The COVID-19 pandemic presents an unprecedented burden on global healthcare systems, and existing infrastructures must adapt and evolve to meet the challenge. With health systems reliant on the health of their workforce, the importance of protection against disease transmission in healthcare workers (HCWs) is clear. This study collated responses from several countries, provided by clinicians familiar with practice in each location, to identify areas of best practice and policy so as to build consensus of those measures that might reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 to HCWs at work. A cross-sectional descriptive survey was designed with ten open and closed questions and sent to a representative sample. The sample was selected on a convenience basis of 27 senior surgeons, members of an international surgical society, who were all frontline workers in the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was reported according to the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) checklist.Aims
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To evaluate the histopathological examination of peri-implant tissue samples as a technique in the diagnosis of postoperative spinal implant infection (PSII). This was a retrospective analysis. Patients who underwent revision spinal surgery at our institution were recruited for this study. PSII was diagnosed by clinical signs, histopathology, and microbiological examination of intraoperatively collected samples. Histopathology was defined as the gold standard. The sensitivity for histopathology was calculated. A total of 47 patients with PSII and at least one microbiological and histopathological sample were included in the study.Aims
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It has been generally accepted that open fractures require early skeletal stabilization and soft-tissue reconstruction. Traditionally, a standard gauze dressing was applied to open wounds. There has been a recent shift in this paradigm towards negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT). The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes in patients with open tibial fractures receiving standard dressing versus NPWT. This multicentre randomized controlled trial was approved by the ethical review board of a public sector tertiary care institute. Wounds were graded using Gustilo-Anderson (GA) classification, and patients with GA-II to III-C were included in the study. To be eligible, the patient had to present within 72 hours of the injury. The primary outcome of the study was patient-reported Disability Rating Index (DRI) at 12 months. Secondary outcomes included quality of life assessment using 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey questionnaire (SF-12), wound infection rates at six weeks and nonunion rates at 12 months. Logistic regression analysis and independent-samples Aims
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The aim of this study is to report the 30 day COVID-19 related morbidity and mortality of patients assessed as SARS-CoV-2 negative who underwent emergency or urgent orthopaedic surgery in the NHS during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. A retrospective, single centre, observational cohort study of all patients undergoing surgery between 17 March 2020 and 3May 2020 was performed. Outcomes were stratified by British Orthopaedic Association COVID-19 Patient Risk Assessment Tool. Patients who were SARS-CoV-2 positive at the time of surgery were excluded.Introduction
Method
To compare time dependent functional improvement for patients with medial, respectively lateral knee osteoarthritis (OA) after treatment with opening wedge osteotomy relieving the pressure on the osteoarthritic part of the knee. In all, 49 patients (52 knees) with a mean age of 47 years (31 to 64) underwent high tibial osteotomies (HTO), and 24 patients with a mean age of 48 years (31 to 62) low femoral osteotomies (LFO) with opening wedge technique due to medial, respectively lateral knee OA with malalignment. All osteotomies were stabilized with a Puddu plate and bone grafting performed in the same time period (2000 to 2008). The patients were evaluated by the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) pre-operatively and at six months, and at one, two, five, and ten years postoperatively. The knee OA was graded according to the Ahlbäck and Kellgren-Lawrence radiological scoring systems.Aims
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We studied the safety and efficacy of multimodal thromboprophylaxis in patients with a history of venous thromboembolism (VTE) who undergo total hip arthroplasty (THA) within the first 120 postoperative days, and the mortality during the first year. Multimodal prophylaxis includes discontinuation of procoagulant medications, VTE risk stratification, regional anaesthesia, an intravenous bolus of unfractionated heparin prior to femoral preparation, rapid mobilization, the use of pneumatic compression devices, and chemoprophylaxis tailored to the patient’s risk of VTE. Between 2004 to 2018, 257 patients with a proven history of VTE underwent 277 primary elective THA procedures by two surgeons at a single institution. The patients had a history of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) (186, 67%), pulmonary embolism (PE) (43, 15.5%), or both (48, 17.5%). Chemoprophylaxis included aspirin (38 patients), anticoagulation (215 patients), or a combination of aspirin and anticoagulation (24 patients). A total of 50 patients (18%) had a vena cava filter in situ at the time of surgery. Patients were followed for 120 days to record complications, and for one year to record mortality.Aims
