ECA Medical Instruments has developed what it says is the industry’s first single-procedure surgical ratchet for use by surgeons to secure orthopaedic and spine implants.
The proprietary Model 300 Secure-Fast ratcheting system is designed to reduce surgical costs by more than US$1,000 per surgery and to provide a ratcheting capability for securing screws, fasteners and connectors used in demanding procedures including spine, trauma and extremity implants. The ECA ratchet is bidirectional and fully cannulated making it suitable for use in minimally invasive surgeries where speed, safety and implant fixation are critical.
There are over nine million fracture repair and spine procedures globally each year that require a surgical implant and over 80% can benefit from use of a versatile, single-use (disposable) ratcheting instrument. Over US$4bn in healthcare industry savings could be achieved annually with widespread adoption of disposable surgical fixation instruments and kits.
Featuring a surgeon proven and preferred axial handle the ECA Secure-Fast ratchet comes configured with either an industry standard AO or ¼-inch square hub connector that can mate with legacy stainless steel drivers and shafts used across all types of surgeries. The instrument is bidirectional making it suitable for fixation, implant adjustments and extractions.
Unlike existing reusable ratchets, which are a hassle and expensive to inventory, clean, repair and re-process, the Secure-Fast ratchet is new for every procedure and can be sterile-packed ready for surgery, reducing the risk of surgical site infection.
“We are helping implant designers and surgeons transform healthcare economics by providing robust disposable instruments and kits as alternatives to traditional and costly reusable tools,” said James Schultz, ECA’s executive vice president. “The Secure-Fast ratchet complements our family of disposable instruments and procedural kits and underscores the broader adoption of disposable instruments and kits across hospitals and ambulatory surgical centres,” he said.
“Surgeons and healthcare professionals including payers are focused on gaining the best possible outpatient outcomes at the best price point or value,” said Schultz. “Our single-use instruments and kits and our new Secure-Fast ratchet are cost effective productivity tools for orthopaedic and neurosurgeons and improve patient safety as every instrument is new out of the box, sterile and ready for surgery.”
The new Model 300 series Secure-Fast ratchet, which has worldwide patents pending, will be available for sampling in the coming weeks.
