diamond blades, disposables are going to be a much better option
for you," says Dr. Newsom. Conversely, if you're doing 5,000 cases
per year and your surgeons excel at maintaining diamond blades,
disposables are the costlier option.
Safety first
Paramount to any decision a facility makes is patient safety. And
this is an area in which disposables hold a clear advantage.
Without the need to adequately reprocess your instrumentation,
you lower the risk of infection and/or post-operative inflammatory
problems such as toxic anterior segment syndrome (TASS).
Dr. Bailey says Wills Eye Hospital made the move from multi-
use to disposable cannulas about five years. ago. Multi-use cannu-
las can, over time, rust on the inside and when a surgeon admin-
isters an injection, there's the potential for residual material to
contaminate the eye, says Dr. Bailey. "[Eliminating that risk] is a
clear advantage of disposable cannulas," he adds.
Plus, when you factor in the increased demand for smaller gauge
