Which Phaco Machine?

By | October 11, 2010

Every new surgeon who starts her new practice is faced with this question.

Let us discuss this question from the Indian perspective.

India is a low-income country with a low per capita GDP.

Most patients pay for their health-care from their own pocket in cash.

Most people do not have the coverage of medical insurance.

Insurance Companies often treat claims from small clinics/nursing home with suspicion.

This is a typical question from a surgeon starting her practice in India.

She has a tight budget and has to make several investments, besides the phaco machine.

She could also be a mother or a father with 2 children and aging parents. She most-likely is around 32 years of age.

I am starting a new practice and I am really confused regarding which phaco machine to buy. I am thinking about Alcon Laureate or AMO Compact. Your tips will be valuable for me to finalize my machine. Are is any other good machines which I should look at?

Responses:

No:1

You can also think of Oertli It’s also a good machine- handy and compatible with 1.6mm phaco.

No:2

I would strongly recommend Oertli.

No:3

It is a very tricky decision. First of all understand one thing- that all phaco machines are good. Find out which company has good service backup in your area. Also estimate the number of cases to begin with later after a year or so. High budget machines are good but require a heavy workload to reach breakeven. I will recommend you Alcon Laureate . They have a bundling scheme for beginners. Along with Leica microscope Tomey A scan Alcon IOLs. It is worth considering it.

No:4

Go for Oertli Swisstech (not the basic one) and it is as good as any of the best machines in the market.

No:5

I have followed this discussion thread and would like to chip in my thoughts too.

For a beginning practice “Galaxy” by Appasamy is an excellent machine. It is also upgradable to a posterior segment system.

If one wants a very versatile machine then Oertli has a good model which is only slightly more expensive than the Indian machine. It allows you to do micro co-axial phaco and for an extra charge they will also give you an RF capsulotomy probe.

Running costs with both Appasamy and Oertli machines are negligible, because the tubing’s and bottles are re-usable. Whereas, with machines like the Alcon Laureate there is a daily recurring expenditure because one cassette [and attached tubing] lasts for one surgical session only. So that incurs an expenditure of Rs. 1400 daily whether you have one case that day or more.

No:6

I am using Appa phaco machine since 6 years without any complaints. It is very economical, efficient and easy to maintain. Chaxu machine is also good. We have Indian machines of excellent quality and much cheaper than foreign machines then why dont people recommend them. Appa service is available everywhere promptly and humbly. I strongly suggest that you go for an Indian machine and you will save on cost, maintenance and worries.

Every new surgeon who starts her new practice is faced with this question.
Let us discuss this question from the Indian perspective.
India is a low-income country with a low per capita GDP.
Most patients pay for their health-care from their own pocket in cash.
Most people do not have the coverage of medical insurance.
Insurance Companies often treat claims from small clinics/nursing home with suspicion.
This is a typical question from a surgeon starting her practice in India.
She has a tight budget and has to make several investments, besides the phaco machine.
She could also be a mother or a father with 2 children and aging parents. She most-likely is around 32 years of age.
I am starting a new practice and I am really confused regarding which phaco machine to buy. I am thinking about Alcon Laureate or AMO Compact. Your tips will be valuable for me to finalize my machine. Are is any other good machines which I should look at?
Responses:
No:1
You can also think of Oertli It’s also a good machine- handy and compatible with 1.6mm phaco.
No:2
I would strongly recommend Oertli.
No:3
It is a very tricky decision. First of all understand one thing- that all phaco machines are good. Find out which company has good service backup in your area. Also estimate the number of cases to begin with later after a year or so. High budget machines are good but require a heavy workload to reach breakeven. I will recommend you Alcon Laureate . They have a bundling scheme for beginners. Along with Leica microscope Tomey A scan Alcon IOLs. It is worth considering it.
No:4
Go for Oertli Swisstech (not the basic one) and it is as good as any of the best machines in the market.
No:5
I have followed this discussion thread and would like to chip in my thoughts too.
For a beginning practice “Galaxy” by Appasamy is an excellent machine. It is also upgradable to a posterior segment system.
If one wants a very versatile machine then Oertli has a good model which is only slightly more expensive than the Indian machine. It allows you to do micro co-axial phaco and for an extra charge they will also give you an RF capsulotomy probe.
Running costs with both Appasamy and Oertli machines are negligible, because the tubing’s and bottles are re-usable. Whereas, with machines like the Alcon Laureate there is a daily recurring expenditure because one cassette [and attached tubing] lasts for one surgical session only. So that incurs an expenditure of Rs. 1400 daily whether you have one case that day or more.
No:6
I am using Appa phaco machine since 6 years without any complaints. It is very economical, efficient and easy to maintain. Chaxu machine is also good. We have Indian machines of excellent quality and much cheaper than foreign machines then why dont people recommend them. Appa service is available everywhere promptly and humbly. I strongly suggest that you go for an Indian machine and you will save on cost, maintenance and worries.