BUFFALO GROVE, Ill., Sept. 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Sonoma Orthopedics (www.sonomaorthopedics.com) is excited to announce its recently launched FibuLock™ ankle pin has been utilized to repair over 100 ankle fractures and has routinely delivered exceptional patient results.
“We have seen some extraordinary outcomes,” says Dr. Robert Tonks (San Diego, California). “Patients leave the hospital without pain, some are walking immediately, and the fractures are aligned anatomically.”
Dr. Terrence Philbin (Columbus, Ohio) states, “My patients are seeing much less swelling after surgery, and can start physical therapy sooner because of less pain. This is due to the drastically reduced incision size.” 
Customarily, ankle fractures have been surgically repaired with metal plates which allow surgeons to anatomically realign most fractures through a four-to-six-inch incision. A plate stabilizes the fracture by being screwed to the outside of the broken bones just under the skin. Unfortunately, these large incisions lead to infections in approximately 3% to 20% of cases. Additionally, due to the proximity to the skin, roughly 30% of patients complain about plate discomfort and frequently request a second surgery for removal. (The Foot and Ankle Online Journal. May, 2011)
The FibuLock™ pin treats the same fractures as plates and provides anatomic bone alignment, but with a much less-invasive approach. After the surgeon aligns the broken bones, the pin is inserted into the bone canals through a 1/4-inch incision. The pin then releases small grippers which stabilize the fracture for healing. This limits soft-tissue damage, avoids disruption of the blood supply to the fractured bone and does not disrupt the healing process during surgery. After more than 100 surgeries, no FibuLock™ pin patients have experienced infections or required removals.
“We are incredibly proud of these early results,” says Sonoma CEO Rick Epstein. “We feel this technology is transformative and will eventually change the way ankle fractures are treated globally.”
For more information on the FibuLock™ ankle pin or other Sonoma products, visit www.sonomaorthopedics.com.
About Sonoma: Sonoma is a privately-held medical device company offering proprietary minimally-invasive, fracture repair pins for bones with difficult geometries. The pins may be introduced into the canal of the bone while avoiding joint surfaces and soft-tissue damage. Once in position, the pins deploy internal fixation talons, instead of screws, which allow healing with lower complication rates than plates. Compared to plates, clinical data has demonstrated Sonoma pins have faster operative times, require six-times fewer secondary surgeries and experience 34-times fewer removals for patient discomfort. The technology platforms of Sonoma are broadly protected by thirteen-issued and nine-pending patents along with nine 510(k) clearances covering five indications. Sonoma was founded in 2005, and is headquartered in Buffalo Grove, Illinois.