Spine surgeon, Dr. Richard Kube of Prairie Spine discusses emerging technologies and what advancements will provide the most value in the field. In this article, Dr. Kube spoke on what he believes is the next big breakthrough in spine regarding consolidation after the pandemic will be. Read below to find out more.
Ask Spine Surgeons is a weekly series of questions posed to spine surgeons around the country about clinical, business, and policy issues affecting spine care. We invite all spine surgeons and specialist responses.
Question: What innovation do you see making the next big breakthrough?
Richard Kube, MD. Prairie Spine (Peoria, Ill.): One technology I am excited to see is the augmented reality platform for navigation technology introduced by Augmedics. As an almost fully MIS spine surgeon, radiation exposure is a distinct concern over time. While I personally have not had any real issues with implant position, certainly navigation technology can be beneficial in a variety of situations. Having also had a multilevel cervical fusion of my own, having the navigation screens in locations other than in front of me has slowed my implementation of navigation. With the Augmedics headsets, you remain focused upon the patient. That greatly improves ergonometric concerns and maintains focus directly on the surgical field and everything a surgical assist or scrub tech may be doing as well. It is a system-agnostic to the type of implant, so it does not force me to change what I am using to access the navigation platform.
Original article published on beckerspine.com
