UTICA, NY, Feb 07, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) --CONMED Corporation (NASDAQ: CNMD) today announced that its CONMED Linvatec business unit will formally launch multiple new medical devices in its Sports Medicine and Powered Instrument product lines at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) in San Francisco, CA on February 8 - 11, 2012. Further information about the products related to the Company's recently completed association with the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation (MTF) will also be available.

"The launch of several new, important products at AAOS, combined with the recent agreement with MTF, has CONMED off to an excellent start in 2012," said Joseph Darling, President of the CONMED Linvatec division. "We are pleased to add to our already extensive Sports Medicine and Powered Instrument product lines. Of significance, we think our Hip Preservation System will be an excellent resource for surgeons in the fast-growing area of hip arthroscopy. CONMED is committed to the consistent introduction of high-quality, innovative new products that will address customer needs and fuel CONMED's long-term top-line growth."

The following products are being launched at AAOS:

SPORTS MEDICINE - ARTHROSCOPY

Hip Preservation System(TM) - The CONMED Linvatec Hip Preservation System optimizes patient outcomes by providing comprehensive instrumentation and technique solutions for hip joint preservation. This is one of the fastest growing segments in the Arthroscopic repair market. CONMED Linvatec now offers a full range of instrumentation for minimally invasive repairs of the hip joint, including:

--  suture anchors for labral tears,
--  prebent burs and blades for easier access to the hip joint space,
--  access instruments to provide better access during Hip arthroscopy,
--  manually operated forceps, graspers, scissors,
--  powered resection instruments and cutting tools,
--  microfracture awls

Y-KNOT(TM) 1.3mm All-Suture Anchor - This is the smallest "all-suture" anchor on the market and is comprised entirely of high strength suture. This 1.3mm device allows for additional tissue to bone contact and enables more points of fixation to be made where they are needed the most. When deployed, the anchor contracts vertically and expands laterally, producing 360 degrees FormFit(TM) fixation within the bone for superior pull out strength.

PressFT(TM) Suture Anchor - These suture anchors are available in PEEK and biocomposite variants for shoulder and hip arthroscopy in 2.1mm and 2.6mm sizes. They are used for arthroscopic stabilization procedures of the shoulder and labral repair of the hip. The percutaneous guide system permits exact placement without the use of a cannula.

XACTPIN(TM) Graft Passing Guide Pin - The XACTPIN Graft Passing Guide Pin is used during soft tissue repairs, including cruciate ligament reconstructions, to facilitate the positioning of cannulated drills, passing of a soft tissue graft through the bone tunnel and referencing of the tunnel length. Specifically engineered for fast, accurate and minimally invasive referencing of the Aperture to Cortex length, the XACTPIN is the only graft passing guide currently available on the market that allows surgeons to confidently confirm the femoral tunnel length in the early stages of the reconstruction, saving time and minimizing potential complications.

Allografts for Sports Medicine - As recently announced, CONMED Linvatec will serve as the exclusive world-wide marketing representative for MTF's sports medicine allograft tissues. Additional information regarding allograft tissue use for sports medicine will be available at the Company's exhibit booth (845) at AAOS.

Cascade Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy - Also due to the agreement with MTF, CONMED Linvatec has become the exclusive world-wide distributor of the Cascade Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) product, which leverages the body's capacity to heal itself. When the body becomes injured, a natural healing process occurs to repair the damaged tissue. The body signals platelets and other components in human blood supply to migrate to the site of injury. Under normal conditions, these platelets release a variety of factors that initiate and subsequently promote healing. New advances in medicine have been developed to harness and concentrate these platelets to be precisely introduced to the injury site in an injectable form. The implantation of these platelets from a small amount of the patient's own blood has the potential to enhance the body's capacity for healing.

POWERED SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS

Hall(R) Lithium Power Battery System - Rechargeable Lithium Ion Nanophosphate battery packs for all CONMED Linvatec PowerPro(R) Max and MPower(TM) battery operated surgical instruments will be available shortly, and will be on display at the Company's AAOS exhibit booth. These new battery packs are designed to provide maximum power and longevity. Unique technology allows CONMED Linvatec to offer industry leading 13.2v batteries that are significantly smaller and lighter than existing packs, and that are fully sterilizable. This system includes a smart charger that will provide advanced battery diagnostics.

M-Class(TM) Blades - The new M-Class Blade series is a complete system of premium oscillating saw blades specifically engineered with an innovative tooth profile to provide superior blade control and stability during large bone procedures. These blades are compatible with all CONMED Linvatec Hall oscillating saw handpieces.

Hall(R) Classic Blades - This new line of oscillating saw blades is designed and produced to ensure optimal performance during large bone procedures, while offering a compelling value proposition for the Company's customers. They are also compatible with all Hall oscillating saw handpieces.

In addition to introducing the above new products, the CONMED Linvatec business unit will feature interactive surgeon procedural demonstrations throughout the AAOS Annual Meeting. These demonstrations will take place at the Company's technical exhibit, Booth 845.

CONMED Profile

CONMED is a medical technology company with an emphasis on surgical devices and equipment for minimally invasive procedures and monitoring. The Company's products serve the clinical areas of arthroscopy, powered surgical instruments, electrosurgery, cardiac monitoring disposables, endosurgery and endoscopic technologies. They are used by surgeons and physicians in a variety of specialties including orthopedics, general surgery, gynecology, neurosurgery, and gastroenterology. Headquartered in Utica, New York, the Company's 3,400 employees distribute its products worldwide from several manufacturing locations.

Forward Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking statements based on certain assumptions and contingencies that involve risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and relate to the Company's performance on a going-forward basis. The forward-looking statements in this press release involve risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results, performance or trends, to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements herein or in previous disclosures. The Company believes that all forward-looking statements made by it have a reasonable basis, but there can be no assurance that management's expectations, beliefs or projections as expressed in the forward-looking statements will actually occur or prove to be correct. In addition to general industry and economic conditions, factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to: (i) the failure of any one or more of the assumptions stated above, to prove to be correct; (ii) the risks relating to forward-looking statements discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010; (iii) cyclical purchasing patterns from customers, end-users and dealers; (iv) timely release of new products, and acceptance of such new products by the market; (v) the introduction of new products by competitors and other competitive responses; (vi) the possibility that any new acquisition or other transaction may require the Company to reconsider its financial assumptions and goals/targets; (vii) increasing costs for raw material, transportation, or litigation; (viii) the risk of a lack of allograft tissues due to reduced donations of such tissues or due to tissues not meeting the appropriate high standards for screening and/or processing of such tissues; and/or (ix) the Company's ability to devise and execute strategies to respond to market conditions.

CONTACT:
CONMED Corporation
Robert Shallish
Chief Financial Officer
315-624-3206

FTI Consulting
Investors:
Brian Ritchie
212-850-5600

SOURCE: CONMED Corporation