Centerpulse Orthopedics Announces Orthopedic Resident Grant for Minimally Invasive Surgery Research

AUSTIN, Texas -- Centerpulse Orthopedics Inc., a subsidiary of Centerpulse, announced today that it has established a new grant to fund research for an outstanding orthopedic resident in the field of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for joint replacement. The grant has been established in conjunction with, and will be administered by, the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF). The resident's research will focus on patient outcomes as a result of minimally invasive surgery from both a psychological and a physiological perspective.

The grant amount of $15,000 was determined in part by surgeon participation in Centerpulse Orthopedics' Education and Innovation Center at the 2003 American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting in New Orleans. After signing a specially designed wall in the booth, surgeons voted to determine what MIS initiative they wanted the grant to fund.

"The orthopedic surgeon community clearly voiced their support for more research on the future of minimally invasive surgery," said David Floyd, president of Centerpulse Orthopedics. "This grant provides research in the field of MIS that will be beneficial to our surgeon customers. By listening to the needs of our surgeon community, we are building relationships that will help shape the future of orthopedics and provide exceptional patient-focused care."

The grant is sponsored by Centerpulse Orthopedics' CARE (Comprehensive Accelerated Recovery Experience) MIS program. Through programs like CARE MIS, Centerpulse is able to demonstrate its commitment to positive patient outcomes.

When the resident's research is complete, a research summary will be made available to surgeons and the orthopedic industry at large through the OREF and Centerpulse Orthopedics Web sites at www.oref.org and www.centerpulseorthopedics.com , respectively.

Centerpulse Orthopedics Inc. designs and manufactures medical devices for orthopedic markets worldwide at its Austin, Texas headquarters.

Source: Centerpulse Orthopedics Inc.