Charlottesville, Virginia – September 19, 2011 - MicroAire Surgical Instruments pulled into Las Vegas in a 1,100-square-foot, state-of the-art, mobile surgical training lab, and parked right outside the conference center at Mandalay Bay to provide training in Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Release (ECTR) during the annual meeting of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH).
Dr. Stephen Pournaras (wearing optical loupes) demonstrates the proper technique for SmartRelease® ECTR during the cadaver-based course.
Over the course of the three-day meeting, MicroAire trained 74 surgeons on its SmartRelease® ECTR system. The training sessions were included among the official classes and lectures held by ASSH during its 66th annual meeting and exposition. Surgeons who participated in the training received certification, permitting them to perform minimally invasive ECTR surgery using MicroAire’s SmartRelease® system.
Initially, two training sessions were planned; but demand for the courses exceeded organizers’ expectations, so three additional sessions were added after regular conference hours. Still, the interest was overwhelming, with 27 surgeons participating in one of the sessions alone, and other surgeons signing up for courses scheduled for later in the year.
“MicroAire has always believed that high-quality training is key to the success of its ECTR system,” said Greg Jones, Orthopedic Specialties General Manager at MicroAire. “We will never stray from our core values, which are providing the industry’s leading ECTR system with the industry’s leading ECTR surgeon-education programs. This is a primary tenet of MicroAire’s commitment to patient safety and optimal surgical outcomes.”
MicroAire’s four champion surgeons certified 74 doctors in the use of SmartRelease® ECTR.
The benefits, reliability, safety and efficacy of MicroAire’s SmartRelease® ECTR system are supported by an impressive body of clinical data, including a randomized, prospective study involving more than 1,000 patients in 63 surgery centers(1) .
MicroAire’s SmartRelease® ECTR system is a minimally invasive, endoscopic treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, providing a clear alternative to open-hand surgery. The surgical procedure is viewed on a video monitor, through the use of a tiny camera inserted into a small incision in the crease of the patient’s wrist. MicroAire’s minimally invasive ECTR system has been used to treat thousands of patients since 1992.
Faculty members for the training labs included Gregory M. Alberton, MD, of San Diego, California; Stephen W. Pournaras, Jr., MD, FAAOS, of Fairfax, Virginia; Jonathan R. Sorelle, MD, LCDR, USNR, of Las Vegas, Nevada; and Leslie Wong, MD, of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Participants in the ASSH training labs included hand surgeons, hand fellows and fifth-year residents from 25 states and Puerto Rico, as well as Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Egypt, Greece, Ireland, Mexico, Norway, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
MicroAire’s 1,110 square-foot mobile training lab in Las Vegas during the ASSH annual meeting.
The 1,100 square-foot mobile training lab is a self-contained facility, with state-of-the-art operating-room space, including eight training stations outfitted with halogen O.R. lighting, endoscopic imaging systems, designated men’s and women’s gowning rooms, integrated audio and visual capabilities, surgical supplies, tool washing and sterilization equipment, refrigerated tissue storage and biohazard disposal.
The next SmartRelease® training course will be offered on September 27, after the annual meeting of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons in Denver.
MicroAire Surgical Instruments, located in Charlottesville, Virginia, is a leading designer, manufacturer and distributor of surgical products in four key areas: Orthopaedic Specialties, Orthopaedic Power Instruments, Value Disposables and Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. MicroAire is a team, dedicated to enhancing quality of life by providing innovative surgical solutions that improve surgeon and patient outcomes. For more information, please visit www.microaire.com.
1 Agee, JM et al. “Endoscopic Release of the Carpal Tunnel: A Randomized Prospective Multicenter Study.” Journal of Hand Surgery. 1992; 17(6):987-995.