Special thankyou to John Cottingham for alerting us to this innovation...

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Bowdoinham Company Earns Gold Award (For MicroTargeting Platform System)
[log in to unmask]
07/14/2004

FHC Inc. neurological device recognized for its "excellence" in design.

Special to Business

BOWDOINHAM - FHC Inc.'s microTargeting® Platform, a patient-customized
neurosurgical "mini-frame," has received a Gold Award at the 2004 Medical Design
Excellence Awards ceremony held recently in New York City.

The Medical Design Excellence Awards program, sponsored by Medical Device and
Diagnostic Industry, the leading trade journal published by Canon Communications,
recognizes outstanding products and innovations in the engineering, manufacture
or distribution of finished medical devices or medical packaging.

FHC's microTargeting® Platform is transforming the way neurosurgical procedures
for movement disorders are performed at many leading hospitals worldwide.

Since its first use by co-inventor neurosurgeon Dr. Joel Franck at St Mary's
Regional Medical Center in Lewiston, in late 2001, the platform has been used in
more than 150 procedures with great success.

Currently it primarily is used to treat symptoms of Parkinson's disease, essential
tremor, and dystonia.

Other potential applications for this patient customized surgical interface include
most cranial or spinal treatments requiring precision targeting, such as tumor biopsy
or radiosurgery.

"We believe that patient-customized surgical fixtures are an idea whose time has
come," says Ron Franklin, FHC's Stereotactic Technology Development Manager.
"They improve the quality and outcome of health-care delivery for both patient and
surgeon."

With the microTargeting® Platform, a surgeon can plan and validate the procedure
before the patient arrives for surgery, thus minimizing the time spent in the
operating room.

For the patient there is the benefit of free movement and relatively greater comfort.
And finally, for the hospital, the relatively inexpensive custom Platform completely
replaces the large stereotactic frames that are used currently and significantly
reduces costs.

The microTargeting Platform is one of many innovative products designed and
manufactured by FHC Inc., a small company located in Bowdoinham.

"FHC has been serving the neuroresearch community for more than 35 years-
developing new microelectrode configurations, amplifiers, and positioning devices
to meet clients' evolving research needs," the company's president, Fred Haer. "We
have carried this design philosophy over into our clinical products."

In the fall of 1998, FHC engineers set out to develop a new stereotactic device for
the clinical neurosurgical market that was more comfortable and accurate than the
large frames in use. They eventually realized they were working within the
framework of a mechanical technology more than a century old. So, the team looked
for a way to break down that limitation.

"We looked at several emerging technologies and found in one a new way to design
intelligent customized structures and in another the ability to manufacture them
rapidly," said Franklin. "With the assistance of Dr. Franck, FHC engineers
developed an innovative customized interface technology called STarFix™
(Surgical Targeting Fixtures). We then designed a surgeon customizable patient-to-
instrument stereotactic device that is created using state of the art medical imaging,
neurosurgical planning software, and rapid manufacturing processes."

Officials at FHC now believe that the unique customized fixtures will also see
widespread use in non-neurosurgical applications including orthopedic and
reconstruction surgeries.

Medical Design Excellence Awards entries are evaluated on design and
engineering features including innovative use of materials, user related functions
that improve healthcare delivery and change traditional medical attitudes or
practices, features that provide enhanced benefits to the patient, and the ability of
the product development team to overcome design and engineering challenges so
the product meets its clinical objectives.

SOURCE: The Times Record
http://tinyurl.com/63na6

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Reference:

FHC's StarFix MicroTargeting® Platform System (for Deep Brain Stimulation)

FHC Headquarters
9 Main Street,
Bowdoinham, ME, 04008 USA
Phone: 207-666-8190
US & Canada: 1-800-326-2905
Fax: 207-666-8292
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
http://www.fh-co.com

microTargeting Technical Support
180 Main Street,
Greenville, PA, 16125 USA
Phone: 724-588-1249
US & Canada: 1-877-588-1249
Fax: 724-588-1273
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
http://www.microTargeting.com

Authorized Representative
FHC GmbH
Kassbergstr. 24
09112 Chemnitz
GERMANY
Tel: +49 371 3676 9565
Fax: +49 371 3676 9566
E-mail: [log in to unmask]

FHC's Custom Surgical Platform; Wins Medical Design Excellence Award
http://www.fh-co.com/news.html

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Gold, Silver MDEA Winners Named
Originally Published MDDI July 2004

The 2004 Medical Design Excellence Award winners received their prizes at a
ceremony on June 16 at the Medical Design & Manufacturing East show in New
York City. The ceremony marked the announcement of which products won gold
awards and which ones won silver awards, as indicated below. Jurors were free to
designate as many gold and silver awards in each category as they saw fit.

For more information on the winners, see MD&DI, April 2004, p. 47.

