• ArthroCare (Austin, Texas) said it has received FDA clearance for its Cavity SpineWand to reduce malignant lesions within the vertebrae. The Cavity SpineWand is used in a minimally-invasive, surgical procedure to actually remove malignant tissue within vertebrae, creating a small cavity. Medical grade cement can then be injected into the cavity, stabilizing the fracture. This procedure does not eliminate other therapeutic options for the patient such as radiation or chemotherapy. Skeletal metastases, commonly referred to as spine tumors, are caused when breast, prostate or other primary cancers spread by the bloodstream to the spine, causing vertebrae to weaken and collapse. VCFs can create debilitating back pain, impaired mobility and in some cases, paralysis. In addition to decreasing quality of life, the pain caused by VCFs may make it difficult for many patients to receive their chemo or radiation therapies prescribed by their oncologists. The wand is inserted through the cannula under radiographic guidance and is activated once it reaches the tumor. A small, highly localized plasma cloud removes tumor material while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. ArthroCare specializes in minimally invasive surgical products.

• Cerner (Kansas City, Missouri) said that Cerner Bridge transfusion administration and specimen collections software solution has received FDA pre-market notification clearance. The software uses barcode scanning technology, wireless networks and clinical systems integration to improve patient safety. Utilizing positive patient identification, the solution records and collects information at the bedside and facilitates compliance with standards. Cerner supplies healthcare technology.

• CryoCath Technologies (Montreal) said that data on the company’s Arctic Front catheter system to treat atrial fibrillation (AF) was presented at the European Society of Cardiology (Europace) Conference in Lisbon, Portugal. Arctic Front is a minimally-invasive cryo-balloon catheter designed specifically to treat AF. This bi-directional, double balloon catheter enables physicians to rapidly isolate all four pulmonary veins for the treatment of AF. Approved in Europe, it has treated more than 750 patients in more than 24 centers. CryoCath specializes in cryotherapy products to treat cardiovascular disease.

• Encision (Boulder, Colorado) said that it will begin to make its own disposable scissor inserts. “Sales of our disposable scissor inserts represent approximately 50% of our sales, and we believe that we will be able to achieve a major cost reduction by producing our own disposable scissor inserts,” said Jack Serino, president/CEO of Encision. “We also expect to provide better control over the quality and consistency of this significant product line. By owning the process and manufacturing expertise for our disposable scissor inserts, we believe that we will add intrinsic value to Encision.” Encision makes surgical devices that allow surgeons to optimize technique and patient safety during a broad range of minimally invasive surgical procedures.