Study shows reduced operating time and cost per case using Neo Medical’s pedicle screw system

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A new study published in Interdisciplinary Neurosurgery shows Neo Medical’s controlled fixation platform saves costs due to significantly decreased expenses for processing, logistics, decreased rates of contaminated instruments, less operating room (O.R) delays, and potentially lower revision and infection rates.

The study has shown that its disruptive controlled fixation sterile packed NEO Pedicle Screw System of implants and instruments reduces operating room time by up to 29% (23 minutes) and cost by €1,415 (US$1660) per treated case on average in short construct surgeries.

In 2011, spinal fusion surgery was the procedure with the highest aggregate hospital costs (US$12,837 million; 7.1%) with mean costs of US$ 27,600 per hospital stay in the USA. A complex set of instruments and various screw options in different dimensions are offered by manufacturers to accomplish this task. Preparing these complex systems prior to and after surgery involves numerous processes that have to be evaluated in terms of time expenditure, logistics, patient safety and total costs. Beyond their clinical outcomes, Neo Medical’s new generation of care implant platforms are expected to improve the efficiency of the entire perioperative process, to minimise risks for users and patients and lead to significant savings in overall operational costs.

According to the publication, the time and cost savings using Neo Medical’s controlled fixation sterile platform in comparison to conventional reusable and re-sterilisable products can be essentially attributed to three factors: 1) sterile packaging of instrumentation and screw kits, 2) universally streamlined instruments and implants, and 3) meticulously optimised operative technique through modular embedded technologies. The study concluded that the reprocessing costs and the re-sterilisation of legacy devices are the main drivers for additional indirect expenses due to surgery delays, cancellations and infection treatments.

From an environmental point of view, a recent study[1] reported a 75% overall benefit for the application of a sterile single-use set with savings ranging from 45% to 85% on energy use, resource consumption, emissions of greenhouse gases and climate change. According to the study results, the main environmental impact for the reusable set is caused during sterilisation with the greatest effect due to energy consumption for washing and steam sterilisation which are totally eliminated by Neo Medical’s technology platform.

Speaking about the results of this study, Vincent Lefauconnier, Neo Medical CEO, said: “Health expenditure has risen steadily and new value-based care technologies focusing on improving clinical outcomes while reducing overall costs to the healthcare system are critical to make sure that patients continue to get the best care moving forward. In this context, this study further exemplifies that Neo Medical solutions are fit for value-based healthcare and will play a critical role in bringing sustainability to spinal surgery by helping improve patient outcomes while optimising processes to reduce cost.”

 

  1. Leiden A, Cerdas F, Noriega D, Beyerlein J,Herrmann C. Life cycle assessment of a dis­posable and reusable surgery instrument set for spinal fusion surgeries. Resources, Conservation & Recycling 156 (2020) 104704. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.104704

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