List of Most-Implanted Devices in the United States Compiled

A study by 24/7 Wall St. (a financial news and opinion website) analysts reveals that eye and ear devices are the most-implanted products in the United States. Implant frequency was ranked using National Health Survey data, various professional physician services, peer-reviewed journals and U.S. Security and Exchange Commission filings.

Artificial eye lenses for the treatment of cataracts topped the list of the 11 most frequently implanted medical devices, with more than 2.5 million surgeries performed annually at a rate of about $3,200 to $4,500 per eye, depending on the type of lens. Total expenditure was estimated at between $8 billion and $10 billion per year.

The vision-correcting procedure far outnumbered the rest of the devices on the list. Second place went to ear tubes, which are used in 715,000 procedures each year. The report stated that eye and ear device implants have increased at least 40 percent in the last 10 years.

Coronary stents ranked third, with 560,000 implants and a total annual expenditure of $7.5 billion. The stents are followed up by artificial knees, which total 543,000 implants and an annual expenditure of $12 billion. Rounding out the top five are metal screws, pins, plates and rods for traumatic fracture repair, which are used in 453,000 procedures per year and have an annual expenditure of $12 billion.