Spine Mardi Gras NOLA

On April 26th, 2010 the 6th annual Spine Technology Summit will convene in NOLA. No longer is this meeting a Robin Young production. Back in 2009, Robin partnered with P&M to provide a forum for the rapidly changing spine industry. Yet, for some of the presenters, it may be time to defer to Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr., aka Dr. John the Night Tripper, and start singing the lyrics to his hit single Right Place, Wrong Time. Based on the current agenda, it seems that the majority of the spine cartel has decided to take a pass on this years invitation. Some gnome will be sent to sit in on "some" of these tiresome presentations. If product development is a marathon, some of these companies are now in a sprint. The usual suspects will tout their clinical, financial, or equity position in these products, singing their praises like the lyrics in the Leonard Cohen hit song "Hallelujah."

I heard there was a secret disc, that Andy Greenberg dared to risk, but he can' t really raise the dough now could you, it goes like this the fourth or fifth, the Carlson fall the Krishna lift , the baffled CEO composing Hallelujah, ......... Hallelujah, Hallelujah, ................Hallelujah, Halle....lu....u......jah.

Some oldies but goodies have decided to come back and give it the old school try, attempting to re-establish their technology after some clinical set backs, or, after an inability to raise capital to propel these products to the next stage, the eventually sale of their product to a member of the spine cartel. Besides, some of these investors are still looking to hit the lottery, and you know the expression, "you have to be in it, to win it." Some new companies have surfaced, allowing many to believe that hope does springs eternal for the spine industry. Yes, readers there are some new widgets and gadgets. The most interesting part of the day will be the diagnostic and specialty instrument segment. A must for surgeons that are poor technicians. Spine Guard has a kool product (no need to thank TSB for the plug), boy do we know a few surgeons that could use this product. The most fascinating aspect of the agenda is the categories that have been selected. The collaborators of this event are identifying newer ways to spin these presentations. No longer do we discuss fusion, it is now called advanced fusion, as though they were going to accelerate the natural process of healing because of a new surgical approach or technique. When it comes to hardware the agenda is all over the place.. There are six or seven companies on the agenda that will be updating the market on technology that has been in the works for at least four or five years. Overall, when one looks at the agenda, it seems to have lost some of its luster from previous years. But what can one expect from all the hype. Like a famous surgeon once said, "if we resect the entire tri-complex of the spine, and implant enough of anterior and posterior hardware, maybe, we will alleviate the patient's discomfort, eventually. So you know what Dr; John sang;

Slipping, dodging, sneaking, Creeping hiding out down the street, see my life shaking with every who I meet, Refried confusion is making itself clear, Wonder which way do I go to get on out of here, I was in the right place, but it must've been the wrong time. TSB wants to know what our readers think about the agenda and whether there is anything worthwhile for a potential investor to buy into?