Stryker’s Foot & Ankle business unit recently announced availability of its new soft tissue solution, SonicAnchor, the only implant in the U.S. market that utilizes ultrasonic energy to liquefy and flow into cancellous bone. The company indicates it is suitable for suture or tissue fixation in foot, ankle, knee, hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder open procedures.
According to Stryker, it improves on raditional anchor fixation. The product’s design and SonicFusion technology may lower risk of breakage during insertion and offers high pull out strength and reliability. The application of ultrasonic energy liquefies the tip of the SonicAnchor, a bioresorbable polylactide polymer, enabling it to flow into cancellous bone cavities for stable fixation within five seconds after application.
(Image credit: Stryker)
“Stryker is helping drive innovation in the industry with SonicAnchor and its unique fixation technology,” says Adam Schiff, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois who has performed several procedures using the product. “Every time I place one, I am truly impressed by the strength and performance of this small implant.”
SonicAnchor has a small footprint of 2.5 mm in diameter and supports a number of foot and ankle open procedures, including Achilles tendon repair, lateral and medial stabilization, hallux valgus reconstruction, midfoot reconstruction, metatarsal ligament repair, and digital tendon transfer. Mechanical testing has demonstrated a significant enhancement in dynamic load stability over a predicate device without the presence of cortical bone.
“SonicAnchor is transforming the soft tissue experience, and we are excited Stryker is leading the way in providing this innovative solution to orthopaedic surgeons. Its SonicFusion technology is unlike any other on the market,” says Tom Popeck, vice president and general manager of Stryker’s Foot and Ankle business unit.
