• Expanded Indications Lead to Expanded Growth - The Soft Tissue Replacement Market continues to incorporate cell-based therapies and bioscaffolds into repair, replacement and augmentation to enhance procedures with advanced products, such as ... (read more)
  
  
• Migration to Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) - The role of ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) in sports medicine is expected to expand further in 2026. This shift is due to ... (read more)
  
  
• New CMS Guidelines Impact on Soft Tissue Replacement Procedures - In October 2025, CMS issued a final rule that announced   ... (read more)

Want to know what's on the horizon for Soft Tissue Replacement in 2026? Click the button below to download the complete "Soft Tissue Replacement: Trends to Watch in 2026" Market Outlook article by Emily Meng, SmartTRAK Analyst, Orthobiologics.

The 2026 cartilage replacement market is moving away from "one-size-fits-all" solutions toward a diversified, algorithm-driven approach tailored to specific biological profiles and patient needs. This evolving landscape features a spectrum of technologies, including refined osteochondral allografts, cell-expanded implants, and innovative synthetic scaffolds. As companies such as Arthrex and Vericel maintain dominance, new entrants are poised to expand treatment options across the continuum of care. 

Looking ahead at the trends in cartilage replacement for 2026, one fact is becoming increasingly clear: the quest for the "universal cartilage cure" has been officially abandoned. In its place, a more sophisticated reality has emerged, namely that a diversified approach is important for addressing the many different patient case presentations. 

This downloadable article explores how the 2026 marketplace is not defined by a single winner but by a spectrum of solutions designed to meet patients exactly where they are on the continuum of care, such as:

• Osteochondral Grafts: The Standard for Deep Defects in Young Patients - Advances in OCAs have been highlighted by new designs of graft-shaping instrumentation and graft-processing methods intended to extend cell viability. This will be an area of focus in 2026, as researchers and clinicians aim to ... (read more)  

• Cell Expanded Technologies: Is There Competition on the Horizon? - Vericel remains the undisputed leader (on a revenue basis) in the Cartilage Repair Market, with a 57.8% share in FY25. Buoyed by the successful expansion of its clinical provider network, which ended FY25 with over 900 surgeons trained on MACI Arthro, the company posted ... (read more)

SmartTRAK highlights three neurointerventional trends to watch in 2026.

SmartTRAK highlights recent news, research and trends in the market for neurointerventional devices and what’s impacting the US Market for Mechanical Thrombectomy, which is projected to reach a 5-year CAGR of +8.0% according to SmartTRAK. In this comprehensive, downloadable article, three neurointerventional trends to watch in 2026 are discussed in detail. They are:

1. Shift to Precision Thrombectomy - In 2026, SmartTRAK anticipates slower growth to continue in the treatment of patients with distal and medium vessel occlusions (DMVO) following the publication of several randomized controlled trials in 2025 (DISTAL, ESCAPE-MeVO, DISCOUNT) that found ... (read more)

2. Greater Focus on Expanded Indications - Companies competing in the market for neurointervention have been working closely with physicians, conducting research and leveraging neurovascular devices for use in adjacent markets and other indications, including ... (read more) 

3. Momentum Builds in the Intrasaccular Flow Disruptor Segment - In 2025, Terumo marked the 15-year anniversary of its WEB Aneurysm Embolization System, maintaining its single-player US market dominance in the intrasaccular flow disruptor market. That same year, the neurovascular space saw a surge of clinical activity in the segment, with multiple devices entering or advancing through clinical trials, showcasing ... (read more) 

Click the button below to download the complete "Neurovascular Intervention: Trends to Watch in 2026" Market Outlook article by Anne Staylor, SmartTRAK Executive Editor, VP & GM of Neuro Therapies and Tracy Martellotta, Senior Analyst.

SmartTRAK interviews two leaders from the Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders to discuss its aim to be the unified voice for the wound care community, ensuring quality care for all patients with chronic wounds.

SmartTRAK discusses the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) migration – a multi-billion-dollar redistribution of capital, the mandatory Ambulatory Services Model (ASM) and the companies best positioned to benefit in 2026 and beyond. 

The US Spine Market is navigating a structural shift in the site of service, a regulatory-driven financial squeeze and the arrival of the mandatory Ambulatory Service Model (ASM) in spine care. This value-based model holds specialists financially accountable for the "total cost of care" for Medicare patients with low back pain (LBP). Shifting hospital-based procedures to the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) is one of the most significant opportunities for healthcare savings, and it is especially important in 2026 for procedures such as lumbar fusion and total disc replacements (TDRs). 

This downloadable article highlights the key catalysts SmartTRAK expects to shape the US Spine landscape in 2026 and beyond, including:

•  Landmark Changes in CMS Reimbursement Accelerating Lumbar Procedures to the ASC - The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized the removal of 285 musculoskeletal codes from the Inpatient-Only (IPO) list as part of a three-year phase-out ending in 2028, intended to ... (read more)

• Companies Innovating To Capture ASC Share -  Pure-play spine companies, like ATEC Spine (ATEC), and incumbents are tailoring ASC solutions—offering simplified, modular instrument sets and flexible financing for ... (read more)

SmartTRAK Launches New Software and Service Solutions, Creating a Unified "Smart" Insights Platform for Faster, Smarter Decisions

As the orthopedic industry prepares for the 2026 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), SmartTRAK today announced a major expansion of its "Smart" portfolio of orthopedic market intelligence and advisory solutions. These enhancements are designed to help MedTech leaders move beyond fragmented data and make faster, more confident strategic decisions.

