Assessment of arthroscopic shavers: a comparison test of resection performance and quality

BACKGROUND: Arthroscopic shavers play an indispensable role in arthroscopic debridement. They have exquisite structures and similar designs. The purpose of this study was to establish a reproducible testing protocol to compare the resection performance and the quality (tensile strength, torsional strength, and corrosion resistance) of different arthroscopic shavers with comparable designs. We hypothesized that there could be little difference in resection performance and quality between these shavers. METHODS: Incisor Plus Blade (IPB; Smith & Nephew, Andover, MA) and Double Serrated Plus Blade (DSPB; BJKMC, Shanghai, China) were selected for resection performance and quality test. For resection performance testing, the resection torque, which is the minimum torque required to cut off silicone blocks with the same cross-sectional area, was measured to evaluate the resection performance of shaver blades when the other factors remain the same. For quality testing, tensile and torsion tests of the shavers’ joint part were performed, and ultimate failure load and maximum torque were measured and compared. The corrosion resistance of these blades was assessed by the boiling water test based on the ISO13402. RESULTS: No significant difference existed in the resection torque between the shaver blades of IPB and DSPB (P = 0.54). To the failure load of shavers’ joint parts, IPB was significantly higher than DSPB, both in the outer and inner blades (P < 0.0001). The maximum torque of the joint part had no significant difference between IPB and DSPB (for inner blades P = 0.60 and outer blades P = 0.94). The failure load (for both IPB and DSPB P < 0.0001) and maximum torque (for IPB P = 0.0475 and DSPB P = 0.015) of the inner blades were higher than those of the outer blades. No blemishes were observed on the surface of the blades after corrosion resistance tests. CONCLUSIONS: This study provided some new methods to evaluate the resection performance and quality of different shavers. The resection performance, the torsional strength of the joint part, and the corrosion resistance of IPB and DSPB may show comparable properties, whereas the tensile strength of the shavers’ joint part showed some level of difference.