Zimmer Holdings Receives FDA Approval to Market Mobile Be...( WARSAW Ind. Dec. 11 /- Zimmer Hol...),Health

WARSAW, Ind., Dec. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Zimmer Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ZMH; SWX: ZMH), a leader in the orthopaedics industry, announced today that its Premarket Approval (PMA) application for the Zimmer(R) NexGen(R) LPS-Flex Mobile Knee has been granted by the Food and Drug Administration.

"A number of orthopaedic surgeons prefer mobile bearing designs and we are pleased to be one of only two companies that can offer this treatment option in the U.S.," said Sheryl Conley, Zimmer Chief Marketing Officer. "Since its launch in Europe in 1999, this product has been well received in Australia and Japan, as well as in Europe. We look forward to being able to provide the mobile bearing option to surgeons here in the United States where the majority of the world's knee replacement procedures are performed."

Zimmer says that a key strength of its mobile bearing system is its ability to be used in a minimally invasive procedure -- the LPS-Flex Mobile Knee is compatible with the Company's industry leading Minimally Invasive Solutions(TM) (MIS(TM)) Systems and Technologies knee replacement instrumentation.

The main difference between a traditional knee replacement design and a mobile bearing knee is that the polyethylene articulating surface is free to rotate slightly along with the patient's natural movement. When used with the LPS-Flex femoral component, the knee replacement is designed to safely accommodate active deep flexion of up to 155 degrees for patients who are otherwise capable of that level of flexion. Many activities of daily living require this range of motion, such as climbing stairs (75-140 degrees), sitting in a chair and standing up again (90-130 degrees), and squatting (130-150 degrees). Generally, knee im
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