beginning until now, repair of severed tendons was carried out by suturing the tendon ends together. To improve outcomes, experts in the field invented new techniques attempting to improve the strength of the repair and reduce gapping of the tendon ends. All of these attempts provided some improvements, but results were far from satisfactory partly due to the scarring as a consequence of post-surgical immobilization. This is the first time in history that an entirely new concept is utilized, eliminating the suture as a method of fixation providing a strong enough repair that immediate motion is possible without the fear of gap formation.
“I believe, and it is supported by laboratory testing, that this new device [CoNextion TR] will revolutionize tendon repair, will allow patients to return to work sooner, and have predictably better functional outcomes. This is the reason why CoNextions’ future is so exciting. I came back from retirement because I would not miss the opportunity to be part of this pioneer team that developed this revolutionary product.
“Part of my new job is to familiarize the surgical community with the new opportunity that we offer and assist with training and education of all concerned. Also, I am looking forward to the challenges that a new concept creates in terms of acceptance and advancement as standard of care. Overall I hope to help determine how we bring this new technology to the patient in order to improve their quality of life.”
