It has been one of the most surprising positive consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
When hospitals shuttered and elective surgeries were mostly paused, doctors decided to innovate. Jay Toor of Toronto Canada relates that a surgeon in Fort Myers, Florida, decided to perform a needed spinal fusion for patient Bill Banker as an outpatient procedure.
Typically, a spinal fusion can be complicated and is considered a major operation. Banker has a compressed nerve caused by a collapsed disc. Usually, that means a surgeon needs to add screws and spacers into the back to offer spinal support.
And normally, spinal fusion surgery would be followed by several days of recovery in a hospital.
Dr. Henn decided small incisions could also do the trick. After the minimally invasive procedure, He was able to go home just hours following the surgery and has fully recovered after three months.
Spinal Implant Company Raises $33 million
3Spine, Inc., a company based in Chattanooga, Tennessee specializing in spinal implants has raised a whopping $33 million in its latest round of Series C funding.
The majority of the $33 million raised in this funding round will go towards enrollment in the second phase of a spinal arthroplasty clinical trial, according to 3Spine chief operating officer Ron Yarbrough. The company says the procedure will offer a more effective way to treat leg and lower back pain.
The company is refining its BalancedBack MOTUS implant that is designed to replace facet joints and the functional disc through a posterior approach to improve spinal stability.
Robotic Spinal Surgery is a First in Ohio
University Hospitals is celebrating becoming the first greater Cleveland-area hospital health system to use a robot to perform spinal surgery.
University Hospitals was the first health system east of the Mississippi River chosen to use a robotic platform for brain surgery. Now, the Mazor X robot was used by neurosurgeon Dustin Donnelly, a specialist in spinal surgery.
It will now be used by UH surgeons in Cleveland to increase efficiency and accuracy throughout the “spectrum” of spinal surgery procedures, Donnelly said. The robot also lets spinal surgeons perform a simulation of a procedure in 3D before incisions are made.
Spinal Surgery Devices, Implants Market Grows
A study by Verified Market Research has valued the global market of surgical devices and spinal implants at $10.1 billion and projects it to grow to $13.1 billion by 2028.
The increased demand for surgical procedures that are minimally invasive is fueling the growth, according to the study. In addition, more advanced bone grafting products entering the market seem to be driving demand, as is the trend toward more hospitals integrating spine surgical procedures that are minimally invasive.
The study also notes several notable developments in the spinal surgery market. DePuy Synthes, a Johnson & Johnson company, recently acquired Israel-based OrthoSpin, which manufactures an external fixation system assisted by robots for orthopedic surgeries.
Last year, the United States-based company Stimgenics, which pioneered spinal cord stimulation, was acquired by Ireland’s Medtronic. The study also surveys the rising popularity of such spinal surgery procedures as spinal decompression, fracture treatment, and spinal fusion.