Orthopedic device companies gathered last week in San Diego to demonstrate their latest innovations and discuss industry trends at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ annual meeting.
Robotic surgery systems remained a focus at the event, with Stryker showcasing the newest version of its Mako surgical robot and Johnson & Johnson displaying a feature that was cleared for its Velys robot last year, allowing it to be used for partial knee replacements.
Company executives also discussed economic trends, expecting procedure volumes and hospital equipment purchases to remain steady despite financial pressures.
Here are four takeaways from the event:
1. Stryker launches hip revision feature for Mako
Stryker received clearance for its Mako surgical robot to be used in hip revision procedures, when a worn or failing implant is replaced with a new one. It’s the first revision feature authorized by the Food and Drug Administration for a surgical robot. The company received 510(k) clearance on March 5, according to an FDA database entry.
The application is intended to help with challenging procedures with features such as screw planning and screw trajectory guidance during an operation, Stryker said in a statement.
The company also announced the fourth generation of its Mako surgical robot, which can be used for knee and spine procedures.
The surgical arm for the new robot is “largely unchanged,” wrote J.P. Morgan analyst Robbie Marcus in a Wednesday research note. Stryker updated the camera and cart with its Q guidance software for surgical navigation and planning in spine procedures.
Marcus added that moving toward a common technology platform is a long-term goal for Stryker.
Mako’s new spine feature will enter a full market release later this year, and the shoulder feature will stay in a limited market release until 2026.
2. Procedure volumes remain elevated
Speaking at AAOS on Wednesday, Stryker’s leadership said current elevated procedure volumes are the “new norm,” wrote Shagun Singh, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets. Aging demographics, higher activity levels and the shift to ambulatory surgery centers are driving the trend. Stryker said that surgery schedules are a full six months out, Singh added.
Ryan Zimmerman, an analyst with BTIG, wrote that orthopedic management teams see similar trends, with more procedures moving to ASCs “as patients don't fear the procedures as they did in the past.”
Zimmer Biomet CEO Ivan Tornos told investors in a Feb. 6 earnings call that ASCs are a “huge opportunity,” adding that the company expects 40% to 60% of orthopedic procedures to move to ASCs.
3. ‘Healthy’ capital spending
Hospital spending on capital equipment remains “healthy,” Singh and Zimmerman wrote.
While Singh said there are “absolutely no signs” of a slowdown, Zimmerman raised concerns about potential Medicaid cuts affecting demand for capital equipment, citing a survey of 30 executives and purchasing directors at community and academic teaching hospitals.
BTIG published the survey on Thursday, noting that 20 of the leaders said cuts to Medicaid would mean an expected decrease in their capital purchasing budgets.
4. Companies hope to be insulated from tariffs
Marcus wrote that the potential impact from tariffs is “worth keeping an eye on,” but added that Stryker’s management is hopeful the medtech industry should be largely insulated from other cost-cutting efforts.
The Trump administration has implemented wide-ranging tariffs, hiking rates on imports from China and adding a 25% tariff to imports of steel and aluminum. New tariffs on Mexico and Canada are set to go into effect on April 2. So far, medical device companies have not been exempted.
Specifically, Marcus called out the steel tariffs as something to watch, while adding that Stryker’s leadership believes any impact would be limited.
Zimmer Biomet, in a similar vein, has said that 70% of its manufacturing is done in Indiana, with none in Mexico or Canada, BTIG’s Zimmerman wrote.
