Xenco Medical Announces Surgeon Performs Spine Surgery Using Disposable Plastic Surgical Instruments

Xenco Medical, LLC announces that Dr. Nick Shamie, professor and chief of orthopaedic spine surgery at UCLA, has successfully performed spine surgery using the world’s first disposable, plastic surgical rasps and implant inserter. The UCLA surgery, an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion surgery, took place on July 13, 2015 and was the first use of Xenco Medical’s plastic system at a major U.S. hospital. Xenco Medical’s plastic-based Cervical Interbody System, used by Shamie during the procedure, is entirely disposable and eliminates any chance of infection due to reused, improperly sterilized instruments.

“In an era of superbugs and increased uncertainty with regards to the ever-changing nature of bacteria and viruses, the UCLA surgery signifies an important milestone in the field of medicine,” says Xenco Medical founder and CEO Jason Haider.

Rather than solely using steel instruments that are reused in hundreds of patients, Shamie performed surgery with instruments that have been engineered from a highly durable combination of nylon plastic and fiberglass that matches the efficacy of metal in surgical conditions. At the completion of the surgery, the Xenco Medical instruments were disposed of, never to be used inside of another patient. Unlike medical instruments that are used until an unexpected mechanical failure, the instruments used at UCLA ensured that the patient was operated on with instruments functioning at their peak condition.

“We knew that a gifted surgeon like Dr. Nick Shamie was the ideal choice to demonstrate this revolutionary approach,” says Haider.

The Argus Cervical Interbody System devices by Xenco Medical are intended for spinal fusion procedures at one level (C3-C7) in patients with degenerative disc disease (defined as back pain of discogenic origin with degeneration of the disc confirmed by history and radiographic studies) of the cervical spine.

Source: Xenco Medical, LLC.