The second quarter of 2019 brought incremental improvement over the first. Stryker and Medtronic saw revenue growth in the mid-single digits, Smith Nephew performed at 1.6% and DePuy Synthes and Zimmer Biomet experienced a year-over-year loss. Price pressure was a common theme in the quarter for many companies, as it offset some gains made from increased surgical volumes for the reporting period.
Surgeons were clear: they are interested in leveraging innovations in materials, robotics, AI and wearables for the benefit of their patients and their practices. They will look to the data to measure progress.