Efficiency of venturi vs peristaltic-based phacoemulsification in femtosecond laser cataract surgery

Abstract

Purpose:To compare the efficiency of peristaltic vs venturi vacuum platforms when applied to femtosecond-treated cataract.Setting:Outpatient Eye Center, Mercy Health System, Springfield, Missouri.Design:This is a prospective randomized controlled trial of 111 patients with moderate nuclear sclerosis scheduled for bilateral routine laser cataract surgery (LCS) (ClinicalTrials.gov; NCT03970525).Methods:Patients were randomized to receive surgery in 1 eye with a peristaltic system and the other with a venturi system. The vacuum and phacoemulsification power were the same for both systems. The primary outcomes were phacoemulsification energy (EFX), ultrasound time (UST), phacoemulsification in/out time (PIOT), surgery time (speculum in/out time), and endothelial cell count (ECC).Results:The type of vacuum/phacoemulsification system used during LCS had a significant impact on the 4 procedural outcomes. Specifically, EFX, UST, PIOT, and total microscope time (speculum in/out case time) were lower when the venturi system was used compared with the peristaltic system (t(100) = -4.28, P