Ixef® PARA Enables Elasso Surgical Instruments

Solvay’s Medical-Grade Ixef® PARA Enables Elasso Surgical Instruments to Pioneer - A Cutting-Edge New Instrument for Removal of Adenoids and Tonsils

 

Solvay, a leading global supplier of specialty polymers, announced today that its medical-grade Ixef® GS-1022 polyarylamide (PARA) resin facilitated the development of Elasso Surgical Instruments’ Elasso™ Tissue Removal Device, an innovative, new, single-use electrocautery instrument for adenoid and tonsil surgeries. lxef® PARA’s high flexural strength and high flow provided a viable alternative to metal, allowing the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based medical device pioneer to optimize the ergonomics, precision and surgical efficacy of its instrument without compromising the rigidity of key components. Elasso Surgical Instruments’ new tool received its 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) earlier this year and is commercially available in the United States.

“We pursued a very ambitious design for our single-use Elasso™ instrument, which relies on very long, thin forcep-like arms fabricated from Solvay’s high-performance polymer rather than metal to ensure better leverage, reach and control,” said Olivier Lecerf, Chief Operating Officer, Elasso Surgical Instruments. “We tested several very high-end polymers, but only Ixef® GS-1022 PARA resin delivered the necessary combination of high flow in the mold and outstanding strength and stiffness in the finished part to give the forceps the leverage that our design targeted.”

Over two million adenotonsillectomies and adenoidectomies are performed annually worldwide. Yet many of the instruments used to cut tissue in these procedures pose shortcomings during surgical procedures and in postsurgical recovery. Blue and gray-colored grades of Ixef® GS-1022 PARA form the device arms, which end in a metal loop that is heated by an electrical current to a temperature that precisely cuts and cauterizes isolated tissue.

Ixef® PARA Enables Elasso Surgical Instruments

Ixef® GS-1022 PARA is a 50 percent glass fiber-reinforced compound available in several colors. In addition to superior stiffness, strength and flow, all Ixef® GS PARA grades and colors are gamma-stabilized, allowing them to withstand sterilization by h...

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Ixef® GS-1022 PARA is a 50 percent glass fiber-reinforced compound available in several colors. In addition to superior stiffness, strength and flow, all Ixef® GS PARA grades and colors are gamma-stabilized, allowing them to withstand sterilization by high-energy gamma radiation without exhibiting significant changes in appearance or physical properties. These medical-grade polymers demonstrate no evidence of cytotoxicity, sensitization, intracutaneous reactivity or acute systemic toxicity based on biocompatibility testing defined under ISO 10993-1.

“Like many of our specialty polymers, Solvay’s Ixef® PARA introduces more effective alternatives to conventional plastics, and even offers a viable new substitute for many metals,” said Jeff Hrivnak, Global Business Development Manager for Healthcare at Solvay’s Specialty Polymers global business unit. “Elasso Surgical Instruments is the latest innovator to demonstrate the breakthrough potential that Solvay’s polymers offer biomedical device OEMs today, and we are very proud to have played an important role in the development of their innovative new Elasso™ device."

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About Elasso Surgical Instruments
Based in Ann Arbor, Mich., Elasso Surgical Instruments is a pioneering start-up focused on development of single-use surgical tools designed for efficient adenoid and tonsil surgeries. Founded in 2011, the company’s management team and advisory board combine industry-leading entrepreneurial, medical device sector, venture capital, regulatory and scientific expertise.

About Solvay Specialty Polymers
Solvay Specialty Polymers manufactures over 1500 products across 35 brands of high-performance polymers – fluoropolymers, fluoroelastomers, fluorinated fluids, semi-aromatic polyamides, sulfone polymers, aromatic ultra-high performance polymers, high barrier polymers and cross-linked high-performance compounds – for use in Aerospace, Alternative Energy, Automotive, Healthcare, Membranes, Oil and Gas, Packaging, Plumbing, Semiconductors, Wire & Cable, and other industries. Learn more at www.solvayspecialtypolymers.com.

About Solvay
An international chemical and advanced materials company, Solvay assists its customers in innovating, developing and delivering high-value, sustainable products and solutions which consume less energy and reduce CO2 emissions, optimize the use of resources and improve the quality of life. Solvay serves diversified global end markets, including automotive and aerospace, consumer goods and healthcare, energy and environment, electricity and electronics, building and construction as well as industrial applications. Solvay is headquartered in Brussels with about 30,000 employees spread across 53 countries. It generated pro forma net sales of € 12.4 billion in 2015, with 90 percent made from activities where it ranks among the world’s top 3 players. Solvay SA (SOLB.BE) is listed on Euronext in Brussels and Paris (Bloomberg: SOLB.BB - Reuters: SOLB.BR).

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Published by Solvay Advanced Polymers on Sep 21, 2016

Solvay Advanced Polymers

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Solvay Advanced Polymers

T: 770-772-8947
Tech. Dpmt.: 770-772-8200
F: 770-772-8730

Address
4500 McGinnis Ferry Rd.
Alpharetta, GA
30005
United States
View map

 

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Materials - Plastics & Elastomers