Bones

Cayenne Medical, Inc., a privately held sports medicine company based in Scottsdale, announced the commercial launch of its CrossFix™ System for the repair of meniscal tears at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) annual meeting in Keystone, Colorado last week. The CrossFix™ system offers surgeons the benefits of both open suturing and arthroscopic meniscal repair.

An osteoporosis drug proven to save lives after hip fractures may do so by strengthening the body's immune system, according to geriatrics researchers at Duke University Medical Center. In 2007, Duke researchers reported a 28 percent reduction in death among patients who received zoledronic acid (Reclast) within 90 days of surgery for a hip fracture. Zoledronic acid is a yearly intravenous injection of bisphosphonate that inhibits the progression of bone loss.

Researchers at Rush University Medical Center are testing a novel regimen of hip-muscle exercises to decrease the load on the knee joints in patients with osteoarthritis. The goal is not only to relieve pain but also, possibly, to halt progression of the disease. "Each time you take a step, a load, or force, is placed on the knee joints.

Roche Diagnostics launches campaign to promote widest panel of assays on an automated serum work area platform As concerns are raised about the expense of treatments for chronic diseases such as osteoporosis and kidney disease and for infectious diseases such as Hepatitis C and HIV, Roche Diagnostics launches a nationwide promotion of its 183-strong panel of high sensitivity assays, designed to provide the best possible test accuracy and efficiency for improved patient care.

While total knee surgery is a common procedure with a high success rate in the US, getting a second opinion is still recommended. Each surgeon has had a specific training and education, and more experience with certain procedures over others. Some surgeons embrace new technologies and methods while others are more traditional in their practice. Furthermore, you want to feel comfortable with your surgeon.