Excessive postoperative opioid prescribing is a significant contributor to the opioid crisis. Prescribing in orthopaedic surgery is often further complicated by high use of opioid-based preoperative analgesia. ‘Opioid PrEscRiptions and usage After Surgery’ (OPERAS) is an international multicentre prospective student- and trainee-led collaborative study which aims to quantify the amount of opioids prescribed at discharge after common orthopaedic surgeries against what is consumed by patients at 7-days, and assess the impact of opioids on patient-reported outcomes. Data is being collected over 6 14-day periods on consecutive adult patients undergoing shoulder arthroplasty, rotator cuff repair, shoulder labral repair, anterior cruciate ligament repair, hip arthroplasty, and knee arthroplasty, with follow-up via telephone call at 7-days after discharge. The primary outcome is the proportion of oral morphine equivalents (OME) of prescribed opioids versus consumed opioids at 7-days post-discharge. This ongoing study is actively recruiting in over 20 countries. Globally, 65 centres are collecting orthopaedic, including 10 New Zealand centres and 17 Australian centres. To date, 284 orthopaedic patients have been prospectively enrolled with complete data (mean age 59.6 ± 16.7 years; 51.6% female). Overall, 77% and 89% of patients were prescribed opioids on discharge in New Zealand and Australia respectively. On average, 60% of prescribed opioids were consumed at 7-days post-discharge globally (150 OME (75-500) vs. 90 OME (15-200); p<0.01). In New Zealand and Australia, 42.1% (285 OME (150-584) vs. 120 OME (6-210); p<0.01) and 63.3% (150 OME (86-503) vs. 95 OME (28-221); p<0.01) of prescribed opioids were consumed at 7-days, respectively. OPERAS will provide the first high-quality global data on opioid prescription and consumption patterns with patient perspectives. These data can inform prescribing practice and inform guidelines. The growing interest in New Zealand and Australia in student- and trainee-led orthopaedic collaborative research, as evidenced by this study should be actively encouraged and fostered

The December 2022 Sports Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair with dynamic intraligamentary stabilization or anterior ACL at five years?; Femoroacetabular impingement in mild osteoarthritis: is hip arthroscopy the answer?; Steroids in Achilles tendinopathy: A randomized trial.

Aims

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery in children and the adolescent population has increased steadily over recent years. We used a national database to look at trends in ACL reconstruction and rates of serious complications, growth disturbance, and revision surgery, over 20 years.

Aims

The purpose of this study was to report the experience of dynamic intraligamentary stabilisation (DIS) using the Ligamys device for the treatment of acute ruptures of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

Injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the most devastating and frequent injuries of the knee. Surgical reconstruction is the current standard of care for treatment of ACL injuries in active patients. The widespread adoption of ACL reconstruction over primary repair was based on early perception of the limited healing capacity of the ACL. Although the majority of ACL reconstruction surgeries successfully restore gross joint stability, post-traumatic osteoarthritis is commonplace following these injuries, even with ACL reconstruction. The development of new techniques to limit the long-term clinical sequelae associated with ACL reconstruction has been the main focus of research over the past decades. The improved knowledge of healing, along with recent advances in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, has resulted in the discovery of novel biologically augmented ACL-repair techniques that have satisfactory outcomes in preclinical studies. This instructional review provides a summary of the latest advances made in ACL repair. Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2014;3:20–31

Clinicians are often asked by patients, “When can I drive again?” after lower limb injury or surgery. This question is difficult to answer in the absence of any guidelines. This review aims to collate the currently available evidence and discuss the factors that influence the decision to allow a patient to return to driving. Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, and EMBASE were searched using the following terms: ‘brake reaction time’, ‘brake response time’, ‘braking force’, ‘brake pedal force’, ‘resume driving’, ‘rate of application of force’, ‘driving after injury’, ‘joint replacement and driving’, and ‘fracture and driving’. Of the relevant literature identified, most studies used the brake reaction time and total brake time as the outcome measures. Varying recovery periods were proposed based on the type and severity of injury or surgery. Surveys of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the Police, insurance companies in the United Kingdom and Orthopaedic Surgeons offered a variety of opinions.

There is currently insufficient evidence for any authoritative body to determine fitness to drive. The lack of guidance could result in patients being withheld from driving for longer than is necessary, or returning to driving while still unsafe.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2013;95-B:290–4.

