ABSTRACT
Implant related errors and wasted arthroplasty implants represent a significant problem in the healthcare system. Studies estimate that an implant is wasted in two to five percent of total joint replacement procedures. After the introduction of a standardized time-out procedure, our institution still had a wasted implant in one out of every 20 arthroplasty surgeries. We then implemented a computer based, e.Label and compatibility system which standardized the implant labeling, confirmed correct size and side, and ensured compatibility within implant systems. Use of this system decreased wasted implants from 5.7% to 0.8% of total knee arthroplasty cases. This translated to an annualized cost savings of over $75,000 over our study period which could extrapolate to over $82 million per year in savings to the US healthcare system.
Subject(s)
Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee/adverse effects , Hospital Information Systems , Knee Prosthesis/adverse effects , Knee Prosthesis/statistics & numerical data , Medical Errors/prevention & control , Product Labeling , Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee/statistics & numerical data , Cost Control , Costs and Cost Analysis , Decision Making, Computer-Assisted , Efficiency, Organizational/economics , Humans , Knee Prosthesis/economics , Product Labeling/economics , Product Labeling/methods , Prosthesis DesignABSTRACT
We compared the incorporation of bone allografts with or without vancomycin in tibial defects of 18 pigs. High-quality radiographs, histological examination, immunological expression of metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) and transforming growth factor-beta 2 (TGFbeta2) indicated that there was no significant difference in bone allograft incorporation between up to 220 times the MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) in bone allografts with 1 g of vancomycin in each 300 g of allograft or without this supplement.
