the Illinois Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Surgery Center in Morton
Grove. However, surgeons may dislike their lack of surgical and tech-
nical options, and you might still have to have back-up devices on
hand in case the surgeon isn't happy with the options provided, says
Dr. Berend. "While they may become the new standard eventually,
today single-use, patient-specific and robotic-assisted systems are still
relatively new to the market and evidence supporting any advantages
of standard equipment is limited," he says.
While some doctors are embracing these new, technology-driven
knee systems, Dr. Raab notes that a successful outpatient program
takes more than just new instrumentation and implants. "There are
some who believe that things like patient-specific cutting blocks make
a difference, since in some instances it can minimize the necessity of
having other implants or instruments in the room, or possibly help
reduce blood loss," he says. "But, a minimally invasive surgical tech-
nique, good patient selection and education, and multimodal pain
management play a bigger role in your success."
Finding the right fit
Finding the right fit requires close collaboration with your surgeons
and materials manager. Dr. Berend notes that his center has embraced
a system where surgeons use a conventional total knee system but
work collaboratively to "downsize the footprint" of it. "By improving
our workflow and pre-op planning, we're able to trim down the stan-
dard 7 to 9 trays use in total knee replacements to 2 to 3," he says.
Here's how it works: Surgeons send their pre-op surgical plan to the
facility a week ahead of time, and include basic information about the
case and the patient. The materials manager takes this information and
coordinates with the vendor to decide what equipment needs to be in
the trays, and which is optional. Let's say your surgeon informs you that
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