Webinar Recap: BioBrace® Technology Overview and Technical Applications

  • Published: 12/19/2024
  • 2 min

On October 3rd, CONMED hosted a live event all about BioBrace®, a biocomposite implant. The event featured keynote speaker Dr. Shariff K. Bishai and was attended by doctors and representatives from four continents. Take a look at some of the key takeaways from the webinar below.

Predictors of rotator cuff success

Dr. Bishai began the webinar by discussing findings on rotator cuff success and what factors go into determining success rates.

When rotator cuff surgery is done without augmentation, small-medium tears had a 74% success rate, large tears had a 62% success rate, and massive tears had a 40% success rate.

Age also was a factor in success, with incidence of retear increasing in ages 60+ along with fatty degeneration. In addition to age, smoking also an important factor. Non-smokers were more likely to have good to excellent results compared to smokers.

Risks of retears come at a huge cost to the patient. The estimated direct cost of revision repair can go up to $13,600 on top of being a physical and mental burden.
With these predictors in mind, how can we move the scale for success rates in patients, especially though with larger tears?

BioBrace® is Born

  • BioBrace® came from the need to enhance the quality and durability of tendon/ligament repair by augmenting using biocomposite scaffolding.
  • BioBrace®’s unique design is comprised of highly-porous type 1 bovine collagen sponge with PLLA microfilaments to provide load-sharing strength.
  • The 80% porosity of BioBrace® allows for ingrowth of native tissue while the type 1 collagen aids in healing.
  • BioBrace® combines synthetic and collagen scaffold technology to create a novel biocomposite material. It’s able to combine the strength of a synthetic scaffold with the optimal healing that comes with a collagen scaffold.
  • Dr. Bishai also shared that he’s found that biocomposite scaffolding induces a proliferative healing response—leading to improved thickness of repair tissue and was as strong as controls.
Three BioBrace sizes
BioBrace® is currently available in three sizes:
 
23x30
5x250
40x60

To hear more about BioBrace® and Dr. Bishai’s findings you can watch the full event on our website.

Watch Webinar