• Ortho Organizers (Carlsbad, California) said it has added a rectangular version to its super elastic nitanium black Ti archwire product line. The product offering has gained popularity with those practitioners within the orthodontic field placing self-ligating brackets due its ultra smooth, hard oxide surface which provides increased archwire integrity and improved resiliency, while reducing sliding friction. The black oxide treatment will not chip, wear or peel. Ortho Organizers makes orthodontic products.

• Smith & NephewEndoscopy (Andover, Massachusetts) reported the launch of a redesigned and expanded family of Clear-Trac disposable cannulas, with a new, triple-seal system that reduces fluid leakage and helps surgeons manage sutures during arthroscopic surgery. The new seal system is specifically designed to minimize the leaking and spraying of surgical fluid from the cannula during procedures. Surgeons use sterile solution to distend the joint and create space to maneuver instruments during the repair process. The fluid within the joint is pressurized, to reduce bleeding and to flush away loose bodies or other materials.

• Smith & Nephew’s Orthopedic Reconstruction business (Memphis, Tennessee) reported the release of six-year clinical data related to its Birmingham hip resurfacing (BHR) system. The report was issued by the Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry. Data was tracked from September 1999 to December 2006 and revealed that the BHR device has the highest hip resurfacing system survivability rate among all of its established competitors for which data had been collected, highlighting the system’s continuing clinical performance. The BHR system conserves more of a patient’s bone than a traditional hip replacement, enabling younger, more active patients to undergo hip replacement surgery while preserving all future surgery options, including a primary hip replacement.

• The Sorin Group (Milan, Italy) reported the first commercial implant of the Mitroflow aortic pericardial heart valve in the U.S. Introduced in Europe in 1982, the Mitroflow valve is a testament to the company’s experience with bovine pericardium, from tissue harvesting to proprietary design solutions and high technology processes. Because the pericardium is mounted on the outside of the stent, it allows for maximum valve opening and optimum blood flow. The Mitroflow bioprosthesis offers surgeons the option of a supra-annular or an intra-annular valve placement designed to reduce the risk of patient-prosthesis mismatch and enhance hemodynamic performance. The sewing cuff design has shown that the valve is easy to suture, conformable to the native annulus and adaptable to difficult anatomies.

• SPO Medical (New York) has introduced the PulseOx 6000 and PulseOx 6100. The PulseOx 6000 (finger device) and PulseOx 6100 (hand-held device) both have been designed for use by medical professionals, hospitals and managed care facilities. Both devices use reflective pulse oximetry (RPO) technology for accurate and reliable measurements of blood oxygen saturation and heart rate, and include the SPO Medical new AutoSpot technology for patients suffering low perfusion. SPO Medical makes biosensor and microprocessor technologies for use in portable monitoring devices.

• Talyst (Bellevue, Washington) unveiled the latest generation of automation systems for central-pharmacy operations, designed to meet the needs of acute-care hospitals, medical centers and integrated healthcare systems. AutoPharm 3, Talyst’s software platform, links and unifies disparate systems of various manufacturers, all to enable the central pharmacy to achieve enhanced patient safety, improved operating efficiency and precise pharmacy control. Throughout the hospital, medications can be tracked from the point of entry to the automated dispensing unit or patient care area. New features of the AutoPhram 3 include: broader inventory control, chain of custody, mobile computing, and productivity reporting. Talyst provides automated systems to hospitals and other centralized pharmacies.