TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- ORTHOsoft [ORTHOsoft Inc. (TSX-V: OSH)], announced today that the benefits of its Navitrack(R) Navigation System, an industry leading Computer-Assisted Surgery (CAS) technology, are now available to patients in Tampa, Florida.
Successfully in use since 1995 in Canada and Europe, ORTHOsoft's CAS continues to transform the way surgeons perform total joint replacement surgery and represents one of the most significant advancements in the field. It combines industry-leading technology and a surgeon's skill, simplifying the surgical procedure while improving the outcome of each knee and hip replacement. CAS brings new and improved options to patients when considering hip and or knee replacement surgery and can result in:
-- Improved joint implant alignment -- Extension of the life of the implant -- Restoration of normal mobility -- Improved quality of life -- Reduction of recovery time -- Better patient outcomes
Many delay joint replacement surgery because they fear pain, long recovery time, and the need for more surgery. Navitrack Navigation System can make joint replacement a success and help in Getting Your Life Back On Track(TM).
One of the most common causes of hip and knee joint replacement failure is implant misalignment. Implant misalignment, or misplacement, can occur even in the hands of an experienced surgeon. Just a slight misalignment of a few degrees can cause increased discomfort and an inability to regain full mobility after surgery. With the help of CAS, surgeons can significantly reduce the chance for misalignment.
"Whenever you do a knee replacement, no matter how many you've done and how good a surgeon you are, there's always an element of uncertainty," commented Dr. Harry Steinman, Orthopedic Surgeon, Orthopaedic Associates of West Florida, Morton Plant Mease Health Care. "When you use computer navigation, you reduce the uncertainty of misaligning the implant to about one degree. Unfortunately, when you do it without computer navigation, you don't have reproducibility. Some days you can be great. On other days, you don't do as well."
CAS with the Navitrack Navigation System is still performed by your surgeon -- not a robot. "Using Navitrack is almost like having a professor assisting you in surgery every time you do it," said Dr. W. Allen Hughes, Orthopedic Surgeon, Morton Plant Mease Health Care. " You are constantly monitoring your own surgical ability and the computer gives you direct and immediate feedback on how you are performing. It is excellent."
ORTHOsoft Launches CAS in Tampa
The most common age for knee replacement is between ages 60 to 80 years old(1). According to the 2000 US Census Bureau, more than 20 percent of its population or nearly 3 million people were over the age of 65. ORTHOsoft has started an educational campaign in Tampa, a region with a high concentration of joint replacement candidates.
Research has shown that patients are eager for more education and are interested in the Navitrack Navigation System and the myriad benefits it offers. By 2006, ORTHOsoft aims to make CAS the standard in orthopedic care- through leading-edge technology. By leveraging its strategic alliances with some of today's largest multinational CAS players and implant manufacturers, ORTHOsoft is poised to become a CAS leader in the orthopedics market.
About ORTHOsoft
ORTHOsoft Holdings Inc. ( http://www.orthosoft.ca/ ), based in Montreal, Canada, designs and develops multi-platform surgical navigation systems (Navitrack(R)) for the growing Computer-Assisted Orthopedic Surgery (CAOS) market. ORTHOsoft's knee, hip and spine applications, which are intuitive and easy to use because they follow traditional surgical flow, provide surgeons with real-time data that improve both surgical process and patient outcomes. To date, Navitrack(R) has supported over 16,000 surgical procedures in Europe and North America.
ORTHOsoft Inc.CONTACT: Sylvain Huot, Marketing Director of ORTHOsoft Inc.,+1-514-861-4074 #293, or Melissa Kelz of Integrated Marketing Solutions,+1-312-242-4723, melissa@ims-chi.com
Web site: http://www.orthosoft.ca/