Endeavor Orthopaedics is a medical device company founded by orthopaedic trauma surgeon Dr. Brent Norris. Its fixation system, the Summit Patella SystemTM, is the only sterile-packed plate and screw construct with pre-attached sutures on the market. The company’s unique solution addresses the soft-tissue tension traditional plating leaves behind. Endeavor is building a portfolio of orthopaedic solutions designed around how the body actually moves and heals.
For most broken bones, the fix is relatively straightforward using immobilization techniques like splints or casts, or for more severe breaks, surgical fixation like screws or rods to hold the pieces in place. But when it comes to patella fractures, the fix becomes more complicated. Every time the surrounding muscles fire or the knee bends, forces work against the fixation construct, and too often, the repair gives way.
A recent study of complex patella (knee) fractures found that a leading patella-specific plate failed 40% of the time when used on its own. When surgeons addressed the soft tissue forces in some way, that failure rate dropped to 11%.
Endeavor Orthopaedics was built around that insight. By combining rigid plate fixation with pre-attached sutures that manage the surrounding soft tissue in a single system, Endeavor gives surgeons a solution that addresses the biomechanics of the injury to help patients heal with fewer complications and less time in recovery.
Greg Parranto, CEO of Endeavor Orthopaedics, didn’t intend to grow his career in medical devices. A West Point graduate, he spent eight years in the Army, including a command in Afghanistan. When he left in 2007, he didn’t even know the industry existed.
That changed during an interview with Synthes, where he learned how the company’s team worked alongside surgeons in the operating room, helping them through procedures.
“I had a tremendous amount of respect for the healthcare industry and for the surgeons, just based on my time downrange,” said Greg. “I want to work with people I respect, with surgeons, help them help patients.”
In 2023, after 16 years with Synthes and Johnson & Johnson, he did just that by joining the team at Endeavor.
Endeavor Orthopaedics was founded by Dr. Brent Norris, a world-renowned orthopaedic trauma surgeon with whom Greg had worked during his time at Synthes. Dr. Norris identified a clinical problem that has frustrated surgeons like himself for years: avulsion fractures.
An avulsion fracture occurs when a fragment of bone remains attached to a tendon or ligament, which pulls on the fragment as muscles contract.
“Any fractures where you have a bony fragment tethered to a tendon or ligament, they’re notoriously difficult to fix,” said Greg.
The kneecap is a clear example. Standard repair methods, from screws and wires to tension banding and sutures, are designed to hold bone together. But the patella is attached to tendons and ligaments, and those mechanisms don’t stop working.
“As soon as those muscles fire, those tendons are pulling on the bony fragments, causing movement, friction and pain, and it causes nonunion and failure,” said Greg.
Seeing these repairs fail too often, Dr. Norris began experimenting. He took small locking plates designed for foot fractures, fit them to the patella and added a cable to take tension off the surrounding soft tissue. While not a textbook technique, the outcomes were better. Dr. Norris’s insight became the thesis for Endeavor: fixation must address both bone and soft tissue to create a stable environment for healing.
As a practicing trauma surgeon, Dr. Norris knew the solution needed to hold up to the unpredictability of the OR. The Summit Patella Plating SystemTM was thoughtfully designed as a sterile-packed plate and screw construct with sutures already attached.
“The biggest feedback we get from surgeons is, ‘You saved me 30 minutes, you saved me 45 minutes in the OR’,” said Greg.
The early results are promising. Today, the Summit Plate has been used in 300+ procedures and demonstrates a <5% reoperation rate. The company’s goal is to help patients get moving sooner, since early mobilization supports better bone healing, and deliver better outcomes with fewer failures.
Moving from global corporation to a startup was a wake-up call for Greg. Resources that were once readily available, like marketing, legal and finance teams, now had to be found, vetted and hired, taking precious time and energy away from the work at hand.
That’s what drew him to CQuence Health.
“It’s not just a VC that says, hey, we like what you’re doing, we want to invest, good luck,” said Greg. “It’s a company that’s geared towards providing a lot of the resources we need as a startup.”
Greg draws on his military background to describe the value. “In the military, you’re always talking about force multipliers,” he said. “How am I going to leverage close air support? How am I going to leverage intelligence and these different resources?”
Today, Endeavor is partnering with CQuence on marketing as the company expands its commercial platform and prepares to scale. Greg sees opportunities to work together in several other areas as Endeavor continues to grow.
CQuence believes in empowering visionary healthcare companies like Endeavor to improve access and outcomes for patients. By pairing strategic guidance with hands-on professional services, we enable our partners to spend less time searching for resources and more time doing what they know best.
For Endeavor, the patella is just the beginning. The same challenge of bony fragments pulled by soft tissues exists throughout the body.
“The key thing is bringing it beyond the patella into the elbow, the shoulder, the hip,” said Greg. “There are a lot of different fracture patterns that would benefit from combining sutures and plates.”
The company is doubling down on development on olecranon (elbow) plates and utility plates. Over the next one to two years, the company plans to significantly expand its portfolio.
After two years of proving out the clinical results, Endeavor is ready for its next chapter. “We’re finally at a stage where we’re going to start running,” said Greg. “It’s exciting for the future.”
CQuence is proud to support Endeavor Orthopaedics as it helps surgeons repair difficult fractures and get patients back to their lives faster. To learn more about Endeavor and its innovative fixation system, visit endeavorortho.com.
What is Endeavor Orthopaedics?
Endeavor Orthopaedics is a medical device company founded by orthopaedic trauma surgeon Dr. Brent Norris. It makes the Summit Patella Plating SystemTM, the first single‑use patella plating system that simultaneously treats both bone and soft tissue in one implant. The company is exploring how this approach could be applied across the body.
What is an avulsion fracture?
An avulsion fracture occurs when a fragment of bone stays attached to a tendon or ligament. Because muscles pull on that fragment, these fractures are difficult to hold in place while they heal.
Why do patella fracture repairs fail?
The patella is connected to the quadriceps tendon and patellar ligament. When those muscles contract, they pull on the repaired fragments, which can cause movement, nonunion and failure of the fixation.
How does the Zip KnotTM work?
Each suture in Endeavor's system includes a one-directional slipknot called the Zip KnotTM. The surgeon passes the suture through the tendon or ligament, pulls the knot to tension it, and it locks in place.
How is CQuence Health supporting Endeavor Orthopaedics?
CQuence Health is partnering with Endeavor Orthopaedics to provide marketing services as the company expands its commercial platform and prepares to scale, pairing strategic guidance with hands-on professional services.