Gram-negative infections are associated with comorbid patients, but outcomes are less well understood. This study reviewed diagnosis, management, and treatment for a cohort treated in a tertiary spinal centre. A retrospective review was performed of all gram-negative spinal infections (n = 32; median age 71 years; interquartile range 60 to 78), excluding surgical site infections, at a single centre between 2015 to 2020 with two- to six-year follow-up. Information regarding organism identification, antibiotic regime, and treatment outcomes (including clinical, radiological, and biochemical) were collected from clinical notes.Aims
Methods
Lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN) injury is a complication after periacetabular osteo-tomy (PAO) using an anterior approach, which might adversely affect the outcome. However, no prospective study has assessed the incidence and severity of this injury and its effect on the clinical outcomes over a period of time for longer than one year after PAO. The aim of this study was to assess the incidence and severity of the symptoms of LFCN injury for ≥ three years after PAO and report its effect on clinical outcomes. A total of 40 hips in 40 consecutive patients who underwent PAO between May 2016 and July 2018 were included in the study, as further follow-up of the same patients from a previous study. We prospectively evaluated the incidence, severity, and area of symptoms following LFCN injury. We also recorded the clinical scores at one year and ≥ three years postoperatively using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and Japanese Orthopaedic Association Hip Disease Evaluation Questionnaire (JHEQ) scores.Aims
Methods
The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review of the evidence for the use of intraoperative cell salvage in patients undergoing revision hip arthroplasty, and specifically to analyze the available data in order to quantify any associated reduction in the use of allogenic blood transfusion, and the volume which is used. An electronic search of MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library was completed from the date of their inception to 24 February 2022, using a search strategy and protocol created in conjunction with the PRISMA statement. Inclusion criteria were patients aged > 18 years who underwent revision hip arthroplasty when cell salvage was used. Studies in which pre-donated red blood cells were used were excluded. A meta-analysis was also performed using a random effects model with significance set at p = 0.05.Aims
Methods
This study aimed to use intraoperative free electromyography to examine how the placement of a retractor at different positions along the anterior acetabular wall may affect the femoral nerve during total hip arthroplasty (THA) when undertaken using the direct anterior approach (THA-DAA). Intraoperative free electromyography was performed during primary THA-DAA in 82 patients (94 hips). The highest position of the anterior acetabular wall was defined as the “12 o’clock” position (middle position) when the patient was in supine position. After exposure of the acetabulum, a retractor was sequentially placed at the ten, 11, 12, one, and two o’clock positions (right hip; from superior to inferior positions). Action potentials in the femoral nerve were monitored with each placement, and the incidence of positive reactions (defined as explosive, frequent, or continuous action potentials, indicating that the nerve was being compressed) were recorded as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included the incidence of positive reactions caused by removing the femoral head, and by placing a retractor during femoral exposure; and the incidence of femoral nerve palsy, as detected using manual testing of the strength of the quadriceps muscle.Aims
Methods
As the world continues to fight successive waves of COVID-19 variants, we have seen worldwide infections surpass 100 million. London, UK, has been severely affected throughout the pandemic, and the resulting impact on the NHS has been profound. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on theatre productivity across London’s four major trauma centres (MTCs), and to assess how the changes to normal protocols and working patterns impacted trauma theatre efficiency. This was a collaborative study across London’s MTCs. A two-month period was selected from 5 March to 5 May 2020. The same two-month period in 2019 was used to provide baseline data for comparison. Demographic information was collected, as well as surgical speciality, procedure, time to surgery, type of anaesthesia, and various time points throughout the patient journey to theatre.Aims
Methods
Patient-reported outcome measures have become an important part of routine care. The aim of this study was to determine if Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) measures can be used to create patient subgroups for individuals seeking orthopaedic care. This was a cross-sectional study of patients from Duke University Department of Orthopaedic Surgery clinics (14 ambulatory and four hospital-based). There were two separate cohorts recruited by convenience sampling (i.e. patients were included in the analysis only if they completed PROMIS measures during a new patient visit). Cohort #1 (n = 12,141; December 2017 to December 2018,) included PROMIS short forms for eight domains (Physical Function, Pain Interference, Pain Intensity, Depression, Anxiety, Sleep Quality, Participation in Social Roles, and Fatigue) and Cohort #2 (n = 4,638; January 2019 to August 2019) included PROMIS Computer Adaptive Testing instruments for four domains (Physical Function, Pain Interference, Depression, and Sleep Quality). Cluster analysis (K-means method) empirically derived subgroups and subgroup differences in clinical and sociodemographic factors were identified with one-way analysis of variance.Aims
