Patient-specific versus conventional instrumentation for total knee arthroplasty: peri-operative and cost differences

The role of patient-specific instrumentation in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is yet to be clearly defined. Current evidence evaluating peri-operative and cost differences against conventional TKA is unclear. We reviewed 356 TKAs between July 2008 and April 2013; 306 TKAs used patient-specific instrumentation while 50 had conventional instrumentation. The patient-specific instrumentation cohort averaged 20.4 min less surgical time (P < 0.01) and had a 42% decrease in operating room turnover time (P = 0.022). At our institution, the money saved through increased operating room efficiency offset the cost of the custom cutting blocks and pre-operative advanced imaging. Routine use of patient-specific TKA can be performed with less surgical time, no increase in peri-operative morbidity, and at no increased cost when compared to conventional TKA.