CoreLink Launches Novel SI Fusion Stackable Guide Wire

St. Louis-based spinal implant supplier, CoreLink LLC, has just announced the release of the Scaltoff Wire, a patent pending, stackable guide wire for its Entasis Sacroiliac Joint (SI) Fusion System.

The convertible length wire enables constant control during drilling, tapping, and insertion steps yet can be quickly shortened to accommodate the C-arm in lateral view X-rays.

“The most significant threat to patient safety in lateral SI joint fusion procedures is the possibility of the guide wire advancing into the sacral foramina and potentially damaging a nerve root,” says Donald Sachs, M.D., a neurosurgeon in Tampa, Florida, in the company’s August 22, 2017 news release. “This is a good response to that common risk. Plus, with this, you don’t have to remove the wire, avoiding the frustrations of finding your path again.”

“The stackable Scaltoff Wires (blunt and trocar) thread onto and off each other, end-to-end, providing adjustable length. Considered to be the stiffest on the market, the extra rigidity of these stainless steel wires further enhances control for the surgeon. Now a little more than a year on the market, CoreLink’s Entasis SI Joint Fusion System has seen more than 500 devices implanted…”

Matthew Linhardt is senior director of marketing at CoreLink. He told OTW, “The most interesting moment the realization that in SI joint fusions, guide wire advancement is an almost universal concern, a very common risk with a simple solution.”

Asked about surgeons’ reactions, Linhardt commented that they are saying the Scaltoff Wire is “simple, effective, easy to use, saves time and hassle trying replace the wire, and is a no brainer for patient safety.”