Technology Overview

HydroCision intends to solve unmet needs and improve outcomes in spine surgery by providing fluidjet-driven medical devices for use in open and minimally-invasive spine procedures, to simultaneously cut, ablate, and remove hard and soft tissue quickly, safely, and effectively without the collateral thermal or mechanical trauma of other surgical modalities.

Although high-pressure water jets have been employed for many years in industrial cutting applications, this technology is not easily adapted for use in the medical field because of the unique technical requirements of surgery: the working fluid must be sterile; the tools must be tiny and easily maneuverable; and most importantly, the devices must be safe. HydroCision has overcome the major barriers to the transfer of fluidjet technology from industrial to surgical applications with significant technical innovations. Whereas industrial fluidjet technology has been used for many years with no significant and novel developments, HydroCision has brought proprietary technology, Hydrosurgery, to medical applications.

HydroCision's fluidjet-based Hydrosurgery devices offer rapid and efficient performance in a very small size. Unique to HydroCision is the use of a “collector” tube, not only to capture the fluidjet beam, but also to create a powerful suction and morcellation effect at the active site. Utilizing proprietary designs, flow patterns and cavitation are achieved that result in tissue being drawn into the collector and away from the operative site, without the need for external suction connection. This also allows exquisite visibility during operation of the device - particularly important in spine procedures where the surgical site is surrounded by vital structures such as nerves and blood vessels.

A further major advantage of Hydrosurgery is the ability to achieve “differential” tissue excision. This allows the spine surgeon to quickly and safely remove soft tissue, such as disc nucleus, without damaging the surrounding harder annulus tissue or vertebral endplates.

These advantages illustrate the power and versatility of fluidjet technology, as practiced by HydroCision, to provide solutions to the spine surgeon, enabling efficient surgical procedures and optimum patient outcomes.