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 More recently joint replacement products have become a major focus for Zimmer based upon the clinical success of this type of surgery. Total hip and knee replacements of course represent the most widely used devices. although shoulders and elbows have also been developed and used clinlically. Zimmer now conducts business in over 900 countries. The Company was acquired by Bristol-Myers in 1979 and now forms an integral part of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Medical Device Division. The company's record of research accomplishments and product breakthroughs is among the very best. There is hardly a nation on earth where Bristol-Myers Squibb products are not sold and the ultimate goal is to be the pre-eminent maker of health and personal care products in the world. The impressive growth of Zimmer over the years has been the result of innovation and the development of new ideas and technologies throughout the field of orthopaedics. The aim has been to introduce new designs and materials to augment and enhance the proven implant philosophies that are found within the Zimmer portfolio. Zimmer has a proud heritage ha this field. More Miller Galante Knees have been implanted worldwide than any other design and in the IBII we have the recognised standard among constrained kinds, by which all others must be measured. The needs of the present day and future Surgeon demanded that Zimmer developed a new generation of Total Knee Systems: The NexGen™ complete knee solution and the Zimmer MBK™ (Mobile Bearing Knee). An eminent group including Dr John Insall, Dr Jorge Galante, Dr Kelly Vince, Professor Peter Walker and others designed the NexGen System. The implant design pays particular attention to reduction of wear, improved patella function and the ability to choose the correct implant type for a given patient. The System includes the ability to change intra-operatively from Cruciate Retaining to Posterior Stabilised to Constrailled Condylar. The Posterior Stabilised part of the NexGen system is the Legacy™ PS Knee. This is Dr Insall's successor to the IBII and it should be added that since the development of the IBII his knee implant design activity has been exclusively with Zimmer. The Revision part of the NexGen System is the Legacy LCCK. This allows for femoral augments, tibial blocks and femoral and tibial stem extensions. Available is an 'offset' stem extension especially useful for the tibia. The NexGen Primary Knee Instruments are available in four styles. Epicondyle referencing, Intramedullary referencing, 5 in 1or Milling Options. The MBK™ Mobile Bearing Knee is aimed at the more active patient where the issues of wear and function place greater demands on design. Here a massive contact area is maintained beyond 100° of flexion to reduce stresses in the Polyethylene during walking, stair climbing and rising from a chair. Movement of the polyethylene on the polished CoCr tibial tray allows both rotation and A/P glide to give a better function with less stress which helps to minimise loosening. The Zimmer Knee Portfolio builds on our heritage with the 'Gold Standards' IBII, the NexGen and MBK to take us into the new millennium of knee replacement. Zimmer experience in the field of hip arthroplasty is extensive. The first hip implant was manufactured in 1940 and Since that time Zimmer has grown through technical development and working closely with some of the most influential surgeons Of the time. Several of the proprietary technical innovations that Zimmer has made have shaped the way in which Orthopaedic Surgery is performed. Zimmer has been producing Acetabular Cups for over twenty (20) years. The Harris Galante I Cementless cups were introduced in the early 1980's. This product which is still sold in many orthopaedic markets, set the standards for Acetabular Replacements. Results have been outstanding in both primary and revision arthroplasty.
The HG 1 Cementless Acetabular Cup has clinical results which are excellent, 100% survivorship at 5 years. (Schmalzried et al, 1994) and 99% survivorship at 10 years in patients with an average age of 52 (Tomkins et al, 1997). The HG 1 Cementless Acetabular Cup also has excellent results in older patients with 100% survivorship at 9 years (Callaghan, 1996) and 99% at 9 years (Berger, 1996). Cementless revision of the Acetabulum using the Zimmer HG 1 has shown superb clinical results with survivorship of 100% at 5 years (Lachiewicz et al, 1994).
Zimmer boasts a strong portfolio in upper limb implants, which includes the Fenlin and Copeland shoulders, the Coonrad-Morrey Elbow and the Herbert™ Bone Screw-systems. Each of these implant systems, developed with world-renowned surgeons, has an impressive history of successful clinical use. Zimmer is also famous for producing quality, brand-leading products in ancillary medical areas. For instance the ATS™ automatic tourniquet systems, Dermatomes, Skin Graft Meshers and Pulsavac lavage system. In addition there is an extensive range of slings, supports, braces, straps and cast room products not to mention a vast eatalogue of Traction products. To address the ever-increasing demands for 'proof of performance' in healthcare, Zimmer is sponsoring a system to assist surgeons to conduct routine Outcomes Research in the field of Joint Arthroplasty. The Feedback service provides a streamlined system for data collection, handling and analysis specifically adapted to joint replacement procedures. It can be implemented in any hospital, which supports the principles of routine clinical audit and minimises the requirement for local administrative facilities, by the use of a centralised, independent data handling service. The data centre is based at the University of Dundee UK which has extensive experience in the management of clinical studies. The service covers a range of Knee and Hip products supplied by Zimmer, such as the NexGen and Mobile Bearing knee systems, and VerSys and CPT total hip systems. The Feedback service provides individual surgeons with statistically valid, confidential information about their own personal series of implantations. This is augmented with optional informal meetings where surgeons can discuss their findings and, if desired, specific results with other surgeons involved in the study. Zimmer's commitment to developing and supporting medical training can be seen in programmes such as the Mobile Learning Centre that travels the USA for 12 months of the year training medics on all aspects of Zimmer's products. Already instrumental in running several world acclaimed clinical meetings, Zimmer is investing significantly in establishing Learning Centres within Europe. In the operating theatre environment the name Zimmer represents the very highest quality orthopaedic products from sophisticated knee, hip, and fracture management implants to high-tech instrumentation for use in surgical applications. Building from a base as the world's largest orthopaedic company today in 1998, the global refocusing strategy is complete and the launch of the European expansion programme is well under way. Further investment in Evidence Based Medicine, Medical Education, World class Learning Centres and Advanced Technologies will continue to benefit patients and orthopaedic surgeons alike, as we move into the next millennium. |
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