Smith & Nephew’s Orthopedics Division Launches TRIGEN SURESHOT Distal Targeting System

Smith & Nephew’s orthopedics division has introduced the TRIGEN SURESHOT Distal Targeting System, a small, portable device that eliminates a significant amount of radiation exposure to the orthopedic trauma surgeon, the company said.

The 3-D imaging system replaces the radiation-emitting, fluoroscopic “c-arm,” traditionally used during tibial and femoral nail cases to achieve proper distal screw placement.

A recent study¹ concluded that the TRIGEN SURESHOT eliminates 36 seconds of fluoroscopy exposure (0.785 radiation absorbed doses, or rads) during tibial fracture cases and 49 seconds during femoral fracture cases (2.362 rads), Smith & Nephew said.

In the same study, the degree of precision TRIGEN SURESHOT delivered contributed to a first-time drilling accuracy rate of 100 percent in tibia cases and 96 percent in femoral cases. This consistency reduced distal locking time by 48 percent during tibial nail cases and by 32 percent during femoral nail cases, resulting in less anesthesia and risk of infection for patients, the company said.

The TRIGEN SURESHOT works with the fracture-specific TRIGEN META-NAIL system.

London, England-based Smith & Nephew is a global medical technology business that specializes in orthopedics, including reconstruction, trauma and clinical therapies; endoscopy and advanced wound management.

Reference

1. Tornetta P, Patel P, Tseng S, Whitten A, Ricci W. Distal locking using an electromagnetic field guided computer based real time system. Poster presented at: Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Trauma Association; October 8-10, 2009; San Diego, Calif. Results based on a single-center cadaver study of 24 tibial and 24 femoral procedures.