JuggerKnot Soft Anchor wins Medical Design Excellence Award

The JuggerKnot soft anchor from Biomet Sports Medicine has received the 2011 Medical Design Excellence Award (MDEA) for the outstanding product design.

JuggerKnot is designed to allow surgeons to reattach soft tissue to bone in multiple locations in the body. This next generation of anchor technology is made entirely from suture, allowing for substantially less bone removal than conventional metal and plastic devices. The smaller anchor diameter allows multiple anchors to be placed in various anatomical locations.

“The JuggerKnot Soft Anchor is a giant step forward in suture anchor technology. It features a unique combination of high strength and small size in an all-suture design,” explained Kevin Stone, Biomet Sports Medicine’s Vice President of Research and Development. “The JuggerKnot Soft Anchor provides features not available in metal and plastic anchors to repair soft tissue and helps patients get on the road to recovery.”

The MDEA Awards are the only award programme that exclusively recognises contributions and advances in the design of medical products. Thirty-seven products were awarded the 2011 Awards, including four implants.

Entries are evaluated on the basis of their design and engineering features, including innovative use of materials, user-related functions that improve healthcare delivery and change traditional medical attitudes or practices, features that provide enhanced benefits to the patient, and the ability of the product development team to overcome design and engineering challenges so that the product meets its clinical objectives.

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