The ISASS 2023 annual meeting is taking place this week in San Francisco, and SmartTRAK is excited to be in attendance. Our team of spine experts will be roaming the event, providing our subscribers with up-to-the-minute news directly from the show floor. To ensure you're well-informed ahead of the meeting, below is a selection of recent spine news meticulously curated by our expert analysts at SmartTRAK.

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New Products:

• Orthofix*
  

  Orthofix noted that the Company launched the Lattus Lateral Access System and the Fathom Pedicle-Based Retractor System during Q123, which both address what the Company estimated to be a $1.8B MIS spine market.
  

• REFLECT Scoliosis System* - Globus*

  Globus Medical has announced FDA approval of REFLECT Scoliosis Correction System, the company's first humanitarian device. The non-fusion system, using a flexible cord instead of rigid metal rods, corrects scoliosis in young pts while preserving motion and allowing for growth.
  

Merger mayhem of Q422 continues and the Spine enabling tech space heats up with new navigation products and some robotics players seeing record-breaking sales and unit placements.

The Q422 WW Spine Enabling Tech Market was up +13.6% YoY, according to SmartTRAK Financial Dashboard. Medtronic (MDT) remained the market leader, followed by Globus Medical (GMED) and other enabling tech competitors like Brainlab and Stryker (SYK). For detailed Q422 revenues and shares by company in the US, EU and ROW, see SmartTRAK Spine Enabling Tech Financial Dashboard*.

• Complete Q422 Spine Enabling Tech Performance Recap
• Mighty Mergers in Q422 and Q123
  • SeaSpine and Orthofix Take the Plunge
  • Globus and NuVasive Join Forces in Q123
    
• Other Q422 Collaborations
  • ZimVie and Brainlab
  • Spineart and eCential Robotics
  • Captiva Spine and REMEX Medical
• Q422 Augmented Reality and Navigation Regulatory Highlights

Read the entire Q422 Spine Enabling Tech Market Recap, including SmartTRAK's expert analysis, news, data, charts, revenues and shares*

*These links and the complete unedited article can only be viewed by SmartTRAK subscribers to this module. For more information on SmartTRAK, including how to receive a demo and subscribe, please click the button below.

More than just robots. Targeting enabling technologies to the ASC setting, development of novel assistive technologies, next-generation software updates, new applications and data insights abound at AAOS 2023.

In the US Markets for Spine and Orthopedic Enabling Technologies, it’s clear that companies are rapidly innovating and designing next-generation technologies that continue to advance the market well beyond the robotic surgical arms and platforms developed in the last decade. At this year’s American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ (AAOS) Annual Meeting, enabling technology was a big focus both on the podium and the exhibit floor. The Canaccord Genuity (CG) Musculoskeletal Conference also included a number of presentations from companies with innovative enabling technologies, including Enovis, OnPoint Surgical, THINK Surgical, OrthAlign, Augmedics, Canary Medical and newcomer Caira. Additionally, several companies on the AAOS exhibit floor were showcasing new developments across surgical planning, navigation, augmented reality, robotics and smart implants. In this Perspective article, SmartTRAK focuses in on several of the aforementioned companies, exciting technologies and important topics, including:

• These Are Not Your Father’s Robots: They're Here to Stay
• ASC Shift Driving Smaller, More Cost-Effective Solutions
• Dream Becoming Reality: Augmented Reality Competition Heats Up
• More Than Just Data: Smart Implants Show Promise in Improving Post-op Recovery
• Enabling Technology Space Continues to Grow
• Physician Adoption

With a lot of new developments expected later this year and over the next 24-48 months, the enabling technology space continues to grow and physician adoption is ...

To download and read the complete and unedited "Beyond Robotics: Enabling Tech Innovations at AAOS 2023" article by Elise Wolf, GM & VP, SmartTRAK Orthopedics, Digital & Quality, just click the button below.

For FY23, SmartTRAK expects to see M&A activity create both opportunities and challenges, the impact of positive swings in reimbursement furthering growth in SI joint fusion and disc replacement and for ongoing hospital limitations and the persistent adoption of MIS techniques to perpetuate the movement of spine cases to the ASC environment.

SmartTRAK expects to see several trends evolve in the spine market in 2023, shaped by current events and changing market dynamics in recent years. Over the past several years, organizational consolidation has continued as the market demanded scale to compete. An evolution in innovation and advancements in surgical techniques continues to push categorical growth in minimally invasive surgery (MIS) and other procedures that lean on technology to maximize surgical efficiencies for both patients and surgeons.

In this comprehensive Market Outlook article, SmartTRAK examines, in detail, the following issues confronting the Spine market in the year ahead:

• Corporate Consolidation Activity is Creating both Opportunities and Headwinds
  • Two important mergers transpired last year which will undoubtedly cause major market disruption in 2023: Orthofix/SeaSpine and Globus/NuVasive. For both deals, SmartTRAK expects to see ...
    
    
• An Evolving Reimbursement Landscape is Driving Continued Growth in SI Joint fusion and Disc Replacement
  • There continue to be two spine procedures commanding attention for similar reasons. Historically, sacroiliac joint (SIJ) fusion and total disc replacement (TDR) have been simple and innovative solutions with limited clinical data available, both plagued with reimbursement challenges. The demand for both has been growing for years ...
    
