We are pleased to announce that Andy Knapik has joined the team at SmartTRAK as Senior Analyst, Soft Tissue Fixation and Arthroscopic Technologies. Andy has 20+ years’ experience in US and International sales and marketing for the orthopedics and sports medicine markets, including 12 years at Smith & Nephew.

Meet Andy Knapik:

What is your role with SmartTRAK? As Senior Analyst for Soft Tissue Fixation and Arthroscopic Technologies, I am currently developing and supporting the Arthroscopic Technologies module, which is new to SmartTRAK, as well as the Sports Medicine Repair module.

What do you like about SmartTRAK? I love the depth and range of experience of all of the analysts. There is a lot of industry knowledge that we can offer customers, and it’s really impressive to me.

What is something special or unique that you bring to SmartTRAK subscribers? I have 20 years of experience in orthopedics working with just about every product that an orthopedist would use from sports medicine and arthroscopy, to trauma and reconstruction. I have also worked in diverse geographies, working in both the US market and internationally in both established as well as emerging markets. So even though my current specialty lies in sports medicine and arthroscopy, there is quite a bit of cross over in general orthopedics that I am able to discuss.

2020 was a tumultuous year like no other, and SmartTRAK, the leading provider of real-time market data, analysis and advisory services for the orthopedic, wound, regenerative medicine and neuro therapies markets, was here to keep you informed of everything that transpired in the MedTech industry. SmartTRAK covered all the key happenings in 2020, providing comprehensive industry coverage of the latest trends, news, intel and interviews most important to you.

Here are SmartTRAK 's Top 10 blog posts of the past year with 3 bonus posts, because at SmartTRAK  we always strive to deliver more than what's expected!

 

1) A Critical Crossroads for COVID-19: An Interview with Krishnan                             Chakravarthy
   by Anne Staylor, 3/23/20

Krishnan Chakravarthy, MD, PhD discusses the COVID-19 pandemic, current and evolving methods for containing and treating the virus, how it's changing the practice of pain medicine and its impact on industry in an interview with SmartTRAK.

2) Europe: New Routines in Greetings and in Wound Management 
     by Anikó Szekér, 12/21/20

SmartTRAK examines the Top 5 countries in Europe during the time of COVID-19 and estimates how the Advanced Wound Dressing Market will be impacted in 2020 and 2021.

3) What's New in Spine and Orthopedic Computer-Assisted Surgery (CAS)
     by Elise Wolf, 11/24/20

SmartTRAK highlights what’s new in the Spine and Orthopedic Computer-Assisted Surgery (CAS) markets.

Although the COVID-19 roller coaster was a tough ride in Q220, Soft Tissue Fixation was stepping out and looking good in Q320

When an unpredictable COVID-19 roller coaster hit the tracks, companies saw revenue plummet in Q220 as stay-at-home orders were implemented (mid-March) and elective surgeries were canceled or postponed indefinitely. The impact of COVID-19 that forced government-imposed restrictions was felt throughout the 2

Q320 - The bright ray of sunshine companies had hoped for after dismal results in Q220

While Q220 is down in history as a disastrous quarter, marred by the dark mark of COVID-19, Q320 is the bright ray of sunshine companies in the US Joint Fluid Replacement market had hoped for.

For Q320, HA companies shared upbeat notes about renewed product demand, fueled by an uptick in activity from patients (out and about), distribution channels, and physicians treating an influx of new, as well as existing patients. One of the factors benefiting the HA market is the backlog of patients awaiting their turn for knee arthroplasty (TKA) and remain in need of treatment to manage their knee osteoarthritis (KOA) pain. 

Among the many topics, including company revenues, shares, charts and expert analysis, covered in the comprehensive Q320 US Joint Fluid Market Recap* are:

With restrictions lifted during Q320, the trauma segment rebounded from the prior quarter as procedural volumes increased and revenues hit pre-COVID levels.

In the absence of strict COVID restrictions, the jump ball went to the return of healthy trauma volumes during Q320. Major players cited quarterly growth in line with previous years. Q320 picked up the pace with the US Trauma Market leading the charge, up +4.6%, while the EU and ROW declined.

Among the many topics, including company revenues, shares, charts and expert analysis, covered in the comprehensive Q320 Trauma Market Recap* are:

The US Spinal Cord Stimulation Market saw a ray of sunshine in Q320 as revenues recovered to almost pre-COVID levels, but dark clouds lie ahead

Q320 was a ray of sunshine for the US Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) market as revenues returned to almost pre-COVID levels according to SmartTRAK Financial Dashboard. Sequentially, US revenues bounced sharply from Q220. Although OUS revenues weren’t as sunny, WW SCS revenues recovered in Q320, jumping ~60% sequentially from Q220 revenues.

Among the many topics, including company revenues, shares, charts and expert analysis, covered in the comprehensive Q320 Spinal Cord Stimulation Market Recap* are:

Orthopedic Robotic Installations Continued to Shatter Expectations in Q320

Orthopedic robotics is still in the early stages of adoption with SmartTRAK estimating that more than 25% of US hospitals have a robot and that fewer than 18% of TKA procedures in the US will have been performed robotically by YE2020. However, Stryker* noted in its Q320 earnings call that orthopedic robotic adoption (MAKO*) has started to reach an inflection point with an uptick in momentum that includes increasing interest, multiple installations in centers, placements into teaching hospitals and a shift to ASCs. Increasing competition from Zimmer Biomet’s* ROSA* and the launch of Smith & Nephew’s* CORI* second-generation robotic platform, has helped to push accounts that were thinking about purchasing a robot to follow through.

Among the many topics, including company revenues, shares, charts and expert analysis, covered in the comprehensive Q320 CAS Ortho Market Recap* are:

Continuing robotic implant pull-through and achievement of enabling technology milestones reflect increasing importance of CAS Spine technology in Q320.

Similar to market dynamics in recon robotics, spine robotics are beginning to reach a tipping point in market acceptance. In its Q320 earnings call, CEO Dave Demski noted that Globus Medical* is seeing increasing interest in its Excelsius GPS* robot and that the Company is in a different part of the robotic adoption curve, with surgeons well beyond their initial skepticism as robots have become more mainstream. Globus and Medtronic* have the strongest positions in enabling technology and robotics in spine. However, competition will be heating up over the next several years.

SmartTRAK examines the Top 5 countries in Europe during the time of COVID-19 and estimates how the Advanced Wound Dressing Market will be impacted in 2020 and 2021.

Using an elbow bump instead of a handshake or hug is not the only new routine people have learned during the pandemic. As winter arrives with an expected surge in COVID-19, healthcare systems and services in Europe are building on lessons learned from the spring outbreak to help shape the way health services will be delivered in the coming months.

Amid this pandemic, several factors are affecting growth in the European Advanced Dressings Market, which is projected to reach ~$2.07B (€1.85B) by 2024 according to SmartTRAK estimates. In this article, SmartTRAK reviews how the COVID-19 pandemic has evolved in Europe and how it is impacting the market for Advanced Dressings in France, Germany, the UK, Spain and Italy.

Q3 makes a recovery from Q220 losses but gains remain below pre-COVID levels

For Q320, according to BioMedGPS’ SmartTRAK Financial Dashboard, the US Infection Prevention-Vascular Access Adjunct Products market was down -1.8% YoY. Leading manufacturers in this segment hit hard in Q220 by COVID-19 restrictions and elective procedure cancellations reported positive growth over Q2, but are still not at pre-COVID-19 levels.

Among the many topics, including company revenues, shares, charts and expert analysis, covered in the comprehensive Q320 Infection Prevention: US Vascular Access Adjunct Market Recap* are: