With Mike Barbella’s Year in Review feature in mind, ODT reached out to gain insights from its editorial board to see what they viewed as most notable in 2024. They were also asked what was on their radar for 2025. Marc Mackey, senior VP & GM of Enabling Technologies at Enovis, and Melanie Prevost, associate director of ASC Solutions at Zimmer Biomet, provided feedback.

Specifically, two questions were posed:

1. What news headline, event, or technology was the most significant in 2024 and why?

2. What’s one expectation you have for 2025 that will make an impact on the orthopedic device industry? (i.e., What will you be keeping an eye on for positive or negative reasons?)

Marc Mackey, on 2024: This year, I’ve been especially excited to see the evolution of augmented reality (AR) in orthopedics. This technology has great potential in orthopedics, as consumer innovation in AR is driving increased performance and miniaturization of sensors that are used for stereotactic measurement in surgery. This results in reduced costs and smaller form factors suited for the ambulatory surgery center (ASC), and technology becomes much more scalable and applicable for more procedures. Advanced patient-specific alignment techniques for knee arthroplasty have also gained momentum, largely supported by software-assisted technology that enables these techniques to be completed with a high degree of accuracy and confidence. For example, in our own portfolio, Enovis’ ARVIS Augmented Reality System delivers surgical guidance directly to the surgeon’s field of view in a package that weighs less than 8 oz. and supports patient-specific alignment where each millimeter and degree of alignment can have a profound impact.

Regarding 2025: I believe we’re going to see increasing demand for personalization as we head into 2025, whether in surgical technique, implant design, or recovery and across the care continuum. In the surgical space, orthopedic implants can now be tailored to each patient’s unique anatomy thanks to 3D-printing technology. For recovery, wearables like smart braces are giving patients and their care teams a better view of the path between diagnosis to rehabilitation. We know that approximately 70% of patients do not complete physical therapy and home exercise regimens, so cloud-connected braces and mobile apps have the potential to improve compliance and engagement throughout the recovery process.

Melanie Prevost, on 2024: The debut of the newest robotic—ROSA Shoulder System. This has the potential to transform intraoperative and post-operative outcomes for patients. With migration of procedures moving to ambulatory surgery center (ASC) site of care (projected 7.5% CAGR) combined with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) moving total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) to the covered procedures list (CPL) in January 2024, this market introduction is particularly significant because it is not only addressing the projected surgical volume, but it’s now offering more accessibility to the technology, with the goal of reducing risk to complications for the patient, enhancing clinical outcome and improving patient satisfaction.

Regarding 2025: It’s the continuous drive for efficiencies in the ASC setting. Not only is it about minimally invasive procedures and reducing trays, rather it’s looking at an OR holistically through software applications. This growing segment can expediate manual, administrative tasks and identify opportunities for procedural and/or OR room improvements. Increasing focus here will allow for even greater patient care.

Curious to hear more insights? Click here to check out the comments made by MPO’s editorial board members!