Application should include specialized equipment, instruments, and techniques needed for basic procedures in orthopedic surgery (e.g., total hip replacement):
- Along with the basic equipment used in general surgery, special equipment for orthopedic surgery may include special fracture tables and special positioning devices.
- Depending on the type of surgery, instruments may include those in the basic orthopedic set, along with other instruments, such as specialized retractors, clamps, elevators, a mallet, a power saw and drill, pliers, and a bone hook.
- Preoperative X-rays or MRIs need to be available to the operating room surgeon, and intraoperative X-rays may also be required.
- Perioperative techniques and considerations vary widely among types of orthopedic procedures
- O-arm, specialized imaging equipment in the operating room used during neuro or spine surgery, may be used.
Process/Skill Questions:
- What are the components of the total hip replacement prosthesis? What considerations are associated with selecting and fitting the total hip replacement prosthesis?
- How and when is cement needed in total hip replacement surgery?
- What precautions and considerations are needed when performing orthopedic surgery on a patient with osteoporosis?
- What basic equipment and instruments are needed when performing knee arthroscopy? Carpal tunnel release? Above-the-knee amputation?
- What emerging technologies are associated with the specialty of orthopedic surgery?