Evonik’s Vestakeep PEEK used in new tendon surgery

Evonik’s Vestakeep PEEK will be used in surgery, repairing shoulders and heels.

The Vestakeep material will feature in the Kator Suture Anchor System, which has been used in its first surgical cases in rotator cuff repair and Achilles tendon reattachment.

Vestakeep adds structural integrity to Kator’s new system and the repair construct’s superior strength allows surgeons to repair rotator cuffs or reattach Achilles tendons using fewer suture anchors.

Vikram Chatur, Vice President and General Manager for High Performance Polymers, said: “Evonik is dedicated to contributing to the advancement of new surgical technologies with our medical device partners. With our strength in innovation, we’ll continue to develop the Vestakeep portfolio to bring advanced PEEK polymer technologies to the medical device industry.”

Lane Hale, Executive Vice President of Surgical Frontiers, said: “Vestakeep PEEK’s high fatigue resistance has proven critical in the successful development of the Kator Suture Anchor System. The Kator Suture Anchor System’s anchors receive high stress loads throughout the healing process. To handle those loads, we have developed a construct with superior strength using our unique, patented technology along with Evonik’s Vestakeep PEEK.”

With the improved mechanical and biocompatible properties of Vestakeep and Kator’s advanced systems for tissue-to-bone reattachment, surgeons can now repair torn rotator cuffs and reattach Achilles tendons using fewer suture anchors, thereby preserving more bone, and improving blood flow for healing the tendon.