DePuy Synthes CMF Division Rolls Out New Instrumentation for Rib Fractures

The West Chester, Pa.-based CMF division of DePuy Synthes, which makes skeletal and soft-tissue repair and reconstruction technology, has launched new instrumentation for what company officials say is less-invasive surgical fixation and stabilization of rib fractures with the firm’s MatrixRIB system of precontoured, low-profile titanium plates, locking screws and intramedullary splints.

MatrixRIB Minimally Invasive Plate Osteosynthesis (MIPO) instrumentation was designed to provide surgeons with improved access, through small incisions, to rib fractures including difficult to reach sub-scapula rib fractures. The new instruments include a trocar, threaded reduction tool (TRT) with self-drilling tip, and 90-degree screwdriver with drilling capability.

“Surgical fixation and stabilization of painful rib fractures is a growing procedure and the introduction of new MIPO instrumentation should help make it an even more attractive option for both surgeons and patients,” said Adam Shiroff, M.D., chief of trauma at the Jersey Shore University Medical System and assistant professor of surgery at Rutgers Robert Wood Medical School. “The instrumentation facilitates a less invasive rib fixation procedure, and a less invasive procedure may result in less pain, quicker recovery and reduced hospitalization.”

The potential benefits of surgical stabilization (osteosynthesis) of severe rib fractures compared to non-surgical treatments include reduced duration of mechanical ventilation support, shortened intensive-care unit stays and hospitalization, better secretion management through efficient cough, and minimized chest wall deformities resulting from trauma, the company reports.

It is estimated that more than 350,000 people are affected by rib fractures each year in the United States. These fractures are associated with respiratory complications, prolonged hospitalization, prolonged pain, long-term disability and mortality.

More than 5,000 patients worldwide have received MatrixRIB implants since the system was launched in 2009. The MatrixRIB system is indicated for the fixation and stabilization of rib fractures, fusions and osteotomies of normal and osteoporotic bone.

According to the company, MatrixRIB is the only rib fixation system that is approved by the AO Foundation, a medically guided nonprofit organization led by an international group of surgeons specialized in the treatment of trauma and disorders of the musculoskeletal system.