As restrictions begin to ease around the world, the Life Sciences industry prepares to deal with the impending ramifications. While progress is being made on vaccines and treatments as new surgery guidelines are developed, the potential long term consequences of the pandemic must be addressed. The following is a small sampling of the COVID-19 updates compiled, reviewed and posted in real-time by our SmartTRAK analysts, who are constantly monitoring the situation and sifting through the noise to present the most relevant news to our subscribers:

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a significant effect on physician practices in Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, including the number of elective procedures being postponed, when normal operations might resume, the adoption of telemedicine, delivery of physician education and interactions with industry. To find out more, SmartTRAK Analyst Freddy Buntoum interviewed Steven Sampson, DO, founder of The Orthobiologic Institute (TOBI) and an internationally-recognized expert in the field of non-surgical orthopedics and the science of sports medicine. To hear Dr. Sampson’s take on how things might evolve throughout the rest of 2020, and how his practice and organization are supporting patients and other stakeholders, click on the following video to listen to the interview recorded via Uberconference (25:20 minutes). A transcript of the interview can be downloaded below.

While some countries are slowly emerging from their lockdowns, the MedTech industry continues to face unprecedented challenges as it adapts to the changing landscape. SmartTRAK's analysts are constantly monitoring the effect COVID-19 is having on the Life Sciences industry, sifting through the noise to present the most relevant news to its subscribers. Our analysts continue to publish real-time updates throughout the day, detailing what you need to know about the impact the international healthcare crisis is having on the industry at large.

Following is a selection of the COVID-19 updates from the past week as compiled by the analysts at SmartTRAK:

The world-wide medical community continues to search for ways to stem the spread of the COVID-19 virus and deal with its impact. Progress is being made on vaccines and treatments as new surgery guidelines are developed. The following is a small sampling of the COVID-19 updates compiled, reviewed and posted in real-time by our SmartTRAK analysts, who are constantly monitoring the situation and sifting through the noise to present the most relevant news to our subscribers:

AAHKS Survey Shows COVID-19's Effect on MedDevice Industry
Results from a survey of AAHKS Industry Partners indicates an increasing shift to web-based prof ed through 2021, and for H220, a significant emphasis on outpt care, COVID-19 safety measures, and the need for increased availability of instruments and implants. J of Arthroplasty

Mesoblast announced 83% survival in ventilator-dependent COVID-19 pts w/ moderate/severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) treated w/ two IV infusions of remestemcel-L (allogenic MSCs) w/in the first five days.

Impact of COVID-19 on CAS in the US
SmartTRAK took a preliminary look at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on procedure volumes & capital equipment placement of orthopedic and spine enabling technologies, with projected recovery into 2021. Impact of COVID-19 on US Orthopedic and Spine Computer-Assisted Surgery

Impact of COVID-19 on Advanced Wound Care
SmartTRAK assessed the impact of COVID-19 on the NPWT Market. Single-use volumes are expected to drop during the first three quarters of 2020 due primarily to the drop in elective surgical procedures but will rebound in Q420. Impact of COVID-19 on US Advanced Wound Care

As Covid-19 tightens its grip on the global community, the impact on the world economy grows. SmartTRAK's analysts are constantly monitoring the effect COVID-19 is having on the Life Sciences industry, sifting through the noise to present the most relevant news to its subscribers. Our analysts continue to publish real-time updates throughout the day, detailing what you need to know about the impact the international healthcare crisis is having on the industry at large.

Following is a selection of the COVID-19 updates from the past week as compiled by the analysts at SmartTRAK:

COVID-19 Could Travel in Air Up to 13 Feet
New research published by the CDC showed COVID-19 was detected in air up to 4 m (~13 feet) from pts in a study that tested surface and air samples from a hospital w/ COVID-19 pts in Wuhan, China. The virus was detected on floors, computer mice, doorknobs, bed rails & trash cans.

A report by former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD and colleagues at the American Enterprise Institute provides a roadmap for navigating through the COVID-19 pandemic in the US and outlines steps needed to start reopening America for businesses and families. AEI

DSM Launches Site to Support COVID-19 Efforts
With COVID-19 disrupting supply chains and causing shortages, DSM has launched a web page that brings together designs and resources for people looking to help alleviate the supply issues using 3D printing technology.

Covid-19 continues to spread across the globe, and, like the rest of the world, the MedtTech industry is strategizing the best ways to deal with the pandemic. SmartTRAK's analysts continue to monitor the effect COVID-19 is having on the Life Sciences industry, sifting through the noise to present the most relevant news to its subscribers and report on the impact the global healthcare crisis is having on the industry at large.

