Grant Garrigues, MD, is a shoulder surgeon with Chicago-based Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush.
Before joining MOR, Dr. Garrigues was the section head for shoulder reconstruction, co-director of upper extremity trauma surgery and co-director of Duke Sports Medicine and Shoulder Surgery Fellowship at Duke University in Durham, N.C. His practice focuses on minimally invasive treatment for shoulder and elbow conditions. He is co-team physician for the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Bulls.
Here, Dr. Garrigues discusses the big challenges for orthopedics and new innovations for 2019.
Question: What are the top challenges you're facing heading into 2019?
Dr. Grant Garrigues: The treatment of massive rotator cuff tears has seen huge progress with the superior capsular reconstruction, technique breakthroughs in tendon transfers, and the promise of biologics. The ideal indications and patient selection criteria for each of these techniques is something that needs to be studied to determine best practices and optimal treatment.
The second challenge in the field of shoulder surgery is the management of severe shoulder arthritis in the patient who is young and active. The results of new glenoid fixation strategies, augmented glenoids, and pyrolytic carbon hemiarthroplasty will be interesting to watch this year.
Q: What is your best opportunity for growth?
GG: In the realm of rotator cuff, I would watch for rotator cuff and superior capsular reconstruction allograft, xenograft and even synthetic patches. As always, biologics will continue to be a growth area and if the clinical results start matching the promise, they will take fire.
In the realm of shoulder arthroplasty there continues to be significant innovation. Exciting growth ideas currently are stemless humeral components, "platform" systems and alternate glenoid fixation constructs (inlay, minimal cement components and eventually metal-backed and convertible glenoid implants).
To participate in future Becker's Q&As, contact Laura Dyrda at ldyrda@beckershealthcare.com.
For a deeper dive into the future of orthopedics, attend the Becker's 17th Annual Future of Spine + Spine, Orthopedic & Pain Management-Driven ASC in Chicago, June 13-5, 2019. Click here to learn more and register.