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Appropriate acetabular component placement has been proposed for prevention of postoperative dislocation in total hip arthroplasty (THA). Manual placements often cause outliers in spite of attempts to insert the component within the intended safe zone; therefore, some surgeons routinely evaluate intraoperative pelvic radiographs to exclude excessive acetabular component malposition. However, their evaluation is often ambiguous in case of the tilted or rotated pelvic position. The purpose of this study was to develop the computational analysis to digitalize the acetabular component orientation regardless of the pelvic tilt or rotation. Intraoperative pelvic radiographs of 50 patients who underwent THA were collected retrospectively. The 3D pelvic bone model and the acetabular component were image-matched to the intraoperative pelvic radiograph. The radiological anteversion (RA) and radiological inclination (RI) of the acetabular component were calculated and those measurement errors from the postoperative CT data were compared relative to those of the 2D measurements. In addition, the intra- and interobserver differences of the image-matching analysis were evaluated.Aims
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Describe a statistical and economic analysis plan for the Distal Radius Acute Fracture Fixation Trial 2 (DRAFFT2) randomized controlled trial. DRAFFT2 is a multicentre, parallel, two-arm randomized controlled trial. It compares surgical fixation with K-wires versus plaster cast in adult patients who have sustained a dorsally displaced fracture of the distal radius. The primary outcome measure is the Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE, a validated assessment of wrist function and pain) at 12 months post-randomization. Secondary outcomes are measured at three, six, and 12 months after randomization and include the PWRE, EuroQoL EQ-5D-5L index and EQ-VAS (visual analogue scale), complication rate, and cost-effectiveness of the treatment.Aims
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Patient-centred medicine is an
In this review, we discuss the evidence for patients returning to sport after hip arthroplasty. This includes the choices regarding level of sporting activity and revision or complications, the type of implant, fixation and techniques of implantation, and how these choices relate to health economics. It is apparent that despite its success over six decades, hip arthroplasty has now evolved to accommodate and support ever-increasing patient demands and may therefore face new challenges. Cite this article:
Responsiveness and ceiling effects are key properties of an outcome score. No such data have been reported for the original English version of the International Hip Outcome Tool 12 (iHOT-12) at a follow-up of more than four months. The aim of this study was to identify the responsiveness and ceiling effects of the English version iHOT-12 in a series of patients undergoing hip arthroscopy for intra-articular hip pathology at a minimum of one year postoperatively. A total of 171 consecutive patients undergoing hip arthroscopy with a diagnosis of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) under the care of a single surgeon between January 2013 and March 2017 were included. iHOT-12 and EuroQol 5D-5L (EQ-5D-5L) scores were available pre- and postoperatively. Effect size and ceiling effects for the iHOT-12 were calculated with subgroup analysis.Aims
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Thresholds for operative eligibility based on body mass index (BMI) alone may restrict patient access to the benefits of arthroplasty. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between BMI and improvements in patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), and to determine how many patients would have been denied improvements in PROMs if BMI cut-offs were to be implemented. A prospective cohort of 3,449 primary total hip arthroplasties (THAs) performed between 2015 and 2018 were analyzed. The following one-year PROMs were evaluated: hip injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (HOOS) pain, HOOS Physical Function Shortform (PS), University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) activity, Veterans Rand-12 Physical Component Score (VR-12 PCS), and VR-12 Mental Component Score (VR-12 MCS). Positive predictive values for failure to improve and the number of patients denied surgery in order to avoid a failed improvement were calculated for each PROM at different BMI cut-offs.Aims
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The aim of this paper is to describe the impact of COVID-19 on spine surgery services in a district general hospital in England in order to understand the spinal service provisions that may be required during a pandemic. A prospective cohort study was undertaken between 17 March 2020 and 30 April 2020 and compared with retrospective data from same time period in 2019. We compared the number of patients requiring acute hospital admission or orthopaedic referrals and indications of referrals from our admission sheets and obtained operative data from our theatre software.Aims
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The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in detecting pathogens from synovial fluid of prosthetic joint infection (PJI) patients. A group of 75 patients who underwent revision knee or hip arthroplasties were enrolled prospectively. Ten patients with primary arthroplasties were included as negative controls. Synovial fluid was collected for mNGS analysis. Optimal thresholds were determined to distinguish pathogens from background microbes. Synovial fluid, tissue, and sonicate fluid were obtained for culture.Aims
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The current pandemic caused by COVID-19 is the biggest challenge for national health systems for a century. While most medical resources are allocated to treat COVID-19 patients, several non-COVID-19 medical emergencies still need to be treated, including vertebral fractures and spinal cord compression. The aim of this paper is to report the early experience and an organizational protocol for emergency spinal surgery currently being used in a large metropolitan area by an integrated team of orthopaedic surgeons and neurosurgeons. An organizational model is presented based on case centralization in hub hospitals and early management of surgical cases to reduce hospital stay. Data from all the patients admitted for emergency spinal surgery from the beginning of the outbreak were prospectively collected and compared to data from patients admitted for the same reason in the same time span in the previous year, and treated by the same integrated team.Aims
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