Here are 10 orthopedic and spine surgeons who have completed groundbreaking procedures so far in 2024:
1. Kenneth Blumenfeld, MD, completed San Jose, Calif.-based Good Samaritan Hospital's first procedure using the Excelsius GPS robotic system.
2. Jonathan Lewin, MD, of The Center for Musculoskeletal Disorders in Englewood, N.J., performed the state's first case with the PathKeeper spinal navigation system.
3. Paul Chin, MD, PhD, an orthopedic surgeon at The Woodlands, Texas-based Sterling Ridge Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, became the first in the state to use Medacta's NextAR shoulder augmented reality surgical platform.
4. Raj Sureja, MD, an interventional pain management specialist at Orthopaedic & Spine Center in Newport News, Va., performed the first sacroiliac joint fusion in the Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., region with the PainTEQ LinQ SI Joint Stabilization System.
5. Tyler Noble, DO, performed the first smart knee replacement in the Conway, S.C., region. He used Zimmer Biomet's Persona IQ total knee replacement implant.
6. Cassandra Lee, MD, became one of the first surgeons in the U.S. to use the CartiHeal Agili-C cartilage repair implant.
7. Orthopedic surgeon Ryan Shephard, DO, performed the county's first anterior total hip replacement at Dunkirk, N.Y.-based Brooks Hospital.
8. G. Russell Huffman, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Philadelphia-based Rothman Orthopedic Institute, completed the first reverse total shoulder arthroplasty using the Apple Vision Pro.
9. Michael Gallizzi, MD, completed the first procedure using Globus Medical's Victory lumbar plate system at Vail Valley Hospital Center in Vail, Colo.
10. Brad Sparks, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at the Alaska Fracture & Orthopedic Clinic in Anchorage, became the first surgeon in the state to offer the Jiffy Knee procedure for joint replacements.