Baxano Surgical received good news this week: two additional patents for the VEO Direct Lateral and AxiaLIF Minimally Invasive Interbody Fusion systems.
The company now has 92 patents in its portfolio in the United States. The first patent relates to the direct visualization approach of the VEO Lateral Access and Interbody Fusion System, claiming to cover the company's REVEAL retractor assembly for enlarging a gap in tissue — such as the psoas muscle in the lateral approach. REVEAL allows for direct visualization of the psoas in the two-stage retraction process.
The direct visualization approach can be used in conjunction with standard neuromonitoring and was designed to help minimize surgical trauma to the psoas muscle and nerve plexus. It may also reduce the risk of postoperative complications.
The second patent covers the bone-anchoring assemblies that are a part of the AxiaLIF Plus line of interbody devices. "Baxano Surgical's team of engineers, designers and surgeons drew on the experience gained in over 11,000 surgeries to create this next generation pre-sacral fusion system," said President and CEO of Baxano Ken Reali in a news release.
An economic analysis accepted by the Journal of Managed Care Medicine shows pre-sacral interbody fusion performed with AxiaLIF can save around $3,500 when compared with a transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion. The AxiaLIF procedure was also associated with shorter hospital stays, reduced hospital readmissions and faster patient return to work.