KATOR, a start-up medical device company focused on advanced tissue-to-bone reattachment systems, announces that it begun a limited product launch of its KATOR Suture Anchor System and the completion of the first surgical case.

Saltzman, Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of Utah.  The case utilized two KATOR suture anchors made from PEEK material and four strands of 2mm wide high strength suture tape in conjunction with a transosseous suture routing technique.  The resulting knotless repair construct provided excellent coaptation of the tendon to the bone with no anchors under the tendon to impede healing and no suture knots to cause soft tissue irritation.

“The KATOR Suture Anchor System allows me to create a repair construct similar to double row repair techniques but with a single row of anchors placed with better soft tissue coverage than alternatives,” stated Dr. Saltzman.  Dr. Saltzman continues, “The ability to independently tension each suture strand after placing the anchors in the bone allows me to achieve a more controlled final repair construct, and the transosseous technique holds the potential for better biological healing, better mechanical stability and reduced cost.”

The KATOR Suture Anchor System represents a new paradigm in tissue-to-bone reattachment.  The system combines a transosseous technique with knotless suture anchor fixation to provide repair constructs with superior strength compared to currently marketed suture anchors (data on file). Because of this superior strength, surgeons can repair torn rotator cuffs or reattach Achilles tendons using fewer suture anchors, preserving more bone, increasing the “footprint” area and increasing the blood flow available for tendon healing.

KATOR is a medical device company incubated and operated by Surgical Frontiers.