December - 20208In My OpinionTHE STEALTH DISRUPTER IN ORTHOPAEDICS JOINT REPLACEMENT SURGERY: THE RISE OF THE BIOLOGICSMary I. O'Connor, MD, Professor of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Yale School of MedicineByJoint replacement surgery is a highly effective surgical procedure which restores movement and alleviates pain for hundreds of thousands of Americans each year. I love these operations because my team and I can really make a difference in the lives of our patients. But I predict we will be performing fewer such surgeries in the not too distant future. Why? The biologics are nearly here.Most of my joint replacement colleagues donot embrace the opinions I will express here. They (and many hospital administrators) believe that the current state of 1M+ joint replacement surgeries a year in the United States will continue. After all, the population is aging and thus more arthritic. Moreover, the obesity epidemic has accelerated the
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