Compression Fractures Of The Spine

Benvenue Medical Adds Two Senior Executives in Sales and Marketing

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"Paul and Ben bring extensive experience in direct sales, marketing and distribution strategies with substantial working knowledge of the spine and kyphoplasty markets," said within the orthopedic spine and interventional radiology markets.  We're pleased to add their talents and expertise at such an exciting time for Benvenue Medical."

Paul will be responsible for global sales at Benvenue Medical.  He joined the company after spending more than 20 years in medical device sales, with a majority of his career focused on the spine and orthopedics markets.  Before Baxter, he gained extensive sales management experience at Apatech, Interpore Cross International, Endius, Surgical Dynamics, and was a distributor principal at Focus Surgical.  Paul began his career in sales with Johnson & Johnson.

Ben will lead the marketing efforts at Benvenue Medical with over 10 years of medical device experience in marketing and sales. Previously, he held the position of Director of Marketing for DFine, Inc, responsible for the US marketing efforts focused on treating vertebral pathologies with radio frequency energy-based products.  Prior to DFine, Ben spent eight years at Kyphon Inc. holding various sales, sales management and marketing management positions in the US and , has now been used to treat more than 500 VCFs globally.  The Kiva VCF Treatment System provides an innovative approach to the treatment of painful VCFs.  The Kiva System delivers a percutaneously-introduced, cylindrical PEEK-OPTIMA® implant to stabilize and provide structural support to the vertebral body and serve as a conduit for bone cement placement.  The National Osteoporosis Foundation estimates that there are 700,000 osteoporosis-related vertebral compression fractures annually in the US alone, yet 200,000 kyphoplasty procedures are done globally.  

In the US, the Kiva VCF Treatment System is being evaluated versus balloon kyphoplasty in vertebral compression fractures in the KAST ( K iva® System as a Vertebral A ugmentation Treatment – A S afety and Effectiveness T rial) which is an IDE being conducted in support of a future 510(k) market clearance application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Compression Fracture of Spine in Osteoporosis « scdec.org

A. Osteoporosis is a condition most common in women and elderly men. It is characterized by a decrease in the quantity of bone. It is interesting to note that the bone is essentially normal bone — there’s just less of it. Bone density typically peaks in the early 30s and then declines steadily. Eventually it can reach a point at which patients are susceptible to fractures. A test called a DEXA scan (for “dual energy X-ray absorptiometry”) can reveal a person’s amount of bone loss and predict the risk of future fractures.

You asked about involuntary mild compression fracture of the lumbar vertebra. Most typically, these injuries involve the 12th thoracic and the 1st lumbar bones of the spine. When the density of the spine becomes low enough, then mild trauma such as bending forward can compress the bone and produce a wedge-type shape to the vertebra. This typically involves the anterior (front) part of the vertebra, which is away from the nerve roots. The treatment for mild involuntary compression fractures is usually conservative, as most of these compressions do heal by themselves. Therapies are directed at supporting the natural healing process and keeping the patient comfortable — for instance, with pain medication, lumbar corset (back brace) and limitation of activities. For most patients, pain subsides within four to six weeks, and they can return to their regular activities.

However, if someone develops persistent pain, there is a new procedure called percutaneous vertebroplasty, in which a catheter is placed into the vertebral bone and some bone cement is injected to help prevent recurrent compression fractures. This often yields excellent pain relief.

Please note that once patients develop osteoporosis, the treatment is quite difficult, as it is very difficult to increase done density. Some new medications have been shown to do just that; Fosamax is one. Still, prevention of osteoporosis is the key. Children and young adults need to get adequate calcium intake to build up a high bone density while they are still gaining, rather than losing, bone. If their peak bone density is high enough, they may be able to stay above the fracture threshold even during the decline that follows.

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