DePuy Synthes, part of the Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies, announces the U.S. launch of the GLOBAL UNITE Reverse Fracture Shoulder, an innovative implant solution for shoulder reconstruction following complex fractures in patients with a grossly deficient rotator cuff. The new system is designed to provide increased flexibility for securely reattaching the bone to the implant, which is important for healing and function, and allowing biological fixation to the stem of the implant with a porous coating to help deliver a consistent surgical outcome. This new offering adds to DePuy Synthes’ commitment to innovative shoulder solutions that address the full continuum of shoulder disorders.

Shoulder fractures are the second most common fracture of the upper extremity, representing 10 percent of all fractures in those older than 65 years and are increasing in frequency as the elderly population grows. When patients with grossly deficient rotator cuffs suffer 3- or 4-part fractures in the upper arm bone (proximal humerus), it is often challenging to provide consistent treatment that helps healing and restores motion. Increasingly, surgeons are shifting to a reverse shoulder implant for more consistent and predictable outcomes for these patients.

“I find that especially in my older patients whose bone quality doesn’t allow me to use the plates and screws typically used in a shoulder fracture procedure, fixation is an issue often due to weak rotator cuffs,” says Dr. Carl Basamania, orthopaedic surgeon. “In my experience with the GLOBAL UNITE Reverse Fracture Shoulder System I get strong fixation and I feel a lot more confident about moving patients early so they get better motion and a quicker return to function.”

In a reverse total shoulder replacement, the ball and socket anatomy is reversed. A metal ball is fixed to the shoulder socket and a cup is fixed to the upper end of the humerus. Instead of using the rotator cuff to power the shoulder, the implant uses the deltoid muscle, which is the muscle at the top of the arm and shoulder.

The GLOBAL UNITE Reverse Fracture Shoulder provides:

• Numerous suture holes, designed in the collar on top of the implant, and suture pockets around the backside of the implant to enhance bone fixation around the implant.
• POROCOAT Porous Coating, a proprietary technology that consists of microscopic titanium beads. The porous structure supports biological fixation at the bone-implant interface.
• Backside pockets specially designed for bone graft, which may help promote bone growth and healing.
• A streamlined instrumentation kit that is designed to improve cross compatibility across DePuy Synthes’ shoulder offerings.

“DePuy Synthes’ broad portfolio of shoulder solutions helps surgeons address a wide range of conditions from traumatic shoulder fractures to rotator cuff tears and instability,” says Stephanie Chamberlain, global platform leader, Mitek Sports Medicine and Shoulder. “We offer solutions for minimally invasive surgery and complete shoulder reconstruction, all designed to restore mobility for patients.”

The GLOBAL UNITE Reverse Fracture Shoulder is the latest implant offering under our GLOBAL UNITE Platform Shoulder System and builds on the company’s long history in innovative shoulder reconstruction. This includes the DELTA XTEND Reverse Shoulder System and most recently the launch of TRUMATCH Personalized Solutions Shoulder System pre-surgical planning software for shoulder reconstruction, which can be used in both reverse and anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty to optimize implant positioning and placement.

The GLOBAL UNITE Reverse Fracture Shoulder will launch in the U.S. beginning in the 2018 second quarter.