Lifecycle Cost Analysis Of Disposable Trocar Sets And Department Consumables Management Recommendations

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"The disposable option is more expensive than reusable" is the intuitive judgment of many hospitals when first encountering trocar sets, but introducing a Lifecycle Cost Analysis perspective reveals a different picture.

Explicit Costs:​ The purchase price of a single disposable set ranges from tens to over a hundred yuan (depending on specifications and brand). Consumables for a four-port procedure cost several hundred yuan, which needs to be evaluated for its proportion when included in DRG/DIP bundled payments.

Hidden Savings:

Elimination of reprocessing costs: Reusable trocars require enzymatic detergents, purified water, electricity, labor, and equipment depreciation per case, totaling approximately 15–30 yuan per piece per use. For annual surgical volumes exceeding a thousand cases, this amounts to tens of thousands of yuan.

Release of CSSD capacity: Eliminates the全流程 (full process) of receiving → cleaning → inspection → packaging → sterilization → distribution, shortening turnover time and reducing wait times between back-to-back surgeries.

Reduction in malfunctions and losses: Reusable instrument sealing rings age and tips chip, requiring regular replacement of parts; hidden maintenance costs cannot be ignored.

Reduction in complication costs: More stable pneumoperitoneum and lower puncture injury rates shorten hospital stays and reduce unplanned readmissions, aligning with DRG cost control objectives.

Consumables Management Recommendations:​ Equipment departments can set safety stock based on the department's monthly surgical volume (e.g., 1.2 times the average monthly usage), distinguishing between basic models (5/10/12 mm in various specifications) and special models (extended/large diameter/optical), implementing barcode traceability management. Surgeons are encouraged to apply for standard port numbers-most LC procedures only require 1×12 mm + 2–3×5 mm-to avoid waste caused by over-application. Regularly collect surgeon feedback (seal feel, puncture smoothness, fixation reliability) as scoring weights for the next tender round.

From a health economics perspective, in centers with > 500 laparoscopic surgeries per year, the overall operating expenditure of disposable trocar sets is often lower than the "seemingly cheap" reusable方案 (solution), and comes with附加 (additional) infection control and efficiency dividends, making it a cost-effective consumable worthy of inclusion in the preferred catalog.