Stryker announced today that it acquired SafeWire’s product portfolio of solutions for minimally-invasive spine surgery. The portfolio includes the Y-Wire guide wire and the Tiger Jamshidi Needle Family.

"Stryker’s Spine division acquired the SafeWire product portfolio as part of its efforts to build our spine portfolio and launch meaningful technologies backed by evidence," Brad Paddock, president of Stryker’s Spine division, told HCB News. "The SafeWire Y-Wire and Tiger JamShidi needles are highly complementary to our current portfolio, allowing us to enhance the safety and efficacy of our existing minimally invasive surgery procedural solutions."

Guide wires are the core of minimally-invasive surgery (MIS) and almost every pedicle screw system depends on them to ensure proper placement. The Y-Wire is designed to prevent wire-based complications including unintentional placement of the guide wire through the patient’s bone, accidental pullout, kinking and wire migration.

A study found that the Y-Wire reduced the amount of surgical steps, optimized workflow for minimally-invasive spine cases and lessened patient and surgeon exposure to fluoroscopy.

The Tiger family of needles features platform technology to enable access to the pedicle during MIS. Its goal is to provide surgeons with a pedicle management solution for percutaneous posterior fixation surgery.

"The Y-Wire has a bifurcated tip to prevent advancement through the vertebra, and the Tiger needles allow for controlled pedicle access and guidewire delivery," said Paddock. "As a result, these products provide an important new options for our customers as part of our goal to acquire and develop technology solutions within the fast-growing MIS segment."

Earlier this year, Stryker announced acquisitions of a few other companies. It entered into a deal to buy Sage Products, manufacturer of disposable products for clinicians, for $2.8 billion and Physio-Control International, a defibrillator manufacturer, for $1.28 billion.

Stryker also stated that it plans to acquire all of the assets of Synergetics USA Inc.’s neuro portfolio, which includes its Malis generator and Spetzler Malis disposable forceps.

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