• Core Essence Orthopaedics (Yardley, Pennsylvania) has introduced a line of surgical solutions focusing on soft tissue and skeletal repair of the extremities. The products include the Securus Knotless Suture Anchor System, initially targeted at arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. Other key products are the nABLE Percutaneous Suture Management System, PONTiS Endotendonous Repair System, reVERTO Shape Memory Staples, SEGWAY Synchronized Endoscopic Guide System, and the reNOVO Suture Anchor System.

• Covidien (St. Louis) said that its imaging solutions business is launching the Optistar Elite contrast delivery system. The product is designed to inject contrast media-related drugs into a patient's vascular system to aid in obtaining diagnostic images when used with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging equipment. One of the features on the Optistar Elite injector is Patency Check, which aids in preventing extravasation, assists in reducing the potential of certain medical errors and helps enhance clinical and work flow efficiency. The Optistar Elite, combined with the use of Covidien's Ultraject prefilled syringes for contrast media-related drugs, can help decrease the risk of certain medication errors that may be caused by manually filling syringes. Covidien makes product lines in four segments: medical devices, imaging solutions, pharmaceutical products and medical supplies.

• Inion (Tampere, Finland) said that it has received FDA clearance for its biodegradable graft containment systems for spinal fusion procedures. The clearance has been received for the Inion S-1 anterior cervical fusion system, the Inion S-1 double-level plate and the Inion S-2 anterior thoraco-lumbar fusion system. These systems consist of biodegradable plates and screws, which are designed for bone graft containment in spinal fusion procedures. Such procedures are carried out as a treatment for a range of spinal conditions including ruptures and displacement of inter-vertebral discs. Inion's S-1 and Inion S-2 graft containment systems include implants intended for use along the entire length of the spine in conjunction with traditional rigid fixation. Inion specializes in biodegradable implants.

• MediNotes (West Des Moines, Iowa) reported the availability of MediNotes Clinician Summer Release 2008, the newest upgrade for the company's .Net-based, integrated electronic health record (EHR) and practice management (PM) solution. Enhancements to MediNotes Clinician, which offers e-prescribing, patient portals, patient kiosks, image management, Web portal and more, include: Interface between MediNotes Clinician PM and MediNotes e; Notes enhancements enable the ease of template building according to discipline-specific workflows without compromising adherence to insurance and regulatory guidelines; Claims enhancements strengthen the existing audit trail and ensure timely reimbursements by automatically alerting users to items that may need immediate attention; and Eligibility enhancements reduce the potential for denied claims by supporting transactions based on the newly required National Provider Identifier number.