Study of Surgical Costs Associated With Tibiotalar Fusion.

Background: There is growing focus on surgical costs related to common orthopaedic procedures. In this investigation, we studied surgical costs associated with tibiotalar arthrodesis. Methods: Patients were retrospectively identified who had undergone primary fusion of the tibiotalar joint based on Results: Our cohort consisted of 262 patients who underwent primary ankle fusion procedures done by one of 4 fellowship-trained orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeons. There were no differences in demographic data or total operating room (OR) time based on surgical construct (screws-alone n = 228 vs anterior plate-screws n = 34). Total direct costs for anterior plate-screw constructs were 78% higher than screws alone (ratio in cost = 1.78, 95% CI 1.55-2.08, Conclusion: Enhancing cost-effectiveness of orthopaedic care remains an important objective. Our investigation found that anterior plate-screw constructs for tibiotalar arthrodesis have notably higher total costs compared with screw-only constructs. Many variables are considered when selecting surgical constructs for ankle arthrodesis. When clinically appropriate, screw-only ankle arthrodesis constructs could be considered if there is a need to reduce costs. Level of Evidence: Level III, retrospective comparative study.