New product introductions offset slightly weaker Q4 results due to COVID-19 headwinds and international pressure.

While the Trauma segment was not impacted as heavily due to COVID-19 headwinds, companies that play within the space were impacted by deferrals of elective surgeries such as limb restoration. Long bone trauma volumes remained healthy as players cited new product introductions as growth drivers for the segment. 

Among the many topics covered in detail in our comprehensive Q421/FY21 Trauma Market Recap* are:

Scott Laster, CEO and co-founder of MiCare Path, discusses the present and future of monitoring patients between office visits in an interview with SmartTRAK

Scott Laster is the CEO and co-founder of MiCare Path, a leading platform to connect patients with their providers between visits. Scott is a medical device industry veteran with 15+ years of experience in the trenches launching products and supporting clinicians. In this interview with SmartTRAK, Scott shares his thoughts on the benefits of monitoring patients between office visits, the evolution of reimbursement of remote monitoring and where MiCare Path is going in the future.

To find out more, including Scott’s take on how MiCare Path benefits orthopedic and wound care patients and clinicians, click on the following video recorded live via Google Meet (17:04 min). Specific interview topics by timecode are outlined below. To download a complete transcript of the interview, click here.

Soft Tissue Fixation Takes A Hit In Q421

After two quarters of significant growth, Soft Tissue Fixation took a hit in Q421, with another spike in COVID cases negatively affecting procedure volumes. 2021 was a year full of ups and downs due mainly to the COVID pandemic and Q4 was no different. COVID once again brought a new wave of cases, with the Omicron variant taking its toll on Soft Tissue Fixation case volumes resulting in modest YoY revenue declines over 2020.

Among the many topics covered in detail in our comprehensive Q421 Soft Tissue Fixation Market Recap* are:

As the world continues to adapt to the "new normal", even with the possibility of a new variant ahead, SmartTRAK keeps calm and carries on, reporting daily on the challenges still ahead, covering all aspects of the Orthopedic market: Extremities, OrthoBio, Spine, Computer Assisted Surgery, Total Joints, Trauma, Soft Tissue Fixation and EU Extremities and Trauma. And, if you are in Chicago for the big Orthopedics conference this week, make sure you visit us at Booth #4350, or you can schedule a meeting with us...just click here.

SmartTRAK features curated content by our team of industry experts, bringing the most relevant information and insight directly to you in real time. Learn about the latest news, emerging technologies or start-ups to watch, conference happenings and more via articles, videos and interviews.

The following is just a small sampling of recent Orthopedic updates from around the world compiled, reviewed and posted daily by our SmartTRAK analysts.

New Products:

• Nexxt Spine* 
  

  Nexxt Spine launches a product-line extension to the NEXXT MATRIXX 3D Printed Porous Titanium portfolio of implants indicated for use in stand-alone ALIF procedures, which features Nexxt Spine’s proprietary 3D laser printed titanium technology. LinkedIn.com

• Attune Total Knee* - JNJ/DePuy Synthes*
  

  DePuy Synthes announced two new additions to its Attune Knee line, Attune Cementless Fixed Bearing Knee w/ AFFIXIUM 3D porous coating (tibial component) and Attune Medial Stabilized Knee.(medial stabilized fixed-bearing insert), that can be used with other Attune components.

• Life Spine*
  

  On FY21 performance, Biogennix’s CEO Chris MacDuff also mentioned the Company saw increasing sales for its newest product, Agilon Moldable, esp in the F&A surgery market. The company also continued to see consistently strong growth of Agilon Moldable in the spine market segment.

Patents:

• Medtronic*
  

  Warsaw Orthopedic’s US Patent Application “SPINAL IMPLANT WITH FEATURES FACILITATING INDEPENDENT EXPANSION OF PORTIONS THEREOF & METHOD FOR USE THEREOF” was published describing an implant which facilitates adjustment of lordotic/kyphotic &/or coronal angulation. 20220079770

• One-Way Adjustable Loop Suture Constructs  
  

  US Patent “One-Way Adjustable Loop Suture Constructs And Methods Of Forming And Using The Same” was issued describing surgical constructs & methods of use for a one-way adjustable fixation loop for a fixation device, such as a cortical button or plate.11,272,920

• Acumed*

  Acumed’s US Patent Application “HEADLESS COMPRESSION SCREW HAVING AN ATTACHMENT MECHANISM” was published describing a cannulated headless compression screw w/ an attachment mechanism that enables coupling various attachments to the screw. 20220079642

Spinal Cord Stimulation companies had a strong start in Q421 but the market lost steam as the Omicron variant surged

Despite a strong start for all SCS competitors in Q421, the SCS market started to run out of steam late in the quarter as the contagious Omicron variant surged around the world, slowing elective procedures and resulting in a YoY low-single-digit decrease in SCS revenue in both the US and WW.  For the full year (FY), US and WW SCS revenues were up in the low-double-digits driven by strong YoY results in Q121 and Q221 in which COVID trends improved against easy comps in Q120 and Q220. 

