Small Business Problem
David Christopher is an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in three types of surgery—hip, knee, and ankle replacements. The surgery mix is 40% hip replacement, 50%
knee replacement, and 10% ankle replacement. Partial bills of materials for each type of surgery are shown in the following information.
Hip Replacement Knee Replacement Ankle Replacement
Surgical kits #203 & #428 Surgical kit #203 Surgical kit #108
Hip Part Pkg #A Knee Part Pkg #V Ankle Part Pkg #P
Patient’s blood type–6 pints Patient’s blood type–4 pints Patient’s blood type–3 pints
Given that Dr. Christopher is scheduled to do five hip replacements, three knee replacements, and one ankle replacement next week, how many surgical kits and part
packages of each type should the hospital have available next week?
How many total pints of blood are needed next week?
Design a “mistake-proof” system to ensure each patient gets correct blood type.
What are the implications of a shortage (stock-out) of a surgical kit or part package discovered several hours before the operation? What if a part package has a
missing part that is not discovered until surgery begins?
