WARSAW, Ind., March 4, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Symmetry Medical Inc. (NYSE:SMA), a leading global source of innovative medical device solutions, including surgical instruments, orthopedic implants, and sterilization cases and trays, announced today that its subsidiary, Symmetry Surgical, is unveiling the newest component in its industry-leading Bookwalter portfolio, the Bookwalter Self-Retaining Rotilt Ratchet, at the 60^th Congress of the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) in San Diego.

The Bookwalter Self-Retaining Rotilt Ratchet combines the best features of past generations into a single ratchet that provides multiple configurations and reliable retraction in any position. Built through collaboration with surgeons and operating room professionals, the new low-profile ratchet features locking tilt and locking rotation and is compatible with all legacy Bookwalter Retractor System components.

Dr. John Bookwalter, surgeon inventor of the Bookwalter Retractor System, said, "By combining rotation, tilt and self-retraction into a single ratchet, we've created a device that more closely mimics the natural toe-in motion of handheld retractors while retaining the benefits of table-mounted ring retractors. The Self-Retaining Rotilt Ratchet is the product of three decades of innovation and continuous improvement."

"Symmetry Surgical is dedicated to collaborating with our customers and responding to surgeon and clinician needs with new innovations," said Chris Huntington, Chief Operating Officer, Symmetry Surgical. "Our customers appreciated the features available with past generations of Bookwalter ratchets. By combining the best elements of our legacy ratchets into the new Self-Retaining Rotilt Ratchet, we're providing greater value in the surgical market and helping clinicians deliver exceptional patient care." 

Symmetry Surgical will provide hands-on demonstrations of the Bookwalter Self-Retaining Rotilt Ratchet at the AORN meeting in the Company's Booth #3217.

About Symmetry Surgical

Symmetry Surgical is dedicated to developing quality surgical instruments that meet the needs of clinicians and help improve the lives of patients. Our portfolio brings together the product lines of Specialty Surgical Instrumentation (SSi), Olsen Medical and the recently acquired surgical instruments division Codman & Shurtleff, Inc. Our well-known brands include BOOKWALTER®, GREENBERG™, RILEY™, OLSEN™, ULTRA™, QUAD-LOCK™, FLASHPAK™, RAPIDCLEAN®, OPTI-LENGTH®, CLASSIC® and CLASSIC PLUS®. Headquartered in Nashville, Symmetry Surgical is a wholly owned subsidiary of Symmetry Medical Inc (NYSE:SMA).

About Symmetry Medical Inc.

Symmetry Medical Inc. is a leading global source of innovative medical device solutions, including surgical instruments, orthopedic implants, and sterilization cases and trays. The Company's thousands of Teammates provide design, development and worldwide production capabilities for these products to customers in the orthopedic industry, other medical device markets, and specialized non-healthcare markets. Symmetry's trusted reputation and brands, broad Intellectual Property portfolio and commitment to innovation enable it to collaborate with hundreds of global medical device manufacturers as well as thousands of hospitals to provide solutions for today's needs and tomorrow's growth. 

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in the press release regarding Symmetry Medical Inc.'s business which are not historical facts may be "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties, within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are predictive in nature and are frequently identified by the use of terms such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "plan," "estimate," "intend," and similar words indicating possible future expectations, events or actions. Such predictive statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual outcomes and results could differ materially from our current expectations. We refer you to the "Risk Factors" and "Forward Looking-Statements" sections in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as well as the Company's other filings with the SEC, which are available on the SEC's Web site at www.sec.gov.