Zimmer Licenses Advanced Locking Plate Design for Trauma Devices

Zimmer Holdings has acquired worldwide distribution rights to a Universal Locking Plate technology for trauma fixation systems that is designed to improve treatment of high-energy fractures and fractures in osteoporotic patients.

As a result of the system's proprietary hole design, a surgeon can create a locked construct or a construct that provides bidirectional compression of fracture fragments. The plate design will accept locking screws and standard cortical or cancellous screws in any plate hole. The locking plate technology will accept most manufacturer's standard cortical screws (3.5 mm and 4.5 mm) and cancellous screws (4 mm and 6.5 mm).

The technology was developed by Swiss Orthopaedic Solutions (SOS), a privately held Pennsylvania company. Zimmer expects to launch products based on the SOS technology in the U.S. in 2006 with worldwide distribution to follow.