Following is a selection of the COVID-19 updates from the past week as compiled by the analysts at SmartTRAK:

OTA COVID-19 Webinar

• OTA Special Webinar COVID-19: Preparedness in Orthopaedic Trauma OTA Panel Discussion was held 4/2/10. Panel included 9 OTA Trauma surgeons. For a recording of the Webinar, go to: COVID-19: Preparedness in Orthopaedic Trauma OTA Panel Discussion.
• As a result of COVID-19 and stay at home orders, trauma surgeons are seeing a definite decrease in volumes, with polytrauma being almost negligible in certain cities. Geriatric fractures have decreased but to a lesser extent according to the OTA COVID-19 Webinar discussion.
• According to the OTA webinar panel discussions, trauma surgeons are taking resource allocation into consideration when assessing fracture care of the clavicle, humeral shaft or fibula and deciding whether to treat conservatively vs. operate in areas with COVID-19 surges.

COVID-19 Risks to Clinical Trials
The impact of COVID-19 has been immense. This article reviews eight significant risks COVID-19 poses to clinical trials and how to mitigate them.

COVID-19: Projections of Peak and Procedure Returns
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation is now projecting lower overall hospital resource needs in the US and predicts the peak will be April 15. Based on this, WFS estimates elective procedures will be depressed through June.

As the COVID-19 pandemic progresses, the MedTech industry is continuing to see a multitude of changes and disruptions worldwide. SmartTRAK's analysts continue to monitor the effect COVID-19 is having on the Life Sciences industry, sifting through the noise to present the most relevant news to its subscribers and report on the impact the global healthcare crisis is having on the industry at large.

Following is a selection of the COVID-19 updates from the past week as compiled by SmartTRAK:

Surgeon Survey: COVID-19 Impact

• A survey of 50 orthopedic surgeons reported ~40% are still seeing both new and existing pts, while a third is only seeing pts for emergency or urgent issues. Telemedicine adoption has accelerated w/ 32% of survey takers noting some recent use. Canaccord Genuity Industry Report
• According to a 50-surgeon survey, postponements of orthopedic procedures have led to a sharp decline in pt volumes, w/ respondents indicating a 58% avg decline in March and an anticipated 77% avg decline in April. Canaccord Genuity Industry Report
• According to a 50-surgeon survey, 60% indicated that their organizations had already made formal decisions to defer or postpone orthopedic procedures, w/ ~33% indicating that over 90% of their entire practice was deferrable. Canaccord Genuity Industry Report
  
  

• SmartTRAK physician checks suggest elective procedure volumes for aneurysm cases will pick up in H219, assuming social isolation and other non- pharmaceutical interventions effectively reduce the spread of COVID-19 and healthcare demand.
• SmartTRAK is hearing from neurointerventionalists that COVID-19 is affecting elective procedure volumes for aneurysm cases, but those patients are being rescheduled—not canceled. Mechanical thrombectomy procedures have not been impacted to date.

Krishnan Chakravarthy, MD, PhD discusses the state of the pandemic and its impact on pain medicine in an interview with SmartTRAK

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. Dr. Chakravarthy is Chairman of the COVID-19 Task Force for the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN), a virologist, pain management specialist and assistant professor of anesthesiology at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). 

To find out more, including lessons learned from the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, click on the following video to listen to the interview conducted by Anne Staylor, SmartTRAK's Managing Editor and Director of Advanced Technologies, recorded live via Uberconference (47:29 minutes).  Specific interview topics by time code are also outlined below, as is a link to download the transcript.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to develop rapidly, the MedTech industry is already seeing many changes and disruptions. SmartTRAK has collected updates and news from the last few days concerning the spread of COVID-19 and how it is affecting the Life Sciences Industry.

COVID-19 AWCS

• Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders (AWCS) held an emergency call to discuss hospital wound care clinics being considered non-essential and being asked to close due to COVID-19. Participants included wound clinics, providers and manufactures.
• Medical Directors from Healogics and Restorix, and other wound clinics requested the AWCS publish a one page fact sheet asap stating the importance of wound clinics staying open for challenging pts, as w/o care, the probability of needing emergency care increases significantly.

ACS Issues Decision-Making Guidance on Elective Procedures
With calls to curtail elective surgery, the ACS published guidance on the mgmt of non-emergent operations and suggests surgeons use SLU’s Elective Surgery Acuity Scale to help decide whether procedures should be postponed, performed at an ASC or not postponed.

Tracking COVID-19 via Smart Phones
The US Government is talking w/ tech companies (Facebook, Google, etc) and health experts re how they can use data gleaned from Americans’ phones to map the spread of COVID-19 to predict the next hotspot or decide where to allocate resources. Seattle Times