Surgery is big business, and it’s going to get bigger for years to come. 

There are about 51 million in-patient procedures — those serious enough to require hospital admission — done every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

And while the economy is growing at a low-single-digit rate, revenue for makers of medical equipment, surgical supplies and related products and services is increasing 8% to 10% a year.

As Chief Investment Strategist of Game-Changing Stocks, I can’t ignore a number like that. My job is to research new trends and innovations that I think are going to revolutionize the world.

And companies in the surgical equipment industry are doing just that.

America is beginning to age. Those 65 and over account for just over 14% of the population today, and the group is expected to grow to 21.7% by 2040. 

This is big news for the surgical industry because while some surgical procedures are common among younger people, the majority of them — like joint replacements and bypasses — tend to be more frequent among older Americans. 

As these surgeries begin to become necessary more often, hospitals will have huge incentive to remain on the cutting edge for obvious reasons: most notably they’ll want to offer the best-practice equipment and technology to surgeons and patients alike. And that bodes well for the surgical equipment makers. 

Innovation in the industry is already developing rapidly. Knowledge in the medical field has grown exponentially across various disciplines, and the applied advances have snowballed to the point where a surgeon can describe a procedure that was once a science-fiction dream as “no sweat.” 

It’s not only considered simple, it’s available on short notice and delivered with remarkably precision of efficiency, even at a modest hospital.

I’ve discussed many innovative surgery companies over the years in my premium investment advisory Game-Changing Stocks. For example, I recommended Given Imaging to my readers back in September 2012.

The company caught my eye for its mind-blowing invention: a pill-sized camera that allows your doctor to look at live video inside your digestive tract. Less than two years after I introduced the stock to my readers, Given Imaging was acquired by Covidien Plc (NYSE: COV), earning anyone who followed my recommendation a gain of 117.8%.  

That’s not even the biggest winner I’ve found in the surgical equipment space either. Back in February 2013 I highlighted Mako Surgical, a company specializing in creating nifty robotic arms capable of performing knee resurfacings and implants for knee surgeries.

Because Mako could help perform these surgeries far more precisely than a surgeon can freehand — and required small incisions rather than completely opening up the joint — hospitals increasingly were adopting the Mako system.

The first “MAKOplasty” knee surgery took place until June 2006. Five years later, 8,656 procedures had been successfully carried out and Mako appeared able to sustain that growth for the near-term future.

Sure enough, shares of the stock more than doubled in the ensuing months — and I believe they would’ve headed much higher had industry giant Stryker not announced a deal to acquire the company for $1.65 billion.

When I first wrote to my subscribers about Mako Surgical the stock was trading at $11.43. By the time the acquisition was complete, the stock was up to $29.46 — a gain of over 157%. 

That’s the power of taking a rational approach to finding companies that are going to revolutionize their industry before their stocks have taken off. 

The ordinary media doesn’t cover these under-the-radar opportunities often. They’ll tell you all about a discovery once it comes out — but rarely do they look ahead to see where the next one is coming from.

That’s a shame too, because there is always a new game-changer just waiting around the corner, and getting in on the ground floor is the best way to double your money on these revolutionary opportunities. 

That’s why I’ve been putting together a new report specifically for investors in search of the “Next Big Thing.” My report is called 10 Shockingly Profitable Predictions for 2016, and in it I’ll discuss some of the biggest under-the-radar profit opportunities set to unfold in the coming year. 

That includes another healthcare stock that I think could earn investors triple-digit gains in the 2016.  This little-known firm creates vital medicines that have been treating some of the most dangerous viruses in the world — including the dreaded Ebola virus.

Click here ensure you’re one of the first to receive access to this all new report when it goes live in the coming weeks.