2 ms·
I'm not so sure about that. I would expect that the actual hardware represents only a small portion of the total cost of getting a knee replacement. I wouldn't
by mumblemumble 7y ago
I'm not so sure about that. I would expect that the actual hardware represents only a small portion of the total cost of getting a knee replacement. I wouldn't be surprised if the cost savings of going with used hardware doesn't really justify the shorter expected lifespan of the prosthesis.
Also, the wide variation in the price of a knee replacement, even within a single market, suggests that using used hardware is probably not the low-hanging fruit when it comes to reducing the cost. e.g., https://www.bcbs.com/news/press-releases/blue-cross-blue-shield-association-study-reveals-extreme-cost-variations-knee https://www.bcbs.com/news/press-releases/blue-cross-blue-shi...
- sonofgod 7y agoThe big thing to add to the cost of having a human-sourced knee is being on immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of your life, which is a significant health risk (but significantly less than, say, not having a functional critical organ). There are processes to clean some transplants, but I'm not certain they work on anything other than the simplest of structures (e.g. pig heart valves) Corneas are the exception: they don't provoke an immune response.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]