Thoracic hyperkyphosis (TH – Cobb angle >40°) is correlated with rotator cuff arthropathy and associated with anterior tilting and protraction of scapula, impacting the glenoid orientation and the surrounding musculature. Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) is a reliable surgical treatment for patients with rotator cuff arthropathy and recent literature suggests that patients with TH may have comparable range of motion after RTSA. However, there exists no study reporting the possible link between patient-reported outcomes, humeral retroversion and TH after RTSA. While the risk of post-operative complications such as instability, hardware loosening, scapular notching, and prosthetic infection are low, we hypothesize that it is critical to optimize the biomechanical parameters through proper implant positioning and understanding patient-specific scapular and thoracic anatomy to improve surgical outcomes in this subset of patients with TH.

Patients treated with primary RTSA at an academic hospital in 2018 were reviewed for a two-year follow-up. Exclusion criteria were as follows: no pre-existing chest radiographs for Cobb angle measurement, change in post-operative functional status as a result of trauma or medical comorbidities, and missing component placement and parameter information in the operative note. As most patients did not have a pre-operative chest radiograph, only seven patients with a Cobb angle equal to or greater than 40° were eligible. Chart reviews were completed to determine indications for RTSA, hardware positioning parameters such as inferior tilting, humeral stem retroversion, glenosphere size/location, and baseplate size. Clinical data following surgery included review of radiographs and complications. Follow-up in all patients were to a period of two years. The American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) Shoulder Score was used for patient-reported functional and pain outcomes.

The average age of the patients at the time of RTSA was 71 years old, with six female patients and one male patient. The indication for RTSA was primarily rotator cuff arthropathy. Possible correlation between Cobb angle and humeral retroversion was noted, whereby, Cobb angle greater than 40° matched with humeral retroversion greater than 30°, and resulted in significantly higher ASES scores. Two patients with mean Cobb angle of 50° and mean humeral retroversion 37.5° had mean ASES scores of 92.5. Five patients who received mean humeral retroversion of 30° had mean lower ASES scores of 63.7 (p < 0 .05). There was no significant correlation with glenosphere size or position, baseplate size, degree of inferior tilting or lateralization.

Patient-reported outcomes have not been reported in RTSA patients with TH. In this case series, we observed that humeral stem retroversion greater than 30° may be correlated with less post-operative pain and greater patient satisfaction in patients with TH. Further clinical studies are needed to understanding the biomechanical relationship between RTSA, humeral retroversion and TH to optimize patient outcomes.

Introduction

Success rate after Debridement-Irrigation, Antibiotic Therapy and Implant Retention (DAIR) for treatment of Acute Haematogenous (AH) and Early Post-surgical (EP) periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) varies widely among published studies. Prosthesis exchange is recommended to treat PJI after a failed DAIR. However, no early postoperative prognostic factors permitting to identify future failures have been described.

Introduction. Urinary catheterisation can cause bacteraemia and therefore may be associated with a risk of infection in hip and knee arthroplasty. However postoperative urinary retention can be distressing for the patient. This study investigates the factors that might predict the need for postoperative catheterisation in order to help develop a protocol to decide who should be electively catheterised. Methods. A prospective blinded study of 128 consecutive patients undergoing lower limb arthroplasty was carried out. No patient underwent perioperative catheterisation. Data obtained included sex, age, joint (hip or knee replacement), prostate score (IPSS), previous urinary retention, comorbidities and residual bladder volume after attempted complete voiding measured using an ultrasound bladder scanner. The type of anaesthesia and the requirement for urinary catheterisation postoperatively were recorded. Predictive risk factors were identified using binary logistic regression, and expressed as odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results. The mean age was 69.5 years (SD 8.9). There were 56 males and 72 females. 38 patients (30%) required postoperative catheterisation. Logistic regression identified the following predictive risk factors: bladder scan volume per ml increase (OR 1.006; CI 1.000–1.012); male sex (OR 5.51; CI 2.01–15.16); previous catheter (OR 4.26; CI 1.53–11.82); spinal/epidural/combined spinal epidural (CSE) anaesthesia (OR 6.78; CI 1.75–26.32); moderate IPSS score (OR 5.15; CI 1.73–15.37); severe IPSS score (OR 3.53; CI 0.605–20.54). The specificity of our model is 91%, the positive predictor value 71% and negative predictor value 82%. Discussion. Post-voiding bladder scan volume (1ml increase = 0.6% increased risk), male sex, history of retention, medium or high IPSS score and an epidural, spinal or CSE anaesthetic are independent risk factors that can be used preoperatively to predict the likelihood of postoperative retention

