The invisible cost of spine surgery

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This advertorial has been sponsored by Aesculap

Spine surgery is changing—the increasing demands on treatment concepts are making hospital processes more complex, and all departments are affected. Hospitals need more than just products—they need sustainable solutions that improve daily work in order to face the challenges of spine surgery. This is where Ennovate® comes in. The innovative Ennovate® PentaCore® screw enables it to be used in all common pathologies and approaches by combining multiple screw attributes in a single versatile design.

The sterile packed implants are complemented by a fully modular instrument platform that enables it to work even in complex spine surgery and simultaneously simplifies processes and provides the potential to standardize workflows in the operating room. Here, surgeons, OR staff and central sterile services department (CSSD) staff talk through their experiences with Ennovate®, and how it has had a positive economic effect on their respective hospitals, while also improving surgical outcomes.

Ennovate® is the epitome of a peerless platform, replete with technological advancements that leverage surgical experience and greatly increase clinical efficiency. One of the most important pillars of this platform is the Ennovate® PentaCore® Screw, a feat of biomechanical engineering. The unique design allows surgeons and clinics to use only one type of screw for all operations without compromising handling or biomechanical performance.

Manuel J de la Torre Gutiérrez (Head of Neurosurgical Services, Ruber Hospital, Madrid, Spain) emphasizes that “the design is exceptional. Ennovate® enables me to treat all different pathologies and indications for surgery, and enables the fulfilment of my needs as a surgeon.” Professor Bronek Boszczyk (Chief physician of the department spinal surgery, Benedictus Hospital, Tutzing, Germany) continues: “Ennovate® provides powerful and important benefits for my patient collective, as well as for my surgical techniques and treatment regimen. The conversion of the polyaxial screw to the monoaxial screw at any point during surgery, with or without a rod and set screw, and reversible at any time point or multiple times during an operation allows for better options.” The resulting possibility to perform a rod-free correction unlocks new dimensions in the treatment of patients. For the first time, surgical steps can be performed according to the needs of the patient, as there are no limitations during the correction by the rod.

This unparalleled invention is complemented by the PentaCore®, an anatomy inspired design feature that makes Ennovate® truly to the most innovative pedicle screw platform. The PentaCore® is designed in such a way that the buzzers of all dedicated technical aspects leverages surgical experiences for the surgeons and leads ultimately to an outstanding bone anchorage.

Thomas Blattert (Chief physician of the department of orthopaedics and traumatology, Specialized Orthopaedic Clinic Schwarzach, Schwarzach, Germany) explains the benefits based on his daily challenges and how PentaCore® supports him in his daily work. “As a surgeon dealing with elderly patients with poor bone quality, you always seek pedicle screws that will give you a good purchase in the bone and optimal stability, both directly after surgery and in the long-run. My experience during surgery and based on the tactile feedback I got in these cases confirmed. I am now very happy with the Ennovate® PentaCore® Screws.” All users, among them also Professor Martin Repko (Head of orthopaedic department and university centre for scoliosis and spinal deformities, University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic), are impressed with the power of the system, citing the great grip and traction as well as capability for highly accurate screw placement.

Christopher Lee (Consultant orthopaedic surgeon, Hull, UK) summarizes the synergies of intraoperative flexibility and exceptional performance: “You have one implant that has many functions, which means you keep less product on your shelf, so that is a benefit for the hospital”.

For over 150 years, Aesculap has aimed to combine high quality with improved efficiency in all of its services and B. Braun’s Aesculap Ennovate® is no exception. The versatile single-source pedicle screw platform not only improves the daily work of surgeons by streamlining workflows, but also benefits the OR staff and CSSD in its intentional simplicity. The result is a reduction in time, costs and resources along all patient-related process steps without compromising quality.

The reduction to one pedicle screw system has been shown to have a significant economic effect on the hospital, reducing costs required training effort for staff, improving process flow and logistics, as well as increasing the expertise of the OR staff.

Christopher Lee, a consultant spinal surgeon from Hull, UK, emphasises how “easy to use” the system is, which he and his colleagues have been using in their hospital for the past year. “My experience [with Ennovate] has been wholly positive so far,” he comments.
There are a number of different systems available on the market from various suppliers, which leads to a big number of tray titles. The number of set titles with Ennovate is clearly structured and reduced, which in turn limits complexity and confusion. “The trays are easy to understand, the implants are well labelled, and so are the instruments. Everything works well together,” says Lee. “I find it a very versatile system that allows me to use it across a range of issues—for fractures, tumours, and degenerative work. The application is broad”, he comments.

Despite the cost-saving benefits of the Ennovate® system, the PolyLock mechanism offers functions not available from other providers in the market. “The PolyLock comes with a tower that sits on top of it,” Lee explains. “Once that is on, you can put that housing for the rod into almost any position you like and lock it down, which means you can get even more of a reduction of a fracture than you might otherwise do with an ordinary pedicle screw,” he adds.


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