With a report from WHO on the growing number of cases of spinal injuries worldwide, we are now in dire need of technologies that can help us reduce these numbers. As per a report, around 250 000 to 500 000 people suffer from Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) worldwide.
The injury does not only traumatize the person physically but more than 80% of people fall into depression after injury. Mortality risks are the highest in the first year of the SCI, thus we need to focus more on the initial days of the injury.
There are various factors associated with the rising cause of SCI. The number of trauma caused by road traffic accidents is the highest while incidents due to any disease are the least. Other reasons include acts of violence and sports-related injuries. Falling is one of the major reasons for trauma, however, no such reports have been clinically proven to reduce it.
As per the data available, we can say that around 296 000 Americans are living with SCI and there are around 17900 new cases annually in America itself. On average 79% of all the cases are male, due to the factor of them taking more risk-associated jobs.
A spinal injury can be ranging from person to person no set of solutions can be the same for everyone. Some of the latest treatments available are Cervical artificial disk replacement, Spinal Fusion, Minimally invasive sacroiliac joint fusion, and Vertebral augmentation. Of all the mentioned treatments Spinal fusion is something that is used by many surgeons across the globe.
Switzerland-based Med-Tech, Neomedical has achieved a new feat in developing a technology that not only reduces the cost but also the time to perform a surgery. The key requirement of surgery is the implants and tools to carry it out. The process requires placing an alignment rod attached to the spine so that a perfect gap is maintained to relax the spinal cord from the pressure created due to dislocation of the spine.
There are approximately more than 400 different types of implants needed to carry out Spinal Fusion Surgery. With its research team, Neomedical has narrowed it down to 26. Making it easier for the surgeon to go through the selection process of implants. Another set of challenge is the selection of the right tools to conduct the surgery. At present, there are at least four different trays of equipment present in the operation theatre. Neomedical has designed a set of tools that can be universally used with all its implants removing the hassle to select them during an ongoing process.
This has led to a reduction in 29 % of operating time, 3-4% less chance of implant failure, and the infection risk is below 2%. Another Switzerland-based investment firm Boundary Holding, led by Rajat Khare, who deeply believes in promoting AI for a much-needed 4th Industrial Revolution has invested in their idea. ADVISE is an AI-based application developed by Neomedical that can easily be used on an Apple iPad or iPhone to check the alignment of the implants, designed by them, during surgery. This quick feedback and response are critical for the surgeon performing the surgery.
All these surgeries need a lot of research based on the patient and their condition at the time. However, no one can guarantee that everything that goes through the paper will be the same in the operation theatre. This is the reason why more surgeons and hospitals across the globe are using AI-based applications for various needs.
Organizations like Neomedical and Boundary Holding have continuously been developing new technologies and investing in them. The market has been constantly growing. World Health Organization in one of its reports has mentioned that it wants to make Spinal Injury treatment more affordable and accessible for all. Research has found that in the top EU5 is Germany with the largest market size of USD 125.04 million and Spain with the smallest with USD 62.42 million market size.
