UNHINGED Episode 1, The Silent Killer | Chris Hughes & Eric Stookey of OsteoRemedies

Infection after joint replacement is one of the few problems in orthopedics where the stakes can go from “recover and rehab” to “fight for your life” in a matter of weeks. We sit down with Chris Hughes and Eric Stookey, two longtime orthopedics operators who built OsteoRemedies by doing what most companies would not: going all-in on joint infection (PJI) and infection management while everyone else treated it like a side project.

We talk candidly about the entrepreneurship leap in healthcare and medical devices, including the lonely early days of shipping product, assembling conference booths, and learning that a napkin plan only survives through execution. Chris and Eric break down how they protect culture as they scale, why they “check titles at the door,” and how “micro leadership” means removing obstacles so teams can move fast without getting micromanaged. We also get into the messy truth of innovation: FDA and 510(k) hurdles, changing goalposts, multi-year gaps in launches, and why acquisitions can restore the cadence of innovation when organic pathways slow down.

Then we go straight at the market forces shaping orthopedic infection care right now: antibiotic spacers, local antibiotic delivery beads, debridement tools, wash solutions, and the rising debate over one-stage vs two-stage revision. Their core argument is simple: if the standard of care shifts, a patient-first company cannot cling to a single product category. It has to build an infection management portfolio that follows the clinical need.

If you care about PJI, orthopedic infection prevention, medical device startups, or leadership that holds up under pressure, subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review. What part of the infection story do you think the industry still avoids talking about?