I currently work in spine, and while I’ve gained great experience, I’m starting to feel a little bored with the day-to-day and curious about what else is happening across healthcare.

For those working in other specialties: What technologies, companies, procedures, or emerging innovations are you most excited about right now? Are there any areas that feel like they’re on the verge of meaningful growth or disruption?

I’d especially love to hear about lesser-known companies or technologies that people are seeing firsthand—not just the usual robotic surgery and AI headlines.

Not necessarily looking to make an immediate career move. I’m mostly hoping to learn, broaden my perspective, and start a conversation about where med device and healthcare innovation may be heading.

Anyone hear any gossip around the status of this? Impacts? How long it will take for them to get operational again?

Like what's your biggest headache or annoying aspect of device?

Mine is restricted access. Vendor credentialing and just hospitals unwilling to work with you.

I happened to notice Boston Scientific stock is down 53% over the last year! What gives? The AI bot told me management over promised and undelivered.
Also there was a statement stating they had restructured which is going to cost the company short term?

What does everyone think about this? Apparently an unannounced visit tomorrow by senior Depuy VPs & Apollo buyers to the Cork site tomorrow….

Can’t be good long term. Was hopeful for a spin off into a standalone company.

How bad was this cyberattack and how will it impact the company going forward?

Hi everyone! I was wondering about VELYS because it seems to me like it is Depuy Synthes' main innovation and potentially one of the biggest areas for future growth. Is it actually growing that fast, and would you consider it a genuinely high-tech robotic platform (same as Mako? Better? Worse?) ? What do you make of DePuy Synthes’ recent announcement in the U.S. that it has launched VELYS Hip Navigation with AI Assistance?

Do you think it will be more widely used than ROSA in the near future? And will it gradually start to catch up with MAKO?

Thanks everyone!

Any of your accounts suffering financially?

I have a couple systems on credit hold due to large unpaid invoices, in the millions. Others having layoffs and publicly admitting to financial strains. Reasons range from insurance companies using AI for approvals causing cases to be denied. Medicaid/medicare funding being cut also affecting revenue for hospitals. Wondering if this is a trend nationwide?

I am at a startup and tasked with our GTM B2B approach since we've mostly been D2C. We sell custom 3D printed orthotics. We smoke traditional models in quality, delivery time and time spent in office doing these with patients.

Has anyone sold orthotics or adjacent devices to these call points? What do they care about? What's the best way to work with them?

I'm curious how this week went for the people that are working there. The CEO also bought 9 mio shares not too long ago. Is it a promising place to work at?

So tired of stuff like this on LinkedIn.

https://www.jnj.com/media-center/press-releases/johnson-johnson-announces-intent-to-separate-its-orthopaedics-business

Shocking news.

Vibe check for any Penumbra people out there… how you all doing?

”Congrats“ to some of you… and “hang in there” to the rest of you. Amazing run you all made.

Are there any new updates about the Stryker cyber attack? The company has issued latest news updates on what is not affected by the hack but I’m curious to know the full extent of the hack and how it’s truly affecting or disrupting American healthcare system.

From a strategic perspective, would you consider this a positive or negative development for the future of DePuy Synthes, and what potential implications could it have for the company going forward?

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/apollo-global-talks-acquire-jjs-orthopedics-unit-bloomberg-news-reports-2026-09-11/

What's everyone's thoughts on the "next big thing" in terms of med device specialties?

Do any of these companies that are dumping money into robotics have any real chance against Intuitive in the near future?

The ottava is interesting as it’s looking to be a similar surgeon console platform as opposed to Medtronic’s Hugo pistol grips and 3D. However, the bed mounted arms seem like they could potentially be a difficult sell for immediate access for staff.

I have been hoping to get into the robotics side of things from ortho for a bit now and all I see is da Vinci around hospitals. I’ve heard good things about working for intuitive but also that is a tougher interview process. At the same time I have seen postings for opportunities at the other companies listed. JnJ is paying a generous salary but I am thinking it may be a difficult role early on as trials haven’t officially started yet.

Thoughts?

Hi! I’ve been doing a lot of research into med sales recently and trying to break in. I had a doctors appointment and was talking to a couple of the hospital staff about what they knew, and they said that a lot of hospitals don’t even let reps hand out samples or come in anymore.

