Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation has announced the introduction of a new line of extended length and “detachable” Ruggles(TM) kerrison rongeurs, which are key instruments used in a variety of neuro and spine surgeries. The Ruggles(TM) kerrison rongeurs with a detachable feature received 510(k) clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The new feature allows for easier cleaning, and special coatings help preserve the instrument’s sharpness.

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3M Co is making it third acquisition in less than a month by proposing to buy Arizant, a maker of patient warming products to prevent hypothermia during surgery, for $810 million in cash. Its products include Bair Hugger therapy, the Bair Paws patient adjustable warming system, and the Ranger blood and fluid warming systems. Arizant products help maintain normal body temperature, known as normothermia which help prevent surgical site infections.

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The global market for cardiovascular surgery devices was valued at $2 billion in 2009, and is forecast to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 3% to reach $2.4 billion in 2016. The market is expected to be driven by patient population suffering from Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) and their increased awareness and safety of cardiovascular surgery over Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) in some cases, such as three vessel coronary artery disease.

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Monteris Medical Inc. has raised $3.4 million in equity for a device that enables minimally invasive laser surgery for brain tumors. Monteris’ AutoLITT System received clearance for use in neurosurgery from the FDA last year. The AutoLITT procedure uses an MRI to guide a laser that allows doctors to watch and adjust as they heat glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) tumors, reduce them to a pasty state and remove the tumor.

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South Korea-based Medyssey Co., Ltd. announced that the Company has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Zenius(TM) Thoracolumbar Spinal System. Though currently available in limited release, Medyssey will launch the new Zenius(TM) System in the United States in Q4. The Zenius(TM) System is a Ti alloy 5.5 mm Rod and Thoracolumbar Pedicle Screw Construct for the surgical treatment of spinal trauma, deformity, and degenerative spinal pathologies.

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Integra Lifesciences Holdings Corporation has added a tissue sparing retraction system, iPASSAGE Retractor for Minimally Invasive Surgery of the lumbar spine. The iPASSAGE system allows the surgeon to make smaller cuts, thereby reducing the time of recovery, tissue damage and blood loss. Integra distributes the iPASSAGE Retractor system through Integra Spine, a part of the Orthopedics segment. The company’s spine and orthobiologics product portfolio includes spinal fusion devices; supplemental fixation systems for cervical procedures.

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The University of Alabama in Birmingham has presented a new approach to achieving aesthetic balance to the aging face by combining soft tissue fillers and skin tightening techniques at the American Academy of Dermatology’s Summer Academy Meeting 2010 in Chicago. Another new technology that shows promise for skin tightening and moderate lifting of the lower face employs fractionated bipolar radiofrequency (RF) energy.

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Elmbrook Memorial, which began offering robotic surgeries earlier this year, celebrated its 100th robotic surgery. Elmbrook Memorial offers many types of robotic surgeries including prostate, urologic, gynecologic, gastric bypass, and colorectal. Using the da Vinci Surgical System, the surgeon operates while seated comfortably at a console viewing a 3D image of the surgical field. The surgeon’s fingers grasp the master controls below the display, with hands and wrists naturally positioned relative to his eyes.

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SurgiVision, Inc. has announced that the first patient procedure using its ClearPoint(TM) Neuro Intervention System has been successfully performed by physicians at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center. SurgiVision’s ClearPoint system is an integrated system of reusable components, disposable components and menu-driven software. Using the ClearPoint system, a physician sees and selects a neurological target, aims SurgiVision’s targeting device and watches via MRI as the surgical instrument is advanced to the target.

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Saint Agnes Medical Center gave a demonstration of a $2 million state-of-the-art da Vinci Si HD robotic surgical system that should reduce hospital stays from weeks to days in certain cases. Robotic surgery is not a new advancement, but the da Vinci Si differs from the current straight-armed varieties by the way the machine mimics the human wrist. The da Vinci Si’s mechanical hands can bend and twist in a full 360-degree field of motion.

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