Discordance between surgeon opinion and institutional policy on explant handling after hardware removal
Contact us if these videos are not relevant.
Contact us if these videos are not relevant.
View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.Most orthopedic surgeons agree patients should keep removed hardware, but hospital policies vary. Currently, 88% of surgeons favor patient retention, yet only 66% of hospitals permit it.
Area Of Science
- Orthopaedic surgery
- Medical device management
Background
- Hardware removal is a frequent orthopaedic procedure.
- A lack of consensus exists regarding the disposition of explanted hardware.
- Discordance is growing between institutional policies and surgeon/patient preferences.
Purpose Of The Study
- To investigate hardware removal policies across North America.
- To determine surgeons' opinions on returning orthopedic fixation devices to patients.
- To assess if surgeon opinions correlate with demographic factors.
Main Methods
- A voluntary survey was distributed to orthopedic trauma surgeons.
- Survey assessed practice details, hospital policies, and personal opinions on explant management.
- Evaluated policy variations by geographic region and institution type.
Main Results
- 142 surgeons met inclusion criteria.
- 88% of surgeons believe patients should be allowed to keep their hardware.
- 66% of hospitals have policies permitting patients to retain explanted hardware.
- Surgeon opinions did not correlate with years in practice, procedure frequency, or subspecialty.
- Hospital policies showed no correlation with region or institution type.
Conclusions
- A significant majority of orthopedic surgeons (88%) support patients keeping their explanted hardware.
- Hospital policies (66% allow retention) are not standardized across North America.
- There is a clear disconnect between surgeon consensus and current hospital practices regarding explanted hardware disposition.
Contact us if these videos are not relevant.
Contact us if these videos are not relevant.
