Zimmer Reports First Shoulder Use of Vivacit-E in U.S.

Zimmer Holdings, Inc.’s Vivacit-E Line for the Trabecular Metal Reverse Shoulder System has been used for the first time in the U.S. for a reverse should replacement.

A company announcement on March 16, 2015, states the Vivacit-E HXPE is a highly crosslinked polyethylene (HXPE) and is a “high-tech bearing surface offering oxidative stability and low wear that has already become a staple of the company’s replacement products for the knee, hip and elbow. Its introduction into the Trabecular Metal Reverse Shoulder System is designed to meet the growing demand for shoulder replacement.”

Steve Vankoski, director of global marketing for Zimmer, said there are few good treatments if a reverse shoulder wears out. “Replacement is a complex surgery often performed on patients who have, over time, lost the ability to raise their arms due to chronic rotator cuff tears.”

He noted that in addition to traditional replacements due to normal rotator cuff wear, reverse total shoulder replacement is also growing in popularity for complex fractures.

“Vivacit-E technology represents a major advance in reverse shoulder replacement, ” added Vankoski. With Vivacit-E, he says Zimmer has “delivered a construct designed for the most demanding shoulder patients. We are excited to bring this new technology, which we have already successfully integrated into our knee, hip and elbow implants, to the Trabecular Metal reverse shoulder to better match patient needs during reverse shoulder replacement.”

According to the Zimmer website, HXPE locks Vitamin E, a natural antioxidant, to the molecular chain of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, resulting in an advanced bearing material, actively stabilized against oxidation. The company says HXPE eliminates the “compromises of re-melted and annealed polyethylenes” and delivers a high-demand bearing surface which optimizes all the essential performance characteristics:

• Exceptional oxidative stability
• Ultra-low wear
• Improved strength

Comparative Testing to Biomet and Stryker

First introduced in the 1990s, a 2014 Zimmer technical memo says in comparative testing, their Vivacit-E HXPE outperformed both Biomet, Inc.’s E1 and Stryker Corporation’s X3.