From Hardware Stores to Level 1 Trauma Centers: The Arbutus Medical Story with Lawrence Buchan. What began as an initiative to adapt DeWalt power drills for humanitarian surgical care in Uganda has evolved into a massive efficiency solution for major US hospitals. In this episode, Mike D and Chris sit down with Lawrence Buchan, CEO of Arbutus Medical. Lawrence shares his journey from developing a sterilizable drill cover used in 40 countries to tackling the "scavenger hunt" workflow problem in civilian emergency departments. By streamlining bedside procedures like skeletal traction and fingertip amputations, Arbutus Medical is giving hospitals back their most valuable assets: time and OR resources. Click to learn more about Arbutus Medical or follow them on LinkedIn

The Biomimetic Hematoma may be the key to bone repair hiding in plain sight. For decades, the orthopedic industry has focused on mechanical fixation and synthetic scaffolds that physically resemble bone to treat fractures. But what if we've been approaching the biological healing process entirely backward? In this episode of the MedTech Jam Session, Chris and Mike D sit down with Dr. Vaida Glatt, a tenured professor at UT Health San Antonio and the founder of Vitabone Medical. Dr. Glatt bridges the gap between the lab bench and the operating room, sharing her fascinating research showing that the fate of bone healing may be decided within the first three days of injury.

Is the standard of care for rotator cuff repair leaving patients with weak scar tissue? In this episode of the MedTech Jam Session, Mike D sits down with Brad Pratt (CEO) and Andy Carter (CTO), the co-founders of Tetrous. Brad and Andy share their extensive histories in the orthopedic space and dive deep into how Tetrous is moving beyond traditional tendon repair to actively regenerate the enthesis—the critical bone-to-tendon interface. Tetrous® has flipped the script by developing methods to enhance healing at the tendon-to-bone interface The enthesis is where failures often occur in sports medicine repairs. Tendon reattachment to the bone is a crucial clinical need, especially in larger tears, since failure rates increase linearly with tear size. In this episode, we cover: • The Science of DBF: Why demineralized bone fibers outperform DBM powder and brittle milled fibers. • Clinical Outcomes: Early data showing surgeon retear rates dropping from 20% to 4%, and 85% of patients returning to work/sports at 6 months. • Capital Efficiency: How Tetrous accelerated growth (4.5x last year) by leveraging partnerships with Australian Biotechnologies and outsourcing their back office to Intech. To learn more about Tetrous, visit: Tetrous.com

What do you offer a 45-year-old patient with an irreparable rotator cuff tear who just wants to throw a baseball with their kid? Dr. Sean Churchill and CEO Chance Leonard jam with Chris and Mike D as they discuss the Super Spacer, a revolutionary, bone-conserving implant for this struggling patient population. With retear rates hitting 30-40% within two years following rotator cuff surgery, the current options are bleak. Capitan Orthopedics is filling the gap in rotator cuff repair treatment. By restoring more normal shoulder biomechanics, patients with Super Spacer will have less pain and higher levels of function, and most importantly, they be able to throw batting practice with the kids! To learn more about Super Spacer, visit capitanortho.com

Ortho Robots are everywhere…except in Trauma. That’s about to change! What MAKO did for knee arthroplasty, Mohammad Abedin and the team at Robossis are doing for long bone fractures. In this episode, Mike and Chris are joined by Professor Mohammad Abedin-Nasab, Founder and CEO of Robossis, to discuss why he is building the world's first robot designed specifically for orthopedic trauma. Mohammad explains the engineering breakthrough behind his unique 3-arm parallel robot that will assist surgeons in achieving a perfect reduction and maintain that reduction while placing the fixation and ensure an anatomical alignment. Going to LSI this month? Come by the Robossis booth and see the system in action. To learn more about Robossis, visit them on LinkedIn

