The impact of a preloaded intraocular lens delivery system on operating room efficiency in routine cataract surgery

Abstract

PurposeThe aim of this study was to evaluate the operational impact of using preloaded intraocular lens (IOL) delivery systems compared with manually loaded IOL delivery processes during routine cataract surgeries.MethodsTime and motion data, staff and surgery schedules, and cost accounting reports were collected across three sites located in the US, France, and Canada. Time and motion data were collected for manually loaded IOL processes and preloaded IOL delivery systems over four surgery days. Staff and surgery schedules and cost accounting reports were collected during the 2 months prior and after introduction of the preloaded IOL delivery system.ResultsThe study included a total of 154 routine cataract surgeries across all three sites. Of these, 77 surgeries were performed using a preloaded IOL delivery system, and the remaining 77 surgeries were performed using a manual IOL delivery process. Across all three sites, use of the preloaded IOL delivery system significantly decreased mean total case time by 6.2%–12.0% (P<0.001 for data from Canada and the US and P<0.05 for data from France). Use of the preloaded delivery system also decreased surgeon lens time, surgeon delays, and eliminated lens touches during IOL preparation.ConclusionCompared to a manual IOL delivery process, use of a preloaded IOL delivery system for cataract surgery reduced total case time, total surgeon lens time, surgeon delays, and eliminated IOL touches. The time savings provided by the preloaded IOL delivery system provide an opportunity for sites to improve routine cataract surgery throughput without impacting surgeon or staff capacity.

Preloaded vs Manually-Loaded IOL Delivery Systems in Cataract Surgery in a Biggest Ambulatory Surgery Center of Northwestern China: An Efficiency Analysis

“…To provide better operating conditions, the P-IOL delivery systems were developed. The perceived bene ts of P-IOL delivery systems include the elimination of IOL injector loading variability, avoidance of potential IOL loading errors, lower risk for instrument contamination and reduced operation time [10,11,[13][14][15]. In this study, our data showed that in a 1-OR scenario, application of P-IOL system reduced average total case time by 1.3 min (-7.7%) relative to M-IOL system.…”

“…Time and motion data were collected over a total of 12 surgery days as described previously [11]. The time of the procedures was recorded using a stopwatch.…”

“…Furthermore, manually loading of IOL increased the risk of contamination, damage of the IOLs, surgeon's error in holding and folding of IOL. To solve these concerns, preloaded IOLs (P-IOLs) have been developed, which hold potential to reduce IOL loading errors, eliminate additional handling of IOLs and decrease total case time, and improve throughput [10,11].…”

Current Developments in Monofocal Intraocular Lens Technology

“…High refractive indeks, high Abbe value, glistening free and aspheric optical design upgrade the image quality [26][27][28] . Preloaded cartridge is very important factor that reduces peroperative and postoperative complication rates [18] .…”

“…The use of the preloaded cartridge spreads more and more. Preloaded cartridge shortens the duration of surgery, reduces the lens contamination and deformation [18] . It can be expected the use of manual cartridge going to vanish in the coming years.…”