SAN DIEGO, Sept. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- NuVasive, Inc.
(NASDAQ: NUVA), a leading medical device company focused on
transforming spine surgery with minimally disruptive,
procedurally-integrated solutions, today announced the commercial
launch of its LessRay® software technology system. The LessRay
system, comprised of a propriety software algorithm and hardware
components, is designed to help address over exposure to radiation
in hospital operating rooms (O.R.), particularly in the case of
minimally invasive spine surgery (MIS).
"The launch of LessRay is a significant milestone for NuVasive,
as we begin to sell capital equipment and bring technology
advancements into the hospital O.R.," said Gregory T. Lucier, chairman and chief executive
officer of NuVasive. "With LessRay's ability to dramatically reduce
radiation exposure, as well as its enhanced imaging capability, we
are now executing on our imaging and navigation strategy to improve
spine surgery productivity and ultimately predictability. Given the
healthy pipeline of interest from customers already, the strong
demand demonstrates a critical need for a solution like LessRay to
address a major safety issue related to radiation facing surgeons
and hospital administrators."
LessRay Benefits
Studies show spine and orthopedic
surgeons can receive their lifetime occupational radiation limit
within the first 10 years of their career.1 As a result,
cancer rates and contraction of cataracts associated with radiation
exposure are nearly double that of other surgery practices.
LessRay's proprietary image enhancement technology improves
low-dose, low-radiation fluoroscopy (or x-ray) images to have
similar diagnostic capabilities as conventional full-dose
fluoroscopy images, thereby reducing radiation emission and
exposure in the O.R while retaining the high resolution of a full
radiation dose shot. Additionally, LessRay has other features to
help reduce the number of fluoroscopic shots needed, thus
decreasing the overall radiation even further. Results of a recent
prospective study2 conducted with patients randomized to
which surgical intervals were performed with standard-dose
fluoroscopy or fluoroscopy using LessRay, which measurement of
radiation emission and exposure showed that radiation exposure of
healthcare professionals in the O.R. was between 62 percent and 84
percent lower in the LessRay group compared to the conventional
fluoroscopy group.
In addition, radiation exposure and limited imaging capabilities
have been barriers to widespread spine MIS adoption, compared to
general orthopedic MIS. By dramatically reducing these limitations,
LessRay supports the increased adoption of MIS spine surgery and
enables the well-documented patient benefits including less blood
loss, lower risk of infection, faster recovery time and more.
Additional hospital economic benefits include no disruption to
current surgical workflow and no additional surgery time
needed.
More about LessRay
NuVasive acquired the LessRay
propriety software algorithm and technology system in September 2016, and has since improved upon its
design. The Company completed robust alpha and beta testing in more
than a dozen hospitals where spine surgery is performed, and
incorporated trial feedback from surgeons and hospital staff.
LessRay units will be sold as a capital sale or lease purchase,
with a focus on selling into O.R.'s dedicated to spine surgery
first and then proliferating the technology across additional areas
of the hospital where this technology also solves a significant
need.
Additional LessRay system benefits for spine surgeons and staff
that help increase O.R. efficiency include:
- C-arm tracking: Simplifies localization and target
anatomy quickly, accurately and without the unnecessary fluoroscopy
time and scouting images.
- Image stitching: Minimizes surgical workflow
interruption by quickly stitching together fluoroscopic images of
any spine segment.
- Angle finder: Minimizes O.R. steps required to obtain
crisp endplate shots with fewer fluoroscopic images than
traditional C-arm scouting.
- Alternate view: Improves visualization by making metal
instruments invisible or semi-transparent by fading out their
obstruction.
"LessRay's ability to reduce radiation usage is so compelling
because it benefits not only the surgeon but also the patient and
everyone in the operating room," said Dr. Stephen Ryu, neurosurgeon at Palo Alto Medical
Foundation in Palo Alto, Calif.
"LessRay's additional features that augment the capability of
conventional fluoroscopy provide really useful tools for even the
simplest surgeries. LessRay's capability to assist accurate
localization of spine levels alone is worth it."
1
UI Haque M, Shufflebarger HL, O'Brien M, et al, Radiation
exposure during pedicle screw placement in adolescent idiopathic
scoliosis: is fluoroscopy safe? Spine
2006;31(21):2516-20.
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2
Wang TY, Farber SH, Perkins SS, et al. An internally
randomized control trial of radiation exposure using ultra-low
radiation imaging (ULRI) versus traditional C-arm fluoroscopy for
patients undergoing single-level minimally invasive transforaminal
lumbar interbody fusion. Spine 2017;42(4);217-23.
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About NuVasive
NuVasive, Inc. (NASDAQ: NUVA) is transforming spine surgery and
beyond with minimally invasive, procedurally-integrated solutions
designed to deliver reproducible and clinically-proven surgical
outcomes. The Company's portfolio includes access instruments,
implantable hardware, biologics, software systems for surgical
planning, navigation and imaging solutions, magnetically adjustable
implant systems for spine and orthopedics, and intraoperative
monitoring service offerings. With $962
million in revenues (2016), NuVasive has an approximate
2,300 person workforce in more than 40 countries serving surgeons,
hospitals and patients. For more information, please visit
www.nuvasive.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
NuVasive cautions you that statements included in this news
release that are not a description of historical facts are
forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties,
assumptions and other factors which, if they do not materialize or
prove correct, could cause NuVasive's results to differ materially
from historical results or those expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements. The potential risks and uncertainties
which contribute to the uncertain nature of these statements
include, among others, risks associated with acceptance of the
Company's surgical products and procedures by spine surgeons,
development and acceptance of new products or product enhancements,
clinical and statistical verification of the benefits achieved via
the use of NuVasive's products (including the iGA™ platform), the
Company's ability to effectually manage inventory as it continues
to release new products, its ability to recruit and retain
management and key personnel, and the other risks and uncertainties
described in NuVasive's news releases and periodic filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. NuVasive's public filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission are available at
www.sec.gov. NuVasive assumes no obligation to update any
forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances
arising after the date on which it was made.
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SOURCE NuVasive, Inc.