ChoiceSpine University
At ChoiceSpine, we’re all about product innovation. In our industry, innovation does more than create market disruption… it saves lives. But to say it’s not a simple process would be an understatement.
When designing and developing new spinal surgery products, every step is critical in ensuring patient safety and upholding the superior quality ChoiceSpine is known for.
ChoiceSpine’s Boomerang™ Anterior Cervical Plate System, our unique two-screw anterior cervical plate, was introduced to the market with the goal of addressing the growing need for a simpler, faster ACDF procedure. During the development process, Lead Designer, Matt Kubo, focused on creating a product that would accurately align the cervical graft and plate for simultaneous implementation and overall improved patient care.
“Boomerang is unique because it allows surgeons to rigidly fix two adjacent vertebral bodies for spinal fusion. It’s implemented after a cervical graft has been placed between the vertebral bodies to restore disc height and proper lordosis, or curvature of the spine,” Kubo shares.
Kubo and his team are proud to say that there are big advantages to using Boomerang over traditional methods, including being able to achieve more precise alignment between implants. Though it may sound small to the average person, benefits like this are critical in helping patients recover easier and live better post-spinal surgery.
Boomerang is Born
“The development of Boomerang was the result of effective collaboration,” Kubo says. “My team and I consulted with three highly-skilled surgeons who have extensive experience in ACDF procedures to ensure we got the product just right.”
Traditional ACDF methods require each step in the procedure to be done separately, with at least one instrument per step. Because of this, Kubo and his team noticed a need for an anterior cervical plate system that requires fewer surgical steps and instruments and promotes an all-around faster, smoother surgery.
Because ChoiceSpine is always looking for ways to propel spinal surgery into the future, this product design was especially close to our team’s hearts. We love that surgeons using Boomerang can feel more confident and secure, knowing that they’ve achieve the ideal implant size and placement for each patient’s unique body.
“At the end of the day, I think what makes Boomerang so unique is that it simplifies the process for the surgeons, while simultaneously avoiding unnecessary stress and stiffness that can lead to adjacent segment disease in patients. Boomerang has a low profile and only requires one screw in each vertebral body, meaning the user can precisely place them and achieve minimal overhang. It really is an extremely versatile implant,” Kubo continues.
“Booming” with Patient and Surgeon Benefits
The ability to make surgery even a little less invasive goes a long way in our industry. That’s why Boomerang is so beneficial to both the surgeons we partner with and their patients.
“In my opinion, the biggest benefit for the patient is the simplified surgical approach. Boomerang means less surgery time, which means less blood loss and a lower likelihood of additional surgeries being needed down the line. For the surgeon,” he continues, “the biggest benefit is going to be the streamlined instrumentation. With this implant, the procedure is much faster, more efficient, and more flexible in terms of providing unique care for every patient.”
Proven Patient Protection
In order to ensure patient safety remained at the forefront of every phase in the research and development process, Kubo and his team utilized their combined experience and evaluated each feature of the new design carefully. The implant was reviewed from both a practical and clinical perspective, and was tested in multiple best and worst-case anatomical scenarios before ultimately being confirmed as safe for patients.
“The importance of patient safety never waivers during the R&D process. It’s one of the two development aspects we keep consistent across all ChoiceSpine products.”
When asked what the second unifying product feature is, Kubo said, “The naming process! ChoiceSpine co-owners, Rick Henson and Marty Altshuler, are both licensed pilots, so all of our products are named after military aircrafts.”
Of course, that’s not the only thing the ChoiceSpine team considers during the naming process. “When possible, we also want the name to reflect the implant’s features or functions. In Boomerang’s case, it worked out perfectly because the name is completely reflective of the unique offset shape of the plate, and it also happens to be the name of an Australian WWII aircraft. Win, win.”
Thanks to Matt Kubo and the entire Boomerang team for their hard work, unwavering focus, and dedication to patient safety along the way. To learn more about this innovative, dynamic spinal surgery implant and its benefits, visit our Boomerang web page or give us a call at 865-246-3333. And don’t forget to watch for more exciting news from ChoiceSpine in the future!