What is the cost burden of surgical implant waste? An analysis of surgical implant waste in an orthopedics and trauma surgery department of a French university hospital in 2016.

Background: During an orthopedic or trauma surgery procedure, when an implantable medical device is unpackaged, not implanted and cannot be resterilized, it is considered "waste". The cost burden falls on the hospital. The French Social Security Code provides for add-on reimbursement for certain expensive or very specialized devices (supplementary list of costly implants).