Smith and Nephew introduces low-profile screw

Smith and Nephew has launched a new low-profile screw, which it is promoting as the only truly 'captured' head product on the market.

The captured screws boast heads with internal threads that are able to attach screws to the screwdriver in a highly secure fashion.

As a result, it is unlikely that screws will be lost during surgery, while irritation to the surrounding soft tissue could be reduced due to the low-profile screw heads sitting close to the bone surface.

Dr William Ricci, professor of orthopaedic surgery and chief of orthopaedic traumas service at Washington University School of Medicine, noted the new Trigen Low-Profile screws offer the best of three worlds.

"They are low profile, they provide excellent feel related to when the screw head is down to bone and they retain the all-important capture feature," he added.

It is hoped the new products will enable surgeons to team the security of a captured screw with the patient-friendly benefits of a lower profile head.