MicroAire Surgical Instruments has announced the release of a new powered surgical instrument, the SmartDriver Duo®, a cordless handheld orthopaedic power instrument featuring dual-triggers to control the operation of the instrument’s various attachments.
The SmartDriver Duo is a powerful and versatile small-bone trauma system used primarily by orthopaedic surgeons and by veterinary surgeons during procedures on medium and small bones in the hand, foot and shoulder. It will be unveiled officially at the 2009 Conference of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) which takes place 3-5 September at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco.
In response to surgeon requests, MicroAire developed the variable-speed, multi-purpose hand piece with a selection of quick-connect drive couplers for drilling, sawing, reaming, wire and pin driving, osteotomies and pulse lavage. The two triggers can be pressed separately to control cyclical operation, or simultaneously to control oscillating operation. The instrument is powered by the industry’s first 14.4V nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery housed in a sterile pack.
Stephen Mellott, the product manager for MicroAire’s Powered Instruments Division, worked directly with surgeons and MicroAire engineers to design a powerful device that would provide surgeons with greater flexibility during demanding orthopaedic procedures such as trauma fixation and ACL surgery.
“In this type of surgery orthopaedic surgeons have their hands full at all times,” Mellott said. “So the ability to operate a multi-purpose powered instrument with one hand is a real advantage to the surgeon. This is a product that surgeons have asked for – and we know that MicroAire has built its reputation by listening to surgeons and then going back to build the tools they need.”