Kurtis Biggs, DO, is making his own legacy in orthopedics by creating his own hip implant. The design, first drawn on a napkin, has been used in multiple patients and it’s just the beginning for him.
Dr. Biggs, founder of the Joint Replacement Institute in Naples, Fla., shared his path and the other orthopedic technologies catching his eye on “Becker’s Spine and Orthopedic Podcast.”
Note: This is an edited excerpt.
Question: What kinds of orthopedic technologies really do get you jumping off your seat with excitement?
Dr. Kurtis Biggs: I think the bearing surfaces are going to be something interesting, along with 3D printing in the ASC. That’s coming down the line where they’ll be able to 3D-print right in your center. They take the MRI scan, and then there’s no shipping and you can sterilize it locally. I’d also be interested to see what’s going to happen with PEEK and if there’s going to be an opportunity for a PEEK bearing surface for a knee replacement. That would be something that could also be printed on site.
But those things are very science fiction at this point. There are people talking about it and modeling it, but I’m not sure if that’s in the near or far future, to be honest.
I personally have created my own hip femoral implant. I started with a drawing on a napkin, and then I contracted with an engineer to help me change it into a CAD model. I worked with Signature Orthopedics out of Australia to do all my testing, and I received my 510(k) clearance on the device in 2024. We started putting devices in in September of 2024, and we have over 110 those in place now at a year and a half out.
Q: That’s incredible going from a napkin to being used in real-life cases. Can you share more about this journey?
KB: It was a big decision because I’m self-funded. For me every little turn whether it was a patent application or the device testing, those all came out of my pocket. I’m very grateful to have an awesome spouse, and she understands that this is an investment, and it leaves a legacy of something that could be a game changer in my field. We have a lot invested in it both financially and emotionally and at this point have been working on it for six years. To see the people that are a year-and-a-half out from surgery doing great is very satisfying.
I previously worked as a design surgeon on a group project, and it wasn’t very satisfying in the end. I don’t think any of us were really happy with the process, and afterwards I thought, “Why can’t I just do this myself?” It’s less chefs in the kitchen, and I’ll take what I know after doing thousands of direct anterior hips cases.
That’s where it started, and then it became its own device at this point. We’re going to be trying to get to 200 cases, and then we’ll reach out to surgeons for their input. Those are the things that I get excited about, because it’s something that you know — you learn — from 20 years of doing this.
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