Clear communication and precision are essential in breast conservation surgery. Unfortunately, many healthcare teams still face frustrating challenges that lead to unnecessary repeat procedures and stress when communicating specimen orientation between surgery, radiology, and pathology. Even a slight miscommunication between these departments can create big problems.
Pitfalls of Traditional Methods for Breast Specimen Orientation
The traditional ways of marking specimens—dyes, inks, clips, or sutures—are well-known but far from perfect. For example, dyes and inks aren't visible on radiographs, making it tough for surgeons and radiologists to communicate effectively during surgery. Surgical clips can overlap, making image interpretation harder, and sutures can look confusingly similar by the time the specimen gets to radiology and pathology.
The result? Uncertainty about orientation in cases where additional cancerous tissue needs to be removed, increased time a patient may be under anesthesia, or a second surgery. This is stressful for patients, expensive for healthcare providers, and exhausting for everyone involved.
Imagine Specimen Orientation At-A-Glance
MarginMap® specimen orientation charms are a straightforward solution that helps breast conservation surgery teams communicate more accurately and transform their workflow. MarginMap's six distinctly shaped, easy-to-identify charms are sutured directly on the specimen during surgery to clearly communicate specimen orientation at a glance to every member on the team.
A recent white paper showed remarkable improvements at one facility. Before implementing MarginMap, their re-excision rate for breast conservation surgery was 6.2%. After adopting MarginMap, that rate dropped to 3.3%, nearly a 50% improvement. The medical teams involved reported faster, clearer communication and felt more confident during procedures, knowing they had accurate, real-time margin assessments.
Numbers That Tell a Clear Story
Aside from making life easier for medical teams, fewer re-excisions greatly improve patient experiences, sparing them unnecessary stress, potential complications, and additional recovery time.
Financially, MarginMap’s impact is significant, too. The white paper noted that each re-excision typically costs around $7,500. This hospital saved roughly $27,357/year by cutting re-excisions in half, even after accounting for MarginMap’s cost.
MarginMap is an essential tool for hospitals committed to better efficiency, accuracy, and patient care. Enhancing communication regarding specimen orientation can help reduce questions and uncertainty, leading to reduced re-excision rates for better patient outcomes and more efficient care.
To learn more about a trial evaluation of MarginMap in your facility, contact Beekley Medical at 1.800.233.5539 or email info@beekley.com.
Megan Sargalski
Marketing Communications Specialist
