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Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr. Jeffrey Carlson Completes Milestone Case With SpineFrontier’s Invue Technology

SpineFrontier announced today that Dr. Jeffrey R. Carlson completed his 500th case using SpineFrontier’s Invue plate and screws, with no recorded screw backouts. The operation took place on Aug. 21 at Mary Immaculate Hospital in Newport News, Va. Dr. Carlson performed a one-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. Prior to undergoing surgery, the patient’s neck pain was constant along with left upper extremity pain and numbness in the right forearm. She failed conservative treatments including physical therapy, chiropractics, pain management and an epidural steroidal injection. Cervical X-rays revealed degenerative disc disease and kyphosis and her MRI showed spinal stenosis and a herniated disc at C5-6. This surgery was performed as an outpatient Less Exposure Surgery (LES) procedure and the patient was discharged just two hours post operatively.

The Invue screw’s connected tab feature provides enhanced feedback for secure final screw locking, a close design collaboration between Dr. Carlson and SpineFrontier.

“The Invue anterior plating system has a twofold screw locking mechanism. The first is a thread-through feature, where both the major and minor diameters of the screw are timed with the plate’s screw hole. The second is the connected ‘hurricane tabs’ (also referred to as locking arms) which snap and lock into place underneath the plate’s lip. The dual locking mechanism provides a robust plate-to-screw interface to prevent screw backout, while the connected tab feature provides the user with tactile, visual and audible confirmation of the lock,” said SpineFrontier Lead Product Manager Mike Bache.

Dr. Carlson’s case represents an evolution in the performance of cervical plating screws. Moreover, this surgical milestone proves an achievement for the innovative LES approach, which results in smaller incisions, minimizes tissue disruption, and reduces blood loss and surgery time. The LES approach provides a potentially speedier recovery.

Dr. Carlson noted, “We haven’t had a single Invue screw back out since we began utilizing the product. Prior to using SpineFrontier technology, we generally saw one to two patients annually with a backout issue, which became our expectation regarding results. With the Invue screw, we’ve fortunately reversed that presumption of patient return.”

Dr. Jeffrey Carlson serves as President and Managing Partner of the Orthopaedic & Spine Center in Newport News, Va. He is a board-certified, fellowship-trained spine specialist who focuses on the treatment of injuries and disorders of the spine. He is a thought leader and pioneer in the development and implementation of outpatient spinal surgery procedures and techniques, including Less Exposure Surgery, which is minimally invasive and less traumatic for the patient.

Dr. Carlson received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Maryland and promptly began medical school at George Washington University. Post-graduate training included his residency at Harvard University, and two fellowships.

About SpineFrontier Inc.
SpineFrontier’s mission is to advance the standard of spine surgery through innovative technology. SpineFrontier believes less is more: less time in treatment and recovery is more time in action for patients and surgeons. Headquartered in Malden, Ma., SpineFrontier is a KICVentures portfolio company and the leader in LES technologies and instruments.

Drue

Drue is Managing Partner for The De Angelis Group.

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