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Another key benefit of the custom cutting jigs, says Dr. Peters, is that there's
less risk of fat embolism and less blood loss because you don't have to insert
metal rods inside the bones to guide the incisions. This could also shave 10 min-
utes off the procedure time. Plus, because you don't need any instruments for
alignment, you need fewer instruments at surgery. "You have fewer instruments
to turn over and sterilize, which makes for a faster setup and faster surgery,"
says Dr. Peters.
One study reported that overall surgical time was 6.7 minutes shorter with
patient-specific instruments compared with conventional instruments. "If you're
doing 6 [arthroplasties] a day, you can probably do 7 cases a day using these
cutting blocks," says Dr. Peters.
For all of surgical navigation's gee-whiz appeal and the traction it is gaining,
the vital question remains unanswered: Does it improve clinical patient out-
comes or reduce complications? On that, the jury is still out.
OSM
E-mail
doconnor@outpa tientsurg ery.net
.
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