An important aspect of the governance of surgical services within a Healthcare Trust is the correct coding of elective procedures performed. Within the Trust, treatment codes are banded into specific healthcare resource groups (HRGs), which generate a predetermined income. Accurate coding and grouping of the treatments provided for patients is consequently vital to Trusts to ensure that they receive appropriate financial reward for the care provided, so ensuring they remain economically viable as a department. We present a retrospective study investigating the accuracy of procedure coding, code allocation to HRGs, and the resultant cost consequences for all elective arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repairs completed by one consultant over one financial year (01/01/2010-31/03/2011). In this period a total of 55 ACL repairs were undertaken by the consultant. Data was available for 43 of these cases, all of which were repairs of traumatic ACL ruptures. The patients had an average age of 26.7 (17–55) years, all were ASA 1 and had no significant comorbidities. They were all booked for identical procedures, except one patient who required an allograft; 12 required meniscectomies. All 43 had an operation note completed by the operating consultant. Within this trust patient and procedural codes were generated from electronic discharge letters (EDLs). We found that all 43 EDLs were completed accurately, contained full details of the procedures undertaken, and included relevant information such as complications, patient comorbidities, length of stay and the prescription of analgesics. These 43 EDLs generated 15 different diagnostic codes and 10 different procedure codes, with a total of 35 different combinations of codes. These were then grouped into six different HRGs. These six HRGs generated income for the Trust, varying from £1880 to £3554 (mean £2670) for the procedures, with a total income of £114,823. We found that patient and procedure details, and the level of doctor completing the EDL did not significantly influence the HRG generated (P = 0.4). Currently within the Trust, and nationally the HRG tariff for a routine ACL repair has not been agreed upon. The maximum possible tariff from an HRG for this procedure for a patient with no significant comorbidities is described as – ‘Reconstruction of intraarticular ligament – Major knee procedure for trauma’, generating an income of £5183 per case. Application of this tariff would have resulted in a total income of £222,869 for the 43 patients included in the present study a potential increase of earnings for the Trust of £108,046, for one elective procedure in one financial year. The findings of this study reveal the potential for limitations in the governance of surgical services through inaccuracies in HRG coding, despite the availability of suitably detailed EDLs. It is suggested that Trusts should audit and, where indicated, ensure effective quality assurance of HRG coding in the interests of the governance of secondary care services

INTRODUCTION. Patellar tendon (PT) autograft is an excellent choice repairing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures. Published studies testing the biomechanical characteristics after plasty usually refer to grafts with 10mm wide. The thickness of PT and geometry of the patella have been overlooked. The purpose of this study was to understand the geometry of PT and patella in our population, regarding their use in Bone - Patellar Tendon - Bone (BTB) technique, in order to evaluate their biomechanical efficiency and study their relationship with anthropometric parameters. MATERIAL. 100 individuals (50/50) who underwent knee MRI (3-Tesla). Ages between 18–65years. METHODS. Retrospective study. Standardized protocol for measuring the PT and patella based in MRI images. Interview to obtain personal data. Statistical analysis using SPSS®. RESULTS. Sample (mean ±SD): age 41 ±14years, weight 73 ±12kg, height 167 ±10cm, BMI 26,04 ±4,13; length PT/patella −41,3 ±6,1mm/29,6 ±4,2 mm, width PT/patella −25,3 ±3,2mm/43,4 ±4,14mm; thickness PT −3,79 ±1,01mm/22,8 ±2,2mm; Men have thicker and wider patella and PT than women (p<0.001). The patella is also longer in males (p<0.001). There is statistical significant relationship between weight and height to width, thickness and length of PT and patella (p<0.01). Body Mass Index (BMI) doesn't have statistical correlation with geometry of the PT and patella. DISCUSSION. The PT remains as an excellent option in ACL repair. The anatomy and quality of the graft are essential to achieving good functional results. The choice of middle third tendon to the BTB plasty does not always correspond to the 10mm width, as used in most biomechanical tests. Also patellar integrity can be at risk (when collecting the bone block) if patella geometry is not considered. To our knowledge, there is only one similar study in literature, preformed in Asian individuals. CONCLUSION. Preoperatively accessing the geometry of Patella and PT can be crucial in obtaining efficient grafts and decreasing morbidity over the extensor mechanism

Introduction. Interest in platelet-derived growth factors has been increasing as an adjunct in surgical techniques for tissue repair. Its use in ligament injuries repair has been studied mainly in animals. The authors intend to study growth factors influence in ACL repair using BTB graft. Material. 20 individuals underwent ACL rupture BTB arthroscopic repair, using Double Incision Mini-Invasive Technique. MRI (3-Tesla) images. GPSIII ® System to obtain Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) thrombin activated. Methods. Prospective study consisting of 2 groups of 10 patients each. Surgical technique, fixation method and postoperative protocol were the same. In the study group (SG-10 patients) graft was imbued with PRP and the remaing plasma was intra-articularly injected. The MRIs took place 6 weeks and 6 months after the procedure with and without gadolinium-DTPA enhancement. Evaluation was performed blindly by independent radiologists concerning femoral tunnel integration, sinovialization process and nonspecific synovitis. Clinical and functional status evaluation: IKDC. Statistical analysis in SPSS®. Results. Radiological evaluation was similar in both groups. In the Study Group at 6 weeks we verified less joint effusion and synovitis. At 6 months: no diference in integration in femoral tunnel, and in granulation tissue around the femoral tunnel in graft sinovialization. IKDC (mean ± SD) with PRP: pre-operative −45,66 ±6,98, post-operative −94,35 ±3,54 (Age-29 ± 10), without PRP: preoperative −48,02 ±12,68, post-operative −91,7 ±6,99 (Age −31 ±10). There are no statistical differences between the groups with and without PRP in clinical and functional assessments and MRI images. Discussion. The use of technology to accelerate and improve the processes of tissue repair and integration is of great interest in repairing the ACL. Studies in humans are rare, with low level of evidence and contradictory results. Although the limitations of this study, it seems to us that the use of growth factors has no advantages in the process of PT graft integration at 6 months. Conclusion. PRP doesn't seem to contribute to enhancement of the ligamentation process and articular rehabilitation when used as a step of BTB technique

Introduction

Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) is contra-indicated in a joint rendered unstable by a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). We present our experience of ACI repair with ACL reconstruction