Here are eight things for spinal surgeons to know for Aug. 14, 2014.
Dr. Alexander Vaccaro named Rothman Institute president
Dr. Vaccaro succeeds Todd J. Albert, MD, as president of the practice. He was also appointed chairman of orthopedics at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University.
Neural stem cell trial for spinal cord injury underway at UC San Diego
The new treatment being tested in the trial is for patients with thoracic vertebrae trauma suffered one and two years ago. The surgeons will transplant neural stem cells into the spine and evaluate outcomes to see whether the treatment is safe.
Study examines the safety and efficacy of bioabsorbable cervical spacers with low-dose rhBMP-2
The study included 72 consecutive patients who underwent multilevel ACDF using bioabsorbable cervical spacers and between 0.5 mg to 0.7 mg of rhBMP-2 per level. The study found that there were major complications in 7 percent of the patients; however, there was a high rate of patient satisfaction.
NuVasive CFO sells 4,010 shares in $148k transaction
CFO Michael Lambert sold 4,010 shares of the company's stock at an average price of $37.11 per share. The total transaction was $148,811.10 and he now directly owns 13,631 shares valued at $505,846.
LDR second quarter revenue up 30.7 percent
Second quarter total revenue was up 30.7 percent to $34.8 million. Exclusive technology products had an outstanding second quarter, growing revenue 20.9 percent to $30.4 million — which is more than the entire second quarter revenue of 2013.
Study analyzes deep surgical site infection for growing-rod scoliosis surgery
Around 11 percent of the patients — 25 males and 17 females — developed at least one deep surgical site infection, defined as any infection requiring surgical intervention. Among the 42 patients with deep surgical site infection, 52.4 percent underwent implant removal.
Mazor Robotics reports second quarter net loss at $3.7 million on a non-GAAP basis
Second quarter revenue was $4.5 million in 2014, a decrease from $6.2 million a year ago. The United States sales were down by more than a million dollars — reaching only $3.1 million — primarily due to lower system sales.
Drug recalls could hit record high in 2014
As of Aug. 11, pharmaceutical companies have initiated a total of 836 drug recalls. In 2013, there were 1,225 recalls, a significant jump from the 499 recalls in 2012.
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