WARSAW, Ind., March 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Zimmer Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ZMH; SIX: ZMH), a leader in musculoskeletal care, will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Zimmer®
Natural Knee® System
this year. The Natural Knee system offers a complete range of interchangeable, anatomically designed implants used in more than 400,000 implantations worldwide. Published clinical results show survivorship of the Natural Knee system to be above 95% over a period of 14 years.
The first Natural Knee product was implanted in 1985, and the system has been commercially available since 1986. It was one of the first implant systems designed to truly replicate the natural anatomy of the knee, duplicating the asymmetric shape of the human tibia. This design provides tibial coverage without overhang and soft tissue impingement. The system's unique "deepened trochlear groove" allows smooth movement of the patella through a full range of motion. The Natural Knee system design also includes several innovative features, including a proprietary Cancellous-Structured Titanium™ (CSTi™) porous coating option for fixation and an ultracongruent bearing incorporating a unique bone-preserving posterior stabilizing design.
Over the years, Zimmer has built on these innovations to offer a comprehensive family of implants suited to the unique lifestyles of patients, including the incorporation of gender specific and high-flexion designs and Prolong™ Highly Crosslinked Polyethylene. In 2007, Zimmer introduced the Gender Solutions™ Natural Knee Flex system, the first and only knee implant which recognizes the differences in male and female anatomies. The Zimmer Gender Solutions Natural Knee Flex system incorporates three unique features which set it apart from other knee implants: a distinctive implant shape, anterior flange design, and patellar tracking. This high-flexion design accommodates activities requiring up to 155 degrees of flexion, while the incorporation of Prolong Highly Crosslinked Polyethylene offers the latest in polyethylene wear reduction. Prolong Highly Crosslinked Polyethylene minimizes free radicals and provides oxidation and delamination resistance.
"The Zimmer Natural Knee system has been improving patient quality of life for a quarter century, adapting to changing technologies and patient needs," said Jeff McCaulley, President, Zimmer Reconstructive. "During the last year, Zimmer has also celebrated the 25th anniversary of our original CLS® Spotorno® Hip System and the 30th anniversary of our Alloclassic® (Zweymuller®) Hip System. The long-term clinical success of these foundational systems speaks to the quality and longevity of Zimmer technologies – a tradition that continues today."
About the Company
Founded in 1927 and headquartered in Warsaw, Indiana, Zimmer designs, develops, manufactures and markets orthopaedic reconstructive, spinal and trauma devices, dental implants, and related surgical products. Zimmer has operations in more than 25 countries around the world and sells products in more than 100 countries. Zimmer's 2009 sales were approximately $4.1 billion. The Company is supported by the efforts of more than 8,000 employees worldwide.
For more information about Zimmer, visit www.zimmer.com
Zimmer Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about the orthopaedics industry, management's beliefs and assumptions made by management. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as "may," "will," "expects," "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "estimates," "projects," "assumes," "guides," "targets," "forecasts," and "seeks" or the negative of such terms or other variations on such terms or comparable terminology. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially. For a list and description of such risks and uncertainties, see our periodic reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. We disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be set forth in our periodic reports. Readers of this document are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, since, while we believe the assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, there can be no assurance that these forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. This cautionary statement is applicable to all forward-looking statements contained in this document.
SOURCE Zimmer Holdings, Inc.
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The first Natural Knee product was implanted in 1985, and the system has been commercially available since 1986. It was one of the first implant systems designed to truly replicate the natural anatomy of the knee, duplicating the asymmetric shape of the human tibia. This design provides tibial coverage without overhang and soft tissue impingement. The system's unique "deepened trochlear groove" allows smooth movement of the patella through a full range of motion. The Natural Knee system design also includes several innovative features, including a proprietary Cancellous-Structured Titanium™ (CSTi™) porous coating option for fixation and an ultracongruent bearing incorporating a unique bone-preserving posterior stabilizing design.
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Over the years, Zimmer has built on these innovations to offer a comprehensive family of implants suited to the unique lifestyles of patients, including the incorporation of gender specific and high-flexion designs and Prolong™ Highly Crosslinked Polyethylene. In 2007, Zimmer introduced the Gender Solutions™ Natural Knee Flex system, the first and only knee implant which recognizes the differences in male and female anatomies. The Zimmer Gender Solutions Natural Knee Flex system incorporates three unique features which set it apart from other knee implants: a distinctive implant shape, anterior flange design, and patellar tracking. This high-flexion design accommodates activities requiring up to 155 degrees of flexion, while the incorporation of Prolong Highly Crosslinked Polyethylene offers the latest in polyethylene wear reduction. Prolong Highly Crosslinked Polyethylene minimizes free radicals and provides oxidation and delamination resistance.
"The Zimmer Natural Knee system has been improving patient quality of life for a quarter century, adapting to changing technologies and patient needs," said Jeff McCaulley, President, Zimmer Reconstructive. "During the last year, Zimmer has also celebrated the 25th anniversary of our original CLS® Spotorno® Hip System and the 30th anniversary of our Alloclassic® (Zweymuller®) Hip System. The long-term clinical success of these foundational systems speaks to the quality and longevity of Zimmer technologies – a tradition that continues today."
About the Company
Founded in 1927 and headquartered in Warsaw, Indiana, Zimmer designs, develops, manufactures and markets orthopaedic reconstructive, spinal and trauma devices, dental implants, and related surgical products. Zimmer has operations in more than 25 countries around the world and sells products in more than 100 countries. Zimmer's 2009 sales were approximately $4.1 billion. The Company is supported by the efforts of more than 8,000 employees worldwide.
For more information about Zimmer, visit www.zimmer.com
Zimmer Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about the orthopaedics industry, management's beliefs and assumptions made by management. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as "may," "will," "expects," "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "estimates," "projects," "assumes," "guides," "targets," "forecasts," and "seeks" or the negative of such terms or other variations on such terms or comparable terminology. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially. For a list and description of such risks and uncertainties, see our periodic reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. We disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be set forth in our periodic reports. Readers of this document are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, since, while we believe the assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, there can be no assurance that these forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. This cautionary statement is applicable to all forward-looking statements contained in this document.
SOURCE Zimmer Holdings, Inc.
