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Within the second half of 2017, we’ve noticed a jump in announcements pertaining to what we call “surgical assistance” tools: platforms designed to improve ease of use, support a personalized implant fit for patients, etc.
These assistance technologies for use in joint reconstruction and spine include computer assisted robotics, surgical simulation/training, navigation and visualization tools, etc., for which companies tout benefits such as procedure reproducibility and precision, yielding better post-op function and greater patient satisfaction. Here’s what’s been making the headlines.
- Augmedics secured $8.3MM in Series A funding. Proceeds will support research and development, pre-clinical and clinical trials, distribution and FDA 510(k) clearance for The ViZOR Augmented Reality surgical visualization system, with its first application in minimally invasive spine procedures.
- Intellijoint Surgical received CE Mark approval for intellijoint HIP®, a 3D mini-optical navigation system. EU market launch is slated for 2018, and Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration approval is expected to occur in November 2017.
- Mazor Robotics received CE Mark approval for the Mazor X Surgical Assurance Platform. Medtronic will proceed to market and sell the system in appropriate regions.
- OMNIlife science announced completion of >17,000 total knee replacements worldwide assisted with the OMNIBotics® robotic platform since its introduction in 2010.
- OrthAlign received CE Mark approval to market the DAA HipAlign® Direct Anterior Approach Total Hip and UniAlign® Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty, building on previous availability in Japan and the U.S.
- OrthAlign raised $10MM in a Series D financing round. Proceeds will support product development as OrthAlign expands its computer-assisted navigation platform from total knee into partial knee and total hip applications. Funds will also support hiring and commercial expansion in the U.S. and ex-U.S.
- THINK Surgical entered the South Korean market and completed >10 total knee arthroplasty cases using the TSolution One robotic surgical system.
- VirtaMed introduced ArthroS™ Ankle, reportedly the world’s first high-fidelity simulator for ankle arthroscopy. The system will launch fully in late 4Q17.
- Viseon Spine closed a $5.0MM Series A financing. Funds will support product development, worldwide regulatory approvals, clinical evaluations, manufacturing and commercialization as the company develops single-use, disposable visualization and illumination technologies for minimally invasive spine surgery.
Photo Courtesy of Mazor Robotics
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