Orthopedic power tools: equipping trauma and joint-replacement ORs

The main groups of orthopaedic power tools

A typical set covers four jobs. Drills create holes for screws, pins and tunnels. Reamers prepare the medullary canal or acetabulum. Saws, mostly oscillating or sagittal, make precise bone cuts. Wire and pin drivers place Kirschner wires and Steinmann pins. Some systems add burrs for shaping and decortication.

Each group makes different demands: drills need controlled speed and torque, reamers need robust torque and a secure coupling, saws need accurate blade motion. For a closer look at individual tool types read about the surgical drill and surgical oscillating saw.

Motor systems, battery platforms and modularity

There are two main architectures. A motor-system design uses a control unit with a foot switch and motors that accept different handpieces, while a battery platform puts the motor and cells into a self-contained handpiece. Motor systems are flexible and light in the hand; battery platforms avoid cables in the sterile field.

NOUVAG's HighSurg 30 is a control unit with a dual-motor principle: up to two electronic motors can be connected and used with the handpiece the procedure requires, at speeds of up to 80,000 rpm and torque of 7.5 Ncm. TCM 3000 BL is a compact control unit that covers drilling, sawing and grinding at 500 to 40,000 rpm. Our article on surgical motor systems explains how these systems are organised.

Parameters that matter when comparing systems

Compare speed range, torque, weight and balance of the handpiece, noise, cooling and irrigation options, and the quality of the foot control. High speed is useful for fine burring, but large reaming and sawing depend more on torque and a rigid coupling. Check which handpieces and attachments fit the motor and whether future needs, such as an additional saw, are covered.

For a battery platform, ask about battery capacity, charge time, sterile battery handling and battery life cycle. See cordless versus corded surgical tools. Also verify standards, including IEC 60601-1 compliance for the electrical equipment, and the status of device registration in the UAE.

• Speed and torque range
• Handpieces and attachments available
• Weight, balance, noise
• Cooling and irrigation
• Foot switch or hand control
• Battery or cable operation

Instruments that complete the orthopaedic set

Power tools never work alone. A full orthopaedic set also needs manual instruments for osteotomy, bone holding and soft-tissue handling. REDA's orthopaedic range includes Lambotte, Smith-Petersen and Hibbs osteotomes, chisels and gouges, Bruns and Volkmann bone curettes, Luer and Stille bone rongeurs, Hohmann bone levers, Cobb elevators, drill bits, medullary reamers, mallets and Kirschner wire instruments.

Matching power tools with manual instruments from one supplier simplifies tendering and training. View REDA orthopaedic instruments to see the range.

Reprocessing, service and supplier support

Orthopaedic handpieces face heavy bone and blood contamination, so the instructions for use for cleaning, lubrication and sterilisation must be clear. Our guide to reprocessing surgical power tools outlines the workflow. Ask also about preventive maintenance, loan units and spare parts, and see repair and maintenance.

Beckfinity distributes NOUVAG and REDA in the UAE. Tell us your procedures and OR layout, and we will suggest a system and arrange a demonstration; contact our team.