Medical 3D Printing Cost-Savings in Orthopedic and Maxillofacial Surgery: Cost Analysis of Operating Room Time Saved with 3D Printed Anatomic Models and Surgical Guides

Abstract

Rationale and objective: Three-dimensional (3D) printed anatomic models and surgical guides have been shown to reduce operative time. The purpose of this study was to generate an economic analysis of the cost-saving potential of 3D printed anatomic models and surgical guides in orthopedic and maxillofacial surgical applications.

Materials and methods: A targeted literature search identified operating room cost-per-minute and studies that quantified time saved using 3D printed constructs. Studies that reported operative time differences due to 3D printed anatomic models or surgical guides were reviewed and cataloged. A mean of $62 per operating room minute (range of $22-$133 per minute) was used as the reference standard for operating room time cost. Different financial scenarios were modeled with the provided cost-per-minute of operating room time (using high, mean, and low values) and mean time saved using 3D printed constructs.

Results: Seven studies using 3D printed anatomic models in surgical care demonstrated a mean 62 minutes ($3720/case saved from reduced time) of time saved, and 25 studies of 3D printed surgical guides demonstrated a mean 23 minutes time saved ($1488/case saved from reduced time). An estimated 63 models or guides per year (or 1.2/week) were predicted to be the minimum number to breakeven and account for annual fixed costs.

Conclusion: Based on the literature-based financial analyses, medical 3D printing appears to reduce operating room costs secondary to shortening procedure times. While resource-intensive, 3D printed constructs used in patients' operative care provides considerable downstream value to health systems.

Keywords: 3d printing; Anatomic models; Cost-savings; Personalized medicine; Radiology; Surgical guides; Three-dimensional printing.

Copyright © 2019 The Association of University Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Figures

Figure 1.

Cost-savings from operative room time saved plotted for the individual studies defined in Table 4, including 3D printed anatomic models (a) and surgical guides (b) used in patients’ operative care compared to a control group. The $22, $62, and $133 USD/minute are collective data from the reference study reporting range of operating room time/minute in the United States (14). Note that standard deviation is not presented via error bars due to scale and overlap of the data points.

Figure 2.

Breakeven point of 3D printed anatomic models and surgical guides. The breakeven point for 3D printed constructs used in patient care at an operating room cost at $62/minute is 63 models or guides/year (1.2 models or guides/week). Breakeven point was calculated by the following formula = fixed costs / (cost-savings from 3D printed constructs per case – variable costs of the models or guides. The fixed and variable cost data is presented in Table 3.