The Operating Theatre Journal August 2018 Digital Edition

Why buying the best surgical
instruments can save you money
It might sound counterintuitive: How can an
instrument that costs you several hundred
pounds save you money compared to lower
quality instruments that you can buy for a
fraction of the price?
Below are four clear reasons why:
1. Longevity
High quality surgical instruments are always
manufactured with longevity in mind.
Crafted by experts in instrument design and
metallurgy, they understand how to create
surgical tools that optimise performance and
durability.
For example, top manufacturers will always
choose the highest quality stainless steel
rather than lower grade metal, as this will
significantly enhance instrument longevity.
Many also produce ceramic-coated
instruments, which provide four to five times
higher surface hardness than stainless steel,
reduced abrasiveness and greater resistance
to rust and corrosion.
Some also make instruments in Titanium,
which is another high-performance metal that
is recognised for its superior durability, being
both fracture-proof and non-rusting.
Instruments that are hand-crafted, rather than
made by machine, can also have incredibly
long life-expectancy.
For example, in a study to test whether Stille
hand-crafted surgical scissors really did deliver
on the manufacturer warranty of 30 years, it
was found that 74% of the Stille scissors used
in a busy surgical centre were actually older
than 50 years.(1)
2. Cost-in-Use
Of course, whilst top surgeons and the
sterilization services team might well value
long-lasting surgical instruments, procurement
teams charged with reducing operating room
costs might find it hard to justify larger upfront
costs for buying these products.
This is where a lifetime warranty comparison
can really shine a light on the value of
investing in higher quality instruments. By
simply comparing the length of instrument
warranties and dividing those time periods
either by instrument cost or instrument use,
it can be easily seen that the highest quality
instruments will always be the star performers
when it comes to value for money.
Obviously, high quality instruments with the
longest warranties will prove the most costeffective,
so whichever instrument you are
looking to purchase, make sure to research
the various manufacturer warranties before
buying anything. Whilst some will offer a 30-
year warranty, others may only offer 1 to 5
years.
Alternatively, if your procurement team is
considering single-use disposable instruments,
a cost-in-use comparison with a high quality
reusable instrument will invariably show
the latter to be the most cost-effective
investment.
For example, one study of laparoscopic
instruments showed that “the total cost
for single-use instruments would have been
more than seven times that for reusable
instruments.”(2)
3. Minimal servicing costs
Another cost advantage to purchasing high
quality surgical instruments is that they will
often only need servicing every couple of
years and some brands even offer the first
service free within the initial purchase price.
What’s more, some high-quality instruments
will be designed to allow for the instrument
parts to be dismantled during servicing by
the manufacturer, allowing for thorough
inspection of corrosion at the joints to help
maximise instrument longevity.
Low-quality instruments will not only require
servicing more regularly, causing greater cost
and disruption to instrument availability,
they are also more likely to develop hairline
fractures and corroded surfaces that mean
effective servicing is no longer possible.
4. Less environmental cost
There is also an environmental cost benefit for
choosing long-lasting quality instruments over
cheaper reusables in many cases.
For example, a study that compared mainly
German brand reusable scissors to both
German and Pakistani disposable scissors
revealed that the reusable scissors were
better for the environment. (3)
This is because whilst they take more energy
to come to market, the reusable scissors
are used thousands of times more than the
disposable ones.
In addition, there is less ongoing environmental
impact from servicing high-quality reusable
surgical instruments than low-quality ones,
which will require much more documentation,
packaging, labelling and transportation for
servicing.
Hold out for high quality
As can be seen from the above, it is easy to
justify the greater outlay for purchasing highquality
reusable surgical instruments, even in
the face of significant budgetary pressures.
In fact, the rapidity with which poor quality
instruments degrade means that, even if
you have missed the boat for submitting
instrument requests for this financial year, it
is worth waiting until you have the budget to
buy the best in twelve months’ time.
For more information on sourcing and
maintaining quality surgical instruments visit
www.cairntechnology.com or contact the
Cairn instrument team on 0845 226 0185.
REFERENCES:
(1) Dahl G, Ölveback T, Wiklung L. Quality surgical
instruments best investment. Presented:
SEORNA, Swedish Operating Nurse Association
Conference Meeting, 29-30 November 2012
(2) Gabriel N Schaer, MD, Ossi R Koechli, MD and
Urs Haller, MD. Single-use versus reusable
laparoscopic surgical instruments: A
comparative cost analysis. American Journal of
Obstetrics & Gynecology Volume 173, Issue 6,
Pages 1812-1815, December 1995
(3) http://www.sustainable-manufacturing.com/
files/ 982_JGARG-Review_1-2012_Scissors_
Aug2012_7g0i26.pdf
Article author Michael Ray, Area Account
Manager, Cairn Technology Ltd.
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