- 86% of surgeons reported an increase in preoperative workload before Total Joint Arthroplasty or TJA (2020 AAHKS surveys)
- There is a huge need for faster, safer, and more accurate preoperative efficiency for elective orthopedic procedures
- Intelligent AI-based preoperative planning solutions can ease the overall preoperative burden for surgeons and their staff
Prepping for surgery starts long before the surgeon scrubs up and walks into the operating room. For medical device companies, the logistics of planning for surgery involves inventory management, communication with the surgeon, and even tracking expenses. This person is responsible for all the instruments and implants in the operating room, and that is not a task to be taken lightly.
SUMMARY POINTS
According to a study by the University of Chicago, patients who undergo THA or TKA surgery longer than 87 minutes are at a higher risk of wound complications. Longer surgical times also increase the risk of sepsis. And a review of over 200,000 TKAs performed in the United States showed that the operative time was strongly related to patient Length of Stay (LOS). LOS is a significant factor affecting patient outcomes. And though rare after total joint surgery in the United States, longer surgical times are associated with sepsis - a severe complication that can elevate a patient’s mortality rate.
Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) are changing the face of orthopedic procedures. THA surgeries in an ASC setting have been successful with low reoperation rates, readmission rates, infection rates, and patient satisfaction scores as high as 99%. For now, slightly more than 500 ASCs in the United States offer total joint replacement surgeries as outpatient procedures. But that number is rapidly increasing.
Enhatch Announces Growth Investment to Make Surgeries Faster, Safer, Smarter
One secret to faster, safer, and more accurate orthopedic surgeries? Extensive preoperative planning for orthopedics. While it’s common for medical device companies, surgeons, and hospitals to utilize pre-op planning software and rely on this process, technology in this space is quickly changing.
According to Peter Verrillo, CEO of Enhatch, being a surgeon is the most incredible job someone can have. Being an orthopedic surgeon has the reputation of being mentally tasking. Additionally, it’s also very physically demanding and often forces surgeons into retirement before they are ready. This is a problem that robotics and artificial intelligence can help solve.
– Can physical cut guides be enough?
- What is surgical navigation?
– What are the drawbacks of computer assisted surgical navigation?
– Are augmented reality navigation systems the best choice?
– Surgical robots have more dexterity
– Robotic surgery uses haptic instruments
– Surgical robots can be expensive to buy and maintain