Disposable screw kits for spinal fusion surgery may reduce cost, OR time
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Single-use pedicle screw systems may be cost-effective alternatives for spinal fusion surgery compared to conventional systems with re-sterilizable surgical instruments, according to published results.
According to the study, Neo Medical SA’s Neo pedicle screw system (PSS) is a series of high-performance, polymer instruments used for posterior fixation of the non-cervical spine. The disposable instruments are single-use and come pre-sterilized, reducing the need for re-sterilization.
Researchers from the spine center and clinic for neurosurgery at Nordwest-Krankenhaus Sanderbusch in Sande, Germany, compared the PSS with a conventional system and analyzed each method for sterilization factors, perioperative factors, surgical site infection (SSI), logistics and costs, according to the study.
Researchers found benefits associated with the use of the PSS for spinal fusion surgery.
“Re-sterilizable surgical instruments show severe contamination after sterilization and reprocessed pedicle screws foreseen may demonstrate corrosion, contamination, deterioration and damage,” the researchers wrote in the study. “In addition to the reprocessing costs, the re-sterilization of devices causes indirect expenses due to surgery delays, cancellations and infection treatments,” they wrote.
On a per case basis, the PSS saved 1.167 for percutaneous and 983 for open surgeries, an average cost savings amount of 1.415 per case. The use of disposable instruments also saved an average of 21 minutes in OR time, according to the study.
“For the specic setting of spinal fusion surgery, single-use implants and instruments, streamlined instrumentation and optimized operative techniques have the potential to save costs due to signicantly decreased expenses for processing, logistics, decreased rates of contaminated instruments, less OR delays, and potentially lower revision and SSI rates,” the researchers concluded.
Collapse
Read more about
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts