Daphne Allen

July 11, 2017

2 Min Read
New Kit Streamlines Wrist Fracture Treatment

A new single-use kit for treating wrist fractures aims to improve efficiency and minimize costs.

The contents of the new, pre-sterilized Distal Radius Sterile Kit shown on the front table, compared with the contents of the table that healthcare systems have historically assembled themselves. Image courtesy of DePuy Synthes.

DePuy Synthes has debuted the Distal Radius Sterile Kit, which contains instruments and implants anticipated to meet the needs of up to 80% of wrist fracture cases currently treated with plates and screws, reports the company in a news release. The streamlined kit contains one Variable Angle LCP Two-Column Volar Distal Radius Plate, a distribution of screws, and the required fixation instrumentation.

Because it is pre-sterilized, the kit could eliminate the need for healthcare systems to assemble and sterilize their own instruments and kits for such procedures.

"The Distal Radius Sterile Kit is an example of how we are responding to customer needs by providing value beyond the implant," stated I.V. Hall, Global Franchise Leader, DePuy Synthes Trauma, in the release. "By combining our market-leading plate and screw solution with single-use instrumentation, we are supporting our customers ranging from academic medical centers to community hospitals in providing high-quality care in an efficient, cost-effective way."  

The contents of the Distal Radius Sterile Kit are arranged "to drive repeatable, more consistent procedures," it was stated in the release.

"It's important in trauma cases for the instrumentation to be arranged in a way that the surgeon can focus on the patient without distraction from the back table," stated Marc Richard, M.D., Associate Professor, Hand, Upper Extremity and Microvascular Surgery, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, in the release. "In my experience with these sterile kits, they have helped assure availability of the distal radius plates during unscheduled trauma cases.  Additionally, I have found that the simplified set and instrumentation can help the scrub team preserve operating room efficiency." (Richard also serves as a consultant to DePuy Synthes Trauma.)

DePuy Synthes cited a UK industry report that reportedly demonstrated that single-use kits may save approximately $285 per procedure for sterilization, transport, and handling. (It cited Goldrein T, Locsei T, Craigwood, A. DYQ06 - Costs of Orthopaedic Surgery. Innovia Technology Report, 2010, noting that costs were converted from GBP to USD using 2010 conversion rates.)

To learn more about the Distal Radius Sterile Kits, visit www.DePuySynthes.com/DRSK.

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Daphne Allen is executive editor of Pharmaceutical & Medical Packaging News and a contributor to MD&DI and Qmed. Reach her at [email protected] and on Twitter at @daphneallen

About the Author(s)

Daphne Allen

Daphne Allen is editor-in-chief of Design News. She previously served as editor-in-chief of MD+DI and of Pharmaceutical & Medical Packaging News and also served as an editor for Packaging Digest. Daphne has covered design, manufacturing, materials, packaging, labeling, and regulatory issues for more than 20 years. She has also presented on these topics in several webinars and conferences, most recently discussing design and engineering trends at IME West 2024 and leading an Industry ShopTalk discussion during the show on artificial intelligence.

Follow Daphne on X at @daphneallen and reach her at [email protected].

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