Medical device OEMs can tailor and private label these versatile non-slip surgical instruments to help surgeons ‘get a grip’ in demanding orthopaedic procedures

February 6, 2013

Newbury Park, CA.—ECA Medical Instruments, the leading designer and manufacturer of single- procedure torque-limiting and fixed-driver surgical instruments and kits for the medical industry and surgeons worldwide, announced today the introduction of its new fixed-driver surgical instruments featuring patented Wick Away® technology. Wick Away® series of surgical instruments is designed for use by orthopaedic surgeons and promise to provide a consistently secure grip throughout the surgical procedure by wicking away debris and fluids to the waffle geometry and crevices of the polymer handle.

ECA’s novel Wick Away® technology offers the tactile properties and grip needed by surgeons for demanding surgeries where a fixed-driver instrument is used to secure implant screws, fasteners and connectors. The Wick Away® family of products includes single-procedure instruments for use in general orthopaedic reconstructive surgery, small bone and trauma procedures and for spine implants. Each instrument can be modified to conform to the popular stainless steel shaft lengths and tip geometries used by the major medical implant OEM companies.

Sterile-packed disposable torque-limiting and fixed-driver instruments are being rapidly adopted by orthopaedic implant makers to reduce per procedure costs by eliminating recurring operational overhead to support traditional reusable instruments, which require extensive handling, cleaning, inspection and re-sterilization after each use.

Costly and potentially deadly hospital borne and surgical site infections are also eliminated by adopting sterile single-procedure instruments.

“Our family of fixed-driver instrumentation employing Wick Away® technology received top marks from leading orthopaedic surgeons during our product design and voice of the customer studies,” said John Nino, ECA’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “The solid grip and ease of use are unprecedented in a disposable instrument and are a perfect complement to our single-procedure torque-limiting instruments and orthopaedic procedural kits.”

Wick Away® fixed driver instruments are available for sampling and high volume applications by major medical device and implant companies worldwide. http://www.ecamedical.com/products-ortho.php Instruments featuring the Wick Away® design include:

  • Model 400 SpeedECAp™ with fingertip spin-top
  • Model 401 SpeedECAp™ with crown spin-top
  • Model 430 standard FD Palm driver
  • Model 450 standard FD Axial driver

ECA surgical instruments and kits may be purchased off-the-shelf for private label or OEMs may work with the ECA design team to collaborate on custom designs and configurations. The Wick Away® product family is sold directly and also via Greatbatch Medical, a global partner. ECA offers both sterile ready instruments as well as complete turn-key sterile-packed solutions.

ECA Medical Instruments, an American Capital company, was founded in 1979 and located in southern California. ECA is the industry leader in single-procedure torque-limiting instruments and kits. The company has manufactured and delivered over 20 million precision torque instruments to the world’s leading producers of cardiac rhythm management, neuromodulation, cardiovascular and orthopaedic implants resulting in over 500 million surgical actuations without fail. Every 22 seconds of everyday an ECA torque instrument is used to secure a medical implant—one patient at a time. ECA was recently named Business of the Year 2012 by the Pacific Coast Business Times. Find out more at our web site at www.ecamedical.com.