Medicrea received FDA clearance for the UNiD lat last year.
Here are five things to know about UNiD:
1. This technology is the first patient-specific spinal osteosynthesis rod.
2. The first patient in the United States underwent surgery with the personalized UNiD rod last year.
3. There have been more than 100 patients who successfully received the UNiD rod system in Europe.
4. UNiD includes a software tool to help surgeons preoperatively plan their surgery and order customized rods to fit the patient-specific spinal alignment.
5. Surgeons don't need to manually contour a rod during surgery when using the UNiD technology, so surgeons can precisely align the rod prior to surgery.
6. The procedure is designed to reduce the time patients spend in the operating room, which can reduce infection risk and improve the quality of recovery.
"Understanding and restoring sagittal alignment is key towards providing better patient outcomes and preventing the need for reoperations, a major factor in rising healthcare costs," said Frank J. Schwab, MD, the surgeon who performed the first spine surgery in the United States using UNiD. "By providing rod customization, UNiD allows surgeons to precisely execute their preoperative plan and frees them from antiquated the technique of freehand bending, ensuring individual patients receive the most accurate and effective treatment."