Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/883254
59 Executive Briefing Sponsored by: How to Save OR Time and Cost Per Case While Performing Successful Spinal Fusions M any surgeons use a high-speed drill for bone removal while performing spinal surgery. However, few are willing to attempt to preserve this autologous bone produced for the use as fusion material. Collecting "bone dust" has proven to be frustrating and time-consuming. Thus, most surgeons discard this extremely valuable autologous bone that could be collected and used for fusion. Instead, expensive allograft and biologics are usually chosen as graft material. The Hensler Bone Press™ (HBP) represents a relatively simple, user friendly device that makes the collection of "bone dust" more feasible and superior to the alternatives. When bone dust is collected with the HBP, the putty-like graft material that is produced has very favorable handling characteristics. Unlike in- line "bone dust" collecting systems, the two-stage HBP allows the case to maintain a constant flow, and remain uninterrupted while harvesting and collecting bone. The first stage harvests/ collects the bone graft and blood during the drilling process. The second stage takes that collection, filters out some of the blood and produces a bone putty. This process is possible through a patented rapid press mechanism, for the use in fusion cases. The 2 stages allow for switching out containers quickly, thus, not hindering the surgeon or slowing down the case. The bone putty from the HBP provides viable autologous bone, that surgeons can immediately incorporate into interbodies (either open or in-situ) and instrumented constructs or to pack facets or as on-lay into the posterolateral gutters to stimulate fusion. Not only does the device save time, but it also has a significant positive financial impact on each case. The HBP will nearly eliminate the need for allograft and/or biologics in cervical, thoracic and lumbar corpectomies, if the vertebral body is drilled down. The savings are 1:1. For every cc of HBP graft harvested and used, that is 1cc LESS of synthetics or biologics. Most one level lumbar posterior decompression and fusions produce anywhere from 10-20 cc graft. Since the reliance on synthetics, allograft and biologics is drastically reduced or eliminated, the savings are then passed on to the hospital, and the patient. In addition to cost savings, fusions using HBP generated bone graft are AUTOGRAFT. Autograft remains the "gold-standard" for fusion, which translates to more successful fusion and recovery. On July 5th, 2017, the company launched the Hensler Bone Collector™. The device procures autologous chips cut by various bone rongeurs, such as the Kerrison™, by improving surgical team safety. Incorporating these clinically proven and viable bone chips to the fusion matrix, additional savings are procured, similar to the HBP. The second function of the HBC is to eliminate the need to clean and clear sharp devices manually. It clears Kerrisons ™, Leksells ™ and pituitaries quickly and safely. Q: How do these devices improve patient care? Dr. Thomas Melin: Dating back to my neurosurgical training, I have considered autograft superior to allograft and certainly synthetics. These two products allow me to maximize the use of available autograft in a very efficient way so my patients get the benefit of the best bone graft material i.e. autograft, with the added benefit of cost reduction. Sean Hensler: Both devices maximize bone that is decompressed or drilled away during standard fusion surgery. Instead of relying on allograft, our devices collect the drilled bone, which can be utilized for the patients benefit. Other bone substitutes may not allow the patient to fuse properly on their own. The University of Alabama at Birmingham underwent clinical analysis to further prove the Autologous graft collected and processed through the HBP, had optimal bone factors and quality to allow the necessary components for bone fusion. These results are outlined below, released in October 2016, by permission from UAB. We've stained each of the specimens for BMP 2 and 7 as well as routine staining. While the amount of bone varies from specimen to specimen, there