    
• Ongoing Hospital Constraints and Continued Adoption of MIS Techniques Further Procedural Migration to ASCs
  • The macroeconomic climate has caused systemic budget cutting and restructuring in healthcare, which has challenged staffing abilities in already overburdened facilities. Hospital executives’ demand for efficiency and optimization often put surgeons in a position of ...

To read the complete "Spine Themes for 2023: Great Expectations" Market Outlook article by Courtney Sheedy, SmartTRAK's General Manager, Spine, Just click the button below.

As the US Spine Enabling Technology Market shows signs of blossoming opportunity in 2023, SmartTRAK highlights three distinct trends continuing to gain traction in the coming year.

The US market for Spine Enabling Technology boasted modest YoY gains in nearly every quarter in 2022, showing signs of blossoming opportunity in 2023 as procedure volumes return to pre-pandemic levels. SmartTRAK projects the US Spine Enabling Technology Market will have a five-year CAGR of 25.1%, according to SmartTRAK Spine Enabling Tech Market Overview. Looking ahead, SmartTRAK sees three distinct trends continuing in 2023: the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI), the increasing use of “smart” innovations in robotics and the ongoing shift of spine cases to the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) setting.

Among the trends outlined and discussed in detail in this Market Outlook article are:

Trend #1: Growing Use of AI to Optimize Surgery and Predict Outcomes
It is no secret that AI is here to stay. In recent years, advances in deep learning and deep neural networks have fueled the introduction of a wave of AI and machine learning-based solutions across various medical applications. SmartTRAK reviews the development of AI in healthcare and the implementation of AI-driven imaging in orthopedics and ...

Trends #2: Increasing use of "Smart" Drilling and Haptic Feedback in Robotics. Current evidence remains unclear whether increased accuracy of implant placement associated with robotic assistance in spine surgery translates to improved patient outcomes. Nevertheless, robotic adoption is clearly increasing with market leader MDT highlighting “record-breaking quarters” in Mazor robotics for Q4FY22. SmartTRAK estimates the US Spine Robotics Market will reach ...

Trends #3: : Ongoing Shift of Non-complex Spine to ASCs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospital restrictions on non-urgent surgical cases prompted surgeons to take more cases to surgery centers. For a surgeon, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) can facilitate better economics, control and patient safety. In the pandemic aftermath, published research suggests there is a renewed focus on ...

To download and read the complete "The Future of Spine Enabling Tech for 2023" article by Shelly Caruso, SmartTRAK Market Analyst/Medical Writer, just click the button below.

In recent years, there have been significant advances in orthopedic treatments, surgical techniques and rehabilitation methods that have transformed the way we approach musculoskeletal disorders.SmartTRAK continues to report daily, in real-time 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.

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 and Be The Expert.

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:

• NuVasive*
  

  NUVA spoke about its upcoming product launches, including an expandable Lateral called MOD-EX XLIF and extended blade-fixation options for Modulus ALIF, and predicted that both will support the continued interest in NUVA. NUVA Q422 Earnings Transcripton Seeking Alpha

• Globus*

  GMED mgmt stated the ortho robot will launch w/ a knee application first w/ other applications to follow, noting it is unlikely that gap-filling joint implant systems would be launched prior to the knee application for robotics. GMED Q422 Earnings Transcript on Seeking Alpha

• CurvaFix Rodscrew* - CurvaFix

  CurvaFix announced a it will launch the 7.5 mm CurvaFix IM Implant, which received FDA clearance in Oct 2022, at this year’s AAOS annual meeting in Las Vegas. BusinessWire

Patents:

• SeaSpine*
  

  7D Surgical was granted US Patent “Systems And Methods For Intraoperative Spinal Level Verification” disclosing the use of segmented surface data from volumetic pt image data compared w/ intra-op surface data to verify spine levels w/o x-rays. 11564752

• Method for Treating Joint Pain  
  

  US Patent "Method for treating joint pain" was granted relating to treating joint pain by inserting a bone dowel and BMA into the subchondral of a bone and introducing BMA into the intra-articular space of the joint being treated. 11583402

SmartTRAK reports that Q322 Spine Market performance drove a lack of consensus on operational performance metrics, while a shifting procedural landscape offered new product opportunities for small and mid-tier players, driving competitive pressure.

Among the many topics covered in detail in our comprehensive Q322 Spine Market Recap* are:

Q322 sees a tidal wave of new robotic spine surgery competitors as well as data-driven initiatives under development by a host of companies in the market for spine enabling tech.

Q322 was nothing short of a tidal wave of competitive entrants to the US Spine Robotic Surgery space. Medtronic* (MDT) and  Globus* remain top players as OUS companies like France’s  eCential Robotics* and Taiwan’s  Point Robotics MedTech* set their sights on the US market. The Q322 WW CAS Spine Market was up, according to  SmartTRAK Financial Dashboard. MDT remained the market leader with 49.0% share, followed by Globus and other enabling tech competitors like Brainlab* and Stryker* (SYK).

Among the many topics covered in detail in our comprehensive Q322 CAS Spine Market Recap* are: