DePuy launches Peak Fx hip plate system

DePuy has announced the launch of its Peak Fx hip plate system, with this new technology the sole available method for treating interochanteric hip fractures using either minimally invasive or traditional surgical procedures.

The Peak Fx technology facilitates the stabilisation of hip fractures while preserving the tissue surrounding the break, which could potentially speed up patient recovery and rehabilitation time.

At present, patients undergoing surgery to repair hip fractures can experience long rehabilitation periods, in part as a result of damage caused to surrounding tissue and muscle during surgery.

The low-profile plate and streamlined instrument design enables insertion into body tissue without resulting in unnecessary trauma, with an optimally designed lag screw guaranteeing stability in order to address these issues.

Richard Kyle, director of orthopaedics at the Hennepin County Medical Centre, said: “Given how much a hip fracture affects a patient’s life, our goal with this new technology is to repair the fracture while sparing the surrounding tissues as much as possible to leave the muscles as strong as they can be to support optimum recovery and rehabilitation.”

He added that preservation of vessels and tissues near fractures can give surgeons new alternatives to the use of nails and other similar devices.

Earlier this month, DePuy announced the launch of the Delta Xtend reverse shoulder system to aid patients suffering debilitating shoulder conditions by reversing the anatomy of the shoulder to make use of the healthy deltoid muscle to offer pain-free shoulder functioning.