Chronic Back and Leg Pain Sufferers Find Relief in Florida with New Minimally Invasive Treatment Option.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

SARASOTA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 28, 2003

New, Single-Day Spine Fusion Procedure Now Available at Sarasota's Doctors Hospital and Sarasota Memorial Hospital

With more than 12 million people in the U.S. suffering from chronic back pain, one million require surgery, and now residents in Florida have a new, safe and minimally invasive option to treat serious spine disease. Called the Atavi(R) Atraumatic Spine Fusion System, it offers patients a less traumatic and potentially more effective treatment alternative to traditional spine fusion surgery. This new procedure is being offered by Thomas M. Sweeney, M.D., PhD, Sarasota Spine Specialists, who conducts the surgery at Doctors Hospital and Sarasota Memorial Hospital, both in Sarasota.

Spine fusion is often recommended for chronic back and leg pain sufferers who have exhausted conventional therapy and surgical treatments for conditions such as degenerative disc disease, spinal arthritis, spondylolisthesis or stenosis. However, traditional open spine fusion is highly traumatic, resulting in severe post-operative pain and lengthy recovery times, as well as significant medical and insurance costs.

The Atavi spine fusion procedure requires only one small incision on each side of the spine during the entire procedure compared to the large incision which is required with traditional open spine fusion surgery. Results with Atavi show significant benefits compared to the traditional open procedure, including a 65 percent reduction in patient pain, shorter hospital stay, faster recovery time, and a quicker resumption to everyday activities. In addition, surgery with Atavi can result in a potential 21 percent reduction in hospital costs. Dr. Sweeney is among the most experienced Atavi surgeons in the country, providing patients located throughout Florida with a dramatically faster recovery time and quicker resumption of normal physical activities.

"Patients are astounded when I tell them that the surgical procedure with Atavi is just a one-day procedure and they will likely be able to leave the hospital within 24 hours, with far less discomfort than what is experienced with the traditional open spine fusion procedure," said Thomas M. Sweeney, M.D., PhD, Sarasota Spine Specialists. "It is my goal to make the Atavi minimally invasive procedure the de facto standard in spine fusion surgery, thereby eliminating all of the drawbacks of the open spine surgery procedure."

"I suffered from excruciating back pain for more than 16 years but I didn't want to undergo painful back surgery and be out of commission for weeks. The pain was so bad that I was ultimately confined to bed rest and had to go on disability. I thought I would never be able to work again," said 33 year old Dawn Langelle, a resident of Sarasota. "However, that all changed when I visited Dr. Sweeney and he informed me of this new minimally invasive surgical procedure. I only needed to spend one day in the hospital and recovered in just a week. This procedure truly gave me my life back."

According to clinical results of the Atavi System, patients showed a 55 percent improvement in their ability to carry out daily, routine activities over three months following surgery. In addition, 89 percent of patients had returned to work by their three-month checkup.

About Doctors Hospital

Doctors Hospital of Sarasota is a local community hospital that joined Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), in 1982. HCA is the world's largest provider of healthcare services, operating 179 hospitals and 78 ambulatory surgery centers, located in 22 states; London, England and Geneva, Switzerland. HCA employs in excess of 170,000 employees worldwide. In Florida alone, HCA owns and operates over 50 hospitals, which represents approximately 7,000 beds. This affiliation with HCA affords Doctors Hospital of Sarasota tremendous resources and benefits, which are realized in their service to the patients and the community.

About Sarasota Memorial Hospital

Sarasota Memorial, an 828-bed regional medical center, is the second-largest acute care public hospital in Florida. It is one of the 10 busiest orthopedic hospitals in the state, according to a study by Healthcare Strategic Issues and HealthShare Technology Inc. The report explains that hospitals on this top 10 list "have exceptionally high-quality orthopedic departments ... a function of the quality of the physicians."

About the Atavi(R) Atraumatic Spine Fusion System

Atavi is the only single, integrated surgical system to combine novel access technology with advanced visualization and instrumentation capabilities. This unique combination of features enables surgeons to perform virtually all of the steps of a complete posterolateral lumbar spine fusion through the same access portal without changing the traditional open surgical technique. While Atavi can be used endoscopically, it is also compatible with surgical loupes and microscopes, enabling surgeons to select the exact visualization method that best suits their needs and likes.

Endius' minimally invasive approach also has potential to minimize "fusion disease," or "failed back syndrome," a common and debilitating condition attributed to trauma to surrounding muscle tissue caused while gaining access to the surgical site during the traditional invasive open fusion procedure. Fusion disease and/or failed back syndrome can lead to chronic post-operative pain even if the radiographic fusion is successful. Clinical results for Endius' single-level endoscopic lumbar spine fusion procedure show significant benefits compared to the open procedure, including a 65 percent reduction in patient pain, associated significant reduction in the use of narcotic pain medications, reduced hospital stay(s), all contributing to a potential 21 percent reduction in hospital costs. To date, more than 500 patients have been treated with Atavi by more than 100 surgeons in leading hospitals nationwide.

About Endius

Founded in 1997, Endius, the leader of minimally invasive spine fusion surgery, has developed breakthrough minimally invasive spine surgery products and implants to treat serious spine disease. Atavi(R), Endius' Atraumatic Spine Fusion System, which obtained FDA clearance of its 510(k) in October 2000, is currently being utilized in hospitals nationwide. Atavi is the only fully integrated system that enables surgeons to perform lumbar spine fusion endoscopically, with one access portal, and without changing the surgeon's traditional technique. Endius provides comprehensive surgeon education programs, and operates training facilities across the U.S. More information about Plainville, Mass.-based Endius can be found at www.endius.com.

For Interested Press

Additional background information, graphics and b-roll on the Atavi(R) Atraumatic Spine Fusion System from Endius are available from Schwartz Communications. Please contact Lauren Arnold at 781/684-0770 or [e-mail].