Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.
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6 2 • O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • A U G U S T 2 0 2 0 facility money. They can — as long as you properly assess the true cost of wound closure. Factor into your decision-making the time savings that can neu- tralize the difference in upfront costs between most wound closure options and traditional sutures or staples. Mere minutes can determine whether a pro- cedure is profitable for your facility. "You can save around three or four minutes in closure time alone at the end of a case," says Sherwin S.W. Ho, MD, a professor of orthopaedic surgery and rehabilitation medicine and the director of the sports medicine fellowship program at University of Chicago (Ill.) Medicine. "That time really does add up." When it comes to evaluating emerging wound- care devices, weigh your options the same way you would with new drugs — by analyzing randomized, controllable studies on the efficacy of the product as well as whether it's able to save your facility money. Dr. Freed points out the healthcare industry spends hundreds of millions of dollars on wound care each year, and there's a lot of incentive for companies to create the ideal product. That means you should keep a close eye on what's in the pipeline and identify products that show promise. 2. Greater efficiency Alternatives to sutures and staples can also eliminate the need for surgeons to spend valuable OR minutes closing wounds. The technology is simple and intuitive enough that physician assistants, nurse practitioners or perioperative nurs- es can close incisions without a surgeon present, says Dr. Ho. In fact, the majority of surgeons who choose alternative wound closure devices delegate the clo- sure to members of their surgical team, allowing themselves precious extra min- utes to see prepare the next patient for surgery and the potential to add cases that wouldn't be possible if they remained behind to close incisions. This increased case efficiency adds to the appeal of alternative-closure devices. "Find ways to demonstrate to surgeons that new devices yield better results and greater efficiency for your facility," says Dr. Freed. "Greater efficiency translates to money in the bank." 3. Improved safety There's also a very compelling safety reason for expedient wound closure — especially in today's OR environment. It's worth emphasizing the safety benefits of limiting exposure with patients who are potentially carrying the coronavirus. "We're in the middle of a pandemic, and every patient contact is a worrisome event for caregivers who put them- selves at risk," says Dr. Freed. "When it comes to not having a contagion transmission in the OR, CLOSING TIME Suturing takes up valuable minutes that surgeons could spend preparing the next patient for surgery. Newer wound closure products could prove to be more efficient options. Sherwin S.W. Ho, MD