Bangkok--22 Jun--TQPR (Thailand) The first knee replacement shaped to fit a woman's anatomy Zimmer Medical (Thailand) Co., Ltd, a worldwide expert in orthopaedics, today holds the press conference, “The launch of Gender SolutionTM NexGen High-Flex Knee” — the first and only knee replacement shaped to fit a woman’s anatomy at Asia Pacific Orthopaedic surgeons (APOS) meeting. The new implant was unveiled by one of the surgeon developers, Robert E. Booth, M.D., Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery at Pennsylvania Hospital. Regarding to Thai Orthopaedic Association’s record, there are more than 6 millions of osteoarthritis patients in Thailand. Nearly 80% of them are women age 50 years above. The number of women having knee replacement has grown significantly , and leading orthopaedic surgeons began reporting that they were frequently making adjustments during surgery to make traditional implants fit female patients. It became clear that it was time for a knee specifically designed to fit a woman’s anatomy. "Even though most women are happy with their results after joint replacement, some still have residual pain in the front of the knee around the kneecap, or say their artificial knee just doesn't feel or move the way their own knee did when it was healthy", Dr. Booth stated. "Knee implants have been functioning very well for men and women, but we want to meet women's unique needs by making knee replacements that feel, fit and function even better. The Gender SolutionTM NexGen High-Flex Knee is the best of both worlds. It's based on the NexGen Knee, a highly successful implant with great mechanics and 10 years of clinical success. Only the shape is different, to make it feel more natural." The Gender SolutionTM NexGen High-Flex Knee will be implanted using existing, clinically successful surgical techniques, including minimally invasive approaches. "Mounting research indicates that a woman's knee is not simply a smaller version of a man's knee. The differences involve the bones, ligaments and tendons in the joints", stated Dr. Booth. "Women can wear men's clothing and shoes, but most prefer clothing and shoes made for them. That's because women are shaped differently than men. It's the same with knees, and it makes perfect sense to design knee implants with women in mind, particularly considering that women are by far the majority of the knee replacement patient population." “The Gender SolutionTM NexGen High-Flex Knee can be placed using Minimally Invasive Solutions (MIS) Procedures, which typically offer smaller scars, shorter hospitalization and quicker rehabilitation and recovery; and safely accommodates high flexion (up to 155 degrees), which is necessary for many activities, such as climbing stairs, sitting in a chair, gardening and golfing.” said Associate Professor Dr. Viroj Kawinwonggowit, M.D., Head of Orthopaedics Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital. The Gender SolutionTM NexGen High-Flex Knee is contoured to fit the unique shape and size of women's knees. It does this by matching a woman's shape and size with its 3 distinct differences: The Gender SolutionTM NexGen High-Flex Knee has a thinner profile than traditional knee replacements, it allows for more natural movement of the kneecap, and it has a shape specially contoured for women. 1. Thinner Profile - The bone in the front of a woman's knee (Femur) is typically less prominent than in a man's. Traditional implants have a thickness in front that may end up making them feel "bulky," which may result in pain and a decrease in range of motion. The Gender SolutionTM NexGen High-Flex Knee has a thinner profile to accommodate this anatomical difference between men and women. 2. More Natural Movement - The angle between the hip and the knee affects how the kneecap moves over the thighbone when the knee is in motion. Women have a distinct shape that frequently results in a different angle between the hip and the knee when compared to men. The Gender SolutionTM NexGen High-Flex Knee accounts for this difference, allowing for more natural movement. 3.Contoured Shape - The Gender SolutionTM NexGen High-Flex Knee has a contoured shape to more closely match the narrower anatomy of a woman's knee. This contouring provides for a more precise fit and may prevent the implant from overhanging the bone and potentially pressing on or damaging surrounding ligaments or tendons. Nearly two-thirds of the more than 400,000 annual knee replacement patients are women, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, and the numbers continue to increase each year. Research shows that while both women and men vastly underused knee replacement, women are three times less likely than men to undergo the procedure, although they suffer from more knee pain and resulting disability. "Less invasive procedures are helping patients get back to enjoying their lives faster than ever before. Now that we have a knee shaped to fit women's anatomy, we expect far more women will want to consider knee replacement", stated Dr. Booth. As the number of women receiving knee implants began accelerating, orthopaedic surgeons started seeing the anatomical gender differences and realized they were frequently making adjustments during surgery to accommodate those differences. Knee replacements have long been available in many sizes, but merely using a different size for women doesn't resolve anatomical differences. Various studies show that women's knees significantly differ in shape from men's knees. Historically, implants used for knee replacement have been designed based upon an average between the size of women's and men's knees. Total knee replacement is a highly successful surgery, strongly supported by more than 20 years of follow-up data, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH consensus panel concluded that total knee replacement provides substantial improvement in patients' pain, functional status, and overall health-related quality of life in about 9 out of 10 patients. "Today's knee implants are very successful, as defined clinically by the low number of revisions", stated Associate Professor Dr. Viroj Kawinwonggowit, M.D., Head of Orthopaedics Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital "Our focus is on creating products that satisfy patients. The Gender Solutions Knee is specifically designed to alleviate joint pain, restore function and increase women's overall comfort and satisfaction with knee replacement surgery." About Zimmer Zimmer is a worldwide leader in orthopaedics and has been founded in 1927 and headquartered in Warsaw, Indiana, Zimmer is the worldwide number 1 pure-play orthopaedic expert in designing, developing, manufacturing and marketing reconstructive and spinal implants, trauma and related orthopaedic surgical products. Zimmer has operations in more than 24 countries around the world and sells products in more than 100 countries. Zimmer's 2005 sales were approximately $3,3 billion. The company is supported by the efforts of more than 6700 employees worldwide. For further information about Gender SolutionTM NexGen High-Flex Knee, please visit www.genderknee.com For further information, please contact Tom Van Blarcom / Ruthaiwan Tanwongwan TQPR (Thailand) Co., Ltd. Tel: 0-2260-5820 ext. 114 Email: [email protected] Sirirat JantavongvanichZimmer Medical (Thailand) Co., Ltd. Tel: 0-2638-1900 ext. 1924 Email: [email protected] Click for photo release at www.thaipr.net