FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Hospital at Westlake Medical Center (Austin, Texas) is the first hospital in the U.S. to use the new SportMesh' synthetic rotator cuff patch on a patient. "It's all about providing our patients with the best of care and, in this case, it also meant being the first in the country to use this shoulder patch," says hospital Chairman and CEO Rip Miller.

The patch has been shown to last longer than other patch material, says hospital doctor Frosty Moore, who performed the surgery, and has been used successfully in Europe for many years.

"I've used four different types of patches on seriously damaged rotator cuffs and they are all eventually absorbed by the body, leaving no support for the low-quality muscle tissue," Dr. Moore says.

"About half of this new patch appears to be absorbed by the tissue while the other half remains to continue giving support and protection to the muscle and bone. And this patch is about one-third the price of the other patches.

The rotator cuff is a band of tissue that holds the upper arm bone against the shoulder blade. A torn rotator cuff can cause pain and loss of motion in the arm. Tears are typically caused by sports injuries or repeated strenuous movement. The rotator cuff can be torn completely or partially, each requiring specific treatments. The SportMesh Soft Tissue Reinforcement is distributed by Arthrotek Inc., which is a subsidiary of Biomet Inc. (NASDAQ: BMET).