Tech & Innovation in Healthcare

Answer: A study published in the Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicine on Nov. 3, 2022, explored the use of regenerative medicine with rotator cuff surgery.

Mayo Clinic researchers analyzed available data to see if adding bone marrow aspirate concentrate to repaired tissue following a patient’s rotator cuff surgery would improve outcomes and reduce the need for follow-up surgery. The researchers looked at the Mariner data set from the PearlDiver patient records repository, where patients who underwent arthoscopic rotator cuff repair were identified using CPT^® code 29827 (Arthroscopy, shoulder, surgical; with rotator cuff repair). Researchers then created a “matched cohort…consisting of patients who underwent [rotator cuff repair] without biological augmentation in a 5:1 fashion for each biologic separately.”

In the data set, 760 patients underwent rotator cuff repair, and 114 of those received bone marrow aspirate concentrate application at the time of the surgery. When compared to the 3,800 matched control subjects who didn’t receive a biologic application during the surgery, the bone marrow aspirate concentrate recipients were less likely to require a follow-up surgery.

Bone marrow aspirate is fluid collected from the patient’s bone marrow, and it contains stem cells, concentrated growth factors, and other specialized cells. Researchers believed this fluid may help tissue and cartilage regenerate to aid in the recovery process following a rotator cuff repair.

A rotator cuff tear occurs when the tendons separate from the shoulder joint. Arthroscopic shoulder surgery is the primary method for repairing a rotator cuff tear, but patients may require follow-up surgery if the first surgery failed due to the tendon quality and the severity of the tear.