Dural Graft Objection Handling: "Our Surgeons Only Use One Brand"

When a hospital says "our surgeons only use one brand," it is rarely the end of the conversation. The objection usually stands for a specific reason: habit, a contract, a standardization program or a bad experience with a past switch. A distributor should find out which reason applies, then respond with technique-based positioning, supply resilience or a small, well-defined evaluation.

Dural grafts are a category where incumbents are strong. Surgeons trained on a product often stay with it for years, and hospitals that have standardized are reluctant to reopen the decision. This article helps distributors carrying DESU's DURASHEET and DECOLL handle the objection professionally, without pressure and without criticizing anyone else's product.

What does the objection usually mean?

The same sentence can mean very different things. Before responding, find out which one you are facing.

Each meaning calls for a different conversation. Treating them all the same leads to the wrong pitch.

How do you respond to habit and familiarity?

Surgeon habit is the most common and the most legitimate reason. A surgeon who has used one graft for years knows exactly how it behaves, and changing introduces uncertainty. Respect that.

Start by asking about the surgeon's cases rather than the product. Which procedures need a graft most often? How do they close? Is there any situation in which they wish they had something different? Surgeons who say they are completely satisfied will often, after a few questions, mention a case type where the current product is less convenient: a very small spinal defect, an onlay repair with a graft designed for suturing, or a size that is never quite right.

Rather than proposing a replacement, look for a use the current product does not cover well. A department that uses one graft for both sutured and onlay repair may be interested in a product designed specifically for one technique. DESU's DURASHEET is a suturable dural graft matrix usable on both surfaces, while DECOLL is intended for onlay use. Positioning one of them for a specific technique or case type is less threatening than asking a surgeon to abandon a familiar product.

How do you respond to contracts, standardization and bad experiences?

A contract

Contracts are real constraints, and a distributor should respect them. But they are rarely absolute. Many agreements allow for clinical exceptions, secondary suppliers or products in categories not fully covered. They also have renewal dates.

Useful questions include: When does the agreement renew? Does it cover all dural substitutes, or a particular type? Is there a process for clinically justified exceptions? Who in supply chain manages it? The answers tell you whether to pursue an exception now or prepare for the next review.

A standardization program

Standardization programs reduce the number of products a hospital stocks, which saves money and simplifies training. They are not the enemy of a new supplier; they are a process to engage with. Find out what criteria were used, who sits on the committee and when the category will be reviewed again.

A well-documented product from a manufacturer that answers questions directly is in a good position at the next review. Prepare early: documentation, a surgeon champion, a clear rationale for the product's place on the shelf, and an offer of a structured evaluation.

A bad past experience

If the hospital tried a different graft and it went badly, listen carefully. Was it a handling problem, a supply problem, a training gap or something else? Do not dismiss it, and do not promise that your product will be different without evidence.

Often the problem was not the product itself but the way the change was managed: no in-service, the wrong sizes stocked, or a switch imposed without surgeon involvement. Show how a change with DESU products would be handled differently, with surgeon-led evaluation, proper training and a sensible size mix.

Why is a second source worth discussing?

Even satisfied hospitals face supply risk. Any single product can be affected by a shortage, a recall or a logistics problem. A hospital that has evaluated and documented a second dural graft is better placed when that happens.

• A second source protects surgical schedules if the primary product is unavailable.
• An evaluated alternative avoids a rushed, unplanned switch under pressure.
• Having a product for each technique can be framed as a clinical choice, not a duplication.
• A manufacturer with its own production can respond directly to supply questions.

DESU designs and manufactures in its own cleanrooms in Ankara, Türkiye, under an ISO 13485 quality system, with CE-marked products exported to more than 50 countries. That background supports a second-source conversation, without claiming anything about the incumbent.

What should you never do?

• Never criticize the incumbent product or its manufacturer. The surgeon chose it, and criticism reflects on their judgment.
• Never go around supply chain to get a product into the OR.
• Never offer a product for a use the IFU does not support.
• Never push for a decision in one meeting. Dural graft decisions take time.

It is also worth remembering that the person who raises the objection may not be the decision-maker. A buyer may say "one brand only" to end a conversation, while a surgeon in the same hospital would welcome an evaluation. Equally, a surgeon may be open but bound by a supply-chain decision. Map who owns the decision before choosing your response.

Patience is a competitive advantage in this category. A rep who keeps in touch, provides documentation promptly and is ready when the contract or standardization review comes around often wins the account eventually.

Keep the incumbent's strengths in mind

If the current product works well for most cases, say so. Acknowledging the incumbent's strengths makes your proposal more credible, because it shows you are not trying to replace everything. A sentence such as "Your current graft clearly works for your routine cases; we would like to look at the cases where it is less convenient" opens a door that criticism would close.

How do you turn the objection into an evaluation?

The best outcome of an objection conversation is often a small, defined evaluation: one surgeon, one procedure type, a fixed number of cases, with clear criteria and feedback. That respects the existing product while giving the new one a fair chance. Agree in advance what would count as success, so that the result is clear to everyone at the end. Our article on running a dural graft evaluation explains how to structure it.

Talk to a DESU product specialist

If you are meeting "one brand only" objections in your dural graft accounts, DESU's product specialists can help you prepare documentation, evaluation proposals and technique-based positioning for DURASHEET and DECOLL, and discuss your market. Write to sales@desu.tr, use the contact page, or request a quote.