Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) bone cement is strong in compression, however it tends to fail under torsion. Sufficient pressurisation and subsequent interdigitation between cement and bone are critical for the mechanical interlock of cemented orthopaedic implants, and an irregular surface on the acetabular cup is necessary for reasonable fixation at the cup-cement interface. There is limited literature investigating discrepancies in the failure mechanisms of cemented all-polyethylene acetabular cups with and without cement spacers, under torsional loading.

In vitro experimental comparison of three groups of polyethylene acetabular prosthesis (PAP) cemented into prepared sawbone hemipelvises:

The constructs were tested to torstional failure on a custom designed setup, and statistical analysis done by a one-way ANOVA and Tukey-Welsh test.

Group 3 demonstrated superior torsional resistance with a statistically significant torque of 145Nm (SD±12Nm) at failure, compared to group 2 (109Nm, SD±7Nm) and group 1 (99Nm, SD±8Nm). Group 3 experienced failure predominantly at the bone-cement interface, in contrast, Groups 1 and 2 exhibited failure predominantly at the cup-cement interface. There was no significant difference between Group 1 and 2. Qualitative analysis of the failure mode indicates the efficient redistribution of stress throughout the cement mantle, consistent with the greater uniformity of cement.

PMMA spacers increase the resistance to torsional failure at the implant-cement interface. Acetabular components without spacers (Groups 1 and 2) failed at the implant-cement interface before the cement-bone interface, at a statistically significantly lower level of torque to failure. Although the PMMA spacers may reduce cement interdigitation at the cement-bone interface the torsional forces required to fail are likely supraphysiological.

The postoperative pain after hip arthroscopy remains a major challenge in the immediate postoperative period. Adequate postoperative analgesia has been associated with increased patient satisfaction and decreased consumption of opioids. We evaluated the efficacy of pericapsular nerve group block (PENG) versus fascia iliaca block (FIB) in reducing post-operative pain and analgesic consumption within the first 24 hours following arthroscopic management of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI).

Thirty-nine patients (17 females and 25 males, ages 18–42 years, mean ± SD (27.9 ± 6.2), and mean BMI of 25.13±5.08 kg/m2 were scheduled for primary arthroscopic management of FAI. Included patients were randomized into two groups according to the block used in each. Group (A) 19 patients were included and had FIB and group (B) 20 patients were included and received PENG block. The efficacy of both techniques was clinically and statistically valuated using VAS score and quadriceps muscle power.

There was a statically significance difference in the mean at rest between the two groups at all measured time points following surgery (6, 12, 18 and 24 h). Also, in dynamic pain scores (with hip flexion) scores were statistically significant at 24 hours post-operative (P = .001). Total opioid consumption in the first 24 hours postoperative was lower in the PENG group with significant difference of mean 16.5 ±9.9 mg for PENG group versus 27.5±9.6 mg for FIB group (P < .005). Five patients (26.31%) in FIB group had weaker quadriceps muscle power while none in PENG group patients had quadriceps weakness.

PENG block might be considered as an ideal regional anesthesia modality for hip arthroscopy. As an alternative to more conventional regional nerve blocks such as a fascia iliaca block. PENG block is easily performed in the preoperative setting, and appears to spare motor function while providing a prolonged sensory pain relief.

There is an increasing demand worldwide for total hip arthroplasty in patients over 80 years old. This study is the largest of its kind reporting long term outcomes and clinical survivorship of patients over 80 years old undergoing THR.

13171 patients 80 years or older who underwent THR between 2000 and 2019 were included. Demographic and operative data was collected including age, sex, laterality, date of surgery and operative technique. Presence and date of complications were collected. Data was also collected for the same time period on 80910 patients aged 51–79 years undergoing THR for comparison.

4103 (31.2%) male and 9068 female (68.8%) patients were included in the 80year old cohort. Median age was 83 (IQR 81–83, range 80–98). 32682 (40.4%) male and 48227 (59.6%) females were included in the 50–79year old cohort. Median age was 68 (IQR 62–73, range 50–79).

The 80 cohort was more likely to sustain post operative complications in the 6 months following surgery including DVT (81/13171 vs 364/80910, P<0.05), myocardial infarction (177/13171 vs 341/80910, P<0.05), acute renal failure (371/12800 vs 812/80910 P<0.05).

The 50–79year old cohort was over twice as likely to undergo revision surgery than the 80 year old cohort (HR 2.55, 95% CI 2.216–2.932, p<0.001). Of those requiring revision surgery, the elderly cohort were more likely to undergo earlier revision surgery (378days, 95%CI 236–519d vs 1586days, 95%CI 1471–1700d, p<0.001). In those undergoing revision surgery, a higher proportion were done for infection in the 80 year old cohort (39/219 (17.8%) vs 215/2809 (7.7%), p<0.05.

This study demonstrates good outcomes in terms of medical complications and a low overall risk of requiring revision surgery in patients 80years old undergoing THR. Patients over the age of 80 should be counselled on the relatively increased risk of medical complications post operatively.

Ideally the hip arthroplasty should not be subject to bony or prosthetic impingement, in order to minimise complications and optimise outcomes. Modern 3d planning permits pre-operative simulation of the movements of the planned hip arthroplasty to check for such impingement. For this to be meaningful, however, it is necessary to know the range of movement (ROM) that should be simulated. Arbitrary “normal” values for hip ROM are of limited value in such simulations: it is well known that hip ROM is individualised for each patient. We have therefore developed a method to determine this individualised ROM using CT scans.

CT scans were performed on 14 cadaveric hips, and the images were segmented to create 3d virtual models. Using Matlab software, each virtual hip was moved in all potential directions to the point of bony impingement, thus defining an individualised impingement-free 3d ROM envelope. This was then compared with the actual ROM as directly measured from each cadaver using a high-resolution motion capture system.

For each hip, the ROM envelope free of bony impingement could be described from the CT and represented as a 3d shape. As expected, the directly measured ROM from the cadaver study for each hip was smaller than the CT-based prediction, owing to the presence of constraining soft tissues. However, for movements associated with hip dislocation (such as flexion with internal rotation), the cadaver measurements matched the CT prediction, to within 10°.

It is possible to determine an individual's range of clinically important hip movements from a CT scan. This method could therefore be used to create truly personalised movement simulation as part of pre-operative 3d surgical planning.

The benefits of cell salvage autotransfusion are well reported. There is a common non-evidenced belief amongst revision arthroplasty surgeons that auto-transfusion is potentially contraindicated in infected revisions.

The aim is to study the immediate and delayed outcomes of using cell saver on patients undergoing PJI surgery.

Prospective cohort service evaluation registered with the local audit department. 20 PJI cases in 18 patients where cell saver was used over a period of 4 years. Intraoperative fluid and tissue samples were taken for culture. Blood culture from salvaged blood pre and post leucodepletion filter were sent for microbiological analysis. Data on type of surgery, blood loss, further allogenic transfusion and SIRS response was collected. Success of infection clearance was assessed using 2019 MSIS ORT. Five patients receiving autologous blood in non-infection cases were used as controls.

Mean age for the PJI group was 67.7 years, 67% female. 11 patients (67%) had 1st stage surgery and 5 (25%) underwent 2nd stage whereas 4 patients had single stage surgery. The mean calculated blood loss was 1398 mls (range 400–3000mls). 6 Patients required further allogenic transfusion. 16 patients received blood via a leuco-depletion filter. The same organism grown from tissues was identified in post-filter blood in 8/17 patients (47%).

2/20 have grown a different organism in post-filtered blood, _P.Acne._

2 patients developed SIRS upon auto-transfusion, however one was thought to be secondary to cementing. The control group had 443 mls mean amount of blood loss and 1 patient developed a SIRS response.

14/20 (70%) patients had successful clearance of infection (tier 1) 2 patients died prior to undergoing 2nd stage.

Using cell saver did not impact main outcome of infection clearance in PJI surgery. We would advocate its routine usage whilst avoiding direct collection of heavily contaminated blood.

Following the establishment of regional Major Trauma Networks in England in 2012, there were concerns that pressures regarding resource allocation in Major Trauma Centres (MTCs) may have a detrimental impact on the care of patients with hip fractures in these hospitals. This study aimed to compare outcomes in hip fracture care between MTCs and trauma units (TUs).

National Hip Fracture Database data was extracted from 01/01/2015 to 31/12/2022 for all hospitals in England. Outcome measures included perioperative medical and physiotherapy assessments, time to surgery, consultant supervision in theatre, Best Practice Tariff (BPT) compliance, discharge to original residence, and mortality. Data was pooled and weighted for MTCs and remaining hospitals (TUs).

A total of 487,089 patients with hip fractures were included from 167 hospitals (23 MTCs and 144 TUs). MTCs achieved marginally higher rates of orthogeriatrician assessment within 72 hours of admission (91.1% vs 90.4%, p<0.001) and mobilisation out of bed by first postoperative day (81.9% vs 79.7%, p<0.001). A lower proportion of patients underwent surgery by the day after admission in MTCs (65.2% vs 69.7%, p<0.001). However, there was significantly higher consultant surgeon and anaesthetist supervision rates during surgery in MTCs (71.8% vs 61.6%, p<0.001). There was poorer compliance with BPT criteria in MTCs (57.3% vs 60.4%, p<0.001), and proportionately fewer MTC patients were discharged to their original residence (63.5% vs 60.4%, p<0.001). There was no difference between MTCs and TUs in 30-day mortality (6.8% vs 6.8%, p=0.825).

This study demonstrates that MTCs have greater difficulty in providing prompt surgery to hip fracture patients. However, their marginally superior perioperative care outcomes appear to compensate for this, as their mortality rates are similar to TUs. These findings suggest that the regionalisation of major trauma in England has not significantly compromised the overall care of hip fracture patients.

The purpose of this modified Delphi study was to obtain consensus on wound closure (including best practices for each tissue layer of closure) and dressing management in total hip arthroplasty (THA), using an evidence-based approach.

The Delphi panel included 20 orthopedic surgeons from Europe and North America. Eighteen statements were identified (14 specific to THA and 4 relating to both THA and total knee arthroplasty) using a targeted literature review. Consensus was developed on the statements with up to three rounds of anonymous voting per topic. Panelists ranked their agreement with each statement on a five-point Likert scale. An a priori threshold of 75% was required for consensus.

In Round 1, 15 of 18 statements achieved consensus via a structured electronic questionnaire. In Round 2, the 3 statements that did not achieve consensus were revised during a virtual face to face meeting. An additional 2 statements were edited for clarity. In Round 3, the 5 revised statements achieved consensus via a structured electronic questionnaire. Wound closure related interventions that were recommended for use in THA included: 1) barbed sutures over non-barbed sutures (shorter closing times and overall cost savings); 2) subcuticular sutures over skin staples (lower risk of infections and higher patient preference); 3) mesh-adhesives over silver-impregnated dressings (lower rate of wound complications); 4) negative pressure wound therapy over other dressings (lower wound complications and reoperations and fewer dressing changes); 5) triclosan coated sutures (lower risk of surgical site infection).

Using a modified Delphi approach, a panel of 20 orthopedic surgeons achieved consensus on 18 statements pertaining to multi-layer wound closure and dressing management in THA. This study forms the basis for identifying critical evidence gaps within wound management to help reduce variability in outcomes during THA.

Arthroplasty in patients who are intravenous drug abusers presents a complex challenge, frequently requiring intervention at a younger age. The cohort suffer increased complication rates due to significant co-morbidities and poor engagement in medical services, in comparison to other patients undergoing lower limb arthroplasty. Multiple small studies show arthroplasty in this patient cohort is associated with high complication and mortality rates.

A search of electronic databases were undertaken with the assistance of the library services from the Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, including Chocraine, SCOPUS and PubMed.

Abstracts were reviewed and relevant studies extracted for full review. Full text articles were reviewed based on strict inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Searches identified Two thousand and forty-four papers; twenty-seven studies were identified for full review of the paper based on the inclusion criteria above. From this, nine studies were deemed appropriate to for data extraction.

These nine papers present one hundred and thirty-two cases of lower limb arthroplasty, fifty nine Total Knee Arthroplasty and seventy three Total Hip Arthroplasty. From this the authors examined incidences of implant failure due to infection, revision, mortality, dislocation, aseptic loosening, peri-prosthetic fracture, or other causes. Of these, 58% of patients (n = 77) with a history of intravenous drug abuse suffered some form of significant complication; 4% of this cohort (n = 5) were lost to follow up. Infection was reported in 32% of cases and a mortality rate of 4.7%.

The rising demand of lower limb arthroplasty for intra-venous drug abusers presents a very real problem for the modern Orthopaedic surgeon. Within the studies examined, more than half report implant failure. This study synthesises the available literature regarding treatment of these patients to help facilitate decision making and informed consent.

The Revision Hip Complexity Classification (RHCC) was developed by modified Delphi system in 2022 to provide a comprehensive, reproducible framework for the multidisciplinary discussion of complex revision hip surgery. The aim of this study was to assess the validity, intra-relater and inter-relater reliability of the RHCC.

Radiographs and clinical vignettes of 20 consecutive patients who had undergone revision of Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) at our unit during the previous 12-month period were provided to observers. Five observers, comprising 3 revision hip consultants, 1 hip fellow and 1 ST3-8 registrar were familiarised with the RHCC. Each revision THA case was classified on two separate occasions by each observer, with a mean time between assessments of 42.6 days (24–57). Inter-observer reliability was assessed using the Fleiss™ Kappa statistic and percentage agreement. Intra-observer reliability was assessed using the Cohen Kappa statistic. Validity was assessed using percentage agreement and Cohen Kappa comparing observers to the RHCC web-based application result.

All observers were blinded to patient notes, operation notes and post-operative radiographs throughout the process.

Inter-observer reliability showed fair agreement in both rounds 1 and 2 of the survey (0.296 and 0.353 respectively), with a percentage agreement of 69% and 75%.

Inter-observer reliability was highest in H3-type revisions with kappa values of 0.577 and 0.441.