Aim. Recurrence of bone and joint infection, despite appropriate therapy, is well recognised and stimulates ongoing interest in identifying host factors that predict infection recurrence. Clinical prediction models exist for those treated with DAIR, but to date no models with a low risk of bias predict orthopaedic infection recurrence for people with surgically excised infection and removed metalwork. The aims of this study were to construct and internally validate a risk prediction model for infection recurrence at 12 months, and to identify factors that predict recurrence. Predictive factors must be easy to check in pre-operative assessment and relevant across patient groups. Methods. Four prospectively collected datasets including 1173 participants treated in European centres between 2003 and 2021, followed up to 12 months after surgery for orthopaedic infections, were included in logistic regression modelling [1–3]. The definition of infection recurrence was identical and ascertained separately from baseline factors in three contributing cohorts. Eight predictive factors were investigated following a priori sample size calculation: age, gender, BMI, ASA score, the number of prior operations, immunosuppressive medication, glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c), and smoking. Missing data, including systematically missing predictors, were imputed using Multiple Imputation by Chained Equations. Weekly alcohol intake was not included in modelling due to low inter-observer reliability (mean reported intake 12 units per week, 95% CI for mean inter-rater error −16.0 to +15.4 units per week). Results. Participants were 64% male, with a median age of 60 years (range 18–95). 86% of participants had lower limb orthopaedic infections. 732 participants were treated for osteomyelitis, including FRI, and 432 for PJI. 16% of participants experienced treatment failure by 12 months. The full prediction model had moderate apparent discrimination: AUROC (C statistic) 0.67, Brier score 0.13, and reasonable apparent calibration. Of the predictors of interest, associations with failure were seen with prior operations at the same anatomical site (odds ratio for failure 1.51 for each additional prior surgery; 95% CI 1.02 to 2.22, p=0.06), and the current use of immunosuppressive medications (odds ratio for failure 2.94; 95% CI 0.89 to 9.77, p=0.08). Conclusions. This association between number of prior surgeries and treatment failure supports the urgent need to streamline referral pathways for people with orthopaedic infection to specialist multidisciplinary units

Urinary catheterisation may be associated with a risk of infection in hip and knee arthroplasty, however post-operative urinary retention can be distressing for the patient. This study investigates the factors that might predict the need for post-operative catheterisation. A prospective blinded study of 128 consecutive patients undergoing lower limb arthroplasty was carried out. Data obtained included sex, age, joint (hip or knee), prostate score (IPSS), previous urinary retention, co-morbidities and residual bladder volume after attempted complete voiding measured using an ultrasound bladder scanner. Anaesthetic type and requirement for urinary catheterisation postoperatively were recorded. Predictive risk factors were identified using binary logistic regression, and expressed as odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). The mean age was 69.5 years. There were 56 males and 72 females. 38 patients (30%) required post-operative catheterisation. Logistic regression identified the following predictive risk factors: bladder scan volume per ml increase (OR 1.006; CI 1.000–1.012); male sex (OR 5.51; CI 2.01–15.16); previous catheter (OR 4.26; CI 1.53–11.82); spinal/epidural/combined spinal epidural anaesthesia (OR 6.78; CI 1.75–26.32); moderate IPSS score (OR 5.15; CI 1.73–15.37); severe IPSS score (OR 3.53; CI 0.605–20.54). Our model specificity is 91%, positive predictor value 71% and negative predictor value 82%