The orthopedic robotics market continues to gain momentum and validation with increasing competition and development milestones being met by key companies in the space.

The US Total Joints Market grew +3.4% in Q319, according to SmartTRAK Financial Dashboard, a sequential improvement over Q2’s 1.8% growth. While the extra selling day in the quarter boosted revenue for most Companies, slightly improved pricing and new product introductions also contributed. Wells Fargo’s Larry Biegelsen estimated recon pricing – based on Stryker, Zimmer Biomet, JNJ/DePuy Synthes, and Smith & Nephew– improved to -1.8% YoY. This sequential improvement in growth and pricing is encouraging especially in the face of a difficult comp from Q318 ...

Among the many topics covered in the complete, comprehensive Q319 Total Joints Market Recap* are:

Are you headed to Vegas for this year’s Orthopaedic Summit (OSET)? We sat down with Kristina Meyer, SmartTRAK’s Senior Analyst for Sports Medicine, for our new series, Know Before You Go, to get the scoop on what she’s looking forward to ahead of the meeting.

OSET will take place December 11-14th at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. The meeting touts itself as the “premier gathering of Total Joint (Knee, Hip, Shoulder), Foot & Ankle, Sports Medicine, Arthroscopic, Spine and Trauma Surgeons, Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, Athletic Trainers, Physical and Occupational Therapists from across the globe.” Orthopaedic Summit 

SmartTRAK’s team is excited to attend and exhibit. Stop by the SmartTRAK booth, #128, to talk with Kristina and the SmartTRAK team about the latest news, trends and intelligence impacting the orthopedic industry.

1. Kristina, you are currently gearing up to attend OSET 2019. What are you looking forward to the most about the meeting?

Julianne Burns, SmartTRAK's Senior Analyst, Spine, just returned from attending the 2019 Cervical Spine Research Society's (CSRS) 47th Annual Meeting in New York City.

Julianne discusses highlights from the meeting, including what’s on the horizon for the cervical spine market and the trend toward moving cervical spine procedures to an ASC setting in an interview with SmartTRAK Managing Editor Anne Staylor.

Click the video below to hear the interview, and scroll down to read the transcript.

New products help drive sequential improvement in growth 

The WW Market for Foot & Ankle Fixation exceeded $, up +3.9%, as reported, during Q319, up sequentially due to easy YoY comps. The US Foot & Ankle Fixation market also experienced a sequential increase, resulting in +4.3% reported growth. Major players reported improved growth while smaller players announced new product introductions throughout the quarter.

Stryker posted accelerated trauma & extremities growth in Q319,
reaching $, up +9.3% in the foot & ankle fixation segment according to SmartTRAK Financial Dashboard. The foot & ankle powerhouse reported US growth was positively impacted by double-digit growth across foot, ankle and shoulder products along with the T2 Alpha Nails. Stryker recouped lost share from Q2, gaining ~4.4% share to close Q3 at 25.6%. This gain allowed Stryker to take over the number one position from...

Among the many topics covered in the complete, comprehensive Q319 Extremities Market Recap* are:

Single-injection holding the torch in a market essentially flat, impacted by ferocious pricing pressures and declines in multi-injections

For the third quarter of 2019, the US Joint Fluid market revenue was essentially flat, +0.2% vs Q318. Aggregate growth for the quarter was pulled into slightly positive territory by a solid revenue growth of 14.3% YoY in single injection, according to the recently published SmartTRAK Financial Dashboard. However, strength in that segment was barely enough to counter revenue declines in 3- and 5-injections, while the 2-injection segment is still not large enough to make a significant contribution to the overall recovery of the US Joint Fluid market.

The single-injection segment held on to the market lead for Q319. Despite pricing pressure between competitors in this segment, revenue growth further solidifies the trend that the HA market is moving to the lowest treatment cycle.  For Q319, 3-injection products dropped down, strained by heavy competition and a persistent price war. Trailing behind is the 5-injections with...

Among the many topics covered in the comprehensive Q319 US Joint Fluid Market Recap* are:

Headed to AAHKS? Our VP of Content Development for Orthopedics, Lisa Mahan, weighs in on what's trending ahead of the meeting. 

A hot topic at #AAHKS2019 this year will be the move towards outpatient joint replacement surgery with CMS moving to reimburse hospital outpatient total hip replacement and reimbursement of total knee replacement in an ASC setting.

• Outpatient hip and knee replacement surgeries are expected to comprise 57% of all nonfracture knee and hip replacements by the year 2020. ACS Focus
• AAHKS currently does not believe CMS has taken adequate action to address issues arising from

At the beginning of the 2019, SmartTRAK looked ahead to the coming year and identified market and technology trends that were likely to shape the Joint Replacement Market landscape in 2019 and beyond. Now that we're approaching the end of the year, here is another look at our predictions.

So what did we see in store for the Total Joints Market? Overall, the theme heading into the new year could be summed up as “Improved Care, Proven Value.” Here are some of the trends we predicted would be worth watching:

SmartTRAK Interviews Carl Hasselman, MD about Arthrosurface’s alternative to toe fusions

Arthrosurface showcased its new BOSS Toe Fixation System at the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society’s (AOFAS 2019) Annual Meeting held September 11–15 in Chicago, IL. Recently 510k cleared, the system improves stabilization in a first metatarsal with a distal bone void. The Boss Toe Screw fills the current product gap in implant solutions for failed synthetic implants. The system provides an option for patients who want to avoid a toe fusion while regaining motion and enjoying an active lifestyle.

To find out more about the new BOSS Toe Fixation System, its benefits, and how it fits in Arthrosurface’s existing line of HemiCAP DF implants and ToeMotion Systems, SmartTRAK interviewed Carl Hasselman, MD, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, at AOFAS 2019.

To listen to SmartTRAK’s interview with Dr. Hasselman, click on the following video (11:14 minutes). A transcript of the interview is also provided below.

Expanding Applications and New Robotic Launches on the Horizon

Enabling technologies in spine surgery continued to gain market acceptance in Q219 given benefits including lower revision rates, ability to market to patients and ability to plan the surgery beforehand, bolstered by several presentations on the benefits of computer-assisted spine surgery at the International Society for Computer-Assisted Orthopaedic Surgery (CAOS) meeting, held in New York City in June. While questions on long-term clinical benefits associated with robotic-assisted surgery remain, CAOS President, Dr. Patrick Meere, believes robotics in spine and orthopedics will continue to gain traction. In SmartTRAK’s interview with Dr. Meere in the article “CAOS 2019: A Synergy of Advanced Technologies,” he noted, “There is not a single venture in the medical field where robotic technologies entered and exited. They have always persisted. There may well be a lag, there may be naysayers, and there may be ...

Among the many topics covered in the complete Q219 CAS Spine Market Recap* are: