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Conference Calendar 
May 20-23 - Current Concepts in Joint Replacement Spring 2012
May 23-25 - 13th EFORT Congress 2012
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Research Studies
Use of fibrin sealant QUIXIL in TKAs ... The accuracy of imaging in spine surgery ... ACL revision data from Denmark ... Ankle surgery and weight loss ... More surgeons working for hospitals more
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University may have found a potential link between gum disease and joint health, with particular implications for failing joint replacements. Working collaboratively, dental, orthopedic and arthritis specialists tested the DNA in synovial fluid in 36 patients with both native and replacement joints. Some samples showed the presence of oral bacteria in the fluid, which the scientists suggest could be contributing to aseptic loosening or excessive wear in joint replacement patients when no infection is present. more
FzioMed announced today that the journal Spine has published results from the Oxiplex pivotal clinical study. Oxiplex is an absorbable gel that is applied to epidural tissue during lumbar laminectomy, laminotomy and discectomy procedures to prevent the formation of adhesions post-operatively. Adhesion barriers are intended to the reduce pain, radiculopathy and lower extremity weakness associated with the formation of scar tissue after surgery. more
Cemented vs. uncemented hip hemiarthroplasty ... Returning to running after hip resurfacing surgery ... Adipose-derived stem cells in skeletal muscle-healing in a rat model ... Cortoss IDE results in vertebroplasty ... Patterns of disc degeneration ... Are local anesthetics associated with chondrotoxicity? more
Periodontal treatment lowers medical costs for diabetics ... Millennium Dental, Institute for Advanced Laser Dentistry renew partnership with the Seattle Study Cub ... Nobel Biocare to host scientific symposia for anniversary of osseointegration more
Mazor reports earnings .... Omni Surgical raises $27M ... Relievant Medsystems raises $30M ... FDA warning letters for Lucero Medical, Orthopedic Alliance and Spinal Solutions ... Benvenue Medical launches Blazer Vertebral Augmentation System ... Aperion Biologics completes enrollment in Z-Lig ACL study ... Benvenue Medical announces enrollment of 250th patient in KAST (Kiva System) study ... Ascendx Spine inks distribution deal in Austria, Germany and Switzerland more
A group called the Union of Concerned Scientists published a survey of 997 FDA scientists designed to evaluate "scientific integrity" at the agency, with questions covering resources, leadership and external influences. The UCS reports that responses have improved overall since the survey was last conducted in 2006, with more than twice as many respondents saying they believed the agency was "moving in the right direction". Further, 22% more respondents agreed that "FDA leadership is as committed to product safety as it is to bringing products to the market," which aligns with the change in tone that accompanied Margaret Hamburg's administration. more
Corin, MAKO report earnings ... NLT Spine raises $5.7M ... Baxano receives CE mark for iO-Flex ... Synthes receives FDA warning letter ... Amedica launches Procet Facet Allograft Implant ... Crosstrees Medical completes enrollment in IDE study for VCF treatment ... Titan Spine creates EU subsidiary ... Vexim establishes German subsidiary more
Defining conservative treatment in VCF cases ... Obesity and large joint outcomes ... Optimizing TKR rehab ... Navigation in TKR ... A review of PRP data ... Predicting recovery of walking ability in hip fracture patients more
Studies have shown that women may be up to five times more susceptible to ACL tears than men. Since that trend surfaced, researchers have been speculating as to the cause, and potential reasons included more laxity in the ligament or that women have weaker or smaller ligaments compared to men. Now a new paper suggests that geometry has more to do with the risk of ACL damage than gender. more
ZMH acquires Synvasive Technology ... Carticept, DiFusion announce funding rounds ... KFx announces ACL study results ... MedShape launches ExoShape Soft Tissue Fastener ... VG Innovations releases VerteLoc v2.5 ... Stryker settles OP-1 charges ... Zyga Technology appoints president and CEO more
Researchers in Finland have identified a 130-fold increase in incidence of total knee arthroplasty among Finnish patients younger than 59 years of age between 1980 and 2006. These data help to quantify the trend of younger patients undergoing knee replacement procedures while illustrating the need for more data on the long-term durability of knee devices. more
Today we're launching a new feature: we'll be summarizing some of the latest research and clinical data from the top musculoskeletal journals. more
A news study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine sought to analyze changes in payments to orthopedic surgeons following five orthopedic manufacturers' 2007 settlement with the DOJ. What they found between 2007 and today was a decrease in the number of surgeons paid, an increase in the absolute dollar value of payments and a "need for clearer specific requirements for disclosure" from surgeons, companies and institutions. more
A new study evaluating the 2.3% device industry excise tax quantifies some of the potential harm the tax may cause. Mandated by the Affordable Care Act, the tax is scheduled to go into effect in 2013. more
A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences demonstrated how Cornell researchers managed to engineer an artificial disc made from a collagen scaffold, a synthetic gel nucleus and living sheep cells. The discs were evaluated in a small animal model. more
Amplitude sold to Apax France . . . ARTC sells vertebroplasty products . . . SpineVision raises $5M . . . Medtronic launches CD HORIZON Fenestrated Screw in Europe . . . RTI Biologics launches BioAdapt DBM Foam . . . DFINE study suggests lower cement leakage rate for Radiofrequency Targeted Vertebral Augmentation . . . MEDICREA to launch pilot study for GRANVIA-C cervical disc more
The backlash against Infuse is escalating this week with the announcement that the Spine Journal would dedicate its June issue to bias in published data on Infuse. In addition to highlighting the under-reporting of adverse events, the journal argues for improvements in transparency and disclosure requirements in the scientific literature. more
Brainlab to acquire Voyant Health . . . FDA clears ARTC's Spartan 6.5 Needled Anchor . . . Mazor Robotics launches next-gen Renaissance system . . . DFINE comments on VCF study results . . . Senators request investigation of PODs . . . Arteriocyte announces army stem-cell research project more
Astra Tech bids due next week . . . Nobel Biocare reportedly interested in Camlog . . . Align announces Cadent interoperability . . . NIH appoints director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research . . . Straumann names CFO more
Researchers at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center were surprised to discover that Medicare patients in rural areas were more likely to undergo a variety of surgical procedures compared with their urban counterparts. The results of the new study, published this month in the Archives of Surgery, may challenge the idea that patients in urban areas have better access to care, but questions remain unanswered about surgical outcomes, whether patients are getting surgery they don't need or the overall health of patients in rural areas. more
Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the Hospital for Special Surgery have collaborated to develop a polymer-based contrast agent that can identify inflammation that may predict implant failure in joint replacement patients. more
A study published this week in JBJS found a link between the severity of OA symptoms and depression. The authors found that patients reporting severe pain were more likely to be depressed, and this was particularly true of patients with less-severe disease. The data helps to explain the discrepancy between reported symptoms and what shows up on an X-ray. more
The House Energy and Commerce panel recently held a hearing on the “Impact of Medical Device Regulation on Jobs and Patients.” The hearing follows a trio of studies from Boston Consulting Group, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Stanford University which detail inefficiencies in the U.S. device approval process and the subsequent drag on medical innovation. more
Align announces 4Q:10 . . . The Carlyle Group acquires Integrated Dental Holdings . . . Glidewell Laboratories' Inclusive Custom abutments now compatible with Astra Tech's implant system . . . Periodontal bacteria linked to respiratory infections . . . Align, Cadent to develop software for Invisalign . . . Dentsply makes donation to NYU more
A new study published this week in JBJS found a genetic component for lumbar disc disease. Reviewing data from more than 2.4 million patients in Utah, the researchers identified familial clusters of disc disease, offering new insight into an ailment that is estimated to cost more than $100 billion annually. more
Sirona reports F4Q:10 . . . Nobel Biocare extends debt facility . . . Align receives FDA warning letter . . . BioMers launches SimpliClear Full orthodontic system in Singapore . . . NYT weighs in on cone-beam scanners . . . Nobel Biocare donates EUR 2.5 million to the P-I Branemark Institute Bauru in Brazil . . . Vident partners with the California Center for Advanced Dental Studies . . . BIOMET 3i launches new website for the Journal of Implant and Reconstructive Dentistry more
Adding to the body of literature on hip resurfacing is a new level-four study published in JBJS. The paper emphasized that the best outcomes were associated with appropriate patient and implant selection, with the authors concluding from a case series that metal-on-metal resurfacing does offer long-term device survival in young, active patients. more
California's state stem cell agency awarded a $5.4 million grant to UCLA orthopedic surgery professors Dr. Bruno Peault and Dr. Chia Soo, who will conduct their research at UCLA's Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research. Drs. Peault and Soo will use the funds to form and regenerate bone from adipose-derived stem cells. more
A healthcare utilization survey conducted in North Carolina found that just over 2% of the adult population suffered from chronic neck pain, and in analyzing the non-surgical treatments reported by those patients, the study's authors determined that certain treatment modalities in common use may not align with current best evidence. more
InVivo Therapeutics planning a reverse merger . . . MiMedx to raise $5.0 million . . . FDA clears ArthroCare's Parallax device to treat VCFs . . . Osseon Therapeutics announces 1,000-patient milestone . . . AAOS releases clinical guidelines for vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty . . . ProChon reports BioCart Autologous Cartilage System outcomes . . . RepRegen releases in vivo StronBone data more
NUVA lowers guidance . . . HydroCision acquired by three VC firms; new President and CEO appointed . . . TiGenix closes seed financing round for new pharma spinoff . . . Creaspine, Ranier Technology receive CE mark clearances . . . Medtronic introduces Kyphon Cement Delivery System in Europe . . . SpineAlign Medical introduces European Observational Registry for the VerteLift System . . . Medtronic wins certain rulings in ongoing patent infringement suit brought by Synthes . . . Synthes sues Biomet, former sales rep more
Though infections currently affect only a fraction of musculoskeletal patients, they do increase costs and lead to poorer outcomes, as emphasized in a new review article in JBJS. Infections can be attributed to a number of reasons, including resistant pathogens, hospital overcrowding and understaffing and inadequate hand-washing, and despite policy initiatives designed to prevent infection, the authors caution that infection rates are projected to increase in the coming decades. more
Patients who received both a gender-specific and a conventional knee replacement had similar outcomes and reported no preference between the two, according to new data published in JBJS. more
With increasing pressure on physicians and hospitals to improve surgical quality, researchers at the University of Michigan set out to determine where orthopedics departments should focus their efforts. The authors identified which procedures generated the most adverse events by reviewing cases performed at hospitals participating in the ACS National Surgical Quality Improvement Program between 2005 and 2007, observing that just a handful of procedures resulted in the vast majority of adverse outcomes. more
A year after two New England Journal of Medicine studies shook up perspectives on vertebroplasty, new data has been released showing the efficacy of the procedure and emphasizing some of the shortcomings of the NEJM papers. more
A Michigan Tech Ph.D. candidate may have discovered a less expensive way to roughen the surface of titanium medical devices. Cells don't adhere to the smooth surface of untreated titanium, so devices are typically treated to give them a rougher surface before implantation. Instead of etching platinum into a device surface, which can cost $1,700 per ounce, Tolou Shokufar has devised a way of anodizing the material using a titanium alloy and copper. more
The New England Journal of Medicine published a report earlier this month self-disclosure of industry payments among orthopedists. The study population was physicians presenting or serving as committee or board members during the 2008 AAOS annual meeting, where about 21%... more
A new study in JBJS found slightly increased complication rates among patients who had after-hours orthopedic trauma surgery, emphasizing the impact of overtired clinicians and more limited hospital resources at night. Researchers enrolled 203 patients who presented in the ER... more
An article in JBJS outlined the evolving need for musculoskeletal care in the coming decade, addressing changes in demographics, disease incidence, treatment modalities and delivery of orthopedic services. These factors illustrate some of the growth drivers in orthopedics and help... more
Researchers have identified a protein marker that predicts the onset of severe OA, according to a study published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism. Seeking an OA predictor apart from age and weight, scientists focused on vascular cell adhesion molecule... more
Researchers in Japan have successfully used stem cells to grow a tooth in a mouse model in what the Wall Street Journal calls "the first time scientists have developed a fully functioning three-dimensional organ replacement." The replacement tooth's structure, hardness... more
A new study published in the journal Stem Cells found that circulating blood may hold the potential to generate bone. Scientists evaluated blood samples from patients with fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP, a rare genetic disorder where bone forms outside the... more
A new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine affirmed the cost-effectiveness of total knee replacements in elderly patients, finding that the procedure cost $18,300 per quality-adjusted life year (or QALY) gained. The threshold for cost-effectiveness is usually estimated... more
Teriparatide, a recombinant form of parathyroid hormone marketed by Eli Lilly as Forteo, has been shown to stimulate stem cell production and accelerate the healing of fractured bones, according to study data presented at the Orthopaedic Research Society meeting in... more
Patients suffering crippling pain from metastatic cancer or even "benign" conditions like rheumatoid arthritis may find relief in a minimally-invasive treatment called osteoplasty. Similar to vertebroplasty, osteoplasty is the injection of bone cement into cancerous lesions in the skeleton, and... more
Yes, that ozone. The molecule that filters UV rays in the atmosphere and is a pollutant on the ground could have applications for reducing back pain, according to new studies out of Europe. Over the past five years, it is... more
In a survey of 917 members of the AAOS, more than half reported observing surgical errors in the past six months. The study, published in JBJS, highlighted some of most frequent mistakes and described initiatives by the AAOS and others... more
Geron announced this week that it received an FDA green light to initiate a human clinical study for their embryonic stem cell treatment for spinal cord injuries. The cell formulation, known as GRNOPC1, will be injected in up to 10... more
Using the data collected from the SPORT trial, researchers at Rush University Medical Center evaluated the cost-effectiveness of spinal surgery in stenosis patients with and without spondylolisthesis. The study considered the direct and indirect costs of laminectomy and fusion against... more
A new study published in JBJS considers how driving plays into patient outcomes following musculoskeletal injury. Interestingly, despite the relatively high rate of auto accidents in the general population, there are no firm guidelines for when a patient should resume... more
Serotonin, most commonly known as the brain chemical that makes you happy, may play a different role in the body--regulating bone growth, according to new research in the journal Cell. This study focused on serotonin produced in the gut as... more
Last week, the New England Journal of Medicine published a study that more or less said "no". In cautionary scientific parlance, the study concluded that "arthroscopic surgery for osteoarthritis of the knee provides no additional benefit to optimized physical and... more
A cartilage company raising venture money is a not-so-common development in the world of sports medicine. In this instance, Waltham, MA based Histogenics just announced it has raised $9 million from venture investors. Of interest, Stryker was included in the... more
On Tuesday, we attended the FDA's Orthopaedic & Rehabilitative Devices Panel, Oxiplex/SP was voted "Not Approvable" by a 5-2 vote, based largely on the sponsoring company's inability to definitively demonstrate product effectiveness. The two dissenters would have voted it "Approvable... more
M&A Kinetic Concepts, Inc. announced that it completed its acquisition of LifeCell Corporation. At the time of the expiration of the tender offer, 31.1 million shares of LifeCell common stock had been tendered representing approximately 90.75% of the outstanding shares... more
In the January 30th issue of the New York Times, healthcare reporter Reed Abelson takes a critical look at spine surgery, and in particular a novel device called Prodisc in an article titled "Financial Ties Are Cited as Issue in... more
M&A ArthroCare Corp. acquired DiscoCare, Inc., whom the company describes as "a third-party billing and reimbursement service provider," for $25 million in cash plus potential future milestone payments. The company says, "This acquisition will allow ArthroCare to significantly expand its... more
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