Accentus Medical is pleased to announce the results of a retrospective review of infection rates associated with orthopaedic limb salvage devices treated with its innovative Agluna® surface technology. Agluna® harnesses the anti-microbial properties of silver ions in preventing device related infection. The technology is supplied by Accentus Medical under licence to Stanmore Implants Worldwide on its custom patient specific limb salvage devices.

The clinical team at Royal Orthopaedic Hospital (ROH), Birmingham, UK, has conducted a study comparing the incidence of early periprosthetic infection in 85 high risk patients who have undergone endoprosthetic reconstruction using Agluna® treated custom endoprostheses, with a control group of 85 patients receiving non-Agluna® treated endoprostheses. In a paper presented to the International Symposium of Limb Salvage, Bologna, 2013, the ROH team reports an overall reduction in postoperative infection rates, from 22.4% in the control group to 11.8% with Agluna® treated implants. The team also concluded a range of other beneficial clinical outcomes:

  • Success rates with DAIR (debridement, antibiotics and implant retention) increased from 31.6% (control implants) to 70% (Agluna® implants)
  • Persistent periprosthetic infection necessitating device removal, amputation or chronic antibiotics suppression reduced from 15.3% (control implants) to 3.5% (Agluna® implants)
  • Postoperative infection in patients with intraoperative positive cultures reduced from 40% (control implants) to 13.3% (Agluna® implants)
  • Success rates with two-stage revisions increased from 57.1% (control implants) to 85% (Agluna® implants)

Professor Tim Briggs, President of the British Orthopaedic Association, commented "Data from the UK National Joint Registry shows that if the infection rate following primary hip replacement in all UK hospitals could be reduced to that of the top ten per cent, the UK government would save £200 million annually and would be able to fund an extra 40,000 primary procedures each year. Agluna® is proving itself to be a cost effective technology in limb salvage surgery. It appears to have the propensity to reduce the incidence and severity of postoperative infection in orthopaedic surgery, and thus deliver substantial clinical and economic benefit to the global orthopaedic industry."

Martin Pickford, Orthopaedic Advisor to Accentus Medical, said "These clinical review findings in the limb salvage sector are impressive. Devices with the Agluna® surface modification rather than a metallic silver coating are showing the clear clinical benefits of optimising surface concentration and release profile of silver ions. I look forward to wider clinical benefits being delivered as the technology is in due course adopted on a broader range of joint reconstructive devices."

Accentus Medical has issued Agluna® licences to Stanmore Implants for limb salvage devices, and to Zimmer for other orthopaedic applications. The company is broadening the clinical application of Agluna® to other sectors such as dental, spinal and cardiac implantable devices.

Philip Agg, Chief Executive, said "These clinical results provide further reinforcement of the commercial potential of Agluna® as the global leading anti-microbial technology for titanium implantable devices. Following the recent management buyout of the company, we are committed to investing in building a long-term successful business supplying the global implantable device industry, founded on our unique intellectual asset base."