From Algo to Zassi: 2004 Winners Shine in Design (MD&DI, April 2004)
http://www.devicelink.com/mddi/archive/04/04/004.html

Critical-Care and Emergency Medicine Products

GOLD: LifePort kidney transporter, manufactured by Organ Recovery System (Des
Plaines, IL).
SILVER: Audicor cardiograph expansion system, manufactured by Inovise Medical
Inc. (Newberg, OR).

Dental Instruments, Equipment, and Supplies

GOLD: BiteStrip disposable bruxism test, manufactured by SLP Ltd. (Tel Aviv,
Israel).
SILVER: PrepMaster disposable air abrasion instrument, manufactured by Groman
Inc. (Margate, FL).

Finished Packaging

GOLD: Dermabond topical adhesive ProPen XL, manufactured by Closure Medical
Corp. (Raleigh, NC). (continued on page 28)

General Hospital Devices and Therapeutic Products

GOLD: Algo 3i newborn hearing screener, manufactured by Natus Medical Inc. (San
Carlos, CA).
GOLD: System 100 fluid-removal system, manufactured by CHF Solutions Inc.
(Brooklyn Park, MN).
GOLD: Zassi bowel management system, manufactured by Zassi Medical
Evolutions Inc. (Fernandina Beach, FL).
SILVER: Avalon CTS cordless fetal transducer system, manufactured by Philips
Medizin Système GmbH (Boeblingen, Germany).
SILVER: Syndeo patient-controlled analgesia syringe pump, manufactured by
Baxter Healthcare Corp. (Round Lake, IL).

Implant and Tissue-Replacement Products

GOLD: Bion microstimulator, manufactured by Advanced Bionics Corp. (Valencia,
CA).

In Vitro Diagnostics

GOLD: ThinPrep imaging system, manufactured by Cytyc Corp. (Boxborough, MA).
SILVER: CellTracks AutoPrep system, manufactured by Immunicon Corp.
(Huntingdon Valley, PA).
SILVER: Paradigm Link blood glucose meter, developed jointly by BD Medical,
Diabetes Care (Franklin Lakes, NJ); Medtronic MiniMed (Northridge, CA); and Nova
Biomedical (Waltham, MA); and manufactured for BD Medical, Diabetes Care, and
Medtronic MiniMed by Nova Biomedical.
SILVER: VersaTrek automated microbial detection system, manufactured by Trek
Diagnostic Systems Inc. (Cleveland).

Over-the-Counter and Self-Care Products

SILVER: HealthWear weight-loss system, developed and manufactured by
BodyMedia Inc. (Pittsburgh) and marketed by Roche Diagnostics Corp.
(Indianapolis).
SILVER: Vicks underarm thermometer, manufactured by Kaz Inc. (New York City).

Radiological and Electromechanical Devices

GOLD: Partner Rhythm Assistant, manufactured by Guidant Corp. (Indianapolis).
SILVER: Cardiac CryoAblation Catheter and CryoConsole, manufactured by
CryoCath Technologies Inc. (Montreal, QC, Canada).
SILVER: CT Exprés advanced contrast-media delivery system, manufactured by
Swiss Medical Care SA (Lausanne, Switzerland).
SILVER: Secca fecal incontinence treatment system, manufactured by Curon
Medical Inc. (Fremont, CA).

Rehabilitation and Assistive-Technology Products

GOLD: Omega T-Ring CAD tool, manufactured by Ohio Willow Wood (Mount
Sterling, OH).
GOLD: Storm Series TDX5 power wheelchair, manufactured by Invacare Inc.
(Elyria, OH).
SILVER: Hand Mentor rehabilitation system, manufactured by Kinetic Muscles Inc.
(Tempe, AZ).

Surgical Equipment, Instruments, and Supplies

GOLD: Endoscopic Full-Thickness Plicator, manufactured by NDO Surgical
(Mansfield, MA).
GOLD: MicroTargeting Platform System, manufactured by FHC Inc. (Bowdoinham,
ME).
SILVER: Diego powered dissector, manufactured by Gyrus ENT LLC (Bartlett, TN).
SILVER: Indigo Optima laser system, manufactured by Ethicon Endo-Surgery Inc.
(Cincinnati).

SOURCE: Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry
http://www.devicelink.com/mddi/archive/04/07/007.html

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Further Reference:

Innovation and Good Design: A Winning Combination
MicroTargeting Platform System
http://www.devicelink.com/mddi/archive/04/04/005.html

Innovation and Good Design: A Winning Combination
MicroTargeting® Platform System
(PDF format Requires Adobe Acrobat)
http://www.fh-co.com/MDDI%20MDEA%20reprint.pdf

StarFix MicroTargeting Platform System
(PDF format Requires Adobe Acrobat)
http://www.fh-co.com/p67-69.pdf

Testing The StarFix Platform
File Format: Microsoft Powerpoint 97
http://www.tgt.vanderbilt.edu/reu2/REU2002/chris.ppt

DBS Device Patents Issued to Maine Doctor
http://tinyurl.com/4utc5

Bowdoinham, Maine
http://www.fh-co.com/bowdoinhamviews.html

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