JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Traumatic and degenerative lesions in the cartilage are one of the most difficult and frustrating types of injuries for orthopedic surgeons and patients.

Objective:

This study aims to determine the extent of knowledge and expectations of orthopedic surgeons on the clinical implantation of bioprinted cartilage.

Methods:

The survey, which was anonymous and self-managed, was sent to orthopedic surgeons from the Catalan Society of Orthopedic and Traumatology Surgery. In accordance with the method devised by Eysenbach, the Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys was used to analyze the results. The following were taken into consideration: the type and origin of the information received, its relevance, the level of acceptance of new technologies and how it connects with age, years, and place of experience in the field.

Results:

Regarding the key factors that would constitute the ideal graft: 36/86 believed the age of the patient to be a restriction; 53/86 that the size of the lesion should be between 1 and 2 cm to be considered for this type of technology, and 51/86 that it should last more than 5 years. Considering the link between the importance of clinical trials and the surgeon’s age, it was clear that those over 50 years of age (38/86, 41.8%) thought that clinical evidence was more essential than those from the other age-groups.

Conclusions:

The perspective of orthopedic surgeons depends highly on the information they receive and whether it is specialized and consistent, as this will condition their acceptance of and the implementation of the bioprinted cartilage.