DJO Launches AltiVate Reverse Short Stem Shoulder Replacement System In US

The shoulder arthroplasty systems provider said that the AltiVate Reverse Short Stem was designed using principles based on a design with a minimum of 10-years of clinical follow-up.

In April 2019, DJO secured the FDA 510(k) approval for its AltiVate Reverse Short Stem, allowing its use in anatomic, reverse, and partial shoulder arthroplasty.

DJO Surgical global president Jeff McCaulley said: “The AltiVate Reverse Short Stem is truly the first-of-its-kind technology: a short, convertible stem based on the philosophy of an inlay humeral stem.

“With the first inlay short stem addition to our market-leading AltiVate Reverse, we are continuing DJO’s history of innovation by developing products that are different by design – which allows us to continue our long history of leading innovation and creating the future of shoulder arthroplasty.”

Reverse shoulder replacement is a characterised by the ball and socket of the shoulder joint switching sides and reversing natural position.

Originally developed in the 1980s in Europe and approved by the FDA in 2003, the procedure is useful for patients with large rotator cuff tears who have developed a complex type of shoulder arthritis called cuff tear arthropathy.

Currently, reverse shoulder arthroplasty represents more than 40% of shoulder replacement surgeries in the US and most companies offer designs based on ‘onlay’ humeral stems.

In onlay humeral systems, a portion of the stem sits on top of the humerus, while in ‘inlay’ systems, stems sits entirely within the humerus.

The AltiVate Reverse Short Stem is an ‘inlay’ stem designed for easy conversion from anatomic to reverse, without overstuffing the joint, while its 135° neck-shaft angle allows for a more anatomic humeral reconstruction in both anatomic and reverse shoulder arthroplasty.

In addition, the short stem is also more bone-sparing than a standard-length stem that facilitates implant positioning independent of the humeral canal.

Recently, Dr Patrick St. Pierre from Desert Orthopaedic Centre in Rancho Mirage, California, and Dr Gerald Williams from The Rothman Institute in Philadelphia, carried out first surgeries using AltiVate Reverse Short Stem.

Williams said: “The new AltiVate Reverse Short Stem is a major innovation. I now have one system with a variety of options to treat most, if not all, of my patients. This stem is going to revolutionize the way orthopaedic surgeons think about convertibility from anatomic to reverse shoulder arthroplasty, and it’s very exciting to be one of the first to use it clinically.” – NS Medical Devices