Article preview from Medtech Insight - March, 2012
With the economy improving and the total joint market slowly recovering, one of the brightest spots in the orthopedics industry is the market for shoulder replacements. While 2012 growth rates of total hips and knees are forecast in the low single digits – at 3% and 1%, respectively – the US shoulder replacement market is growing at a brisk 9.7% pace and is expected to reach approximately $620 million in revenues this year.
Article preview from Medtech Insight - March, 2012
With the economy improving and the total joint market slowly recovering, one of the brightest spots in the orthopedics industry is the market for shoulder replacements. While 2012 growth rates of total hips and knees are forecast in the low single digits – at 3% and 1%, respectively – the US shoulder replacement market is growing at a brisk 9.7% pace and is expected to reach approximately $620 million in revenues this year and increase to $880 million in 2016, according to BioMedGPS SmartTRAK Shoulder module. Growth in the shoulder replacement market is being driven by the increasing use of reverse shoulder replacements, which now comprise over 30% of the US shoulder replacement market.
Originally developed in Europe, reverse shoulders were introduced to the US market in the mid 2000s by French manufacturer Tornier Inc. (a division of Tornier SA). Unlike a traditional total shoulder, which consists of a modular stem with a humeral head and a one-piece polyethylene glenoid component, reverse shoulder replacements, as the name implies, “reverse” the anatomy of the shoulder, with a metal ball-shaped implant attached to the glenoid side of the joint, and a humeral stem with a polyethylene articulation surface on the humeral side. This reverse anatomy allows the patient to use the deltoid muscle to lift the arm instead of the damaged rotator cuff. Because reverse shoulder implants more fully restore movement and function for the patient, companies can command a premium sales price, with the average sales price for reverse shoulders now exceeding $10,000, 127% higher than that of partial shoulders.
Orthopedic surgeons have embraced reverse shoulders for treating patients with severe cuff tear arthropathy (CTA) that was once thought untreatable. CTA is characterized by severe arthritis of the shoulder joint resulting from a chronic, advanced rotator cuff tear. The result is permanent loss of rotator cuff tendons and damage to the shoulder joint surfaces, which typically causes severe pain and limits shoulder function.
Continued...
To read this article in its entirety, purchase now, as a PDF and recieve it immediately via email. Or get it free when you subscribe to Medtech Insight Newsletter.
About Medtech Insight
Medtech Insight newsletter provides insights into the technology and market developments (devices, instrumentation, biomaterials, gene therapy, tissue engineering, etc) impacting a wide range of surgical and non-surgical clinical practices.
Comments