Kenneth Pettine, MD, of Johnstown, Colo.-based Spine Institute, shared his experiences using AxioMed's Freedom Lumbar Total Disc Replacement, according to Virtual-Strategy Magazine.
Here are 10 takeaways:
1. Dr. Pettine is the first U.S. surgeon to comment on the Freedom disc on video.
2. In the video, Dr. Pettine said the disc is "without question, the best artificial disc there is."
3. He first implanted the Freedom disc in 2010.
4. Dr. Pettine reported the Freedom disc clinical outcomes surpass those of the ProDisc-L, Maverick Disc and Kineflex disc.
5. He praised the disc's physiological design, noting it's the only disc with constrained rotation.
6. The Freedom disc has a viscoelastic polymer core that mirrors a human disc's natural motion, flexibility and stiffness.
7. AxioMed plans to complete the disc's clinical trials and introduce the technology to the U.S. market in 2017.
8. Dr. Pettine has served as principal investigator for 15 FDA studies.
9. In 2011, Dr. Pettine founded the Orthopedic Stem Cell Institute, and in 2004, he founded the Spine Institute. Dr. Pettine also co-founded Rocky Mountain Associates in Orthopedic Medicine in 1991 and Rocky Mountain Spine and Orthopedics in 2015. All are located in Johnstown, Colo.
10. Dr. Pettine completed his residency at Rochester-based Mayo Clinic.