Corporate Spine Book

A SPINE SURGEON'S REMARKABLE TESTAMENT

METICULOUSLY RESEARCHED AND HARD-HITTING

Each year, an estimated half-million people will undergo spinal fusion surgery in the US alone. In most cases, surgeons will implant rods and screws into a patient’s fused vertebrae as part of the procedure. There’s just one (enormous) problem: according to the published medical literature, the screws provide little to no benefit for patients. They do, however, provide billions in profit for a handful of medical device companies.

In this meticulously researched and hard-hitting exposé, veteran California spine surgeon Ardavan Aslie, MD, sounds the alarm on this all-too-common but unproven standard of care. Despite overwhelming evidence that pedicle screws often do more harm than good, device manufacturers continue to push profits over patients. The failure of spine surgery to develop and utilize more effective surgical options has, sadly, led it into a dead end.

THE UNTOLD TRUTH: HOW PROFIT-DRIVEN MEDICINE CORRUPTED SPINE SURGERY

Dr. Ardavan Aslie, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with over 20 years of experience, exposes the dark underbelly of the spinal surgery industry in his groundbreaking book, "Corporate Spine."

Through meticulous research and insider knowledge, Dr. Aslie unveils a shocking reality: the widespread use of pedicle screw fixation in spinal fusion surgeries, a procedure performed on hundreds of thousands of patients each year, is driven more by financial incentives than sound medical evidence.

Multiple studies have questioned the efficacy and safety of this hardware-intensive approach, but the orthopedic establishment has consistently ignored them, prioritizing profits over patient well-being.

"Corporate Spine" fearlessly confronts the conflicts of interest that have allowed this unethical practice to thrive, from the influential device manufacturers who stand to gain billions to the surgeons tempted by lucrative "consulting contracts."

A SURGEON'S COURAGEOUS STAND AGAINST MEDTECH'S DEVICE TITANS

In a world where speaking truth to power often comes at a steep personal cost, Dr. Ardavan Aslie stands as a beacon of integrity. As the only orthopedic surgeon in the United States willing to publicly challenge the status quo, Dr. Aslie has risked his livelihood and faced fierce backlash from the medical community.

"Corporate Spine" chronicles his journey from successful surgeon to reluctant whistleblower, driven by a moral imperative to expose the systemic corruption he witnessed firsthand.

Despite the attempts to silence him, including an attempt to revoke his 20-year board certification, Dr. Aslie refuses to be intimidated into submission. His book is a testament to the power of one person's courage and conviction in the face of overwhelming adversity.

By shining a light on the dark corners of the orthopedic industry, Dr. Aslie hopes to inspire others to stand up for what is right and fight for a future where patient care is guided by evidence, not profits.

"I strongly recommend anyone who is experiencing spinal pain to read this book."

"Altogether, the iconoclastic book is a must-read for anyone who is interested in educating themselves about the important topic of spine injury and about potential conflicts of interest in its treatment."

"Dr. Aslie’s narrative is compelling, making complex medical, ethical, and regulatory topics accessible and engaging."

"5 out of 5 stars - A must-read if you are contemplating spine surgery"

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Dr. Ardavan Aslie is a board-certified Harvard University Fellow Spine Surgeon who received his undergraduate education at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Aslie received a bachelor’s degree in physiology and another bachelor’s degree in genetics. Dr. Aslie maintained a grade point average of 3.9 and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. He attended medical school at New York Medical College where he continued excellent academic performance. At the end of the academic portion of medical school, which is the first two years, Dr. Aslie was ranked number one in his class. Dr. Aslie continued his excellent performance throughout his clinical years and obtained honors in all his major clinical rotations.

Dr. Aslie completed his residency at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York City under the supervision of internationally known scoliosis surgeon Dr. Thomas Haher. Dr. Aslie went on to receive his spine surgery fellowship training at Harvard University, where he trained under the supervision of the world-renowned forefather of spine surgery, Dr. Augustus White. After graduation, Dr. Aslie has remained active in continuing education and regularly contributes as a guest speaker at conferences. In addition, Dr. Aslie has been quite active in research and development and holds multiple patents on a revolutionary new device and techniques for the fixation of the osteoporotic and aging spine.

During his first three years of practice, Dr. Aslie became aware of a significant challenge confronting patients who underwent spinal surgery. He realized that the only device available for fixation of multiple vertebrae was a large screw which was placed inside each individual bone and required the vertebrae to be connected by a metal rod. As people who underwent this operation age, the cancellous bone inside the vertebrae becomes increasingly weak. In an unacceptably high number of instances, the screw would lose its grip causing older patients to require multiple surgeries.

Solving this problem became Dr. Aslie’s main priority, and finally, after years of research and study, Dr. Aslie developed the laminar plating system. This device takes advantage of outside bone known as “cortical bone,” which is not affected by aging as much as the cancellous bone inside the vertebrae. Dr. Aslie’s laminar plating system is secured against the vertebrae using composite straps that wrap around the bone instead of penetrating it, and the device eliminates the pressure points created by metal devices. Lastly, one final aspect that makes Dr. Aslie’s device so effective is that its special composite straps are stronger than steel straps of the same size.

Six crucial steps needed to be taken to develop this device. Attacking this problem with the mentality that failure was not an option, Dr. Aslie was able to take each of these crucial steps and invent the laminar plating system, for which he now holds multiple patents.

This relentless pursuit of perfection makes Dr. Aslie and his practice special to his patients.