4 stories this morning, for surgeons and the people who support them.
- Surgery Partners amends HealthSpan Partners (Bon Secours Mercy Health) merger to $25.00/share cash (from $23.50) after an unsolicited, non-binding $28.00/share third-party proposal (received Nov 3, updated Nov 8) that the special committee found not superior; 10%/yr ticking fee from March 1, 2027 up to $1.61/share; termination fee raised to ~$149.1M; buyer's antitrust-remedy covenant loses its materiality limit; close still expected Q1 2027. Press reports, citing a person familiar, name UnitedHealth Group as the bidder. Q3: revenue $815.3M (-0.8%), same-facility revenue +6.0%, same-facility cases +0.2%, adjusted EBITDA $132.7M; no further guidance or earnings calls — On Nov 9 Surgery Partners and HealthSpan Partners amended their merger to $25 a share plus a ticking fee after a rival $28 non-binding bid, which the board rejected on timing, regulatory risk and missing protections. Q3 8-K: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001638833/000163883326000089/exhibit991q32026earningsre.htm; 8-K Item 1.01: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1638833/000110465926124236/tm2629312d1_8k.htm; bidder report: https://www.herecolumbia.com/2026/11/10/surgery-partners-rejects-28-bid-sweetened-healthspan/ Source
- Naitive receives FDA 510(k) clearance for OsteoSight Spine, opportunistic low-BMD flagging from routine lumbar spine, thoracic spine and chest X-rays in patients 50 and older; extends the September 2025 OsteoSight Hip clearance (K251408, predicate 16-Bit Inc's Rho, DEN230023; hip sensitivity 0.370 / specificity 0.951 in the 3,082-patient intended-use population); company estimates ~124M such US X-rays a year; no K number in the release — Naitive announced on Nov 12 that OsteoSight Spine is cleared to flag possible low bone density on routine spine and chest films. Second source: https://www.orthoworld.com/naitive-earns-fda-510k-clearance-for-osteosight-spine/ ; hip clearance summary: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf25/K251408.pdf Source
- BMJ multicentre double-blind RCT (5 Chinese hospitals, 2,012 analysed, ages 60-80): withholding the morning-of-surgery ACE inhibitor or ARB (placebo capsule) cut perioperative hypotension from 45.5% to 31.2% (aOR 0.52; ARD -14.4%) and vasopressor use from 41.1% to 28.5%, with no difference in 30-day complications or mortality — Published Nov 11 (doi 10.1136/bmj-2026-101087). Primary outcome MAP <65 mm Hg or >=30% drop requiring treatment; hypotension duration -1.3 minutes; intraoperative fluids and postoperative hypotension did not differ. Source
- J Shoulder Elbow Surg, Kaiser Permanente Shoulder Arthroplasty Registry: 1,415 reverse shoulders for proximal humerus fracture (2011-2024), 450 uncemented vs 965 cemented humeral stems; 5-year crude revision 3.9% vs 3.2%; propensity-weighted all-cause revision HR 1.20 (0.61-2.37), dislocation HR 1.06, infection HR 1.52, none significant — Published online Nov 10 (doi 10.1016/j.jse.2026.11.020). Authors still recommend considering cement case by case for complex fractures and poor bone. Source
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