BELLEVUE, Wash.– CurvaFix, Inc., a developer of medical devices to repair fractures in curved bones, today announced the completion of the 100th surgical procedure using the CurvaFix® IM Implant to repair a pelvic fragility fracture for a geriatric patient at University Hospital at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo. The surgery was performed by orthopedic trauma surgeon Brett D. Crist, M.D., Director of the Orthopaedic Trauma Service and Orthopaedic Trauma Fellowship.
The 70-year-old geriatric female patient with osteoporosis sustained a low-energy fall almost seven months ago. She was referred to Dr. Crist for the CurvaFix Implant procedure after experiencing limited mobility and continued pain following nonoperative management, including osteoporosis treatment. According to Dr. Crist, “The patient tolerated the minimally invasive procedure very well. The CurvaFix Implant was easily steered around existing lumbosacral fusion hardware from a previous surgery, for ideal implant placement conforming to the patient’s individual bone shape within the remaining first sacral segment corridor, to the opposite ilium, and provided strong, stable fixation in poor-quality bone.”
The CurvaFix IM Implant procedure can simplify pelvic fracture fixation by enabling surgeons to choose an optimal entry point, allowing them to steer within the bone to follow each patient’s bone shape and fill the bone corridor resulting in strong, curved fixation with a minimally invasive procedure. For patients with fragility fractures of the pelvis (FFP), strong, curved fixation in weak bone with the CurvaFix Implant may immediately reduce pain, enable earlier mobility, and improve patient recovery compared to traditional methods.
“The 100th patient treated by the CurvaFix Implant is an important milestone for CurvaFix and is indicative of a large unmet clinical need our curved implant can address in patients suffering from fragility or high-impact fractures of the pelvis,” said Steve Dimmer, chief executive officer for CurvaFix. “It is our commitment to offer surgeons and their patients strong, curved fracture fixation throughout the pelvis in a minimally invasive, easy procedure with potential for immediate pain relief, earlier mobility, and faster recovery. This is especially important for fragility fracture patients where mobility is key to life.”
Over 186,000 hospitalizations occur due to pelvic fractures yearly in the U.S and an estimated 70,000 pelvic fracture surgeries in the U.S. The incidence of fragility fractures of the pelvis (FFP) is an increasing health problem in America’s aging society, affecting over 108,000 of these patients.1 Pelvic fragility fractures can dramatically change the quality of life for patients and their families due to a loss of patient autonomy, significant disability, and even death.
Despite recommendations that surgical treatment should be considered for most fragility fractures of the pelvis, only 10% receive surgery today. For non-operative patients, conservative treatment generally consists of bed confinement, pain control, and mobility assistance while tolerating weight-bearing. Often, conservative treatment leads to lengthy hospitalizations, high nursing home admittance, and a high one-year mortality rate.
