MACON, Ga.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Southern Spine today announced that StabiLink® MIS Interlaminar Spinal Fixation System has been selected as the Silver Winner in the Implant and Tissue Replacement category of the 18th Annual Medical Design Excellence Awards competition. The 2015 MDEA winning products were announced at the 2015 MDEA Ceremony held Tuesday, June 9, 2015 in conjunction with the MD&M East (www.MDMeast.com) event at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York.
“As a small innovative company competing with multi-billion dollar corporations, we appreciate being considered and recognized by MDEA. Our StabiLink® MIS Interlaminar Spinal Fixation System was a collaboration between design, engineering, regulatory and experienced surgeons to produce a unique system that offers the ‘Best First Option’ for many patients,” stated David C. Field, CEO, Southern Spine, LLC. “We are honored to have the StabiLink® MIS Interlaminar Spinal Fixation System as the first and only device of its kind to be recognized with this prestigious award.”
The principle benefit of the patented StabiLink® MIS Interlaminar Spinal Fixation System is that it is placed between the spinous processes, away from the neural elements including the spinal cord and spinal nerves. The implant is placed through a 2-4 cm incision using the innovative, patented PG® Precision Guided Inserter/ Compressor. The PG®Inserter/Compressor is an All-in-One instrument that redefines ease-of-use and allows the surgeon to quickly and accurately place the StabiLink® implant with or without removal of the interspinous ligaments. In addition, implant insertion and compression is safely achieved without the need for multiple instruments, including “bulky” compressors, reducing overall procedure time. The anterior “tray” design of the StabiLink® implant creates an ideal containment area for the maximum amount of bone graft material to optimize bony fixation between the spinous process. Patients who select to undergo a procedure with the StabiLink® MIS Interlaminar Spinal Fixation may experience less pain, reduced operative time, less blood loss and reduced length of hospital stay compared with those undergoing more invasive procedures involving the use of more traditional pedicle screws and rods. 
The MDEA are the medtech industry’s premier design competition committed to searching worldwide for the highest caliber finished medical devices, products, systems, or packaging available on the market. The awards program celebrates the achievements of the medical device manufacturers, their suppliers, and the many people behind the scenes—engineers, scientists, designers, and clinicians—who are responsible for the cutting-edge products that are saving lives; improving patient healthcare; and transforming medtech—one innovation at a time.
Out of hundreds of products, the 2015 MDEA Juror Panel selected 45 exceptional finalists in 10 medical technology product categories. Products were judged based on design and engineering innovation; function and user-related innovation; patient benefits; business benefits; and overall benefit to the healthcare system. Unlike other design competitions that are merely styling contests, the MDEA jury is comprised of a balance of practicing doctors, nurses, and technicians alongside industrial designers, engineers, manufacturers, and human factors experts.