Surgeons' Knowledge about the Costs of Orthopaedic Implants

Abstract

Purpose. To investigate consultant surgeons' knowledge about the costs of implants for various joint surgeries. Methods. Questionnaires were distributed to consultant orthopaedic surgeons at 2 hospitals. Respondents were asked to estimate the implant costs of any brand for low-demand and high-demand total hip replacement (THR), total knee replacement (TKR), uni-compartmental knee replacement, arthroscopy shaver blade, total anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) fixation, and meniscal repair. The actual cost of each implant was obtained from the manufacturer. Results. 16 consultant surgeons completed the questionnaires. The respective mean estimated and actual costs for a low-demand THR implant were £1714 (range, £600-3000) and £1448 (range, £985-2335), with an overestimation of 18.4%. The respective costs for a high-demand THR implant were £2172 (range, £600-6000) and £1737 (range, £1192-2335), with an overestimation of 25%. The respective costs for a TKR implant were £1550 (range, £600-6000) and £1316 (range, £995-1535), with an overestimation of 17.8%. The respective costs for a uni-compartmental knee replacement implant were £1040 (range, £600-2000) and £1296 (range, £698-1470), with an

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“…Consistent with previous investigations, even commonly used orthopaedic devices and components fall within a knowledge gap [12][13][14] and, as with our analysis, physicians underestimated the cost of components [12,13].…”

Lifetime cost effectiveness of different brands of prosthesis used for total hip arthroplasty

“…1 Many brands of prosthesis with considerable variation in price are available. 2 However, there is relatively little evidence about their durability and the impact on patients' symptoms, functional status and QoL. 3,4 The studies that are currently available on the cost effectiveness of different brands are outdated, 5,6 which may account for the lack of recommendations of specific brands in the 2014 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance document.…”

The ‘cost’ of sugammadex

“…When I wrote about the 'potential' problem with airway control following administration of sugammadex that occurred in the paper by McGuire and Dalton [3], 'light' anaesthesia had been discussed by the authors themselves [4] and dismissed because they felt that their patients were sufficiently 'deep'. The possible causes of laryngospasm in their study have been raised elsewhere [5] but thankfully, in my personal practice, I have never experienced this scenario.…”

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