ECA Medical Instruments, a Newbury Park, Calif.-based single-procedure torque-limiting instrument manufacturer, has released new instruments and kits for securing orthopedic implants. The Model 900 series of surgical kits are designed for use by orthopedic surgeons and, according to ECA, provide the accurate torque needed to secure implant screws, fasteners, and connectors, and to reduce per-procedure costs with the elimination of recurring operational overhead needed to support reusable instruments.

The Model 900 series includes three single-procedure surgical kit configurations for general orthopedic reconstructive surgery, small bone and trauma procedures, and for spine implants. Each kit includes several popular torque-limiting and fixed-driver instruments regularly used by surgeons to fix and secure implants within patients. Orthopedic implants use a variety of plates, braces, brackets and rods that need to be secured by precision torqueing of fasteners and connectors.

“The Model 900 series of surgical kits were created in response to industry demand by surgeons and hospitals for precision and low cost torque instruments to drive out costs and guarantee accurate torque for the complete range of orthopedic procedures,” said John Nino, ECA’s president and CEO. “Current torque devices can fall out of calibration. They require regular factory checks and re-calibration, and require costly and meticulous cleaning and re-sterilization after each procedure. In contrast, ECA’s disposable instruments and kits are factory set and precise each time, come sterile packed ready for use in the operating room with the intended implant and can be recycled after use.”

Disposable instruments across the board tend to limit the risk of hospital-acquired infections, as they are used once then thrown away. Using these instruments also save hospitals on inventory storage, operating costs, and allows for more efficient use of operating rooms. ECA claims its new kit has the potential to save hospitals more than $400 per procedure and over $1 billion per year in the United States alone where upwards of 3 million orthopedic implant surgeries occur annually.

Manufactured in the United States, ECA’s Model 900 series surgical instruments are made of engineered polymers and surgical stainless steel materials, and are produced in class seven clean rooms under strict quality controls, said company officials. The company’s products may be purchased off-the-shelf, but ECA also works with OEMs to customize instruments to its specifications.

Model 900 series kits are designed for hip, knee, shoulder, cranio-maxillofacial, and spinal fusion as well as small bone and trauma implants such as clavicle, hands and feet. The kits include torque instruments ranging from one pound per inch to more than 90 pounds per inch for securing knee and hip implants.