Among the many topics covered in detail in our comprehensive Q421/FY21 Spinal Cord Stimulation Market Recap* are:

SmartTRAK examines recent trends in breast implants and discusses their future impact on breast matrices.

Breast matrices, whether acellular dermal matrices (ADMs) or biosynthetics, have enabled improved outcomes in implant-based breast reconstruction and have contributed, in large part, to the revival of the prepectoral breast reconstruction technique. As the number of breast implant procedures has grown, so has the use of breast matrices. However, SmartTRAK believes the side effects and health consequences now associated with breast implants, while rare, will negatively impact breast implant usage and thus reduce the growth rate of breast matrices in 2022 and beyond.

In this informative Outlook article by Doug Devens, SmartTRAK's Product Director and Senior Editor, Wound, Doug covers:

• The Relationship between Breast Surgery and ADM Usage
• Trends in Implant Usage
• Recent Concerns that May Affect Breast Implant Usage
• The Future Outlook for 2022 and Beyond

We are pleased to announce that Beth Roach has joined the team at SmartTRAK as our new Account Manager, Customer Success. The SmartTRAK Customer Success team ensures that our users are realizing the maximum benefit from the platform. The team is a central point of contact for users, in addition to the existing SmartTRAK Sales and Analyst teams, and provides complimentary training (refresher or new user) in person or via video.

If you'd like to discuss your SmartTRAK account with Beth, please reach out to her and she'll be happy to support you.

Meet Beth Roach:

What is your role with SmartTRAK? Account Manager, Customer Success

What do you like about SmartTRAK? There is just so much information all in one place. All news, company profiles, market sizing, product portfolio comparison and so much more all at your fingertips!

Kathleen “Kathy” Schaum, President of Kathleen D. Schaum & Associates, discusses her thoughts on the impact of COVID-19 on wound care and reimbursement.

Kathy is a “go-to” provider of wound care reimbursement information, education and strategy to manufacturers and providers. In this interview with SmartTRAK, Kathy shares her thoughts on the impact of COVID-19 on the delivery and reimbursement of wound care and the advancements in remote monitoring, diagnostics and sensors. To find out more, including Kathy’s take on skin substitute/CTP trends, click on the following video recorded live via Google Meet (25:13 min). Specific interview topics by time code are outlined below. A link to the complete transcript of the interview is also provided below.

Procedures using surgical matrices continued their recovery and companies have resumed investing, with revenues surpassing their Q419 levels. 

As the pandemic wanes and procedures are again being scheduled, the US Surgical Matrices market grew strongly in Q421, gaining +12.7% YoY according to the SmartTRAK Financial Dashboard. AbbVie continued to lead the Surgical Matrices market, with Becton Dickinson also growing well ...

Among the many topics covered in detail in our comprehensive Q421 US Surgical Matrices Market Recap* are:

In this article, SmartTRAK reviews the development of AI in healthcare and profiles four companies implementing AI-driven imaging in these spaces.

The US Orthopedic Computer-Assisted Surgery (CAS) Market is one of the fastest-growing markets in orthopedics and is expected to reach revenues of $1.14B by 2025, according to SmartTRAK estimates. The Orthopedic CAS market includes a range of enabling technologies including robotic platforms, navigation systems, surgical planning tools, augmented/virtual reality technology and artificial intelligence (AI). AI is being increasingly incorporated into diagnostics and planning to assist in optimization of surgical decision making and anomaly detection.
 
The prominence of AI and machine learning technologies in medicine has snowballed over the past decade. Diagnostic Imaging and navigation is experiencing a new paradigm of technology through the emergence of AI-driven 3D reconstruction, segmentation and navigation applications. Two areas seeing quick implementation and adoption of these new systems are orthopedic planning/navigation and neurovascular diagnostics. In this article, SmartTRAK reviews the development of AI in healthcare and profiles four companies implementing AI-driven imaging in these spaces.