Mean intra-observer reliability showed moderate agreement with a kappa value of 0.446 (0.369 to 0.773).

Validity percentage agreement was 44% and 39% respectively, with mean kappa values of 0.125 and 0.046 representing only slight agreement.

This study demonstrates that classification using the RHCC without utilisation of the web-based application is unsatisfactory, showing low validity and reliability. Reliability was higher for more complex H3-type cases. The use of the RHCC web app is recommended to ensure the accurate and reliable classification of revision THA cases.

Hip arthroscopy (HA) and pelvic osteotomy (PO) are surgical procedures used to treat a variety of hip pathology affecting young adults, including femoroacetabular impingement and hip dysplasia respectively. This study aimed to investigate the trends and regional variation in the provision of HA and PO across England from 2010 to 2023 to inform healthcare resource allocation.

We analysed the National Hospital Episode Statistics database for all HA and PO procedures in NHS England using specific OPCS-4 codes: HA: ‘W83+Z843’ or ‘W84+Z843’; PO: ‘X222+Z75’. We collected patient demographics, age, sex, and region of treatment. We performed descriptive and regression analyses to evaluate temporal trends in PO volume, age, sex and regional variation.

22,401 HAs and 1,348 POs were recorded between 2010 and 2023. The annual number of HAs declined by 28.4%, whilst the number of POs increased by 64% (p<0.001). Significantly more females underwent PO vs HA (90% vs 61.3%) and were older than males undergoing the same procedure (PO: 29.0±8.7 vs 25.8±9.2 years; HA: 36.8±12.0 years vs 35.8±11.2 years, p<0.001). For HA, the mean age of both sexes decreased by 3.3 and 2.9 years respectively (p<0.001), whereas the age of PO patients did not change significantly over the study period. There were significant regional variations with a mean incidence of 1.60/100,00 for HA (ranging from 0.70–2.66 per 100,000) and 0.43/100,000 for PO (ranging from 0.08–2.07 per 100,000).

We have observed a decline in HA volume in England, likely due to improved patient selection and the impact of COVID-19, whilst PO volume has significantly increased, with regional variation persisting for both procedures. These trends highlight the need for equitable HA and PO access to improve patient outcomes and call for strategic healthcare planning and resource allocation to reduce disparities and improve training opportunities.

Subtrochanteric femoral fractures are a subset of hip fractures generally treated with cephalomedullary nail fixation\[1\]. Single lag screw devices are most commonly-used, but integrated dual screw constructs have become increasingly popular\[2,3\]. The aim of this study was to compare outcomes of fixation of subtrochanteric femoral fractures using a single lag screw (Gamma3 nail, GN) with a dual screw device (InterTAN nail, IN). The primary outcome was mechanical failure, defined as lag screw cut-out, back-out, nail breakage or peri-implant fracture.

Consecutive adult patients (18yrs) with subtrochanteric femoral fracture treated in a single centre were retrospectively identified using electronic records. Patients that underwent surgical fixation using either a long GN (2010–2017) or IN (2017–2022) were included. Medical records and radiographs were reviewed to identify complications of fixation. Cox regression analysis was used to determine the risk of mechanical failure and secondary outcomes by implant design. Multivariable regression models were used to identify predictors of mechanical failure.

The study included 622 patients, 354 in the GN group (median age 82yrs, 72% female) and 268 in the IN group (median age 82yrs, 69% female). The risk of any mechanical failure was increased two-fold in the GN group (HR 2.44 \[95%CI 1.13 to 5.26\]; _p=0.024_). Mechanical failure comprising screw cut-out (_p=0.032_), back-out (_p=0.032_) and nail breakage (_p=0.26_) was only observed in the GN group. Technical predictors of failure included varus >5° for cut-out (OR 19.98 \[2.06 to 193.88\]; _p=0.01_), TAD;25mm for back-out (8.96 \[1.36 to 58.86\]; p=0.022) and shortening 1cm for peri-implant fracture (7.81 \[2.92 to 20.91\]; _p=<0.001_).

Our results demonstrate that an intercalated screw construct is associated with a lower risk of mechanical failure compared with the a single lag screw device. Intercalated screw designs may reduce the risk of mechanical complications for patients with subtrochanteric femoral fractures.

Arthroplasties are widely performed to improve mobility and quality of life for symptomatic knee/hip osteoarthritis patients. With increasing rates of Total Joint Replacements in the United Kingdom, predicting length of stay is vital for hospitals to control costs, manage resources, and prevent postoperative complications. A longer Length of stay has been shown to negatively affect the quality of care, outcomes and patient satisfaction. Thus, predicting LOS enables us to make full use of medical resources.

Clinical characteristics were retrospectively collected from 1,303 patients who received TKA and THR. A total of 21 variables were included, to develop predictive models for LOS by multiple machine learning (ML) algorithms, including Random Forest Classifier (RFC), K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN), Extreme Gradient Boost (XgBoost), and Na¯ve Bayes (NB). These models were evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for predictive performance. A feature selection approach was used to identify optimal predictive factors. Based on the ROC of Training result, XgBoost algorithm was selected to be applied to the Test set.

The areas under the ROC curve (AUCs) of the 4 models ranged from 0.730 to 0.966, where higher AUC values generally indicate better predictive performance. All the ML-based models performed better than conventional statistical methods in ROC curves. The XgBoost algorithm with 21 variables was identified as the best predictive model. The feature selection indicated the top six predictors: Age, Operation Duration, Primary Procedure, BMI, creatinine and Month of Surgery.

By analysing clinical characteristics, it is feasible to develop ML-based models for the preoperative prediction of LOS for patients who received TKA and THR, and the XgBoost algorithm performed the best, in terms of accuracy of predictive performance. As this model was originally crafted at Ashford and St. Peters Hospital, we have naturally named it as THE ASHFORD OUTCOME.

Hip dysplasia is a common cause of hip pain in young adults. Pelvic osteotomy (PO) techniques are the gold standard for treating symptomatic patients, albeit technically demanding. This study aimed to (1) evaluate the 90-day complication rate, and (2) investigate the reasons, frequency and timing of reoperations following primary PO procedures.

We retrospectively analysed the National Hospital Episode Statistics database, examining all patients aged over 14 who underwent PO in NHS England hospitals from 2010 to 2023. We identified index procedures and reoperations using relevant OPCS-4 codes. We analysed patient demographics, 90-day complications, and readmission rates for ipsilateral metalwork removal, revision PO, hip arthroscopy (HA), and THR conversion, and calculated the mean time to reoperations.

This study included 1,348 PO cases (mean age: 28.7±9.1 years, 89.5% female). The mean hospital stay was 5.4±3.9 days, with a 90-day readmission rate of 0.52% at a mean of 51.0±17.2 days. The most common causes were infection (0.22%) and reoperation (0.15%). The 90-day rate of pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis was 0.074%. One patient died within 90 days.

Overall, 810 patients (60.1%) were readmitted for a subsequent hip procedure at a mean of 2.12±1.90 years following their primary PO. Metalwork removal was required in 616 patients (45.7%) at a mean of 1.70±1.19 years. Readmission rates for revision PO, HA, and THR, were 4.23% (mean time: 2.89±0.82 years), 4.15% (mean time: 2.91±2.28 years) and 6.01% (mean time: 5.24±3.08 years) respectively.

This study highlights a low 90-day complication rate following primary PO, but a high reoperation rate, mainly for metalwork removal. We provide the most up-to-date report of revision PO, HA and THR conversion rates in England. These findings provide valuable insight that can facilitate informed decision-making, expectation-setting, and post-operative planning, also establishing a benchmark for future quality improvement.

This large UK multicentre study evaluates clinical outcomes and identifies factors associated with local complication following PFR for non-oncological conditions.

132 patients across four UK centres underwent PFR from 01/08/2004-28/03/2023 with median follow-up of 1.9 (Q10.5-Q34.2) years. 75 (56.8%) patients were female and the mean age was 74.0 (SD 11.7) years. 103 (78%) patients had Charleston Comorbidity Index ≥3. ASA class was III or IV in 66.6%. Indications were infected revision (39, 29.5%), periprosthetic fracture (36, 27.3%), acute trauma (30, 22.7%), aseptic revision (17, 12.9%), failed trauma (nine, 6.8%) and complex primary arthroplasty (one, 0.8%). The primary outcome was the local complication rate. Secondary outcomes were systemic complications, reoperation and mortality rates. Comparisons were made with t-tests and Chi2 tests to investigate patient and surgical factors associated with local complication. Statistical significance was p<0.05.

There were 37(28.0%) local complications. These were 18 (13.6%) dislocations, eight (6.1%) prosthetic joint infections, four (3.0%) haematomas, three (2.3%) superficial infections, one (0.8%) wound dehiscence, one (0.8%) sciatic nerve palsy and one (0.8%) femoral perforation. Dislocation mostly occurred in conventional articulations (12, 9.1%) followed by dual-mobility cups (three, 2.3%), constrained cups (two, 1.5%) and hemiarthroplasty (one, 0.8%). Median time to local complication was 30 (Q14-Q3 133) days. Seven (5.3%) patients developed a systemic complication. Thirty-three (25.0%) patients underwent reoperation. Thirty-day and one-year mortality rates were 3.8% and 12.1%, respectively. Longer surgical waiting times (7.9 \[SD 16.9) versus 2.6 \[SD 4.4\] days, p<0.001) and longer operating times (212.5 \[SD 71.8\] versus 189.4 \[SD 59.3\] mins, p=0.0450) were associated with local complication.

Due to its high complication rate, PFR should be a salvage option when performed for non-oncological indications. Conventional articulations should be avoided. PFR should be delivered in a timely manner and ideally as dual-consultant cases to reduce operating time.

Current advice regarding implant choice is based on estimates of cost-benefit derived from implant survival to an endpoint of revision. Current estimates do not account for many implant failures which are treated with non-revision surgery and may not be accurate. The aim of this study was to estimate survival of major stem implant design groups to an endpoint of reoperation.

Primary total hip replacement and linked revision form the National Joint Registry (NJR) and Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data linked by unique identifier were used. Survival of femoral implant groups (cemented stainless steel polished taper [PTSS], cemented cobalt chrome polished taper [PTCC], cemented composite beam [CB], collarless cementless [NCOL] and collared cementless [COL]) was estimated using Kaplan-Meier method.

809,832 patients with valid NJR and HES data from England, were included. Cumulative failure at ten years for PTSS increased overall from 2.9% (95%CI 2.8–2.9) to 3.6% (95%CI 3.6–3.7) after inclusion of reoperations. Cumulative failure at ten years for PTSS increased from 2.5% (95%CI 2.5–2.6) to 3.3% (95%CI 3.2–3.4), for PTCC increased from 3.8% (95%CI 3.5–4.0) to 5.4% (95%CI 5.1–5.6), for CB increased from 3.1% (95%CI 2.9–3.3) to 4.1% (95%CI 3.8–4.3), for NCOL increased from 3.4% (95%CI 3.3–3.5) to 3.9% (95%CI 3.8–4.0), and for COL increased from 2.5% (95%CI 2.4–2.6) to 3.1% (95%CI 2.9–3.2), after inclusion of reoperations.

Re-operation for internal fixation is as significant life event for the patient as revision. When a more inclusive metric is used, the patient and clinician's perspective on what constitutes a GIRFT implant may not be the same. Further work is required to update implant selection guidance in view of the change in implant performance.

As patient data continues to grow, the importance of efficient and precise analysis cannot be overstated. The employment of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), specifically Chat GPT-4, in the realm of medical data interpretation has been on the rise. However, its effectiveness in comparison to manual data analysis has been insufficiently investigated.

This quality improvement project aimed to evaluate the accuracy and time-efficiency of Generative AI (GPT-4) against manual data interpretation within extensive datasets pertaining to patients with orthopaedic injuries.

A dataset, containing details of 6,562 orthopaedic trauma patients admitted to a district general hospital over a span of two years, was reviewed. Two researchers operated independently: one utilised GPT-4 for insights via prompts, while the other manually examined the identical dataset employing Microsoft Excel and IBM® SPSS® software. Both were blinded on each other's procedures and outcomes. Each researcher answered 20 questions based on the dataset including injury details, age groups, injury specifics, activity trends and the duration taken to assess the data.

Upon comparison, both GPT-4 and the manual researcher achieved consistent results for 19 out of the 20 questions (95% accuracy). After a subsequent review and refined prompts (prompt engineering) to GPT-4, the answer to the final question aligned with the manual researcher's findings. GPT-4 required just 30 minutes, a stark contrast to the manual researcher's 9-hour analytical duration.

This quality improvement project emphasises the transformative potential of Generative AI in the domain of medical data analysis. GPT-4 not only paralleled the accuracy of manual analysis but also achieved this in significantly less time. For optimal accurate results, data analysis by AI can be enhanced through human oversight. Adopting AI-driven approaches, particularly in orthopaedic data interpretation, can enhance efficiency and ultimately improve patient care. We recommend future investigations on large and more varied datasets to reaffirm these outcomes.

The reliable production of _in vitro_ chondrocytes that faithfully recapitulate _in vivo_ development would be of great benefit for orthopaedic disease modelling and regenerative therapy(1,2). Current efforts are limited by off-target differentiation, resulting in a heterogeneous product, and by the lack of comparison to human tissue, which precludes detailed evaluation of _in vitro_ cells(3,4).

We performed single-cell RNA-sequencing of long bones dissected from first-trimester fetal limbs to form a detailed ‘atlas’ of endochondral ossification. Through 100-gene in-situ sequencing, we placed each sequenced cell type into its anatomical context to spatially resolve the process of endochondral ossification. We then used this atlas to perform deconvolution on a series of previously published bulk transcriptomes generated from _in vitro_ chondrogenesis protocols to evaluate their ability to accurately produce chondrocytes.

We then applied single-nuclear RNA-sequencing to cells from the best performing protocol collected at multiple time points to allow direct comparison between the differentiation of _in vitro_ and _in vivo_ cells.

We captured 275,000 single fetal cells, profiling the development of chondrocytes from multipotent mesenchymal progenitors to hypertrophic cells at full transcriptomic breadth. Using this atlas as the ground truth for evaluating _in vitro_ cells, we found substantial variability in cell states produced by each protocol, with many showing little similarity to _in vivo_ cells, and all exhibiting off-target differentiation.

Trajectory alignment between _in vivo_ and _in vitro_ single-cell data revealed key differences in gene expression dynamics between _in vitro_ and _in vivo cells,_ with several osteoblastic transcription factors erroneously unregulated _in vitro,_ including _FOXO1._

Using this information, we inhibited _FOXO1_ in culture to successfully increase chondrocyte yield _in vitro._

This study presents a new framework for evaluating tissue engineering protocols, using single-cell data to drive improvement and bring the prospect of true engineered cartilage closer to reality.

Different techniques have been described to address massive bone loss of the acetabulum in revision hip surgery. aMace has gained popularity as it provides customization aiming to restore hip centre and provide good initial stability in cases of large non-contained defects. It takes into account quality of host bone. Its porous defect filling scaffold provides an excellent surface for osteointegration.

Our aim was to assess the short and mid-term outcomes of patients who underwent revision surgery using aMace system.

Ethical approval was obtained. A retrospective study included all patients who had aMace between June 2013 and October 2022 allowing for a minimum of 12-months follow-up. Patients’ demographics, indication, bone-loss severity, reconstruction details, re-operation, complications, mortality, pain and function were assessed.

52 cases were performed by 13 surgeons with median 51 months follow-up. Median age was 72.7 years. 86.5% were female. Average BMI was 25.3. Average ASA grade was 3.

65% were classified as Paprosky IIIB and 32% were IIIA.

73% were found to have poor bone quality on CT. Main indication for aMace was massive bone loss/discontinuity secondary to aseptic loosening in 88.5%.

77% underwent single-stage revision. 53.8% had 2 or more previous revisions. 71% underwent stem revision in the same setting. 77% received a dual mobility bearing.

Re-operation rate was 5.7% for instability and femoral PPF. LLD was reported in 9.6%.

Permanent Sciatic nerve palsy occurred in 3.8% of the cases.

30-days mortality was 1.9%.

Statistically significant post-op improvements in pain and mobility were reported (p<0.001). None of the acetabular components have been revised.

Our study shows satisfactory surgical outcomes with a relatively low complication rate and significant pain and mobility improvements in the early to mid-term stages.

We recommend these costly cases to be done in highly specialist centres adopting MDT approach.

The primary treatment goal for patients with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome, a common hip condition in athletes, is to improve pain and function. In selected patients, in the short term following intervention, arthroscopic hip surgery is superior to a pragmatic NHS- type physiotherapy programme. Here, we report the three-year follow-up results from the FemoroAcetabular Impingement Trial (FAIT), comparing arthroscopic hip surgery with physiotherapy in the management of patients with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) syndrome.

Two-group parallel, assessor-blinded, pragmatic randomised controlled study across seven NHS England sites. 222 participants aged 18 to 60 years with FAI syndrome confirmed clinically and radiologically were randomised (1:1) to receive arthroscopic hip surgery (n = 112) or physiotherapy and activity modification (n = 110). We previously reported on the hip outcome score at eight months. The primary outcome measure of this study was minimum Joint Space Width (mJSW) on Anteroposterior Radiograph at 38 months post randomisation. Secondary outcome measures included the Hip Outcome Score and Scoring Hip Osteoarthritis with MRI (SHOMRI) score.

Minimum Joint Space Width data were available for 101 participants (45%) at 38 months post randomisation. Hip outcome score and MRI data were available for 77% and 62% of participants respectively. mJSW was higher in the arthroscopy group (mean (SD) 3.34mm (1.01)) compared to the physiotherapy group (2.99mm (1.33)) at 38 months, p=0.017, however this did not exceed the minimally clinically important difference of 0.48mm. SHOMRI score was significantly lower in the arthroscopy group (mean (SD) 9.22 (11.43)) compared to the physiotherapy group (22.76 (15.26)), p-value <0.001. Hip outcome score was higher in the arthroscopy group (mean (SD) 84.2 (17.4)) compared with the physiotherapy group (74.2 (21.9)), p-value < 0.001).

Patients with FAI syndrome treated surgically may experience slowing of osteoarthritisprogression and superior pain and function compared with patients treated non- operatively.

Alcohol hand rubs, endorsed by WHO and NICE guidelines, are integral to modern surgical practices. Our objective was to assess how different scrubbing methods impact overall water usage by the surgical team, shedding light on variations among team members and their environmental implications.

Over three consecutive arthroplasty lists spanning a week, water usage during scrubbing was observed for the operating team. Blinding all team members, including the anesthetist, consultant surgeon, orthopaedic registrar, orthopaedic SHO, and scrub nurse, during water usage calculations was implemented. Automated taps, using motion sensors, posed a challenge due to variable water quantity, necessitating water flow calculations per sensor movement. The senior surgeon, with over 20 years of experience, follows a traditional approach, starting with a morning prescrub and using an alcohol tub for each case, except when hands are soiled.

We observed a total of 14 cases of lower limb primary arthroplasty. The cumulative water usage for scrubbing by the entire team was 193 liters, yielding a mean of 13.8 liters (±1.85) per case. The anaesthetist demonstrated the most conservative water usage, utilizing a total of 11.85 liters with a mean of 0.84 liters per case. Notably, alcohol rub was employed for half of the observed time, contributing to this efficient use. The senior operating surgeon used a total of 15.6 liters, averaging 1.1 liters per case. In contrast, the SHO and the registrar exhibited the highest water consumption, totaling 121.6 liters and yielding a mean of 5.7 liters per case. The nurses’ collective water usage for scrubbing amounted to 44.8 liters.

Adopting alcohol rub, as endorsed by WHO, results in a remarkable 10-fold reduction in water usage, aligning with global health guidelines. This highlights significant potential for resource conservation in surgical procedures, presenting a practical and environmentally conscious approach to surgical scrubbing practices.

Hip bearing surfaces materials are typically broadly reported in national registry (metal-on-polyethylene, ceramic-on-ceramic etc). We investigated the revision rates of primary total hip replacement (THR) reported in the National Joint Registry (NJR) by detailed types of bearing surfaces used.

We analysed THR procedures across all orthopaedic units in England and Wales. Our analyses estimated all-cause and cause-specific revision rates. We identified primary THRs with heads and monobloc cups or modular acetabular component THRs with detailed head and shell/liner bearing material combinations. We used flexible parametric survival models to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (HR).

A total of 1,026,481 primary THRs performed between 2003–2019 were included in the primary analysis (Monobloc cups: n=378,979 and Modular cups: n=647,502) with 20,869 (2%) of these primary THRs subsequently undergoing a revision episode (Monobloc: n=7,381 and Modular: n=13,488).

Compared to implants with a cobalt chrome head and highly crosslinked polyethylene (HCLPE) cup, the overall risk of revision for monobloc acetabular implant was higher for patients with cobalt chrome or stainless steel head and non-HCLPE cup. The risk of revision was lower for patients with a delta ceramic head and HCLPE cup implant, at any post-operative period.

Compared to patients with a cobalt chrome head and HCLPE liner primary THR, the overall risk of revision for modular acetabular implant varied non-constantly. THRs with a delta ceramic or oxidised zirconium head and HCLPE liner had a lower risk of revision throughout the entire post-operative period.

The overall and indication-specific risk of prosthesis revision, at different time points following the initial implantation, is reduced for implants with a delta ceramic or oxidised zirconium head and a HCLPE liner/cup in reference to THRs with a cobalt chrome head and HCLPE liner/cup.

Dual Mobility (DM) Total Hip Replacements (THRs), are becoming widely used but function in-vivo is not fully understood.

The aim of this study was to compare the incidence of impingement of a modular dual mobility with that of a standard cup.

A geometrical model of one subject's bony anatomy \[1\] was developed, a THR was implanted with the cup at a range of inclination and anteversion positions (Corail® stem, Pinnacle® cup (DePuy Synthes)). Two DM variants and one STD acetabular cup were modelled. Joint motions were taken from kinematic data of activities of daily living associated with dislocation \[2\] and walking. The occurrence of impingement was assessed for each component combination, orientation and activity. Implant-implant impingement can occur between the femoral neck and the metal or PE liner (DM or STD constructs respectively) or neck-PE mobile liner (DM only).

The results comprise a colour coded matrix which sums the number of impingement events for each cup position and activity and for each implant variant.

Neck-PE mobile liner impingement, occurred for both DM sizes, for all activities, and most cup placement positions indicating that the PE mobile liner is likely to move at the start of all activities including walking.

For all constructs no placement positions avoided neck-metal (DM) or neck-PE liner (STD) impingementevents in all activities. The least number of events occurred at higher inclination and anteversion component positions. In addition to implant-implant impingement, some instances of bone-bone and implant-bone impingement were also observed.

Consistent with DM philosophy, neck-PE mobile liner impingement and liner motion occurred for all activities including walking. Neck-liner impingement frequency was comparable between both DM sizes (metal liner) and a standard cup (PE liner).

There is a paucity of data available for the use of Total Femoral Arthroplasty (TFA) for joint reconstruction in the non-oncological setting. The aim of this study was to evaluate TFA outcomes with minimum 5-year follow-up.

This was a retrospective database study of TFAs performed at a UK tertiary referral revision arthroplasty unit. Inclusion criteria were patients undergoing TFA for non-oncological indications. We report demographics, indications for TFA, implant survivorship, clinical outcomes, and indications for re-operation.

A total of 39 TFAs were performed in 38 patients between 2015–2018 (median age 68 years, IQR 17, range 46–86), with 5.3 years’ (IQR 1.2, 4.1–18.8) follow-up; 3 patients had died. The most common indication (30/39, 77%) for TFA was periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) or fracture-related infection (FRI); and 23/39 (59%) had a prior periprosthetic fracture (PPF). TFA was performed with dual-mobility or constrained cups in 31/39 (79%) patients. Within the cohort, 12 TFAs (31%) required subsequent revision surgery: infection (7 TFAs, 18%) and instability (5 TFAs, 13%) were the most common indications. 90% of patients were ambulatory post-TFA; 2 patients required disarticulation due to recurrent PJI. While 31/39 (79%) were infection free at last follow-up, the remainder required long-term suppressive antibiotics.

This is the largest series of TFA for non-oncological indications. Though TFA has inherent risks of instability and infection, most patients are ambulant after surgery. Patients should be counselled on the risk of life-long antibiotics, or disarticulation when TFA fails.

OpenPredictor, a machine learning-enabled clinical decision aid, has been developed to manage backlogs in elective surgeries. It aims to optimise the use of high volume, low complexity surgical pathways by accurately stratifying patient risk, thereby facilitating the allocation of patients to the most suitable surgical sites. The tool augments elective surgical pathways by providing automated secondary opinions for perioperative risk assessments, enhancing decision-making. Its primary application is in elective sites utilising lighter pre-assessment methods, identifying patients with minimal complication risks and those high-risk individuals who may benefit from early pre-assessment.

The Phase 1 clinical evaluation of OpenPredictor entailed a prospective analysis of 156 patient records from elective hip and knee joint replacement surgeries. Using a polynomial logistic regression model, patients were categorised into high, moderate, and low-risk groups. This categorisation incorporated data from various sources, including patient demographics, co-morbidities, blood tests, and overall health status.

In identifying patients at risk of postoperative complications, OpenPredictor demonstrated parity with consultant-led preoperative assessments. It accurately flagged 70% of patients who later experienced complications as moderate or high risk. The tool's efficiency in risk prediction was evidenced by its balanced accuracy (75.6%), sensitivity (70% with a 95% confidence interval of 62.05% to 76.91%), and a high negative predictive value (96.7%).

OpenPredictor presents a scalable and consistent solution for managing elective surgery pathways, comparable in performance to secondary consultant opinions. Its integration into pre-assessment workflows assists in efficient patient categorisation, reduces late surgery cancellations, and optimises resource allocation. The Phase 1 evaluation of OpenPredictor underscores its potential for broader clinical application and highlights the need for ongoing data refinement and system integration to enhance its performance.

To examine whether Natural Language Processing (NLP) using a state-of-the-art clinically based Large Language Model (LLM) could predict patient selection for Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA), across a range of routinely available clinical text sources.

Data pre-processing and analyses were conducted according to the Ai to Revolutionise the patient Care pathway in Hip and Knee arthroplasty (ARCHERY) project protocol (https://www.researchprotocols.org/2022/5/e37092/). Three types of deidentified Scottish regional clinical free text data were assessed: Referral letters, radiology reports and clinic letters. NLP algorithms were based on the GatorTron model, a Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) based LLM trained on 82 billion words of de-identified clinical text. Three specific inference tasks were performed: assessment of the base GatorTron model, assessment after model-fine tuning, and external validation.

There were 3911, 1621 and 1503 patient text documents included from the sources of referral letters, radiology reports and clinic letters respectively. All letter sources displayed significant class imbalance, with only 15.8%, 24.9%, and 5.9% of patients linked to the respective text source documentation having undergone surgery. Untrained model performance was poor, with F1 scores (harmonic mean of precision and recall) of 0.02, 0.38 and 0.09 respectively. This did however improve with model training, with mean scores (range) of 0.39 (0.31–0.47), 0.57 (0.48–0.63) and 0.32 (0.28–0.39) across the 5 folds of cross-validation. Performance deteriorated on external validation across all three groups but remained highest for the radiology report cohort.

Even with further training on a large cohort of routinely collected free-text data a clinical LLM fails to adequately perform clinical inference in NLP tasks regarding identification of those selected to undergo THA. This likely relates to the complexity and heterogeneity of free-text information and the way that patients are determined to be surgical candidates.

The management of femoral bone loss is challenging during revision hip arthroplasty. In patients with Paprosky grade IIIB and IV defects, obtaining fixation and rotational stability using traditional surgical constructs is difficult. The use of a custom-made internal proximal femoral replacement prostheses has been proposed as a solution in patients, with severe femoral bone stock loss. However, there is a paucity in the literature on their use and long-term outcomes. We report on the clinical and radiological results of our cohort.

We retrospectively reviewed all patients who underwent internal proximal femoral replacement for revision hip arthroplasty between April 1996 and April 2019. All patients had at least 2 years of follow-up time.

160 patients underwent limb salvage at our institution using internal proximal femoral replacement. The mean follow-up was 79.7 months (S.D 41.3). Indications for revision included periprosthetic fractures, aseptic loosening, and deep infection. The mean Oxford hip score increased from 13.8 (0–22) to 31.5 (18–43) (paired t-test, p < 0.001). Kaplan-Meier prosthesis survival analysis with revision as the endpoint was 87% at 5 years. None required revision of the femoral stem. There were four dislocations (5%) and there was failure to eradicate the deep infection in four.

This technique allows instant distal fixation, allowing for early mobilisation. Long-term clinical and radiological outcomes are encouraging and the complication rates are acceptable for this patient group.

We had previously reported on early outcomes on a new fluted, titanium, monobloc stem with a three degree taper that has been designed for challenging femoral reconstruction in the setting of extensive bone loss. The aim of this study was to report its mid-term clinical and radiographic outcomes.

This is a retrospective review of prospectively collected data carried out at a single institution between Jan 2017 and Dec 2019. 85 femoral revisions were performed using a new tapered, fluted, titanium, monobloc (TFTM) revision stem. Complications, clinical and radiographic data were obtained from medical records and a locally maintained database. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the Oxford Hip Score (OHS) and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). All post-operative radiographs were analysed for subsidence, osteolysis and femoral cortical bone remodelling.

Mean follow-up was 60 months (range 28–84 months). Subsidence of 1.2 mm was noted in one patient. No cases of clinically significant subsidence (10 mm) were observed. At final follow-up, a statistically significant improvement was noted in functional outcome scores. The mean OHS preoperatively and at final follow-up were 24 (SD 13) and 42 (SD15). p = 0.04 mean difference 18 (95% CI 15–22). The mean WOMAC scores preoperatively and at final follow-up were 62 (SD23) and 88 (SD7) respectively (p < 0.001, mean difference 26; 95% CI 21–34). No stem fractures were noted within the follow-up period. Two patients had revision of the stem's one for infection and another for persistent pain.

Positive mid-term clinical and radiological outcomes have been observed with this tapered, fluted, titanium, monobloc stem. Based on these results, this implant may be considered as a viable option in the majority of uncemented femoral revisions.

The 22 year survivorship of metal on metal hip resurfacing arthroplasty (RSA) is reported to be 94.3% with expert surgeons, in males with head sizes greater than 48mm. The 2023 National Joint Registry (NJR) report estimates survivorship of all RSA at 19 years to be 85%. This estimate includes all designs, head sizes and females. Our aim was to estimate the survivorship of RSA currently available for implantation (males only, head size >48mm, MatOrtho Adept or Smith and Nephew Birmingham Hip Resurfacing (BHR)) in those under 55 years, performed by all surgeons, compared to conventional THR.

We performed a retrospective analysis of the NJR. We included all males under 55 years who had undergone BHR or Adept RSA with head size greater than 48mm. Propensity score matching was used to produce two comparable groups of patients for RSA or conventional THR. We matched in a 3:1 ratio (THR:RSA) using sex, ASA, BMI group, age at primary procedure, surgeon volume, diagnosis and surgeon grade as covariates. The primary analysis was survivorship at 18 years. Time-to-revision was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curves. Cox's proportional hazard models were used to investigate between group differences.

4839 RSA were available for analysis. After matching the RSA and THR groups were well balanced in terms of covariates. Survivorship at 18 years was 93.7% (95% CI 89.9,96.2) in the RSA group and 93.9% (90.5,96.0) in the THR group. Despite these similar estimates the adjusted hazard ratio was 1.40 (95% CI 1.18, 1.67 p<0.001) in favour of THR.

Survivorship of the currently available RSA in males under 55 was 93.7% at 18 years, however THR survivorship was superior to RSA. These results, generalisable to UK practice, should be set against perceived benefits in functional status offered in RSA when counselling patients.

Extracapsular Hip Fractures (EHF's) are a significant health burden on healthcare services. Optimal treatment is controversial with conflicting evidence being reported. Currently treatment is undertaken with Intramedullary Nail (IMN) or Dynamic Hip Screw (DHS) constructs with a recent increase in IMN use (1). This study aims to conduct a systematic review of Randomised Control Trials published between 2020 and 2023 with particular focus on patient demographics and holistic patient outcomes.

Using a unified search-protocol, RCT's published between 2020 and 2023 were collected from CENTRAL, PubMed, MEDLINE and EMBASE. Rayyan software screened duplicates. Using the CASP and Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool papers were critically examined twice, and Blood Loss, Infection and Mobility described the patient journey. Patient demographics were recorded and were contrasted with geographically diverse cohort studies to compare population differences. Parametric tests were used to determine significance levels between population demographics, namely Age and Sex.

Eleven papers were included, representing 908 patients (436 Male). The mean age for patients was 64.39. There was considerable risk of bias in 7/11 studies owing to the randomization process and the recording of data. Four Cohort studies were selected for comparison representing 14314 patients. Mean age was significantly different between Cohort Studies and RCT's (Independent T-Test, df 13, t=7.8, p = <0.001, mean difference = 19.251, 95% CI = 13.888, 24.613). This was also true for sex ratios included in the studies (df 13, t = -2.268, p = 0.024, Mean Difference = -0.4884, 95% CI = -0.9702, -0.0066).

To conclude, RCT's published in the post COVID-19 era are not representative of patient demographics. This has the potential to provide inaccurate information for implant selection. Additionally further research must be conducted in how to better improve RCT patient inclusion so as to be more representative of patients whilst balancing the risks of operations.

This study used a national registry to assess the outcomes of hip arthroscopy (HA) for the treatment femoroacetabular impingement (FAI).

All HAs for FAI recorded in the UK Non-Arthroplasty Hip Registry (NAHR) between January 2012 and September 2023 were identified. Cases were grouped according to the index procedure performed for FAI (cam, pincer, or mixed). Patient outcomes captured included the International Hip Outcome Tool (iHOT)-12.

7,511 HAs were identified; 4,583 cam (61%), 675 pincer (9%), 2,253 mixed (30%). Mean age (34.8) was similar between groups. There was a greater proportion of females in the pincer group (75%) compared to cam (52%) and mixed (50%). A higher proportion of patients had a recorded cartilage injury in association with a cam lesion compared to pincer. The pincer group had poorer mean pre-op iHOT-12 scores (31.6 \[95%CI 29.9 to 33.3\]; n=364) compared to cam (33.7 \[95%CI 32.1 to 34.4\]; n=3,941) and achieved significantly lower scores at 12 months (pincer = 52.6 (50.2 to 55); n=249, cam = 58.3 (57.1 to 59.5); n=1,679).

Overall, significant (p < 0.0001) iHOT-12 and EQ-5D improvement vs baseline pre-operative scores were achieved for all FAI subtypes at 6 months (overall mean iHOT-12 improvement +26.0 \[95%CI 25.0 to 26.9\]; n=2,983) and maintained out to 12 months (+26.2 \[25.1 to 27.2\]; n=2,760) at which point 67% and 48% of patients continued to demonstrate a score improvement greater than or equal to the minimum clinically important difference (>/=13 points) and substantial clinical benefit (>/=28 points) for iHOT-12 respectively.

This study demonstrates excellent early functional outcomes following HA undertaken for FAI in a large national registry.

To evaluate the impact of routine capsular repair on patient-reported outcomes, survivorship and achievability of clinically important improvement, minimum 5-years post-surgery.

Our prospective institutional registry was reviewed for cases undergoing primary HA for FAI, and stratified into two groups depending on whether the capsule was repaired or not. Routine repair was introduced in late 2013. The No Repair group consisted of patients undergoing HA between Jan 2010-June 2013 while the Repair group consisted of patients undergoing HA between Jan 2015-Sept 2018. Exclusion criteria consisted of >50 years, Tonnis>1, dysplasia(LCEA<25), concomitant hip pathologies. PROMs consisted of mHHS, SF36 and UCLA. Metrics of clinically important improvement was evaluated using MCID and SCB. Rates of repeat HA or THA conversion were recorded.

985 cases were included (359 No Repair; 626 Repair), 86% male, average age 27.4±6.7years. Significant improvement in all PROMs at minimum 5-years was observed for both groups (p<0.001 for all; large effect sizes for mHHS and SF36, medium effect sizes for UCLA). At 5-years post-op there was no significant difference between groups for mHHS(p=0.078) or UCLA(0.794). SF36 was significantly poorer for those cases undergoing routine repair(p<0.001) however effect size was small (0.20). Thresholds of MCID and SCB were calculated as 69% and 86% for mHHS, 64% and 77% for UCLA, 43% and 60% for SF36. Both groups achieved MCID and SCB at similar rates for mHHS and UCLA. A significantly lower proportion of cases in the repair groups achieved MCID for SF36 (53.6% vs 63.5%, p=0.034) and SCB for SF36 (37.3% vs 52.8%, p<0.001). No significant difference between groups for THA conversion (0.6% No Repair vs 0.5% Repair) or repeat HA (9.7% No Repair vs 8.1% Repair).

Routinely repairing the capsule following HA for FAI demonstrates no clinical benefit over not repairing the capsule 5 years post-surgery

The aim of this study was to analyze and compare clinical, radiological and mortality outcomes of patients who underwent cemented hip hemiarthroplasty for displaced neck of femur fractures using a SPAIRE technique when compared to a pair-matched control cohort who underwent the same procedure using the direct lateral approach.

A retrospective review of patients who underwent cemented hip hemiarthroplasty for displaced neck of femur fractures by a single surgeon using a SPAIRE technique over a two-year period between July 2019 and July 2021 was performed. These were subsequently pair matched in a 5:1 ratio for age, gender, ASA grade and residential status with a control group who underwent cemented hip hemiarthroplasty by 4 other surgeons using a direct lateral approach

The study included a total of 240 patients (40 and 200 pairmatched to SPAIRE and control groups respectively), with a mean age of 81.0 ± 8.2 years (63–99) and a mean follow-up of 12 ± 3 months (3–30). Overall, there was no significant difference in any of the radiological or mortality outcome scores assessed between the SPAIRE and control groups (p > 0.05 for all). There was a significantly lower number of patients in the SPAIRE group who dropped a level of mobility from their pre-injury baseline at 30-days post-operatively (8.1% versus 31.6%; p = 0.003). However, this appeared to have resolved at 120-day follow-up with no significant differences between the groups in terms of those acquiring a new baseline mobility at 120-days post-operatively (2.7% versus 13.2%, p = 0.09).

In cases of cemented hip hemiarthroplasty for displaced intracapsular neck of femur fractures, the SPAIRE technique appears to offer patients an earlier return to levels of baseline pre-injury mobility when compared to a direct lateral approach.

There is little known about how patient socioeconomic status impacts clinical outcomes in hip preservation surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between indices of multiple deprivation, funding provider (NHS Funded or Private Funded) and clinical outcomes following surgery for femoroacetabular impingement (FAI)

The study analysed the data of 5590 patients recorded in the NAHR who underwent primary hip arthroscopic treatment for FAI between November 2013 and July 2023. Records were matched to the UK National index of multiple deprivation using the lower layer super output area. Using iHOT12 score, patient reported outcome measures were analysed at base line and 1 year following surgery.

2358 records were matched to LLSOA deciles. Between the lowest (most deprived) 3 deciles and the highest (least deprived) the average baseline iHOT12 score was 28.98 (n=366) and 35.33 (n=821). The proportion of patients receiving treatment through NHS funding compared to independent funding for the most deprived, 292 (90%) 37 (10%) respectively compared to the least deprived 515 (70%) and 244 (30%) respectively. At 1year, iHOT12 scores for each group were 51.64 (29.1 SD) compared to 61.5 (28.06 SD) respectively.

The study demonstrates that patients from lower socioeconomic backgrounds had poorer baseline and one-year post-surgery iHOT12 scores compared to those from higher socioeconomic strata. Furthermore, a higher reliance on NHS funding was observed among the most deprived, while more affluent patients predominantly opted for private funding. These findings underscore the significant influence of socioeconomic status on both the quality of healthcare received and recovery outcomes in hip preservation surgery, calling attention to the need for more equitable healthcare solutions.

Within an ageing population, the morbidity and mortality burden of neck of femur fractures will only worsen. Financially incentivising acute Trusts via the Best Practice Tariff for inpatient care has yielded good results(1,2,3,4) but post-discharge care is still variable. Most importantly, restoring patients to their pre-fracture mobility is key to their quality of life(5,6) and reducing both readmissions to hospital(7,8) and expensive local authority residential care. Unfortunately, physiotherapist vacancies are in their thousands(9,10) leading to waiting times of around three months once discharged(11).

In 2019, the Royal Derby Hospital created a novel Hip Fracture Patient Advocate (HFPA) to observe those who have fallen through gaps in community services. It involves monitoring patients’ progression, signposting to appropriate services, flagging issues to the responsible consultant and assisting in physical mobilisation.

A retrospective review examined data from patients discharged to their own homes. This included demographics, residential status and mobility, both pre-fracture and at 120 days post-fracture. Mobility was classified into five categories, in line with the national hip fracture database.

In 2018, of 238 patients, 41.2% returned to their baseline or increased mobility, and, after the introduction of the HFPA in 2019, this figure increased to 48.2%.

In one year, there was a 7% increase in patients recovering their baseline mobility. This is a cost-effective intervention that can successfully improve mobility, leading to improved long-term outcomes. This includes the potential to reduce acute readmissions and the need for residential care, appealing to Integrated Care Boards. It also bridges the gap to primary care to optimise medical management and after further development, could be financially-incentivised via the Best Practice Tariff. Rather than thinking more expensive clinicians are required, this study proposes that a HFPA can garner better outcomes for both the patient and the wider system.

The increased torque required to dislocate dual mobility (DM) components may increase peri-prosthetic femoral fracture (PPF) risk. Current literature often relies on revision as an endpoint and may underestimate PPF. This study aims to review PPF rate, risks and treatment following primary DM implantation.

Prospective cohort study of 549 patients following primary DM total hip arthroplasty (THA) between 2013 and 2021. Collected data included demographics, indication for surgery, cortical index and PPF.

549 patients were identified with primary DM THA. Mean age was 73 years (26–96). 446 (81.2%) patients had their index surgery following hip fracture. 18 patients (3.27%) sustained a PPF. Cumulative PPF rate was 1.5% at 1-year, 2.2% at 5-years and 3.27% overall. PPF was higher in patients undergoing surgery following hip fracture (4%) vs. other indications (1%). OR 4.04 (95% CI:0.53, 30.72), p=0.219. Mean cortical index was lower in patients with PPF 0.4 (95% CI:0.36, 0.45) compared to those without 0.46 (95% CI:0.45, 0.46) p=0.029. Treatment for PPF included 10 (55.6%) open reduction internal fixation (ORIF), 7 (38.9%) revision THA and 1 conservatively managed.

PPF rate following DM use is higher in our cohort than published rates. Our rates are comparable to some papers when subgroup analysis of older patients and cemented taper slip stems are considered. PPF risk with DM may be increased in patients undergoing surgery after hip fracture or with a lower cortical index preoperatively. Over half of PPF were managed with ORIF and may mask PPF risk studies that report using revision as an endpoint.

Femoroacetabular Impingement (FAI) syndrome, characterised by abnormal hip contact causing symptoms and osteoarthritis, is measured using the International Hip Outcome Tool (iHOT). This study uses machine learning to predict patient outcomes post-treatment for FAI, focusing on achieving a minimally clinically important difference (MCID) at 52 weeks.

A retrospective analysis of 6133 patients from the NAHR who underwent hip arthroscopic treatment for FAI between November 2013 and March 2022 was conducted. MCID was defined as half a standard deviation (13.61) from the mean change in iHOT score at 12 months. SKLearn Maximum Absolute Scaler and Logistic Regression were applied to predict achieving MCID, using baseline and 6-month follow-up data. The model's performance was evaluated by accuracy, area under the curve, and recall, using pre-operative and up to 6-month postoperative variables.

A total of 23.1% (1422) of patients completed both baseline and 1-year follow-up iHOT surveys. The best results were obtained using both pre and postoperative variables. The machine learning model achieved 88.1% balanced accuracy, 89.6% recall, and 92.3% AUC. Sensitivity was 83.7% and specificity 93.5%. Key variables determining outcomes included MCID achievement at 6 months, baseline iHOT score, 6-month iHOT scores for pain, and difficulty in walking or using stairs.

The study confirmed the utility of machine learning in predicting long-term outcomes following arthroscopic treatment for FAI. MCID, based on the iHOT 12 tools, indicates meaningful clinical changes. Machine learning demonstrated high accuracy and recall in distinguishing between patients achieving MCID and those who did not. This approach could help early identification of patients at risk of not meeting the MCID threshold one year after treatment.

In this study, we examined the impact of dual-mobility (DM) versus fixed-bearing (FB) implants on outcomes following total hip arthroplasty (THA), a common and successful operation. We examined all-cause revision, revision due to dislocation, postoperative complications and functional scores in patients undergoing primary and revision THA.

A systematic review was performed according to PRISMA guidelines, and was registered in PROSPERO (ID CRD42023403736). The Cochrane Library, Embase, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched from inception to 12th March 2023. Eligible studies underwent meta-analysis and methodological assessment using the ROBINS-I tool. Data were pooled using a random-effects maximum-likelihood model.

Eight comparative, non-randomised studies involving 2,810 DM implants and 3,188 FB implants were included. In primary THA, the difference in all-cause revision was imprecise (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.25–2.72), whilst the DM cohort had a statistically significant benefit in revision due to dislocation (OR 0.08, 95% CI 0.02–0.28). In revision THA, the DM cohort showed significant benefit in all-cause revision (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.31–1.05) and revision due to dislocation (OR 0.14, 95% CI 0.04–0.53). DM implants were associated with a lower incidence of implant dislocation and infection. Functional outcome analysis was limited due to underreporting. No intraprosthetic dislocations were observed.

The results suggest that contemporary DM designs may be advantageous in reducing the risk of all-cause revision, revision due to dislocation, and postoperative complication incidence at mid-term follow-up. Further high-quality prospective studies are needed to evaluate the long-term performance of this design, especially in revision cases.

Osteoporosis can cause significant disability and cost to health services globally. We aim to compare risk fractures for both osteoporosis and fractures at the L1-L4 vertebrae (LV) and the neck of femurs (NOFs) in patients referred for DEXA scan in the North-West of England.

Data was obtained from 31546 patients referred for DEXA scan in the North-West of England between 2004 and 2011. Demographic data was retrospectively analysed using STATA, utilising chi-squared and t-tests. Logistical models were used to report odds ratios for risk factors included in the FRAX tool looking for differences between osteoporosis and fracture risk at the LV and NOFs.

In a study involving 2530 cases of LV fractures and 1363 of NOF fractures, age was significantly linked to fractures and osteoporosis at both sites, with a higher risk of osteoporosis at NOFs compared to LV. Height provided protection against fractures and osteoporosis at both sites, with a more pronounced protective effect against osteoporosis at NOFs. Weight was more protective for NOF fractures, while smoking increased osteoporosis risk with no site-specific difference. Steroids were unexpectedly protective for fractures at both sites, with no significant difference, while alcohol consumption was protective against osteoporosis at both sites and associated with increased LV fracture risk. Rheumatoid arthritis increased osteoporosis risk in NOFs and implied a higher fracture risk, though not statistically significant compared to LV. Results summarised in Table 1.

Our study reveals that established osteoporosis and fracture risk factors impact distinct bony sites differently. Age and rheumatoid arthritis increase osteoporosis risk more at NOFs than LV, while height and steroids provide greater protection at NOFs. Height significantly protects LV fractures, with alcohol predicting them. Further research is needed to explore risk factors’ impact on additional bony sites and understand the observed differences’ pathophysiology.

For any figures or tables, please contact the authors directly.

Hip prosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a debilitating complication following joint replacement surgery, with significant impact on patients and healthcare systems. The INFection ORthopaedic Management: Evidence into Practice (INFORM:EP) study, builds upon the 6-year INFORM programme by developing evidence-based guidelines for the identification and management of hip PJI.

A panel of 21 expert stakeholders collaborated to develop best practice guidelines based on evidence from INFORM \[1\]. An expert consensus process was used to refine guidelines using RAND/UCLA criteria. The guidelines were then implemented over a 12-month period through a Learning Collaborative of 24 healthcare professionals from 12 orthopaedic centres in England. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 17 members of the collaborative and findings used to inform the development of an implementation support toolkit. Patient and public involvement contextualised the implementation of the guidelines. The study is registered with the ISCRTN (34710385).

The INFORM guidelines, structured around the stages of PJI management, were largely supported by surgeons, although barriers included limited awareness among non-surgical team members, lack of job planning for multidisciplinary teams, and challenges in ensuring timely referrals from primary care. Psychological support for patients was identified as a critical gap. Advanced Nurse Practitioners and multidisciplinary team (MDT) coordinators were seen as potential bridges to address these knowledge gaps. The guidelines were also viewed as a useful tool for service development.

This study presents the first evidence-based guidelines for hip PJI management, offering a comprehensive approach to prevention, treatment, and postoperative care. Effective implementation is crucial, involving wider dissemination amongst primary and community care, as well as non-specialist treatment centres. Further resources are needed to ensure job planning for MDTs and psychological support for patients. Overall, this study lays the foundation for improved PJI management, benefiting patients and healthcare systems.

Current treatment options for displaced acetabular fractures in elderly patients include non-surgical management, surgical fixation and surgical fixation with simultaneous hip replacement, the so-called “fix-and-replace”™. There remains a paucity of evidence to guide surgeons in decision making for these difficult injuries. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of performing an appropriately powered RCT between treatment options for acetabular fractures in older patients.

This was an NIHR funded feasibility triple-arm RCT with participation from 7 NHS MTCs. Patients older than 60 were recruited if they had an acetabular fracture deemed sufficiently displaced for the treating surgeon to consider surgical fixation. Randomisation was performed on a 1:1:1 basis. The three treatment arms were non-surgical management, surgical fixation and fix-and-replace. Feasibility was assessed by willingness of patients to participate and clinicians to recruit, drop out rate, estimates of standard deviation to inform the sample size calculation for the full trial and completion rates to inform design of a future definitive trial. EQ-5D was the primary outcome measure at 6 months, OHS and Disability Rating Index were secondary outcome measures.

Of 117 eligible patients, 60 were randomised whilst 50 declined study participation. Nine patients did not receive their allocated intervention. Analysis was performed on an intention to treat basis. During the study period 4 patients withdrew before final review, 4 patients died and 1 was lost to follow-up. The estimated sample size for a full scale study was calculated to be 1474 participants for an EQ-5D MCID of 0.06 with a power of 0.8.

This feasibility study suggests a full scale trial would require international collaboration. This study also has provided observed safety data regarding mortality and morbidity for the fix-and-replace procedure to aid surgeons in the decision-making process when considering treatment options.

This study evaluates the association between consultant and hospital volume and the risk of re-revision and 90-day mortality following first-time revision of primary hip replacement for aseptic loosening.

We conducted a cohort study of first-time, single-stage revision hip replacements (RHR) performed for aseptic loosening and recorded in the National Joint Registry (NJR) data for England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Isle of Man between 2003 and 2019. Patient identifiers were used to link records to national mortality data, and to NJR data to identify subsequent re-revision procedures. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models with restricted cubic splines were used to define associations between volume and outcome.

Among 12,676 RHR there were 513 re-revisions within two years, and 95 deaths within 90 days of surgery. The risk of re-revision was highest for a consultant's first RHR (Hazard Ratio (HR) 1·58 (95%CI 1·16 to 2·15)) and remained significantly elevated for their first 26 cases (HR 1·26 (95%CI 1·00 to 1·58)). Annual consultant volumes of five/year were associated with an almost 30% greater risk of re-revision (HR 1·28 (95%CI 1·00 to 1·64)) and 80% greater risk of 90-day mortality (HR 1·81 (95%CI 1·02 to 3·21)) compared to volumes of 20/year. RHR performed at hospitals which had cumulatively undertaken fewer than 168 RHR were at up to 70% greater risk of re-revision (HR 1·70 (95% CI 1·12 to 2·60)), and those having undertaken fewer than 309 RHR were at up to three times greater risk of 90-day mortality (HR 3·06 (95% CI 1·19 to 7·86)).

This study found a significantly higher risk of re-revision and early postoperative mortality following first-time single-stage RHR for aseptic loosening when performed by lower-volume consultants and at lower-volume institutions, supporting the move towards the centralisation of such cases towards higher-volume units and surgeons.

The Nottingham Hip Fracture Score (NHFS) is validated to predict mortality after fragility neck of femur fractures (NOF). Risk stratification supports informed consent, peri-operative optimisation and case prioritisation.

With the inclusion of fragility distal femur fractures (DFF) in the BPT, increasing attention is being placed on the outcome of these injuries. Developing on the lessons learnt over the past decades in NOF management is key.

This study assesses the validity of the NHFS in predicting mortality after fragility DFFs.

A multi-centre study of 3 high volume fragility fracture units was performed via a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected databases.

Patients aged 60 years-of-age who presented with AO 33.A/B/C native DFF, or V.3.A/B periprosthetic DFF over an 86-month period between September 2014 and December 2021 and underwent surgical treatment were eligible for inclusion. Open and/or polytrauma (ISS >15) were excluded.

All operations were performed or supervised by Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeons and were reviewed peri-operatively by a 7-day MDT.

Patients with a NHFS of gt;=5 were stratified into a high-risk of 30-day mortality cohort, with all others being œlow-risk.

285 patients were eligible for inclusion with 92 considered to be low-risk of 30-day mortality, these tended to be younger female patients admitted from their own homes.

30-day mortality was 0% in the low-risk cohort and 6.2% (12/193) in the high-risk group. 1-year mortality was 8.7% (8/92) and 35.7% (69/193) in the low and high-risk groups respectively.

Area Under the Curve (AUC) analyses of Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curves demonstrated the greatest ability to predict mortality at 30-days for the high-risk cohort (0.714).

The NHFS demonstrates a good ability to predict 30-day mortality in those patients with a NHFS =5 after a surgically managed fragility DFF. With comparable mortality outcomes to those documented from fragility NOF.

The number of revision total hip arthroplasties (THA) is increasing. This procedure is associated with a higher complication rate than primary THA, and so it is important for patients to have realistic expectations. The aim of this systematic review was to gather and summarise the available evidence on patients’ expectations following revision THA.

A literature search was conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, Cochrane, Google Scholar and Web of Science from inception to December 2021. Methodological quality was assessed by two independent reviewers using the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NIH) study quality assessment tool for observational cohort and cross-sectional studies.

The search strategy generated 3132 references of which 4 articles met the inclusion criteria. Methodological quality scores ranged from 7–10. Patients have high expectations concerning future walking ability, pain and implant longevity. Implant longevity expectations vary according to the longevity of the primary implant. A significant positive correlation was found between fulfilled expectations of pain and walking ability and patient satisfaction (r = .46 – .47). Only one study assessed fulfilment of patient expectations. Great variability was seen in operationalisation and assessment of expectations.

Patients undergoing revision THA appear to have high expectations with regards to future outcomes. Whilst results are promising, there is a paucity of high-quality data in this area. Further research is needed, which places emphasis on developing a sound theoretical framework for expectations, allowing for the consistent implementation of valid measurement tools.

Although total hip arthroplasty (THA) is beneficial for many patients with hip osteoarthritis (OA), a subset of patients experience minimal benefit. It is therefore pertinent to understand the predictors of poor functional outcome to facilitate shared decision making. One such predictor is preoperative radiographic OA severity. The aim of this systematic review was to determine whether preoperative radiographic OA severity could predict postoperative patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and satisfaction rates after THA.

This systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines, and the protocol published in PROSPERO (ID:Â CRD42023445918). A literature search was performed using Embase, MEDLINE and Cochrane Library databases. Demographics, radiographic OA severity, PROMs, satisfaction, and complications after THA were collected. A meta-analysis was performed, where appropriate, using a random-effects model.

Of 631 identified articles, 12 were included in the final analysis (8,034 participants; mean age 65.2, 38.1% male, mean BMI 29.1 kg/m2). There were three key findings. Firstly, those with mild OA are less likely to achieve a meaningful clinical improvement in PROMs (odds ratio (OR) 0.50, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.38, 0.65; p < 0.00001). Secondly, two studies indicates that postoperative patient satisfaction was lower in participants with mild OA. Thirdly, participants with mild arthritis experience less improvement in SF-36 physical functioning (mean difference (MD) -8.31, 95% CI -10.97, -5.64; p < 0.00001) and role physical (MD -5.59, 95% CI -8.40, -2.77; p < 0.0001), but showed higher improvement in general health (MD 1.68, 95% CI 0.31, 3.06; p = 0.02).

Patients with mild OA, as determined radiographically, are less likely to achieve meaningful clinical improvements in PROMs and have lower postoperative satisfaction after THA. This information will improve collaborative decision-making in the preoperative period.

Current estimates of periprosthetic fracture risk associated with femoral implants is mostly limited to revision only estimates and does not accurately represent stem performance. The aim of this study was to estimate the risk of surgically treated post-operative periprosthetic femoral fracture (POPFF) more accurately associated with frequently used femoral implants used for total hip arthroplasty (THA).

A cohort study of patients who underwent primary THA in England between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2020. Periprosthetic fractures were identified from prospectively collected revision records and national procedure coding records. Survival modelling was used to estimate POPFF incidence rates, adjusting for potential confounders. Subgroup analyses were performed for patients over 70 years, with non-osteoarthritic indications, and neck of femur fracture.

POPFF occurred in 0.6% (5100/809,832) of cases during a median (IQR) follow up of 6.5 (3.9 to 9.6) years. The majority of POPFF were treated with fixation after implantation of a cemented stem. Adjusted patient time incidence rates (PTIR) for POPFF varied by stem design, regardless of cement fixation. Cemented composite beam stems (CB stems) demonstrated the lowest risk of POPFF. Collared cementless stems had an equivalent or lower rate of POPFF versus the current gold standard polished taper slip cemented stem.

POPFF account for a quarter of all revisions following primary THA. Cemented CB stems are associated with the lowest POPFF risk. Stem design is strongly associated with POPFF risk, regardless of the presence of cement. Surgeons, policymakers, and patients should consider these findings when recommending femoral implants in those most at risk of POPFF.

Given the prolonged waits for hip arthroplasty seen across the U.K. it is important that we optimise priority systems to account for potential disparities in patient circumstances and impact. We set out to achieve this through a two-stage approach. This included a Delphi-study of patient and surgeon preferences to determine what should be considered when determining patient priority, followed by a Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) to decide relative weighting of included attributes.

The study was conducted according to the published protocol ([https://boneandjoint.org.uk/article/10.1302/2633-1462.310.BJO-2022-0071](https://boneandjoint.org.uk/article/10.1302/2633-1462.310.BJO-2022-0071)). The Delphi study was performed online over 3 rounds with anonymous ranking and feedback. Included factors were voted as either Consensus in, Consensus out, or No Consensus• following an established scoring criterion. A final consensus meeting determined the prioritisation factors (and their levels) to be included in the DCE. The DCE was then conducted using an online platform, with surgeons performing 18 choice sets regarding which merited greater priority between two hypothetical patients. Results were collated and analysed using multinomial logit regression analysis (MNL).

For the Delphi study there were 43 responses in the first round, with a subsequent 91% participation rate. Final consensus inclusion was achieved for Pain; Mobility/Function; Activities of Daily Living; Inability to Work/Care; Length of Time Waited; Radiological Severity and Mental Wellbeing. 70 individuals subsequently contributed to the DCE, with radiological severity being the most significant factor (Coefficient 2.27 \[SD 0.31\], p<0.001), followed by pain (Coefficient 1.08 \[SD 0.13\], p<0.001) and time waited (Coefficient for 1-month additional wait 0.12 \[SD 0.02\], p<0.001). The calculated trade-off in waiting time for a 1-level change in pain (e.g., moderate to severe pain) was 9.14 months.

These results present a new method of determining comparative priority for those on primary hip arthroplasty waiting lists. Evaluation of potential implementation in clinical practice is now required.

Adult hip dysplasia AHD is a complex 3D pathology of lateral coverage, version and/or volume and is often associated with increased femoral anteversion. The Mckibbin index MI is the combination of acetabular version AV and femoral version FV and is used as a measure of anterior hip Stability/ Impingement(1). The Bernese Periacetabular osteotomy PAO is a powerful tool in treating AHD, but it does not address FV. De-rotational femoral osteotomies FO increases risk of complications, operative time and might condemn the patient to Secondary osteotomies to balance the gait. We aim to investigate the effect of MI and FV on PROMs in patients undergoing PAO only.

593 PAOs identified on the Local Hip preservation registry between 01/2013 and 7/2023. PAOs for retroversion, residual Perthes and those combined with FO were excluded. Patients with no available PROMS at 2 years were excluded. Independent variables were collected from E-notes and imaging including MI and FV. A multiple linear regression analysis was performed against preoperative iHot12, and iHot12 change at 2years.

The mean FV was 18.86± 12.4 SD. Mean MI was 36.07, SD 15.36. Mean preop iHot12 score was 29.83 ± 17.38 SD. Mean change in iHot12 at 2 years was+36.47 ± 28.44 SD. Females and a higher BMI were statistically correlated to a lower preoperative iHot12. A lower preop iHot12 score and a higher preop AI were correlated to a bigger change in iHot12 at 2years with statistical significance. MI and FV were not found to have a statistically significant correlation with Outcome measures,

An increased Mckibbin index and femoral anteversion were not correlated with worse outcomes at two years. PAO alone in the presence of increased femoral anteversion avoids risks associated with FO which can be performed later if required.

Total hip replacement (THR) is one of the most common and cost-effective elective surgical procedures. In the National Health Service (NHS) of England and Wales a myriad of implants for THR are offered at a variety of locally negotiated prices. This study aims to estimate the total burden of elective THR to the NHS, expenditure on implants, and different scenarios of cost changes if implant selection changed for different patient groups.

Using National Joint Registry (NJR) data and NHS reference costs, we estimated the number and expenditure of NHS funded primary and revision THR in the 10-year period 2008–2017 and forecasted the number and expenditure on THR over the next decade. Using NJR average NHS Trust prices for the different implant combinations we estimated the average cost of implants used in THRs and estimated the budget impact on NHS providers from switching to alternative implants.

The NHS spent over £4.76 billion performing 702,381 THRs between 2008–2017. The average cost of implants was £1,260 per surgery, almost a fifth of the cost of primary THR. Providing cemented implant combinations in primary elective THRs may potentially save up to £281 million over the next 10 years, whilst keeping 10-year revision risks low.

The NHS is likely to spend over £5.6 billion providing primary elective THR over the next decade. There are efficiency savings to realise in the NHS by switching to more cost-effective implant combinations available for patients undergoing primary elective THR surgery, but these will need to be balanced against the risks inherent to a change in selection of implants and surgical practice. The HIPPY programme will be conducting practice surveys, discrete choice experiments and a large randomised controlled trial of cemented, uncemented and hybrid fixation in THR for patients under 70 to answer uncertainties.

Gluteal Tendinopathy is a poorly understood condition that predominantly affects post-menopausal women. It causes lateral hip pain, worse when lying on the affected side or when walking up a hill or stairs. It has been labelled ˜Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome” a name that recognises the lack of understanding of the condition.

Surgical reconstruction of the gluteal cuff is well established and has been undertaken numerous times over the last 16 years by the senior author (AJL). However, the quality of collagen in the tendons can be very poor and this leads to compromised results. We present the results of gluteal cuff reconstruction combined with augmentation using a bioinductive implant.

14 patients (11 female, 3 male; mean age 74.2 ± 6.3 years) with significant symptoms secondary to gluteal tendinopathy that had failed conservative treatment (ultrasound guided injection and structured physiotherapy) underwent surgical reconstruction by the senior author using an open approach. In all cases the iliotibial band was lengthened and the trochanteric bursa excised. The gluteal cuff was reattached using Healicoil anchors (3–5×4.75mm anchors; single anchors but double row repair) and then augmented using a Regeneten patch. Patients were mobilised fully weight bearing post-operatively but were asked to use crutches until they were no longer limping. All had structured post-surgery rehabilitation courtesy of trained physiotherapists.

There were no post-operative complications and all patients reported an improvement in pain levels (Visual Analogue Scale 7.8 pre-op; 2.6 post-op) and functional levels (UCLA Activity Score 3.5 pre-op; 7.1 post-op) at 6 months post surgery.

Surgery for gluteal tendinopathy produces good outcomes and the use of Regeneten as an augment for poor quality collagen is seemingly a safe, helpful addition. Further comparative studies would help clarify this.

The significance of periprosthetic fractures about a total hip arthroplasty (THA) is becoming increasingly important. Recent studies have demonstrated post-operative periprosthetic fracture rates are higher amongst cemented polished taper slip (PTS) stem designs compared to collared cementless (CC) designs.

However, in the National Joint Registry, the rate of intra-operative periprosthetic femoral fractures (IOPFF) with cementless implant systems remains higher (0.87% vs 0.42%. p <0.001) potentially leading to more post-operative complications.

This study identifies the incidence of IOPFF, the fracture subtype and compares functional outcomes and revision rates of CC femoral implants with an IOPFF to CC stems and PTS stems without a fracture.

5376 consecutive CC stem THA, carried out through a posterior approach were reviewed for IOPFF. Each fracture was subdivided into calcar fracture, greater trochanter (GT) fracture or shaft fracture.

1:1:1 matched analysis was carried out to compare Oxford scores at one year. Matching criteria included; sex (exact), age (± 1 year), American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) grade (exact), and date of surgery (± 6 months).

Electronic records were used to review revision rates.

Following review of the CC stems, 44 (0.8%) were identified as having an IOPFF. Of these 30 (0.6%) were calcar fractures, 11 (0.2%) GT fractures and 3 (0.06%) were shaft fractures. There were no shaft penetrations.

Overall, no significant difference in Oxford scores at one year were observed when comparing the CC IOPFF, CC non-IOPFF and PTS groups.

There were no CC stems revised for any reason with either a calcar fracture or trochanteric fracture within the period of 8 years follow-up.

IOPFF do occur more frequently in cementless systems than cemented. The majority are calcar and GT fractures. These fractures, when identified and managed intra-operatively, do not have worse functional outcomes or revision rates compared to matched non-IOPFF cases.

Total joint arthroplasty (TJA) is one of the commonest and most successful orthopaedic procedures used for the management of end-stage arthritis. With the recent introduction of robotic-assisted joint replacement, Computed tomography (CT) has become part of required pre-operative planning.

The aim of this study is to quantify and characterise incidental CT findings, their clinical significance, and their effect on the planned joint arthroplasty.

All consecutive patients undergoing an elective TJA (total joint arthroplasty; hip or knee) were retrospectively identified, over a 4-year period (December 2019 and November 2023). Data documented and analysed included patient demographics, type of joint arthroplasty, CT findings, their clinical significance, as well as potential delays to the planned arthroplasty because of these findings and subsequent further investigation.

A total of 987 patients (female: 514 patients (52.1%)) undergoing TJA were identified (THA: 444 patients (45.0%); TKA: 400 patients (40.5%); UKA: 143 patients (14.5%)). Incidental findings within imaged areas were identified in 227 patients (23.0%). Of these findings, 74 (7.5%) were significant, requiring further investigation or management, 40 (4.1%) of which represented potential malignancy and 4 (0.4%) resulting in a new cancer diagnosis. A single patient was found to have an aneurysm requiring urgent vascular intervention. Surgery was delayed for further investigation in 4 patients (0.4%). Significant findings were more frequent in THA patients (THA: 43 (9.7%) TKA/UKA: 31 (5.7%)

Within our cohort, 74 (7.5%) patients had significant incidental findings that required further investigations or management, with 4 (0.4%) having a previously undiagnosed malignancy. We strongly advocate that all robotic arthroplasty planning CTs are reviewed and reported by a specialist, to avoid missing undiagnosed malignancies and other significant diagnoses.

Proximal hamstring tendon avulsion from the ischial tuberosity is a significant injury, with surgical repair shown to have superior functional outcomes compared to non-surgical treatment. However, limited data exists regarding the optimal rehabilitation regime following surgical repair. The aim of this study was to investigate patient outcomes following repair of proximal hamstring tendon avulsions between a conservative (CR) versus an accelerated rehabilitation (AR) regimen.

This prospective randomized controlled trial (RCT) randomised 50 patients undergoing proximal hamstring tendon repair to either a braced, partial weight-bearing rehabilitation regime (CR=25) or an accelerated, unbraced regime, that permitted full weight-bearing as tolerated (AR=25).

Patients were evaluated pre-operatively and at 3 and 6 months post-surgery, via patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) including the Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS), Perth Hamstring Assessment Tool (PHAT) and 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12). Primary analysis was per protocol and based on linear mixed models.

Both groups were matched at baseline with respect to patient characteristics. All PROMs improved (p>0.05) and, while the AR group reported a significantly better Physical Component Score for the SF-12 at 3 months (p=0.022), there were no other group differences. Peak isometric hamstrings strength and peak isokinetic quadriceps and hamstrings torque symmetry were all comparable between groups (p>0.05). Three re-injuries have been observed (CR=2, AR=1).

After proximal hamstring repair surgery, post-operative outcomes following an accelerated rehabilitation regimen demonstrate comparable outcomes to a traditionally conservative rehabilitation pathway, albeit demonstrating better early physical health-related quality of life scores, without an increased incidence of early re-injury.

The aims were to assess whether vitamin D deficiency influenced mortality risk for patients presenting with a hip fracture.

A retrospective study was undertaken including all patients aged over 50 years that were admitted with a hip fracture to a single centre during a 24-month period. Serum vitamin D levels were assessed. Patient demographics and perioperative variables and mortality were collected. Cox regression analysis (adjusting for confounding) was utilised to determine the independent association between serum vitamin D level and patient mortality.

The cohort consisted of 2075 patients with a mean age of 80.7 years and 1471 (70.9%) were female. 1510 (72.8%) patients had a serum vitamin D level taken, of which 876 (58.0%) were deficient (50nmol/l). The median follow up was 417 (IQR 242 to 651) days. During follow up there were 464 (30.7%) deaths. Survival at 1 year was significantly (p=0.003) lower for patients who were vitamin D deficient (71.7%, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 68.6 to 74.9) compared to those who were not (79.0%, 95% CI 75.9 to 82.3). Vitamin D deficiency was also independently associated with an increased mortality risk at 2-years (HR 1.25, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.53, p=0.025), but not at 1-year (p=0.057).

Hip fracture patients with vitamin D deficiency had an increased mortality risk. This risk was independent of confounders at 2 years. The role of measuring vitamin D levels in these patients is unclear. Improved public health policy about vitamin D may be required to reduce deficiency in this patient population.

MCID and PASS are thresholds driven from PROMS to reflect clinical effectiveness. Statistical significance can be derived from a change in PROMS, whereas MCID and PASS reflect clinical significance. Its role has been increasingly used in the world of young adult hip surgery with several publications determining the thresholds for Femoro-acetabular impingement FAI. To our knowledge MCID and PASS for patient undergoing PAO for dysplasia has not been reported.

593 PAOs between 1/2013 and 7/2023 were extracted from the Northumbria Hip Preservation Registry. Patients with available PROMS at 1year and/or 2years were included. PAOs for retroversion, residual Perthes and those combined with FO were excluded. MCID was calculated using the distribution method 0.5SD of baseline score(1). PASS was calculated using anchor method, ROC analysis performed, and value picked maximizing Youden index. A Logistic Regression analysis was performed to determine which independent variables correlated with achieving MCID and PASS.

The MCID threshold for iHOt12 was 8.6 with 83.4 and 86.3 % of patients achieved it at 1 and 2 years respectively. The PASS score at 1 and 2 year follow up was 43 and 44 respectively, with 72.6 and 75.2% achieving it at 1 and 2 year postop. At 2 years a Higher preop iHOT 12 was associated with not achieving MCID and PASS (p<0.05). Preop acetabular version was negatively correlated with achieving MCID and previous hip arthroscopy was negatively correlated with PASS.

The % of patients achieving MCID and PASS mimics that of FAI surgery (2). The negative correlation with preop iHOT12 reaffirms the importance of patient selection. The negative correlation of hip arthroscopy highlights the importance of having a high index of suspicion for dysplasia prior to hip arthroscopy and poorer outcomes of patients with mixed CAM and dysplasia pathology.

Implants in total hip replacement (THR) are associated with different clinical and cost-effectiveness profiles,. We estimate the costs and outcomes for NHS patients in the year after THR associated with implant bearing materials using linked routinely collected data.

We linked NJR primary elective THR patients for osteoarthritis to HES and National PROMs. We estimated health care costs, health-related quality of life indices, and revision risks, in the year after primary and revision THRs overall. We used generalised linear models adjusting for patient and hospital characteristics and estimated 10-year cumulative probability of revision. We imputed utilities using chained equations for half the sample with missing PROMS.

We linked 577,973 elective primary THRs and 11,812 subsequent revisions. One year after primary THR, patients with the cemented THRs using cobalt chrome or stainless steel head with HCLPE liner/cup cost the NHS, on average, £13,101 (95%CI £13,080,£13,122), had an average quality-of-life score of 0.788 (95%CI 0.787,0.788), and a 10-year revision probability of 1.9% (95%CI 1.6,2.3). Compared to the reference, patients receiving a cemented THR with delta ceramic head and HCLPE liner/cup, hybrid THR with delta ceramic head and HCLPE liner/cup, and hybrid THR with alumina head and HCLPE liner/cup had lower 1-year costs (-£572 \[95% CI -£775,-£385\], -£346 \[-£501,-£192\], -£371 \[-£574,-£168\] respectively), better quality of life (0.007 \[95% CI 0.003,0.011\], 0.013 \[0.010,0.016\], 0.009 \[0.005,0.013\] respectively), and lower 10-year revision probabilities (1.4% \[1.03,2.0\], 1.5 \[1.3,1.7\], 1.6%\[1.2,2.1\] respectively).

Implant bearing materials are associated with varying mean costs and health outcomes after primary THR. Ours is the first study to derive costs and health outcomes from large, linked databases using multiple imputation methods to deal with bias. Our findings are useful for commissioning and procurement decisions and to inform a subsequent cost-effectiveness model with more granular detail on THR implant types.

The burden of metastatic disease presenting with axial skeleton lesions is exponentially rising predominantly due to advances in oncological therapies. A large proportion is these lesions are located in the proximal femora, which given its unique biomechanical architecture is problematic.

These patients are frequently comorbid and require prompt and concise decision making regarding their orthopaedic care in line with recent British Orthopaedic Association guidelines.

We present data detailing the outcomes for patients with proximal femoral metastatic disease referred and treated over a three year period in an Regional Cancer Centre.

We retrospectively reviewed a prospectively maintained database of all patients referred for discussion at MDT with axial skeletal metastatic disease. From this we isolated patients with femoral disease. Demographic data along with primary tumour and metastatic disease site were assessed. Treatment regimens were analysed and compared. Finally predicted and actual mortality data was collated.

331 patients were referred over the analysed time period, of which 99 had femoral disease. 66% of patients were managed conservatively with serial monitoring while 34% underwent operative treatment. 65% of those received an intramedullary fixation while 35% had arthroplasty performed. There was a 51:49 split male to female with Prostate, Lung and Breast being the predominant primary tumours. Concurrent spinal metastatic disease was noted in 62% of patients while visceral mets were seen in 37%. Mortality rate was 65% with an average prognosis of 388 days (1.06years) while average mortality was noted within 291 days (0.8 years).

Proximal femoral metastatic disease accounts for a large volume of the overall mets burden. There is an overall tendency towards conservative management and of those requiring surgery IM nailing was the treatment of choice. The data would indicate that outcomes for these patients are guarded and on average worse than those predicted.

Lag screw cut-out is a serious complication of dynamic hip screw fixation in trochanteric hip fractures. Lag screw position is recognised as a crucial factor influencing the occurrence of lag screw cut-out. We propose a modification of the Tip Apex Distance (TAD) and hypothesize that it could enhance the reliability of predicting lag screw cut-out in these injuries.

A retrospective study of hip fracture cases was conducted from January 2018 to July 2022. A total of 109 patients were eligible for the final analysis. The modified TAD was measured in millimetres, based on the sum of the traditional TAD in the lateral view and the net value of two distances in the anteroposterior (AP) view. The first distance is from the lag screw tip to the opposite point on the femoral head along the lag screw axis, while the second distance is from that point to the femoral head apex. The first distance is a positive value, whereas the second distance is positive if the lag screw is superior and negative if it is inferior. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to assess the reliability of various parameters for evaluating the lag screw position within the femoral head.

Factors such as reduction quality, fracture pattern according to the AO/OTA classification, TAD, Calcar-Referenced TAD, Axis Blade Angle, Parker’s ratio in the AP view, Cleveland Zone 1, and modified TAD were statistically associated with lag screw cut-out. Among the tested parameters, the novel parameter exhibited 90.1% sensitivity and 90.9% specificity for predicting lag screw cut-out at a cut-off value of 25 mm, with a p-value < 0.001.

The modified TAD demonstrated the highest reliability in predicting lag screw cut-out. A value of 25 mm may potentially reduce the risk of lag screw cut-out in trochanteric hip fractures.

Chondrosarcoma is the second most common surgically treated primary bone sarcoma. Despite a large number of scientific papers in the literature, there is still significant controversy about diagnostics, treatment of the primary tumour, subtypes, and complications. Therefore, consensus on its day-to-day treatment decisions is needed. In January 2024, the Birmingham Orthopaedic Oncology Meeting (BOOM) attempted to gain global consensus from 300 delegates from over 50 countries. The meeting focused on these critical areas and aimed to generate consensus statements based on evidence amalgamation and expert opinion from diverse geographical regions. In parallel, periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) in oncological reconstructions poses unique challenges due to factors such as adjuvant treatments, large exposures, and the complexity of surgery. The meeting debated two-stage revisions, antibiotic prophylaxis, managing acute PJI in patients undergoing chemotherapy, and defining the best strategies for wound management and allograft reconstruction. The objectives of the meeting extended beyond resolving immediate controversies. It sought to foster global collaboration among specialists attending the meeting, and to encourage future research projects to address unsolved dilemmas. By highlighting areas of disagreement and promoting collaborative research endeavours, this initiative aims to enhance treatment standards and potentially improve outcomes for patients globally. This paper sets out some of the controversies and questions that were debated in the meeting.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2024;106-B(5):425–429.

In 2017, the British Society for Children’s Orthopaedic Surgery engaged the profession and all relevant stakeholders in two formal research prioritization processes. In this editorial, we describe the impact of this prioritization on funding, and how research in children’s orthopaedics, which was until very recently a largely unfunded and under-investigated area, is now flourishing. Establishing research priorities was a crucial step in this process.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2024;106-B(5):422–424.

Aims

Isolated acetabular liner exchange with a highly crosslinked polyethylene (HXLPE) component is an option to address polyethylene wear and osteolysis following total hip arthroplasty (THA) in the presence of a well-fixed acetabular shell. The liner can be fixed either with the original locking mechanism or by being cemented within the acetabular component. Whether the method used for fixation of the HXLPE liner has any bearing on the long-term outcomes is still unclear.

Aims

Periprosthetic proximal femoral fractures (PFFs) are a major complication after total hip arthroplasty (THA). Health status after PFF is not specifically investigated. The aim of this study is to evaluate the health status pattern over two years after sustaining a PFF.

Aims

The aim of this study was to investigate whether anterior pelvic plane-pelvic tilt (APP-PT) is associated with distinct hip pathomorphologies. We asked: is there a difference in APP-PT between young symptomatic patients being evaluated for joint preservation surgery and an asymptomatic control group? Does APP-PT vary among distinct acetabular and femoral pathomorphologies? And does APP-PT differ in symptomatic hips based on demographic factors?

Aims

The aims of this study were to identify and evaluate the current literature examining the prognostic factors which are associated with failure of total elbow arthroplasty (TEA).

Aims

Robotic-assisted unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (R-UKA) has been proposed as an approach to improve the results of the conventional manual UKA (C-UKA). The aim of this meta-analysis was to analyze the studies comparing R-UKA and C-UKA in terms of clinical outcomes, radiological results, operating time, complications, and revisions.

Aims

The aim of this study was to produce clinical consensus recommendations about the non-surgical treatment of children with Perthes’ disease. The recommendations are intended to support clinical practice in a condition for which there is no robust evidence to guide optimal care.

Aims

Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) demonstrates the most feared complication after total joint replacement (TJR). The current work analyzes the demographic, comorbidity, and complication profiles of all patients who had in-hospital treatment due to PJI. Furthermore, it aims to evaluate the in-hospital mortality of patients with PJI and analyze possible risk factors in terms of secondary diagnosis, diagnostic procedures, and complications.

Aims

Hand trauma, consisting of injuries to both the hand and the wrist, are a common injury seen worldwide. The global age-standardized incidence of hand trauma exceeds 179 per 100,000. Hand trauma may require surgical management and therefore result in significant costs to both healthcare systems and society. Surgical site infections (SSIs) are common following all surgical interventions, and within hand surgery the risk of SSI is at least 5%. SSI following hand trauma surgery results in significant costs to healthcare systems with estimations of over £450 per patient. The World Health Organization (WHO) have produced international guidelines to help prevent SSIs. However, it is unclear what variability exists in the adherence to these guidelines within hand trauma. The aim is to assess compliance to the WHO global guidelines in prevention of SSI in hand trauma.

Introduction

Knee arthrodesis is a useful limb salvage technique to maintain function in patients with complex and infected total knee arthroplasties (TKA). There are a number of commonly used external fixators, but no consensus on which of these are optimal.

The aim of this study was to synthesise the current literature to guide clinical decision making and improve patient outcomes. We systematically review the literature to compare outcomes of external fixators in arthrodesis following infected TKA.

Introduction

Knee dislocations, vascular injuries and floating knee injuries can be initially managed by a external fixator. Fixator design constructs include the AO pattern and the Diamond pattern. However, these traditional constructs do not adhere to basic principles of external fixation. The Manchester pattern knee-spanning external fixator is a new construct pattern, which uses beam loading and multiplanar fixation. There is no data on any construct pattern. This study compares the stability of these designs.

Introduction

Ilizarov fixators are reliant on tensioned fine wires for stability. The tension in the wires is generated using specific tensioning devices. Loss of wire tension over time may lead of loss a stability and complications. A series of in vitro experiments were undertaken to explore wire tensioner accuracy, the impact of fixation bolt torque and initial tension on loss of tension in ilizarov constructs under static and dynamic loads.

Introduction

There are concerns that patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) currently used for adults requiring, undergoing or after undergoing lower limb reconstruction (LLR) are not adequately capturing the range of experiences important to these patients. The ‘Patient-Reported Outcome Measure for Lower Limb Reconstruction’ (PROLLIT) study developed a conceptual framework of outcomes identified as important and relevant by adult LLR patients. This review explored whether existing PROMs address these outcomes, and exhibit content validity in this population.

