The use of individually wrapped presterilized small orthopaedic implants increase operating time: a prospective experimental study.

Objective: There have been concerns about the potential increases in operating time associated with the use of individually wrapped presterilized small orthopaedic implants compared with our traditional method of screw banks. We set out to quantify this theory.

Design: Prospective experimental study.

Setting: Theatre.

Participants: Orthopaedic Surgical Trainees and Theatre Scrub team.

Main Outcome Measure: The time taken to complete the operation.

Results: The use of prepacked and sterilized implants added 2 min 56 s to the use of a bank with a full complement of normal screws that required tapping and 3 min 58 s if self-tapping screws were used (P < 0.001).

Conclusion: Using individually wrapped presterilized small orthopaedic implants increases operating time.