MicroAire Provides ECTR Training to 74 Hand Surgeons During Annual ASSH Meeting.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Sept. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- MicroAire Surgical Instruments pulled into Las Vegas in a 1,100-square-foot, state-of the-art, mobile surgical training lab, and parked right outside the conference center at Mandalay Bay to provide training in Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Release (ECTR) during the annual meeting of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH).

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110919/PH70654 )

Over the course of the three-day meeting, MicroAire trained 74 surgeons on its SmartRelease® ECTR system. The training sessions were included among the official classes and lectures held by ASSH during its 66th annual meeting and exposition. Surgeons who participated in the training received certification, permitting them to perform minimally invasive ECTR surgery using MicroAire's SmartRelease® system.

Initially, two training sessions were planned; but demand for the courses exceeded organizers' expectations, so three additional sessions were added after regular conference hours. Still, the interest was overwhelming, with 27 surgeons participating in one of the sessions alone, and other surgeons signing up for courses scheduled for later in the year.

"MicroAire has always believed that high-quality training is key to the success of its ECTR system," said Greg Jones, Orthopedic Specialties General Manager at MicroAire. "We will never stray from our core values, which are providing the industry's leading ECTR system with the industry's leading ECTR surgeon-education programs. This is a primary tenet of MicroAire's commitment to patient safety and optimal surgical outcomes."

The  benefits, reliability, safety and efficacy of MicroAire's SmartRelease® ECTR system are supported by an impressive body of clinical data, including a randomized, prospective study involving more than 1,000 patients in 63 surgery centers(1).

MicroAire's SmartRelease® ECTR system is a minimally invasive, endoscopic treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, providing a clear alternative to open-hand surgery. The surgical procedure is viewed on a video monitor, through the use of a tiny camera inserted into a small incision in the crease of the patient's wrist. MicroAire's minimally invasive ECTR system has been used to treat thousands of patients since 1992.

MicroAire Surgical Instruments, located in Charlottesville, Virginia, is a leading designer, manufacturer and distributor of surgical products in four key areas: Orthopaedic Specialties, Orthopaedic Power Instruments, Value Disposables and Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. For more information, please visit www.microaire.com.

(1) Agee, JM et al. "Endoscopic Release of the Carpal Tunnel: A Randomized Prospective Multicenter Study." Journal of Hand Surgery. 1992; 17(6):987-995).

CONTACT:  D.J. Crotteau of MicroAire Surgical Instruments, +1-434-975-8389, [email protected]

SOURCE MicroAire Surgical Instruments