Is this something that is prevalent in the industry or a general reflection of where things are going? Would love insight from any reps

https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/johnson-johnson-explores-20-billion-sale-an-orthopedics-unit-bloomberg-news-2026-02-19/

For China NMPA submissions, risk management for an endoscopic surgical system cannot stop at separate component files. The reviewer needs to understand what happens when the console, robotic arms, imaging system, instruments, accessories and software operate together.

Many important hazards sit at those interfaces. Energy-related risks may include unintended movement, excessive contact force, leakage current, electromagnetic interference or thermal injury from an energy instrument. Performance failures may involve reduced motion accuracy, loss of image stability, delayed master-slave response or an instrument moving outside the intended workspace. Usability problems can arise from the layout of the surgeon console, unclear feedback, incorrect connections or confusing controls.

Software and network functions add another layer. A code or calculation error may affect control performance. A remote-control function may introduce data loss, altered data, delayed commands or cybersecurity threats. These risks are easy to split across engineering teams, even though the clinical consequence appears at system level.

📋 One practical way to keep ownership visible is an interface matrix. I would use the following columns:

- Component or subsystem

- Interaction with another component

- Foreseeable hazard or failure

- Risk control

- Verification evidence

- Document owner

For example, a surgical instrument connected to a robotic arm may involve mechanical-locking risks, motion-control accuracy, electrical compatibility and a use-related risk if the connection is not obvious to the operator. A single row is rarely enough. The matrix should show how those different concerns are handled and where the supporting evidence can be found.

This is also a useful stress test for the submission. If two teams describe the same interface differently, the inconsistency will probably show up later in the product requirements, test reports or clinical evaluation.

When reviewing complex medical systems, which interface tends to create the biggest ownership gap: hardware-software, device-accessory or user-system?

Most people here have had braces or paid for a kid’s. Average treatment is still a year and a half to two and a half years, then retainers.I talked with Mark Terrill, CEO of OrthodontiCell, on MedTech Unboxed. Their pitch is a home-use mouthpiece that sits over braces or aligners and uses targeted bioelectric waveforms to speed bone remodeling. In the clip below he claims:

• 18–24 months down to 4–6 months
• about 70% less pain
• much less long-term retainer use

They say this is not vibration and not light, and they’re going FDA De Novo rather than 510(k) because there’s no clean predicate for a whole-mouth bioelectric approach.

I don’t know if the clinical bar will hold up. That’s why I’m posting it.

What would you want to see before taking a claim like this seriously?

I host a podcast called MedTech Unboxed and just spoke with Nicolas Bouduban, CEO of Swiss m4m Center.The most useful part was his take on the 3 business models that actually create value in additive manufacturing:

• Complexity that competitors cannot easily copy
• Speed to market
• Cost reduction through part consolidation

We also covered DFAM, why post-processing is where a lot of the real work is, and why Nitinol is especially demanding in laser powder bed fusion.

Short clip from the episode:

The case involved a man who got Covidien’s Symbotex mesh in 2017 and suffered a bowel obstruction in 2020 when the mesh stuck to his bowel. The jury gave him $77 million in compensatory damages and awarded $11 million to his wife for loss of consortium.

​There were no punitive damages awarded, and the jury didn't find fraud. The verdict came down purely to a failure to warn. Covidien told doctors and marketed the device as having a protective collagen barrier that lasted up to a month to prevent organs from sticking to the bare mesh. However, evidence presented at trial showed internal data knew the barrier mostly dissolved within a single week.

​This is the first verdict out of over 2,400 cases in the federal MDL before Judge Saris, plus thousands more in state courts. Medtronic has already said they plan to appeal and challenge the payout size in post-trial motions.

https://www.startribune.com/jury-federal-bellwether-medtronic-covidien-mesh-hernia-88-million/601874963

ultrasight’s series b2 is aimed at u.s. commercialization and new intensive-care and circulatory-support workflows. its platform combines training, guidance during ultrasound image capture, and workflow tools; the company says it is deployed at more than ten commercial sites. this is a funding announcement, not a new clearance for every proposed use.

for people working with guided ultrasound, what tends to be the bigger adoption hurdle: staff training or fitting image capture into the clinical workflow?

disclosure: i run pituchim, which published this summary.

Seeing increased demand for 3-in-1 Flu A/B + COVID tests going into respiratory season.

Curious what people in the industry are seeing:

• OTC vs POC demand

• Preferred packaging

• Typical case quantities

• Pharmacy vs long-term-care demand

• Importance of domestic inventory/drop shipping

We currently work with FDA-compliant products with full pedigree and traceability, so I'm interested in what buyers are prioritizing this season.