As I mentioned in my previous letter, I’ve been covering this wonderful, ever-changing industry for more than 16 years. As such, I’ve focused on virtually every technology sector at one time or another, from cardiovascular to dental to neurological to home healthcare. And of course, orthopedics. On the flip side, covering such a broad industry as medical devices, you end up as a bit of a “jack of all trades, master of none” as it relates to your knowledge level about it.

This is exactly why I was so excited to be able to attend this year’s AAOS Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla. The event offered the perfect opportunity to meet with a few members of the ODT editorial board, see new technologies specifically for the sector, and hear about pressing issues and concerns from both device manufacturers and their suppliers, as well as the end users—the doctors and surgeons using the technology.

One area of debate of which I was already well aware as it relates to other industries as well as orthopedics was the issue of single-use (or disposable) devices versus reusable. While single-use solutions offer the assurance of sterility and eliminate concerns with ensuring proper cleaning regimens [and helping to decrease the risk of healthcare associated infections (HAI)], there has also been the impact on the environment. With this in mind, Solvay Specialty Polymers worked with Medacta International in a study on the environmental impact of single-use versus reusable. Ultimately, using a surgery kit as a model, the study found the impact to be neutral when comparing the two options. Click here to check out more information about the study and see more on Solvay at www.solvay.com.

Related to this debate was an innovation that has been gaining momentum in terms of personalized medicine. In the orthopedic space, that can translate to customized implants that are developed specifically for patients. I met with a member of the team at ConforMIS—a company that is offering customized knee implants that are developed from imaging taken of a patient about six weeks prior to his or her surgery. Not only are the implants custom for the patient, but much of the instrumentation is developed specifically for each case based on the imaging provided. The entire solution (with the exception of several reusable instruments that are still called for in the procedure) can be carried into the OR on the day of the surgery and are immediately ready to be used. The technology addresses the concerns over HAIs since the instruments from ConforMIS are single-use. In addition, the implant very likely offers a more natural fit for the patient since it’s based on their specific anatomy. ConforMIS holds a number of patents involved with the customization of the implants, which will make it challenging for other manufacturers to “catch-up” to the degree of personalized medicine they’ve achieved in this space. Further, the company is going to be looking at other implant areas in the future, extending their reach and the concept of custom orthopedic implants. See more at www.conformis.com.

Focusing on a completely different area of orthopedics, I had the opportunity to sit with the CEO of Bioventus—an orthobiologics company. Anthony Bihl took time out of his busy schedule at the event to essentially educate me on the sector of biologics and I was grateful to receive the lesson. I was surprised to hear of the company’s innovations that included not only “traditional” biologic products, but also device hardware that promoted the body’s natural healing factors. I never considered such hardware devices to be biologic products, but Bihl’s company certainly did. In my opinion, this is where more innovation is headed in the areas of orthopedics and the medical device industry in general. Between growing new tissue in the lab and the 3D printing of new organs, medical device technology will transform in the future to develop solutions that resemble more natural replacements rather than the cyborg-looking technologies we see in the movies. Biologics are playing an early role in that movement. See more at www.BioventusGlobal.com.

At another booth, I was able to get a look at an as-of-yet FDA approved technology. It was the Illuminoss exhibit, which featured a minimally invasive solution for bone fracture. This technology leveraged what appeared to be a combination of innovations from other areas of medtech. According to the company’s website, the system combines “balloons, light activated monomers, and flexible catheters” to create “the world’s first patient conforming intramedullary implant.” The system is being utilized in ongoing clinical trials in the United States and Europe. See more at www.illuminoss.com.