A ceramic-on-metal implant provides orthopedic surgeons and their patients with more choices, which is just one way that the world of ortho is moving toward individualized treatment.
FDA’s Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Devices Advisory Committee recently recommended FDA approval of the DePuy Orthopaedics’s Pinnacle CoMplete acetabular hip system, the first ceramic-on-metal hip bearing to be considered for approval in the United States (see the news story on p. 17). If approved, it would mark another step toward more personalized devices in the orthopedics market.
In his article on p. 24, David Chen, chief technology officer of SensAble Technologies Inc. (Woburn, MA), describes the confluence of factors that are contributing to this personalized trend.
“Patient-specific implants now are becoming more common and are readily designed. Patient-specific implants are also developing into a viable business for orthopedic firms, which can command a premium for custom implants,” he says.
