AN ORTHOPOD'S PLAYGROUND Christopher Bensen, MD, toured the AAOS exhibit hall floor and found plenty of cool new gadgets designed to make orthopedic surgery safer and more efficient.At this year's American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons conference in sunny Orlando, Fla., I saw several devices designed to make your surgeons and staffers' lives easier. An orthopod's goal is always efficiency, and many of the latest innovations help you achieve that standard. Here are a few of the coolest gadgets that your docs will be buzzing about.
Medacta
GMK Efficiency Single-Use Knee System
As more outpatient facilities look to add total knee replacements to their caseload, a problem often arises: Reprocessing the procedure's big, heavy instrument trays can be too tough for smaller centers with limited sterile processing capabilities. To solve that problem, Medacta has created a single-use knee system.
The GMK Efficiency system replaces the average 6 to 9 trays required for total knee replacements with a single set of tools made from medical-grade composite technopolymers. The tray arrives sterilized and ready to go, reducing the risk of cross-contamination associated with reusable instruments. It also could make set-up time quicker and easier on your OR staff — the instruments are considerably lighter than standard metal trays.
The system does cost more than reusable instruments, but a company rep says that it ends up being cost-effective since you're eliminating costs both associated with reprocessing and delayed or cancelled cases caused by reprocessing problems. And while the whole system is disposable, it's also certified carbon-neutral for those looking to stay green. Experienced surgeons may not like the plastic feeling of the instruments, but it's a great idea for those with lower volumes of knee cases or surgery centers just starting out with total joints.
