Dr. Clint Devin, a spine surgeon at Steamboat Orthopaedic and Spine Institute (SOSI), died in a small plane crash on Friday, December 10, 2021.
Spine Surgeon Clint Devin Dies in Small Plane Crash
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Remembrances#clintdevin#smallplanecrash#steamboatorthopaedic
His plane crashed at the top of Emerald Mountain in northern Colorado while flying into Steamboat from Cody, Wyoming, according to CBS’ Denver affiliate. He was the only one on board at the time. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
Devin, 46 years old, is remembered by his colleagues for his dedication to his patients’ healing. Steamboat Orthopaedic and Spine Institute released a statement on Facebook:
“Our community has lost a brilliant spine surgeon who helped many to move forward in their journey towards healing. As a father and husband, Clint was dedicated to his family and was thrilled to move them to Steamboat to be a part of our active, caring community. As a partner, Dr. Devin was a driver in the creation of the new SOSI practice and the Steamboat Surgical Center. Clint Devin, with his intellect and genuine smile will truly be missed by all of us.”
Prior to moving to Steamboat, Colorado, he was the head of spine trauma at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and an adjunct associate professor of orthopedic surgery and neurosurgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
He performed more than 5,500 spine surgeries of all levels of complexity over his surgical career. His philosophy was to provide the least invasive treatment possible that would still allow patients to return to doing what they loved.
“It’s a dramatic impact that you can have on patients’ lives—to see someone whose balance and coordination is off and then get them walking, or someone with awful pain from disc herniation and being able to address that,” he said in a interview.
Dr. Devin received his medical degree at Vanderbilt University and completed his orthopedic residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. He also completed a complex spinal-reconstruction fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
He is survived by his wife Jessica Devin, M.D. and their two young sons.
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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