5 Surgical Procedure Trends That Spine Surgeons Can Watch For In 2022
As surgical procedure technology continues to advance, it’s important for spine surgeons to know what changes can be expected. In this article, Becker’s Spine Review spoke to physicians to get their input regarding upcoming trends to look out for. They highlight five trends – one of which being the expected increase in endoscopic surgery.
Historically, endoscopic surgery has not seen widespread adoption due to lack of reimbursements and training programs. However, we should expect to see an increase in this type of surgical procedure over the next ten years according to Dr. Hooman Melamed, MD, of Hoag Orthopedic Institute Surgery Center-Marina del Rey (Calif.). He told Becker’s Spine Review that hospitals and ASCs appear to be investing in long-term solutions to improve patient outcomes. This could result in more frequent endoscopic surgeries since they are ultra-minimally invasive and can help avoid performing a spinal fusion.
Another trend to look out for is using artificial intelligence to better predict post-surgical outcomes. This can be highly useful in deformity surgery specifically to better prepare the patient for what to expect and create a more effective treatment plan for them.
Additionally, these physicians predict more multilevel disc replacements being moved to outpatient locations based on growing efforts to decrease surgical procedure costs. They expect the surgical procedure “outpatient migration” to not only continue, but increase. As this happens, hospitals will “adopt new strategies and partnerships” to stay competitive with spine surgery.
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