Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1074723
20 DEVICES & IMPLANTS What to expect from RTI Surgical in the future: 4Qs with CEO Camille Farhat By Laura Dyrda C amille Farhat, president and CEO of RTI Surgical, discussed the key tech- nology trends in spine today. Question: What technology trends are most exciting for you in the spine space today? Camille Farhat: ere are a lot of intriguing trends and technologies in spine, including movement toward outpatient care, 3D print- ing of interbody fusion devices and growing use of navigation technology and robotics. e rise in 3D-printed technology is particularly interesting, as it introduces even more creativ- ity in design and material composition aimed to facilitate positive patient outcomes. Q: What should we expect in the fu- ture from RTI Surgical? Any innova- tions or news we should keep an eye out for? CF: RTI's knowledge of tissue, synthetics and hardware puts us in a unique position to re- think what healing means for spine and or- thopedics. Our strategy is to grow our spine portfolio through focused [reseaerch and de- velopment] and [mergers and acquisitions] of differentiated products supported by clinical data to meet the needs of surgeons and their patients. Our spine innovation roadmap ac- counts for industry trends using a disciplined, differentiated approach. Our Fortilink series with TETRAfuse 3D Technology, acquisition of Zyga and recent distribution agreement with Aziyo to exclusively distribute ViBone in the U.S. are examples of this. Q: In your conversations with sur- geons, what are the key challenges they are facing today? How does your technology help them meet those challenges (either operationally or clinically)? CF: e role of the surgeon varies by health- care system and hospital. Decision-making — such as the type of procedure, products used, etc. — does not fall solely on the surgeon. And yet, the surgeon will continue to be the one responsible for the outcome and well-being of the patient. is dynamic is important to keep in mind. is is one of the reasons we are in- vesting in clinical trials and surgeon training on our products and technologies: to aid in decision-making and increase our value to the surgeon. Titanium- and PEEK-based spine implants dominate the market, and while they have im- proved quality of life for many people, there is still more work to do in terms of two critical properties for implants: long-term biocom- patibility and mechanical endurance. We de- signed the Fortilink series with TETRAfuse 3D Technology with an aim to combine key characteristics of titanium, allogra bone and PEEK, all in one interbody device. For more background: TETRAfuse 3D Tech- nology, featured in our Fortilink series of in- terbody devices, offers surgeons a unique in- terbody material optimized to participate in fusion while maintaining bone-like mechan- ical properties and radiolucent imaging. It is the first 3D printed polymer-based interbody device to incorporate a nano-rough surface that demonstrated more notable trabecular bone growth than PEEK or titanium-coated PEEK in preclinical studies. RTI also intends to initiate enrollment for a prospective, multi-center post-market evalu- ation of safety and performance of the Forti- link-C, -TS and -L IBF Systems with TETRA- fuse 3D Technology. Q: Best case scenario, where is the company in three to five years? CF: RTI's strategy is focused on growing our spine portfolio through disciplined R&D and focused M&A of differentiated products sup- ported by clinical data to meet the needs of surgeons and their patients. Small companies are oen challenged with being cash-flow pos- itive. Our product mix in tissue generates cash that we can then invest in differentiated spine offerings. Our goal is to build a growing and sustainably profitable business that will treat more patients, create growth opportunities for employees and create value for investors. n Surgeon performs 100+ outpatient total knee replacements using robotic system By Rachel Popa O verland Park (Kan.) Surgical Suites offers robotic-assisted total and par- tial knee replacements with the Navio Surgical System. Three key details: 1. The Navio Surgical System allows surgeons to make a detailed surgical plan based on patient's anatomic and alignment information. 2. "We were eager to bring the Navio robotics-assisted surgery to the area," said Overland Park Surgical Suites Founder Scott Abraham, MD. "This exacting technique is the preferred approach for most patients, and we've seen dramatic surgical outcomes." 3. Dr. Abraham has performed over 100 robotic-assisted total knee replace- ments at Overland Park Surgical Suites and Kansas City, Mo.-based St. Joseph Medical Center. n "Decision-making — such as the type of procedure, products used, etc. — does not fall solely on the surgeon. " — Camille Farhat, President & CEO, RTI Surgical