What happens when a professional fighter, who is also a startup CEO, is told to put "25% of his body weight" on a recovering limb, but isn't given the tools to measure it? He builds a MedTech company. In this episode, Mike and Chris sit down with Ilya Popov, founder of ComeBack Mobility. Ilya shares his remarkable journey from being a tech CEO to a professional kickboxer in Thailand to solving one of orthopedics' most frustrating challenges: patient weight-bearing compliance. ComeBack Mobility's device attaches to the bottom of any cane or crutch, calculating the exact load a patient is putting on their injured leg and providing real-time feedback. In this episode, we cover The Weight-Bearing Guesswork: Why standard protocols like "toe-touch" or "50% weight-bearing" are historically based on ease of explanation rather than validated clinical trials. The NYU Langone experience: Groundbreaking data showing the ComeBack Mobility device achieved 74% patient step compliance, compared to just 20% in the standard of care group.Expediting Bone Healing: How optimized, iterative loading can accelerate tibial fracture healing to 6-8 weeks instead of the standard 10-11 weeks. To learn more about ComeBack Mobility, visit comebackmobility.com

How do you go from a 4-hour surgery that leaves you frustrated to inventing a new category of orthopedic repair? In this episode, Mike and Chris are joined by Dr. Oke Anakwenze, Duke orthopedic surgeon and founder of SutureTech, to discuss his journey from the operating room to the boardroom. Dr. Anakwenze shares the "first principles" thinking that led him to develop a novel all-suture staple system designed to simplify tendon repair and improve healing. We dive deep into the realities of being a physician-founder—from iterating prototypes at home to navigating FDA clearance on just $2 million in funding. In this episode, we cover: The "Dual Anchor Mattress" System: How SutureTech is creating a new category between anchors and staples. Capital Efficiency: Achieving FDA clearance with a lean $2M budget and the power of "skin in the game." The LMR Strategy: Why a controlled Limited Market Release is critical for gathering high-quality data before a full commercial launch. Advice for Physician-Founders: The difference between a "good idea" and a "valuable idea," and why checking your ego is the first step to success. To learn more about the company and the technology, visit: SUTURETECH.com. Listen to the MedTech Jam Session wherever you listen to podcasts. Powered by ConveyMED.io!

Is the medical device industry finally ready to move past "gimmicks" and return to first principles? In this episode, Mike and Chris sit down with David Jansen, CEO of SAIL Fusion, to discuss why the Sacroiliac (SI) Joint market is heating up and why "proven orthopedic principles" are the new disruption. David shares his journey from engineering student to startup CEO and reveals how SAIL Fusion is using the Venture Studio model (via Core Medical Ventures) to accelerate development while minimizing risk. The trio also tackles the elephant in the room: the growing tension between spine surgeons and interventionalists, and why SAIL Fusion has chosen to side exclusively with the surgeons. In this episode, we cover: The "Bow Tie" Philosophy: Applying AO Foundation principles (rigid fixation, compression) to the SI joint. Market Predictions: Why 2026 is a transition year and 2027 will be the year of execution. The 30% Stat: Why up to 30% of chronic lower back pain is misdiagnosed as lumbar issues. Startup Strategy: How the Venture Studio model helps founders survive the "valley of death." Powered by ConveyMED. Listen in where ever you get your podcasts! To learn more about SAIL Fusion visit SAILspine.com.

Chris & Mike D share their take on the biggest trends of 2025 and what to look for in 2026 in the world of Ortho, Spine, and all things MSK. Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.

Why are we still crossing joints to fix small-bone fractures? On this week’s MedTech Jam Session with Chris & Mike D, CEO Sarah Sachinis explains how Meduloc uses flexible nitinol to deliver intramedullary fixation without traversing the joint. This winning combination features elasticity (micromotion for healing) with distal locking for stability… All while protecting the joint. Genius! Meduloc, A Cor Medical Ventures portfolio company, benefitted greatly from the venture studio model as they shortened time to market and remained incredibly capital efficient. Check out our convo with Sarah on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Powered by ConveyMED. To learn more about Meduloc, click here