Hospitals are excited to get their hands on a new kit to improve the efficiency and speed of trauma centres in performing skeletal traction while maintaining sterility. The SteriTrak® kit from Arbutus Medical is now available for use by US and Canadian trauma centres and hospital emergency departments.
“We’ve spent years innovating power tools for orthopedics, creating a sterilizable cover to allow affordable hardware tools to be used in a sterile environment for surgeries around the world, but in the past year, we found a new application for our expertise – driving pins for skeletal traction procedures at major North American trauma centers performed outside of the operating room,” says Lawrence Buchan, CEO of Arbutus Medical.
The new SteriTrak® kit allows the emergency room to have sterile tools for skeletal traction readily accessible when time is critical. Bone fractures are a traumatic event, but with the SteriTrak®, temporary traction can be applied in about one minute.
The SteriTrak®
The SteriTrak® kit includes a specialized pin and single-use drill cover in the same package. The FDA and Health Canada-approved DeWalt Drill, batteries, and charger are added at no cost to the hospital. The single-use pre-sterilized cover removes the need to autoclave the power tool. The SteriTrak® kits from Arbutus Medical can be stored in the ER with no need for additional sterilizing.
“Trauma center ERs need a drill for skeletal traction, but most don’t have access due to the complexity of reprocessing power tools from the operating room,” adds Buchan. “About 75% of US Level I and Level II trauma centers perform more than 175 skeletal traction procedures annually, but more than 90% of trauma center ERs don’t have a drill for their own use. The SteriTrak® kit will simplify how skeletal traction is performed in the ER by maximizing efficiency, and that’s really important because this is a setting where every second counts.”
Through expert medical engineering and a mission to make surgery safer for all, Arbutus Medical has designed and commercialized a portfolio of medical devices that can improve care for millions of patients worldwide. The DrillCover Technology is a reusable liquid and pathogen-proof sterile enclosure that envelopes a non-sterile tool and fully seals the power transmission through the sterile barrier. It provides surgeons with an orthopedic drill at a significantly lower price than traditional medical power tools. The SteriTrak® extends the product range to make the application of skeletal traction for damage control orthopedic surgery safer, faster, and more accessible.
For more information, visit https://arbutusmedical.com/trauma-centers/steritrak.