Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Zimmer Holdings Inc. Monday formally launched the Zimmer Institute with a meeting of surgeon advisers and government and business officials. The Institute is a key part of Zimmer's industry-leading program to bring the benefits of minimally invasive surgery to joint replacement patients.
The Institute, an addition to the first and lower levels of Zimmer headquarters in downtown Warsaw, is a state-of-the-art surgeon training facility that represents the hub of a worldwide network dedicated to advancing Zimmer "Minimally Invasive Solutions" procedures and technologies. The facility also will serve as a home for the company's "O.R. of the Future" initiative and other development efforts.
Zimmer invested approximately $2 million in the design and construction of the 15,000-square-foot Institute. The company plans to invest a total of approximately $20 million in its overall MIS development program during 2003. This amount does not include expansions required for the O.R. of the Future as a timeline has not been determined.
Teams of instructors will include Zimmer personnel and visiting surgeons. Brad Bishop, Zimmer public affairs, said, "Hundreds of surgeons from around the world will travel in and out of Warsaw. The surgeons will be visible in the community and will contribute to the local economy."
The goals of minimally invasive joint replacement are to minimize blood loss during surgery, to shorten or nearly eliminate the associated hospital stay, to minimize the pain involved in rehabilitation and to significantly shorten the time required for a patient to return to a normal lifestyle.
The first group of surgeons will be trained at the Institute in early April. The company expects to train 500 surgeons worldwide in the Zimmer MIS 2-Incision hip replacement procedure by the end of the year. More than 400 replacement procedures have been completed since the start of the Zimmer program in April 2001. The procedure allows for reduced postoperative pain, reduced length of hospital stay and the patient's accelerated return to independent daily living.
The Institute offers surgeons the opportunity to learn the surgical procedure in a laboratory environment that closely simulates an operating room. The Institute also employs advanced electronic training equipment and links to satellite facilities. Zimmer is in the process of finalizing agreements with a number of prominent hospitals and teaching institutions that will become part of the worldwide network offering Zimmer Institute courses.
Zimmer has established an advisory panel of prominent orthopedic surgeons to help guide the operation and expansion of the Institute's educational efforts. Aaron Rosenberg, M.D., professor of orthopedic surgery, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, chairs the advisory panel. Rosenberg said, "Because minimally invasive surgery represents a new approach to what is already a very successful procedure, it is important that the transfer of knowledge and skills is just as effective as the design of the procedure and the instruments. The Zimmer Institute represents a world-class educational effort that will provide surgeons an excellent basis for incorporating minimally invasive joint replacement into their practice."
Other members of the surgeon advisory panel are: William Bargar, M.D., Sacramento, Calif.; Louis Bigliani, M.D., New York, N.Y.; Robert Booth, M.D., Philadelphia, Pa.; Evan Flatow, M.D., New York, N.Y.; Allan Gross, M.D., Toronto, Canada; Jorge Galante, M.D., Chicago; Professor Peter Herberts, Goteborg, Sweden; Carol Hutchison, M.D., San Ramon, Calif.; Seth Leopold, M.D., Seattle, Wash.; Wayne Paprosky, M.D., Chicago; Marc Philippon, M.D., Pittsburgh, Pa.; Professor Gwo-Jaw Wang, Taiwan; Lawrence Webb, M.D., Winston-Salem, N.C.; and Richard White, M.D., Albuquerque, N.M.
More than 20,000 Zimmer M/Gª Unicompartmental Knees have been implanted using Zimmer MIS instrumentation. In 2001, the company began working with surgeon developers to establish a standard technique and instruments for the Zimmer MIS2-Incision procedure. In 2002, the company signed an agreement with leading surgeons to develop an advanced MIS total knee replacement procedure and instruments, and more than 75 procedures have been performed as part of that development process.
In addition, Zimmer has an exclusive agreement with Medtronic Inc., a spinal surgical navigation group in Colorado, to incorporate surgical navigation technology into minimally invasive joint replacement procedures. The company said it is developing, for future release, implant products that are specifically designed to facilitate minimally invasive approaches. The implant systems used in today's MIS procedures are the same proven implants used in conventional procedures.
Zimmer designs, develops, manufactures and markets reconstructive implants, which restore joint function in knees, hips, shoulders and elbows, and trauma products, which are used primarily to reattach or stabilize damaged bone and tissue. In 2002, Zimmer, with more than 3,600 employees, recorded worldwide revenues of approximately $1.4 billion.
