Spine

From awake surgery to new implants, here are six spine and orthopedic surgery debuts in February:

Awake spine surgery is an approach to procedures that uses a local anesthetic to let surgeons examine a patient's neurologic condition during surgery, rather than general anesthesia, which involves intubation.

The National Institutes of Health awarded more than $191 million in neurosurgery funding to 54 universities in 2021, according to data from the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research.

Plans to send Canadian spine patients to Sanford Medical Center in Fargo, N.D., were finalized Feb. 24, the Winnipeg Sun reported.

In the last two weeks, three surgeons were named leaders at healthcare facilities.

Denver is the most expensive city in the U.S. to undergo lumbar spinal fusion surgery, according to Healthcare Bluebook, a patient resource for finding affordable care.

The first patient to have an endoscopic lumbar fusion with robot-assisted technology in California is going well six months after the procedure, San Ramon (Calif.) Regional Medical Center said Feb. 17.

Milwaukee-based Scoliosis Research Society received a $3 million gift from a late Delaware woman who had the disease, Milwaukee Business News reported Feb. 18.

As of September/October 2021, half of hospitals that offered lumbar spine MRIs were compliant with a CMS mandate to publish their prices online, researchers with the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute found.

Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, are the most expensive cities in the U.S. to undergo total disc replacement surgery, according to Healthcare Bluebook, which helps patients shop for affordable care in their area.