Medical Innovation

New York City – September 24, 2026 -- NYU Langone Health has recruited three senior orthopedic surgeons -- Dr. Sabrina M. Strickland, Dr. F. Winston Gwathmey, and Dr. Andreas H. Gomoll -- to lead new specialty centers within its orthopedics division, currently ranked No. 2 nationally by U.S. News & World Report.

NYU Langone builds out joint-preservation leadership with three senior hires

Dr. Strickland arrives from the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, where she practiced for more than two decades, to become the inaugural director of NYU Langone's new Center for Patellofemoral Disorders. Her clinical focus spans knee cartilage repair, patellar stabilization, ACL and meniscus surgery, and joint preservation; she also uses 3D-printed joint models to refine surgical techniques for patients with atypical bone structures, addressing a gap left by biomechanical research that relies primarily on cadaveric 'normal' joints.

Centennial, Colo. – September 23, 2026 -- AlloSource has named three physicians recipients of its 2026 Dr. Steven Gitelis Inspiration Award, recognizing clinical use of donated human tissue in reconstructive, burn and orthopedic care.

Three physicians recognized for advancing tissue-based medicine

Dr. Victor Stams, a plastic surgeon at Carle Foundation Hospital in Champaign, Illinois, was cited for reconstructive surgery leadership using AlloSource's AlloMend® tissue product. Dr. Sigrid Blome-Eberwein, Associate Director of the Regional Burn Center at Lehigh Valley Hospital Network in Allentown, Pennsylvania, was recognized for treating severe burns with split-thickness skin allografts. Dr. Robert Meislin, a hip specialist at NYU Langone Health, was honored for using AlloSource's pre-sutured fascia product, AceConnex®, in orthopedic mobility restoration.

Aurora, Colo. – September 23, 2026 -- Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz report a 100% 24-hour survival rate among 26 Ukrainian military personnel who received drone-delivered freeze-dried plasma at the point of injury, a preliminary finding from an ongoing study testing whether unmanned aircraft can bring blood products to critically injured patients before conventional evacuation reaches them.

Drones carry Octapharma-donated plasma to front-line medics in Ukraine

The freeze-dried plasma, donated by global pharmaceutical company Octapharma, is packaged for transport and flown by drone to medical teams operating near the point of injury. Unlike fresh frozen plasma, which requires freezing and thawing, the freeze-dried version can be stored at room temperature and prepared rapidly for administration, addressing a logistical barrier the FDA has identified for battlefield, remote and disaster settings.

Atlanta and Los Angeles – September 20, 2026 -- StimCardio Medical reported that patients treated with non-invasive median nerve stimulation (MNS) after atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation showed 90.0% freedom from atrial arrhythmias at six months, compared with 80.8% for those receiving sham treatment, though the difference did not reach statistical significance. The randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled NeuroPulse pilot study was presented as late-breaking clinical science at HRX Live 2026 and simultaneously published in the peer-reviewed journal Heart Rhythm.

Post-blanking analysis finds statistically significant drop in arrhythmia events

In a sensitivity analysis conducted after the 60-day blanking period, patients receiving MNS recorded 12 recurrent atrial arrhythmia events versus 28 in the sham group, a statistically significant reduction (p=0.025). No MNS- or device-related serious adverse events were reported across the trial.

Long Beach, Calif. – September 17, 2026 -- The Children's Heart Institute at Miller Children's & Women's Hospital has completed two procedures using the Renata Minima Stent, the first FDA-approved stent system engineered specifically for neonates and infants weighing at least 1.5 kg (3.3 pounds) with pulmonary artery stenosis or coarctation of the aorta.

New stent expands with the patient, reducing repeat surgeries

Aubonne – September 16, 2026 -- Intuitive has secured CE mark approval for its da Vinci SP surgical system to perform transvaginal gynecologic procedures, marking the first such indication for the Single Port platform anywhere in the world.

Approval widens da Vinci SP's European surgical scope beyond five existing categories

The new indication adds to da Vinci SP's current CE-marked applications in Europe, which cover endoscopic abdominopelvic, thoracoscopic, transoral otolaryngology, transanal colorectal, and breast procedures. The system now supports natural orifice surgery across transoral, transanal, and transvaginal routes.

Miami – September 15, 2026 -- Nicklaus Children's Hospital Heart Institute has completed one of the first transcatheter-based Fontan procedures performed in the United States, allowing a 2-year-old patient with double-outlet right ventricle to avoid an additional open-heart surgery. The child, born with a complex congenital heart defect, is recovering at home following the procedure.

Catheter-based technique replaces traditional open-heart surgery for Fontan completion

The care team used a catheter-based approach, guiding specialized equipment through a blood vessel to complete the child's Fontan circulation rather than performing conventional open-heart surgery. The Fontan procedure is typically the final stage in a multi-step surgical series for children born with single-ventricle heart defects, rerouting oxygen-poor blood from the body directly to the lungs without passing through a pumping chamber.