Paragraph Number

280

In certain embodiments, one or more steps in a workflow 1050 may require a high degree of accuracy and/or expertise consequently such steps may be designated and/or reserved for a user 1002 to perform. For example, certain steps may set or define one or more reference features that may be relied upon in other steps. One example of a reference feature may be a specific cut plane/face or a specific longitudinal axis for a bone or a position, location, and/or depth of a guide pin such as a K-wire. Each or any combination of these reference features may serve as markers or guides for other components or steps in a surgical technique and/or in the design and/or fabrication of a patient-specific device. Accordingly, steps that identify, locate, and/or define such reference features may be reserved for a trained operator and/or user 1002 to perform. In certain embodiments, such steps of a workflow 1050 may be referred to as “key steps.” In one embodiment, only the user 1002 may perform key steps. In another embodiment, the patient-specific device design apparatus 450 may perform a key step initially and the outcome of such a step may be checked, verified, confirmed, revised, reworked, and/or, redone based on the user 1002 assessment of the outcome of the performance by the patient-specific device design apparatus 450.

Added by DJM Jan 2024