Methods
Injury to the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN) is one of the known complications after periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) performed using the anterior approach, reported to occur in between 1.5% and 65% of cases. In this study, we performed a prospective study on the incidence of LFCN injury as well as its clinical outcomes based on the Harris Hip Score (HHS), Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36), and Japanese Orthopaedic Association Hip Disease Evaluation Questionnaire (JHEQ). The study included 42 consecutive hips in 42 patients (three male and 39 female) who underwent PAO from May 2016 to July 2018. We prospectively evaluated the incidence of LFCN injury at ten days, three months, six months, and one year postoperatively. We also evaluated the clinical scores, including the HHS, SF-36, and JHEQ scores, at one year postoperatively.Aims
Methods
The efficacy and safety of intrawound vancomycin for preventing surgical site infection in primary hip and knee arthroplasty is uncertain. A systematic review of the literature was conducted, indexed from inception to March 2020 in PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Google Scholar databases. All studies evaluating the efficacy and/or safety of intrawound vancomycin in patients who underwent primary hip and knee arthroplasty were included. Incidence of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI), superficial infection, aseptic wound complications, acute kidney injury, anaphylactic reaction, and ototoxicity were meta-analyzed. Results were reported as odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The quality of included studies was assessed using the risk of bias in non-randomized studies of interventions (ROBINS-I) assessment tool.Aims
Methods
Gender bias and sexual discrimination (GBSD) have been widely recognized across a range of fields and are now part of the wider social consciousness. Such conduct can occur in the medical workplace, with detrimental effects on recipients. The aim of this review was to identify the prevalence and impact of GBSD in orthopaedic surgery, and to investigate interventions countering such behaviours. A systematic review was conducted by searching Medline, EMCARE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Library Database in April 2020, and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to which we adhered. Original research papers pertaining to the prevalence and impact of GBSD, or mitigating strategies, within orthopaedics were included for review.Aims
Methods
The first death in the UK caused by COVID-19 occurred on 5 March 2020. We aim to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of major trauma and orthopaedic patients admitted in the early COVID-19 era. A prospective trauma registry was reviewed at a Level 1 Major Trauma Centre. We divided patients into Group A, 40 days prior to 5 March 2020, and into Group B, 40 days after.Aims
Methods
Medical comorbidities are a critical factor in the decision-making process for operative management and risk-stratification. The Hierarchical Condition Categories (HCC) risk adjustment model is a powerful measure of illness severity for patients treated by surgeons. The HCC is utilized by Medicare to predict medical expenditure risk and to reimburse physicians accordingly. HCC weighs comorbidities differently to calculate risk. This study determines the prevalence of medical comorbidities and the average HCC score in Medicare patients being evaluated by neurosurgeons and orthopaedic surgeon, as well as a subset of academic spine surgeons within both specialities, in the USA. The Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Database, which is based on data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ National Claims History Standard Analytic Files, was analyzed for this study. Every surgeon who submitted a valid Medicare Part B non-institutional claim during the 2013 calendar year was included in this study. This database was queried for medical comorbidities and HCC scores of each patient who had, at minimum, a single office visit with a surgeon. This data included 21,204 orthopaedic surgeons and 4,372 neurosurgeons across 54 states/territories in the USA.Aims
Methods
Continuous technical improvement in spinal surgical procedures, with the aim of enhancing patient outcomes, can be assisted by the deployment of advanced technologies including navigation, intraoperative CT imaging, and surgical robots. The latest generation of robotic surgical systems allows the simultaneous application of a range of digital features that provide the surgeon with an improved view of the surgical field, often through a narrow portal. There is emerging evidence that procedure-related complications and intraoperative blood loss can be reduced if the new technologies are used by appropriately trained surgeons. Acceptance of the role of surgical robots has increased in recent years among a number of surgical specialities including general surgery,
