Studies conducted by Canadian researchers point out that patients of heart failure are four times more prone to fracture risk. This is the first study of its kind that links heart failure to fracture risk. Common factors between osteoporosis and heart failure were also highlighted. These include old age, smoking, female sex and type-2 diabetes. The study has also identified areas that need improvement immediately such as adequate screening.

Findings of a randomized and controlled trial conducted by researchers from New Mexico Clinical Research & Osteoporosis Center in Albuquerque suggest that once-monthly oral ibandronate for a year can improve spine and hip bone mineral density in postmenopausal women in the age group of 55 to 80 years. To measure the strength, quantitative computed tomography (QCT) and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) were used. The study was supported by Roche and GlaxoSmithKline.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given 510(k) clearance to Amedica Corporation, SEEplate(TM) Cervical Plate system. The system incorporates features which aim at giving surgeons an alternative to the current surgical procedures that are being followed. It facilitates anterior screw fixation, thereby suiting the patient anatomy. In this way, a more consistent supplemental fixation result can be achieved for various applications such as including degenerative disc disease and spinal stenosis.

Medtronic, Inc. has launched its X-STOP PEEK IPD System. It must be noted that this is the first IPD device offering a PEEK-Bone interface for treating the symptoms of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) that has received an approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration . Spine surgeons, now, have the option of using PEEK in IPD procedures providing benefits like radiolucency and biocompatibility. The minimally invasive treatment for LSS is made up of titanium alloy.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared Biospace med’s EOS X-ray imager for market launch. The device is helpful in procedures related to spine, hip and knee. EOS captures head-to-toe images of patients in a weight-bearing position. The radiation dosage is 10 times lesser than a conventional X-ray and 1000 times less than a CT scan. Additionally, the new stereos and measurement workstation enable 3D reconstruction and reduce the time taken for surgical planning, making orthopedic procedures simpler.

HealthpointCapital is currently running a series of blog posts in an attempt to answer the question: How will the credit crunch impact the orthopedic market?

The entire article, a conversation between Robin Young and John McCormick, is definitely worth a read, here’s just a small snippet:

“Taking the capital markets perspective, orthopedic stocks are nowhere near as badly shaken as the S&P 500 or – good grief – financials for that matter. Looking at some superficial fundamentals, in 1H:08 there has been encouraging revenue growth (currency gains notwithstanding) in the industry broadly. Importantly, the industry in aggregate is profitable and not leveraged. Without question, I’d rather be an employee of Zimmer versus Lehman Brothers right now.”

Read the full article here.

OrthoView™, has launched its new version 5.2 software. Developing the already feature-rich OrthoView 5.1, OrthoView 5.2 comes up as a more refined version with additions to the module of spine deformity assessment. Radiologists and orthopedic surgeons across the world had been looking forward to the advancement in the software. Procedures like joint replacement and trauma become much more sophisticated with the digital templates that the OrthoView solutions provide for. The precision tools included for the spine module in the latest version simplify the assessment process associated with pediatric scoliosis.