As a medical devices sales rep, it’s not only vital that you know basic anatomy and surgical techniques, but you must also know the medical devices commonly used in these techniques – even if they are devices you don’t sell.
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Having an understanding of implants or adjunct procedures, used alongside what you are selling, is just one more benefit you offer as positioning yourself as a valuable member of the OR team.Here’s what you need to know about common medical devices used in orthopedic surgical procedures.
1. K-Wire
K-wires, otherwise known as Kirschner wires, are used to stabilize bone fragments. They can be drilled through bone to stabilize an injury or placed through the skin when an external fixture doesn't make sense. K-wires can also be used with plates and screws to stabilize fractures.
K-wire sizes
K-wires come in a variety of lengths and diameters.
Lengths include: 80mm, 100mm, 125mm, 150mm, 175mm, 200mm, 225mm, 250mm
Diameters range in size from: 0.8mm, 1mm, 1.2mm, 1.4mm, 1.5mm, 1.6mm, 1.8mm, 2mm, 2.2mm, 2.3mm, 2.5mm and 3mm.
K-wires in the hand
Most metacarpal fractures heal well without intervention. However, if the bones are badly out of place, the hand or fingers may not work as well if they’re left to heal on their own. K-wires are usually used in the hand to ensure that bones heal properly.
K-wires in the wrist and distal radius
Though used in hand and finger fractures, k-wires are most commonly used in elbow or wrist fractures to ensure bones are properly aligned. They can also be used in toe fractures. 
2. Cannulated Screw
Cannulated screws are hollow, which allows for them to be placed over a guidewire. Once the screw is in place, the guidewire is removed and the screw inserted.
Cannulated hip screws are inserted where the neck of the femur has been fractured. The surgery to place the screw usually takes between 45 minutes to one hour.
Cannulated screws come in a variety of sizes for use in various bones. These include 3.0mm, 3.5mm, 4.0mm, 4.5mm, 6.5mm, 7.0mm, 7.3mm, and 8.0mm. Larger-sized screws are used for larger bone fracture fixation, while smaller sizes are used for smaller bones.
In addition, cannulated screws can be fully threaded, and have a 16 mm thread or a 32 mm thread. They are produced using stainless steel or titanium.
3. Cancellous Screw
Cancellous screws are utilized in metaphyseal areas because they’re used with softer cancellous bones. Screws come in varying lengths and diameters from 4.0 and 6.5mm diameters and 16 and 32mm in length.
Cancellous bone screws only have threads on the terminal end of the screw. When inserted into the bone, threads on the end of the screw engage the cancellous bone in the metaphyseal area. This causes a tightening and stabilization of the fracture as the screw is inserted.
Cancellous lag screws compress one piece of bone against another. Cancellous lag screws are not fully threaded. Only the threaded portion of the screw is in the main bone fragment.
4. Cortical Screw
A cortical screw can provide fracture fixation by itself or together with other hardware and devices. There are fine threads along the cortical screw, which help anchor it into cortical bone. Cortical bone is a much denser portion of the bone than cancellous bone.
Because the density and hardness of the bone dictate which screw a surgeon uses, a cortical screw has a fine pitch, while a cancellous screw has a coarse pitch. A finer pitch means the surgeon will have to make more turns of the screw to engage it.
5. Compression Plate
Compression plates come in a variety of sizes for a multitude of uses. Compression plates are mainly used to compress fractures or fusions. This allows the bone to stabilize and heal more quickly. The main compression plates used to stabilize fractures include:
Dynamic compression plate: This plate brings two edges of a fracture closer together, which helps the bone heal faster.
Limited contact compression plate: This plate allows for better bone repair because it places less pressure on the bone. This allows better blood flow to the bone and injured area.
Locking compression plate: This plate reduces contact with a plate to the bone, which improves blood circulation. This plate combines locking screw technology with traditional plating.
Compression plates are fixated depending on the type of fracture. Normally, compression plates are fixed using lag screws with a neutralizing plate.
Taking Your Knowledge a Step Further
Do you know what medical device is used for a scaphoid fracture? Having an awareness and understanding of these medical devices and corresponding terminology will help you establish trust and authority with care teams in their professional activities. You don't know what you don't know.
Memorizing the names, sizes, and uses of various medical devices is only a piece of the knowledge puzzle needed to excel as a medical device sales rep. With an orthopedic sales training course like OREdmasters, you have access to on-demand courses developed by surgeons and other leading industry professionals. The OREdmasters Fixation Fundamentals module provides sales reps with an even deeper understanding of medical devices.
Enroll today to expand your knowledge of the medical field and gain an edge in your career.