As orthopedic markets grow increasingly complex, success requires more than information. It demands expert interpretation, integrated intelligence and decisive strategy. SmartTRAK continues to combine proprietary data, advanced analytics and deep analyst expertise to power confident growth across MedTech.

• Bacteria are becoming resistant to silver, making it less effective.
• Several existing antimicrobial technologies may induce cytotoxic effects.
• Silver dressings are commoditized, and the market is hungry for novel and innovative alternatives.
• Stricter medical rules (antimicrobial stewardship) now require clinicians to be more careful about how they use germ-killing treatments, as there has been a widespread habit of using these dressings on wounds that do not actually need them.

In the complete downloadable article, SmartTRAK highlights in detail four companies to watch in 2026 with advanced dressings that offer new approaches to attacking bioburden and infection while limiting antimicrobial resistance. They are:

• Convatec: Seeing Great Potential with ConvaNiox 
   Convatecis the global leader in the antimicrobial dressings market with its Aquacel Ag range. It is evident that they are convinced that ConvaNiox will be their next big brand in wound care ... (read more)

•  Polaroid Therapeutics
   Polaroid Therapeutics (PTx) is a Swiss-based biotech start-up developing innovative products and solutions using its proprietary novel antimicrobial technology  ... (read more)

The American College of Foot & Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS) is once again bringing together the leading clinicians, researchers and manufacturers to the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas for the ACFAS 2026 Annual Meeting, to be held February 23-27.

SmartTRAK will be represented at ACFAS 2026 by Natasha Weeks, SmartTRAK GM & Senior Analyst, Trauma & Extremities, Dave Shepherd, GM & Senior Analyst Orthobio & Regen Med and Thom Clark, Sr Director, Enterprise Strategy & Solutions. If you would like to meet with us, please reach out to natasha.weeks@smarttrak.com, david.shepherd@smarttrak.com, or just click the link below.

To get you up to speed before the meeting, SmartTRAK has put together highlights of recent foot & ankle news. The following is just a small sampling of recent foot & ankle-related news and updates from around the world compiled, reviewed and posted in real-time every day by the expert analysts at SmartTRAK.

Market

• SmartTRAK estimates full-year US Foot & Ankle revenues for 2025 will grow in the high single-digit range YoY, in line with SmartTRAK’s US Foot & Ankle Market Overview projection of +8.8% YoY growth. SmartTRAK Financial Dashboard.
• Based on Foot & Ankle Fixation revenue YTD 2025, the US Foot & Ankle Fixation segment is driving growth in the overall US Foot & Ankle Market, growing +9.1%, in line w/ SmartTRAK’s original Foot & Ankle Fixation Market projection of +8.8% YoY growth. SmartTRAK Financial Dashboard
• The Total Ankle Replacement Market is also propelling the US Foot & Ankle Market, up +8.8% YTD in line w/ SmartTRAK’s original Total Ankle Replacement Market projection of +9.0 YoY growth. SmartTRAK Financial Dashboard

We are pleased to announce that Kent Pendleton has joined the SmartTRAK team as Senior Director of Spine, Neuro and Osteobiologic Solutions. Kent joins us after successful positions in Medtech, Life Science and SaaS Managed Services with an emphasis on Data Analytics.

Kent started his career in med device selling blood chemistry analyzers for Becton Dickinson and Dade-Behring before being hired by Synthes USA (now DePuy-Synthes), where he spent the next 20 years supporting trauma and joint replacement systems in the operating room. Following a desire to learn how Software - and Insights-as-a-Service can fuel the success of a business, Kent moved to ADP, a company with a data set so large that the US government relies on it for the national jobs report. Kent and his family reside in the northwest suburbs of Chicago.

Meet Kent Pendleton:

What is your role with SmartTRAK? As Senior Director of Spine, Neuro and Osteobiologic Solutions, my role is to guide clients to better understand and anticipate their markets, with a high degree of specificity, in order to sharpen their commercial strategy and gain a competitive advantage.

What do you like about SmartTRAK? SmartTRAK is a lean team of tenured industry experts with the firepower to make our clients better at what they do. That might sound broad and even bold, but when I consider how many areas across the breadth of a business that we can empower – from R&D to legal, clinical & regulatory, marketing & sales, finance, even equity investors – it’s clear we can bring a significant impact.

What is something special or unique that you bring to SmartTRAK subscribers? My career has required me to bring value in the OR and in the boardroom, which are two very different skill sets.

Consultative selling in orthopedics taught me that the right device in a well-trained surgeon’s hands can make a major difference in a patient’s outcome. There is tremendous specificity and nuance in that equation, and it fueled my passion for this unique industry.

More recently my focus has been