The cost of clinical negligence in the UK has continued to rise despite no increase in claims numbers from 2016 to 2019. In the US, medical malpractice claim rates have fallen each year since 2001 and the payout rate has stabilized. In Germany, malpractice claim rates for spinal surgery fell yearly from 2012 to 2017, despite the number of spinal operations increasing. In Australia, public healthcare claim rates were largely static from 2008 to 2013, but private claims rose marginally. The cost of claims rose during the period. UK and Australian trends are therefore out of alignment with other international comparisons. Many of the claims in orthopaedics occur as a result of “failure to warn”, i.e. lack of adequately documented and appropriate consent. The UK and USA have similar rates (26% and 24% respectively), but in Germany the rate is 14% and in Australia only 2%. This paper considers the drivers for the increased cost of clinical negligence claims in the UK compared to the USA, Germany and Australia, from a spinal and orthopaedic point of view, with a focus on “failure to warn” and lack of compliance with the principles established in February 2015 in the Supreme Court in the case of Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board. The article provides a description of the prevailing medicolegal situation in the UK and also calculates, from publicly available data, the cost to the public purse of the failure to comply with the principles established. It shows that compliance with the Montgomery principles would have an immediate and lasting positive impact on the sums paid by NHS Resolution to settle negligence cases in a way that has already been established in the USA. Cite this article:
This study aimed to explore whether intraoperative nerve monitoring can identify risk factors and reduce the incidence of nerve injury in patients with high-riding developmental dysplasia. We conducted a historical controlled study of patients with unilateral Crowe IV developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). Between October 2016 and October 2017, intraoperative nerve monitoring of the femoral and sciatic nerves was applied in total hip arthroplasty (THA). A neuromonitoring technician was employed to monitor nerve function and inform the surgeon of ongoing changes in a timely manner. Patients who did not have intraoperative nerve monitoring between September 2015 and October 2016 were selected as the control group. All the surgeries were performed by one surgeon. Demographics and clinical data were analyzed. A total of 35 patients in the monitoring group (ten male, 25 female; mean age 37.1 years (20 to 46)) and 56 patients in the control group (13 male, 43 female; mean age 37.9 years (23 to 52)) were enrolled. The mean follow-up of all patients was 13.1 months (10 to 15).Aims
Patients and Methods
This study aimed to evaluate the incidence and prognosis of patients with spinal metastasis as the initial manifestation of malignancy (SM-IMM). We retrospectively reviewed the electronic medical records of 338 patients who underwent surgical treatment for metastatic spinal disease. The enrolled patients were divided into two groups. The SM-IMM group included patients with no history of malignancy whose site of primary malignancy was diagnosed after the identification of spinal metastasis. The other group included patients with a history of treatment for primary malignancy who then developed spinal metastasis (SM-DTM). The incidence of SM-IMM by site of primary malignancy was calculated. The difference between prognoses after surgical treatment for SM-IMM and SM-DTM was established.Aims
Patients and Methods
Indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence angiography is an emerging technique that can provide detailed anatomical information during surgery. The purpose of this study is to determine whether ICG fluorescence angiography can be used to evaluate the blood flow of the rotator cuff tendon in the clinical setting. Twenty-six patients were evaluated from October 2016 to December 2017. The participants were categorized into three groups based on their diagnoses: the rotator cuff tear group; normal rotator cuff group; and adhesive capsulitis group. After establishing a posterior standard viewing portal, intravenous administration of ICG at 0.2 mg/kg body weight was performed, and fluorescence images were recorded. The time from injection of the drug to the beginning of enhancement of the observed area was measured. The hypovascular area in the rotator cuff was evaluated, and the ratio of the hypovascular area to the anterolateral area of the rotator cuff tendon was calculated (hypovascular area ratio).Objectives
Methods
We evaluated the accuracy of augmented reality (AR)-based navigation assistance through simulation of bone tumours in a pig femur model. We developed an AR-based navigation system for bone tumour resection, which could be used on a tablet PC. To simulate a bone tumour in the pig femur, a cortical window was made in the diaphysis and bone cement was inserted. A total of 133 pig femurs were used and tumour resection was simulated with AR-assisted resection (164 resection in 82 femurs, half by an orthropaedic oncology expert and half by an orthopaedic resident) and resection with the conventional method (82 resection in 41 femurs). In the conventional group, resection was performed after measuring the distance from the edge of the condyle to the expected resection margin with a ruler as per routine clinical practice.Objectives
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