Surgical efficiency of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in outpatient surgical center versus hospital operating room

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructions are complex orthopedic procedures in which a proficient team is of vital importance. Outpatient surgical centers (OSCs) often provide orthopedic-specific teams; however, hospital operating rooms (ORs) commonly rotate staff. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficiency of pediatric ACL reconstructions between a surgical center and a hospital OR owned and directed by a single institution. Cases examined involved pediatric patients, aged 12 to 18 years (mean age, 15.9±1.5 years), who underwent ACL reconstructions by a single orthopedic surgeon from 2009 to 2014. Procedural efficiency was defined as shorter total OR time, less total staff, and fewer support staff changes. Total OR time was also broken into 3 distinct time periods: in-room to incision time, total procedure time, and stop time to out-of-room time. A total of 49 ACL reconstructions were performed in healthy athletes, with 28 surgeries at the OSC (mean age, 15.7±1.3 years) and 21 surgeries in the hospital OR (mean age, 16.1±1.8 years). Overall efficiency was higher at the OSC, with total OR time improved by 30 minutes on average (P=.0001) with less total staff (P=.0002). Surgical technician and nursing changes occurred 6 and 2.5 times more often in the hospital OR, respectively. Procedural efficiency was greater at the OSC. The provision of consistent and experienced orthopedic-specific teams allows for improvement in OR efficiency, cost, and value.