Surgeon Treating Wrist Fractures with an Innovative Procedure

Posted Tuesday, August 22, 2006

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Each year, more than 300,000 people in the U.S. and approximately 1 million people worldwide suffer a wrist fracture. Women are disproportionately affected, primarily because of osteoporosis. In fact, one in six females over the age of 55 will have a wrist fracture in their lifetime. Many of these fractures require surgery, in which either internal metal plates or external fixation devices are used. Unfortunately, both of these can limit wrist movement and may be uncomfortable to the patient requiring 4 to 12 weeks for recovery.

Brian Bacot MD, an orthopaedic surgeon with the Comprehensive Orthopaedic Group in Cumming, understands our hands are crucial in our everyday activities. It is imperative to restore normal hand functions as quickly as possible after a radius fracture. As a result, Dr. Bacot is treating wrist fractures with an innovative procedure so new, only a handful of surgeons have been trained in GA. The device used in this procedure is called Micronail, distributed by Wright Medical Technologies.

With MICRONAIL®, Dr. Bacot is treating a wrist fracture through a unique minimally-invasive technique enabling patients to use their wrists within one to two weeks after surgery. This new implant is placed inside the patient’s fractured radius bone through a 1-2 centimeter incision on the side of the wrist, providing immediate stabilization of the fracture. The small incision also helps to reduce the soft tissue damage caused by traditional surgical repair treatments.

“I will have to say that when I was first introduced to the Micronail I was quite skeptical. After taking a thorough look, carefully considering the concepts and principles behind the Micronail and then discussing it with my partners in Comprehensive Orthopaedic Group, I saw some unique advantages to this technique”

– Brian Bacot, MD

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