MedStar Union Memorial Hospital Is First Hospital in Country to Offer Rotation Medical Rotator Cuff System for Minimally Invasive Rotator Cuff Procedures

BALTIMORE, MD--(Marketwired - Jul 30, 2014) -  MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, part of MedStar Orthopaedics, is the first hospital in the United States to offer the Rotation Medical Rotator Cuff System, a new minimally invasive technology potentially providing relief for millions of patients suffering from rotator cuff disease.

The procedure, to be performed by Les Matthews, MD, chief of orthopaedics at MedStar Union Memorial and medical director of MedStar Orthopaedics, uses a new bioinductive implant technology that induces the formation of new tendon-like tissue to effectively treat rotator cuff tendon tears in the shoulder joint.

Rotator cuff tendon tears affect more than four million people annually in the United States and are the most common source of shoulder pain and disability. Tears occur most often from repetitive overuse of the shoulder, or from sudden stress caused by an acute injury; the risk of injury increases with age. Tears that start out small, over time, often develop into larger, more painful and debilitating tears due to continuing degeneration of the torn tendon.

Previous procedures for rotator cuff repair did not improve the underlying tendon tissue structure causing a large number of repaired tendons to deteriorate over time and become prone to re-tears. The Rotation Medical Rotator Cuff System, manufactured by Rotation Medical, offers a new solution for a large segment of rotator cuff disease, from low grade partial tears to large full-thickness tears. By inducing new tissue growth, the Rotation Medical technology potentially prevents the progression of rotator cuff disease through early intervention.

Click here for more information about the Rotation Medical Rotator Cuff System. To learn more about MedStar Orthopaedics, click here.

About MedStar Orthopaedics

MedStar Orthopaedics provides a comprehensive array of non-surgical and surgical treatments, sports medicine and spine surgery services at MedStar hospitals in the Baltimore region. MedStar Orthopaedics is comprised of nearly 100 physicians from MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center, MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital, MedStar Harbor Hospital, MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, The Curtis National Hand Center, and more than 20 community locations. Visit MedStarOrthopaedics.org for more information.

About MedStar Union Memorial Hospital

MedStar Union Memorial Hospital is a not-for-profit, 249-bed acute care teaching hospital with a strong emphasis on cardiac care, orthopaedics and sports medicine. As one of the region's top specialty hospitals, MedStar Union Memorial has been caring for members of the community for more than 160 years.

We are renowned for The Curtis National Hand Center, Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Heart Institute, and our Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine program. In addition, we offer a comprehensive range of inpatient and outpatient services including diabetes and endocrinology, eye surgery, general surgery, oncology, thoracic surgery, vascular surgery and palliative care.

MedStar Union Memorial was among the highest rated Maryland hospitals based on Consumer Reports rankings in 2013, and is the only hospital in Maryland to receive the Delmarva Foundation's highest honor, the Excellence Award for Quality for Hospitals, for six years in a row.

MedStar Union Memorial has ranked among the nation's top 50 "Best Hospitals" by U.S. News & World Report, earning national recognition for seven consecutive years. Our excellence in care also has been recognized by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Award), the American College of Cardiology (ACTION Registry Award)and Thomson Reuters (Top Hospitals®: Cardiovascular Benchmarks for Success).

MedStar Union Memorial is accredited by The Joint Commission (TJC). We are the first hospital in Baltimore to receive spine certification by TJC, and the first in the state of Maryland to receive advanced certification for palliative care. MedStar Union Memorial also is designated as a Primary Stroke Center and the Hand Trauma Center for the state of Maryland.

MedStar Union Memorial is a proud member of MedStar Health, a non-profit, regional healthcare system with 10 hospitals and more than 20 other health-related services in the Maryland and Washington, D.C. area.

About Rotation Medical

Rotator cuff tears are the most common source of shoulder pain and diminished shoulder function in adults. Rotator cuff disease is a progressive condition with prevalence increasing with age. Rotation Medical was founded in 2009 and is committed to improving the treatment of rotator cuff disease with the Rotation Medical rotator cuff system, a breakthrough technology that has the potential to prevent rotator cuff disease progression and reduce re-tears by inducing the growth of new tendinous tissue. The Rotation Medical rotator cuff system combines a unique, proprietary bioinductive implant designed to rapidly induce tendinous tissue growth with a set of novel, arthroscopic disposable instruments that allow the procedure to be performed quickly and reproducibly. For more information visit rotationmedical.com.