SmartTRAK highlights key movements in the quickly changing landscape of interventional pain management and identifies practice trends surrounding SCS, PNS, minimally invasive spine and SI Joint Fusion from the recent ASPN and INS meetings.

Strong demand for alternatives to narcotic pain management combined with an aging population and growing incidence of chronic pain continue to drive demand for interventional pain techniques. The approach to the treatment of chronic intractable pain is evolving, with a shift toward data-focused treatment optimization, growing use of digital monitoring and holistic evaluation of patient outcomes. Furthermore, increasing overlap among various devices and therapies as well as unclear boundaries between interventional pain, orthopedic and spine practices is spurring physicians to adopt collaborative approaches to patient care.

Among the many timely topics covered in this comprehensive Market Outlook article "Pain Intervention: A Market of Moving Targets", which can be downloaded in its entirety here, are:

Michael Chen, MD, the 2022 President of the Society of Neurointerventional Surgery (SNIS) and a neurointerventionalist at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, discusses advances in stroke care research and innovation in an interview with   SmartTRAK at the SNIS 19 ^th Annual meeting held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada July 25-29, 2022. 

Adam Hattan, VP of Marketing for Route 92 Medical, discusses the Company, its novel system for mechanical thrombectomy and competing in the market for stroke interventions in an interview with SmartTRAK at SNIS 2022.

Amid a growing number of me-too devices, one company that is differentiating itself in the market for stroke thrombectomy is Route 92 Medical (R92). Adam Hattan, R92’s vice president of marketing, discusses R92’s novel system for mechanical thrombectomy and competing in the market for stroke interventions in an interview with SmartTRAK at the Society of Neurointerventional Surgery (SNIS) 19th Annual Meeting held in Toronto, Canada July 25-29, 2022.

To find out more about R92, its Monopoint operating platform and the Company’s strategies for growth, click on the following video recorded live at SNIS 2022.  (10:13 min). A link to download a transcript of the interview is also provided below.

Improved aspiration systems, large-bore catheters, balloon-guide catheters and radial access top the list of neurovascular device trends that will continue in 2022.

In the market for mechanical thrombectomy devices, the pace of innovation shows no signs of slowing down in 2022. Manufacturers are designing neurointerventional devices with an eye toward improving first-pass effect, recanalization rates and reducing procedure times to ultimately improve patient outcomes In this article, SmartTRAK highlights recent trends in neurovascular technologies, including variable pressure aspiration systems, large-bore catheters (LBCs), balloon-guide catheters (BGCs) and radial access, as key areas of innovation moving into 2022.

Along with the recent trends in neurovascular technologies, the following topics are covered in detail in this article, which is available for download here:

• Outgrowing Standard Aspiration Systems
• Continued Trend Toward Large-Bore Catheters for Access and Aspiration
• New Designs and Applications for Balloon-Guide Catheters
• Increasing Competition in Radial Access

Wallaby Medical CEO and founder Michael Alper discusses the Company’s recent acquisition of phenox GmBH and positioning the Company for success in an interview with SmartTRAK

With no overlap from a product or geographic perspective, Wallaby Medical’s recent acquisition of phenox GmBH was a “match made in heaven” according to Wallaby’s CEO and founder Michael Alper. In an interview with SmartTRAK, Alper discusses the acquisition, company synergies, complementary channels and the Company’s strategies for global expansion and becoming a leader in the market for neurovascular intervention.

To find out more, including details about the acquisition, the Company and its key products and markets, click on the following video to listen to the interview recorded via Zoom (21:07 min). A link to download the complete transcript of the interview is also provided below.

Rafael Carbunaru, PhD, Boston Scientific’s VP of R&D, discusses DBS therapy and STIMVIEW XT, the Company’s new advanced visualization software for DBS programming, in an in-depth interview with SmartTRAK at INS 2022

Rafael Carbunaru, PhD, vice president of research and development for Boston Scientific (BSX), discusses deep brain stimulation (DBS) and STIMVIEW XT, the Company’s new advanced visualization software for DBS programming in an in-depth interview with SmartTRAK at the International Neuromodulation Society (INS) World Congress in Barcelona, Spain held May 21-26.

Used with the Vercise Genus DBS portfolio and developed in collaboration with Brainlab, STIMVIEW XT uses patient-specific 3D visualization of patient anatomy and enables clinicians to see, shape and steer DBS therapy using point-and-click interface designed to simplify programming, save time and better personalize therapy.

To find out more about STIMVIEW XT, DBS workflows and BSX’s vision for DBS, click on the following video to listen to the interview recorded live at INS 2022 (45:16 min). For more details, interview topics by timecode are provided below. A link to download a complete transcript of the interview is also available below.

For Q122, the spinal cord stimulation (SCS) market was up in the low-single digits YoY in both the US and WW, but pandemic-related issues made it a bumpy ride. The market was down from pre-pandemic levels for most competitors, still weakened by pandemic disruption, staffing issues and a limping recovery. 

Among the many topics covered in detail in our comprehensive Q122 Spinal Cord Stimulation Market Recap* are:

Ryan Lakin, Abbott DVP of R&D, discusses opportunities in neuromodulation in an interview with SmartTRAK at INS 2022

Dr. Marc Russo discusses dorsal horn dendrite stimulation, a new paradigm for SCS, and making it available to all manufacturers in an interview with SmartTRAK at INS 2022

Dr. Marc Russo, president of the International Neuromodulation Society (INS), presented exciting new research on dorsal horn dendrite stimulation (DHDS), a new paradigm for spinal cord stimulation (SCS), at the INS 15th World Congress, held May 21 to 26, 2022 in Barcelona, Spain. In an interview with SmartTRAK, Dr. Russo discusses the proposed mechanism of action for DHDS compared to traditional dorsal column stimulation, six-month study results in 27 patients and what’s next in terms of his research. 

And, in an unprecedented move, Dr. Russo decided not to patent DHDS and said he is giving the novel waveform as a “gift” to physicians, industry and patients, noting that it is deployable on all current SCS devices within the product range. To find out more about DHDS, including its characteristics and Dr. Russo’s vision for a more advanced version that could theoretically even “cure pain,” click on the video below of the interview conducted shortly after his presentation outside the Barcelona International Convention Centre (12:02 min). A link to download the  complete transcript of the interview is also provided below.