Cayenne Medical, Inc. Reaches 50,000 Implant Milestone

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Nov. 18, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Cayenne Medical, Inc., a private sports medicine device company, announces that it has reached its 50,000 implant milestone.  Specializing in the soft tissue segment, Cayenne currently offers products that address previously unmet clinical needs in knee ligament reconstruction and meniscal repair, including the AperFix® System, CrossFix™ Meniscal Repair System and iFix™ System.  The announcement was made today at the Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA) 29th Fall Course in Phoenix, AZ.

"Our 50,000th implant represents an important milestone for Cayenne as it affirms the company's commitment to transform the soft tissue reconstruction segment and is proof-positive that our technology platform continues to gain significant traction throughout the orthopedic industry," said James W. Hart, President and CEO of Cayenne Medical.  "We plan to continue providing innovative sports medicine solutions that offer ease-of-use for physicians and improve quality of life for patients looking to continue their active lifestyles."

The company's flagship product AperFix is a stronger, less invasive femoral and tibial fixation device for soft tissue multi-ligament repair, including the most common anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) tears.  First implanted in the United States three years ago, the AperFix technology has been used by more than 1,300 surgeons in 20 countries.

The AperFix single tunnel, all-inside surgical technique attaches a soft tissue graft at the aperture (opening) of the femoral and tibial tunnels created for fixation.  This creates a shorter, stiffer and more anatomic ligament reconstruction that is designed to restore natural knee kinematics.  For ACL reconstruction, the technically less-demanding procedure can be performed using a traditional tibial approach or a more anatomical approach through the anteromedial portal.

"Cayenne Medical's innovative suite of products has allowed me to provide patients at all activity levels with strong, reliable and less invasive knee repair," said Tal David, MD.  "The versatility of the AperFix system in particular has allowed me to confidently perform multiple ligament reconstructions with ease."

The CrossFix system, launched in 2009, is a fast, efficient device used to treat repairable traumatic meniscal tears. It provides a suture-only repair that replicates the strength of "gold standard" open surgical stitching through a much less invasive, all-inside, single incision procedure.

The iFix system, launched in 2008, was developed for surgeons who practice the bone-tendon-bone ACL reconstruction technique, as opposed to the soft tissue technique used with AperFix.  iFix is the first FDA-approved interference screw manufactured using polyetheretherketone (PEEK™), a form of plastic which is highly biocompatible, biomechanically strong and radiolucent.

ACL injuries are one of the most common sports-related injuries, with nearly 400,000 procedures conducted in the United States each year.(1)  Meniscal tears, also referred to as cartilage tears, are among the most common knee injuries, with more than 800,000 procedures and 300,000 repairs performed each year.

For more information about AperFix, CrossFix or iFix, visit www.cayennemedical.com.  For information on the latest trends in sports medicine, visit the Cayenne Medical Blog at www.cayennemedical.com/blog.

About Cayenne Medical, Inc.:

Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, Cayenne Medical is a privately held medical device company defining new technology for the soft tissue reconstruction segment of the sports medicine market.  The company was founded in 2005 and is focused on leading the transformation of traditional ACL, PCL and meniscal repair procedures, by applying advanced technology through minimally invasive techniques.  For more information, visit www.cayennemedical.com.

(1) Millennium Research, Data on File at Cayenne Medical

SOURCE Cayenne Medical, Inc.