Introduction

Continuous compression implants (CCIs) are small memory alloy bone staples that can provide continuous compression across a fracture site, which change shape due to temperature changes. Reviews of CCIs in orthopaedics have documented their use in mainly foot and ankle surgery, with very limited descriptions in trauma. They could be beneficial in the management of complex or open injuries due to their low profile and quick insertion time. The aim of this case series were to clarify the use of CCIs in modern day limb reconstruction practice.

Introduction

Sheffield Children's Hospital specialises in limb lengthening for children. Soft tissue contracture and loss of range of motion at the knee and ankle are common complications. This review aims to look at therapeutic techniques used by the therapy team to manage these issues.

Introduction

Compartment syndrome can be a life changing consequence of injury to a limb. If not diagnosed and treated early it can lead to permanent disability. Neurovascular observations done on the ward by nursing staff, are often our early warning system to those developing compartment syndrome. But are these adequate for detecting the early signs of compartment syndrome? Our aim was to compare the quality and variability of charts across the UK major trauma network.

Introduction

Schatzker V & VI tibial plateau fractures are serious life-changing injuries often resulting in significant complications including post-traumatic arthritis. Reported incidence of secondary TKA following ORIF of all tibial plateau fractures is 7.3% and 13% for Schatzker V & VI tibial. This study reports a 15-year single centre experience of CEF of Schatzker V & VI fractures including PROMs and incidence of secondary TKA. This study was approved by the local Institutional board.

Introduction

Coronal malalignment and leg length discrepancies (LLD) are frequently associated. Temporary hemiepiphysiodesis (tHED) is commonly employed for the correction of limb malalignment in skeletally immature patients. For treatment of LLD greater than 2 cm, lengthening with intramedullary legnthening nails is a safe and reliable technique. However, the combined application of these approaches in skeletally immature patients has not yet been investigated.

Introduction

Circular external frames (CEF) are commonly used for a wide variety of indications, often when other devices are not appropriate. Circular frames are particularly associated with pin-site infection (PSI). Currently there is a gap in the available literature surrounding the risk of frame use with in-situ prosthetic joints. This retrospective study investigated the incidence of prosthetic joint infection (PJI) in a series of patients with in-situ arthroplasties treated with CEF.

Introduction

The management of fracture-related infection has undergone radical progress following the development of international guidelines. However, there is limited consideration to the realities of healthcare in low-resource environments due to a lack of available evidence in the literature from these settings. Initial antimicrobial suppression to support fracture union is frequently used in low- and middle-income countries despite the lack of published clinical evidence to support its practice. This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes following initial antimicrobial suppression to support fracture union in the management of fracture-related infection.

Aims

Radiotherapy is a well-known local treatment for spinal metastases. However, in the presence of postoperative systemic therapy, the efficacy of radiotherapy on local control (LC) and overall survival (OS) in patients with spinal metastases remains unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of post-surgical radiotherapy for spinal metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, and to identify factors correlated with LC and OS.

Introduction

The reconstruction of segmental long bone defects remains one of the holy grails of orthopaedic surgery. The optimal treatment of which remains a topic of great debate. This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes following the management of critical-sized bone defects using a classification-based treatment algorithm.

Introduction

Humans Functions (locomotion, protection of organs, reproduction) require a strong support system (bones). The ‘Osteostasis’ is the ability of maintaining the bone structure, its mechanical characteristics and function. Five principles are required for an efficient bone system:

Basic Requirements:

1) Stability and 2) Function. Repair System (like house building in desert or sea):

3) Roads (vessels), 4) Materials (calories, proteins), 5) Workers (bone cells).

Analysis of bone problems through these principles bring to optimised treatments.

Introduction

The practice of limb lengthening using intramedullary nails has surged in popularity in recent years. Our study explores the relationship between femur lengthening and overall height gain in adults undergoing cosmetic limb lengthening with telescoping magnetic intramedullary lengthening nails (MILNs).

Introduction

Charcot neuroarthropathy is a limb threatening condition and the optimal surgical strategy for limb salvage in gross foot deformity remains unclear. We present our experience of using fine wire frames to correct severe midfoot deformity, followed by internal beaming to maintain the correction.

Introduction

Management of complex fractures poses a significant challenge. Evolving research and changes to national guidelines suggest better outcomes are achieved by transfer to specialist centres. The development of Major Trauma Networks was accompanied by relevant financial arrangements. These do not apply to patients with closed fractures referred for specialist treatment by similar pathways. Despite a surge in cases transferred for care, there is little information available regarding the financial impact on receiving institutions.

Introduction

Treatment of non-union in open tibial fractures Gustilo-Anderson(GA)-3A/3B fractures remains a challenging problem. Most of these can be dealt using treatment methods that requires excision of the non-union followed by bone grafting, masquelet technique, or acute shortening. Circular fixators with closed distraction or bone transport also remains a useful option. However, sometimes due to patient specific factors these cannot be used. Recently antibiotic loaded bone substitutes have been increasingly used for repairing infected non-unions. They provide local antibiotic delivery, fill dead space, and act as a bone conductive implant, which is resorted at the end of a few months. We aimed to assess the outcome of percutaneous injection of bone substitute while treating non-union of complex open tibial fractures.

Introduction

A 6cm femoral gain requires 5-Y during normal growth, but only 6–8-W surgically (x30–40 faster). In lengthening surgery, losses of muscle force (MF) and circumferences (MC) are major. Recovery is long, preventing sports till bone fusion.

Can we maintain MC and strength throughout the entire lengthening and how?

We monitored for over 30 years patients for muscle force (isokinetic), circumferences, activities (including sports) and food intake, and acted on the 5 principles of the Osteostasis.

Introduction

The use of osseointegrated limb replacement prostheses for amputees are rapidly growing in popularity due to the many benefits over conventional sockets. Many institutions worldwide are beginning to provide this surgical option to their patients and are advertising the service online. The aim of this study was to assess the quality and reading level of related information available online.

The requirement for the peer support groups were born out of concern for the psychological wellbeing of the paediatric patients and to assess if this would improve their wellbeing during their treatment. Groupwork is a method of Social Work which is recognised as a powerful tool to allow people meet their need for belonging while also creating the forum for group members to empower one another. Social Work meet with all paediatric patients attending the limb reconstruction service in the hospital. The focus of the Medical Social Worker (MSW) is to provide practical and emotional support to the patient and their parent/guardian regarding coping with the frame. Some of the challenges identified through this direct work include patient's struggling with the appearance of the frame and allowing peers to see the frame.

The peer support group aims to offer its attendees the opportunities to engage with fellow paediatric patients in the same position. It allowed them to visually identify with one another. We wanted to create a safe space to discuss the emotional impact of treatment and the frames. It normalises the common problems paediatric patients face during treatment. We assisted our participants to identify new coping techniques and actions they can take to make their journey through limb reconstruction treatment more manageable. Finally, we aimed to offer the parents space to similarly seek peer support with regard to caring for a child in treatment. All paediatric patients were under the care of the Paediatric Orthopaedic Consultant and were actively engaging with the limb reconstruction multi-disciplinary team (MDT). The patient selection was completed by the MDT; based on age, required to be in active treatment, or their frames were removed within one month prior to the group's commencement. Qualitative data was collected through written questionnaires and reflection from participants in MSW sessions. We also used observational data from direct verbal feedback from the MDT. In the first group, parents gave feedback due to participants age and completed written feedback forms. For our second group, initial feedback was collated from the participants after the first session to get an understanding of group expectations. Upon completion, we collected data from both the participants and the parents. Qualitative and scaling questions gathered feedback on their experience of participating in the group.

We held two peer support groups in 2022:One group for patients aged between 3–6 years in January 2022 across two sessions, which was attended by four patients. The second group for young teenage patients aged between 11–15 years in April 2022 across four sessions, which was attended by five patients. The written feedback received from group one focused on eliciting the participant's experience of the groupwork. 100% of participants identified the shared experience as the main benefit of the groupwork. 100% of participants agreed they would attend a peer support group again, and no participant had suggestions for improvement to the group. Feedback did indicate that group work at the beginning of treatment could be more beneficial. In relation to the second group, 60% of the paediatric patients and their parents returned the questionnaires. All of the parent's feedback identified that it was beneficial for their child to meet peers in a similar situation. They agreed that it was beneficial to meet other parents, so they could get support and advice from one another. On a scale between 1 and 5, 5 being the highest score, the participants scored high on the group work meeting their expectations, enjoyment of the sessions, and the group work was a beneficial aspect of their treatment. All respondents would strongly recommend groupwork to other paediatric patients attending for limb reconstruction treatment.

Overall, the MDT limb reconstruction team, found the peer support group work of great benefit to the participants and their parents. The MSW team identified that during a period on the limb reconstruction team, when a high number of patients were in active treatment, the workload of the MSW also increased reflecting this activity. Common issues and concerns were raised directly to MSW (particularly from group two) regarding numerous difficulties they experienced trying to cope with the frame. The group work facilitators created a space where the participants could get peer support, share issues caused by the frame, hear directly from others, and that they too experience similar feelings or issues. Collectively, they identified ways of coping and promoting their own wellbeing while in treatment. The participants in group two, subsequently created a group on social media, to be able to continue their newly formed friendships and to continue to update one another on their treatment journeys. The participants self-requested another group in the future. This was facilitated in November 2023, the facilitators sought more feedback from all participants and their parents after this session. These findings will contribute towards the analysis for the presentation. Peer support groupwork was presented at the hospital's foundation day and has been well received by senior management in the hospital, as a positive addition to the limb reconstruction service. The focus of the MDT in 2024, is to further develop and facilitate more peer support groups for our paediatric patients.

Introduction

Open fractures of the tibia are disabling injuries with a significant risk of deep infection. Treatment involves early antibiotic administration, early and aggressive surgical debridement, and may require complex soft tissue coverage techniques. The extent of disruption to the skin and soft-tissue envelope often varies, with ‘simple’ open fractures (defined by the Orthopaedic Trauma Society (OTS) open fracture severity classification) able to be closed primarily, whilst others may require shortening or soft-tissue reconstruction. This study aimed to determine whether OTS simple tibial open fractures received different rates of adequate debridement and plastic surgical presence at initial debridement, compared with OTS complex injuries, and whether rates of fracture-related infection, nonunion, or reoperation differed between the groups.

Introduction

Intra articular distal tibia fractures can lead to post-traumatic osteoarthritis. Joint distraction has shown promise in elective cases. However, its application in acute fractures remains unexplored. This pilot study aims to fill this knowledge gap by investigating the benefits of joint distraction in acute fractures.

Introduction

By utilising the inherent variability achievable with circular frames, surgeons can manage a wide spectrum of complex injuries, and can deal with deformity at multiple levels, in multiple planes. The aim of this study was to assess functional outcomes utilising patients reported outcome measures (PROMs) of patients being treated with circular (Ilizarov) frame fixation for complex lower limb injuries and assess these results in conjunction with the observed postoperative alignment of the patients’ limbs.

Introduction

Open fractures are complex injuries associated with substantial morbidity. These injuries are associated with harm to both physical and emotional health as well as preclusion of work, social, and leisure activities. Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) and health related quality of life are critical indicators of successful rehabilitation following open fracture treatment. This study aimed to measure the PROMs for patients with open lower limb fractures and investigate the relationship with injury severity.

Introduction

Frame configuration for the management of complex tibial fractures is highly variable and is dependent not only on fracture pattern and soft tissue condition but also surgeon preference. The optimal number of rings to use when designing a frame remains uncertain. Traditionally, larger, stiffer constructs with multiple rings per segment were thought to offer optimal conditions for bone healing, however, the concept of reverse dynamisation questions this approach.

Introduction

Classical fixation using a circular frame involves two rings per segment and in many units this remains the norm whether using ilizarov or hexapod type frames. We present the results of two ring circular frame at King's College Hospital.

Introduction

The regionalisation of major trauma in the UK has significantly improved outcomes for patients with severe, lower limb injuries. Chronic pain after complex lower limb injuries is well documented, but seems to remain a problem despite better clinical and radiological outcomes. We hypothesised that pain was mediated through the saphenous nerve, especially as most tibial injuries affected the soft tissues medially. As a proof of concept, we undertook adductor canal blocks to understand pain aetiology.

Introduction

Frame HI is the #Days for device removal/cm. IM Nail HI is less relevant (31–45 D/cm).

Albizzia HI was 33 D/cm (1991–2003). Patients felt fine approximately 1M after end of lengthening (EoL), resuming normal life and sports. This sometimes resulted in implants fractures (e.g. skying before bone fusion). Ideally, the full fusion should occur at the EoL. We decided to shorten the HI to reach this target, optimising all parameters.

Aims

Manual impaction, with a mallet and introducer, remains the standard method of installing cementless acetabular cups during total hip arthroplasty (THA). This study aims to quantify the accuracy and precision of manual impaction strikes during the seating of an acetabular component. This understanding aims to help improve impaction surgical techniques and inform the development of future technologies.

Introduction

Limb deformity is usually assessed clinically assisted by long leg alignment radiographs and further imaging modalities (MRI and CT). Often decisions are made based on static imaging and simple gait interpretation in clinic. We have assessed the value of gait lab analysis in surgical decision making comparing surgical planning pre and post gait lab assessment.

Introduction

Genu valgum is a common presentation in paediatric patients with congenital limb deformities. The aim of this study is to assess the outcome of guided growth surgery in paediatric patients referred via our physiotherapy pathway with isolated genu valgum and associated patellar instability.

Introduction

The presence of pluripotent mesenchymal cells in the periosteum along with the growth factors produced or released following injury provides this tissue with an important role in bone healing. Utilising this property, vascularised periosteal flaps may increase the union rates in recalcitrant atrophic long bone non-union. The novel chimeric fibula-periosteal flap utilises the periosteum raised on an independent periosteal vessel, thus allowing the periosteum to be inset freely around the osteotomy site, improving bone biology.