ArthroCare Launches New, Intelligent Controller and Upgraded Coblation Wands to Enable Advanced Arthroscopic Surgery

Quantum™ Provides Surgeons More Power, Control and Flexibility

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ArthroCare Corp. (Nasdaq: ARTC), a multi-business medical device company that develops minimally invasive surgical products, today launched Quantum™, a novel platform for arthroscopic surgery that will provide surgeons with the most advanced technology available to help improve clinical outcomes. The company also released new versions of its two most popular Coblation^® Wands -- Super TurboVac^® and Super MultiVac^® -- that are now equipped with finger switches and work with the Quantum controller to provide surgeons with more flexibility. The Quantum controller is compatible with all existing Coblation Wands.

The Quantum controller powers Coblation Wands that offer surgeons an extensive variety of angles and electrode configurations to perform arthroscopic surgery in any joint. Coblation Wands provide a larger and more aggressive plasma layer at lower power settings than other radiofrequency devices, resulting in faster ablation speeds with less total energy delivered to the joint in order to preserve healthy surrounding tissue.

Quantum has been designed with novel, intelligent features to meet the demand from doctors for greater control, ease of use and flexibility in order to achieve superior clinical performance for the most demanding arthroscopic procedures, including:

• Variable coagulation to deliver the precise level of hemostasis required to stop bleeding and keep the visual field clear
• Integrated TOPAZ^® timer to increase convenience and safety when using the TOPAZ Microdebrider for minimally invasive treatments of tendons and fascia
• Wireless footswitch to eliminate wires and increase ease-of-use
• Designed to fit in an arthroscopy tower for easy and convenient set-up

"We expect Quantum to take arthroscopic surgery to an entirely new level. This advanced controller will serve as the platform for all future Coblation Wands and is an important step in solving many unmet clinical needs," said Jack Giroux, president of ArthroCare Sports Medicine. "Our 15 years of experience treating soft-tissue fueled the development of Quantum's new and unique features, making it the most advanced arthroscopic system available."

Coblation is a patented technology utilizing bipolar radiofrequency to gently and precisely remove soft tissue at low temperatures, generally 40 to 70 degrees Celsius. Coblation is delivered through a variety of Coblation Wands, including the Super TurboVac, designed for use in shoulder and knee procedures, and the Super MultiVac, designed for meniscal sculpting in the knee.