Las Vegas-based Sunset Ridge Surgery Center surgeon Colby Young, MD, performed the first procedure with the CoNextions TR Tendon Repair System on May 11.
The milestone comes only 19 days after the FDA granted market clearance to the device, CoNextions said May 16. The single-use implant consists of two stainless steel anchors implanted in either end of the injured tendon. The anchors are then connected by two looks of ultra-high-tenacity polyethylene yarn.
In the procedure, Dr. Young used the implant to repair the patient's zone 2 flexor tendon in the little finger.
"After reviewing the data from CoNextions' clinical trial, I felt confident that the CoNextions TR System was a better alternative to suture for my patient," Dr. Young said in a news release. "I was also excited to see how much easier the device was to use compared to tying a complex suture knot that creates more bulk in the repaired tendon."