Dale Williams

Physical Activity After Total Joint Replacement: A Cross-sectional Survey

Objective:To determine the level of physical activity participants are able to perform at a minimum of 1 year after primary total hip or knee replacement. Design:Cross-sectional survey. Setting:A tertiary care arthroplasty center. Participants:A total of 170 primary total hip and 184 primary total knee arthroplasty patients. Interventions:The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) activity score was mailed to 242 primary hip and 225 primary knee arthroplasty patients. Patients were abstracted from a prospectively tabulated arthroplasty database and pre-selected for good/excellent clinical outcomes as determined by 1 year postoperative Knee Society (KSS) and Harris Hip (HHS) scores. Clinical outcomes including the Oxford Hip/Knee score were collected preoperatively, and at 6 and 12 months postoperatively. Correlations between UCLA scores, demographics, and clinical outcomes were calculated using Pearsons correlation. Main Outcome Measurements:Harris Hip Score, Oxford Hip Score, Knee Society Score, Oxford Knee Score, and UCLA Activity Scale. Results:Postal survey response rates for hips were 70.2% (170 of 242) and 81.8% for knees (184 of 225). Mean results at postoperative year 1 include: HHS (94.8), Oxford Hip Score (16.6), KSS clinical score (95.9), KSS function score (95.0), and Oxford Knee score (18.2). For both primary total hip arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty patients, median UCLA score was 6, indicating moderate activity levels at a mean follow-up of 40.7 months for hips and 36.6 months for knees. Conclusions:UCLA scores indicate the average total joint replacement patient maintains a moderate activity level, and many perform active/very active levels of activity.

Variability in the definition and perceived causes of delayed unions and nonunions: a cross-sectional, multinational survey of orthopaedic surgeons.

BACKGROUND Despite the large number of fracture outcome studies, there remains variability in the definitions of fracture-healing. It is unclear how orthopaedic surgeons are diagnosing and managing delayed unions and nonunions in clinical practice. We aimed to explore the current opinions of orthopaedic surgeons with regard to defining, diagnosing, and treating delayed unions and nonunions in extremity fractures. METHODS We developed a survey using previous literature, key informants in the field of orthopaedic surgery, and a sample-to-redundancy strategy. Our final survey contained four sections and twenty-nine questions focusing on demographics and surgical experience, definitions of fracture union, prognostic factors for union, and the need for clinical trials. The Internet-based survey and follow-up e-mails were continued until our a priori sample size of a minimum of 320 completed and eligible responses were collected. RESULTS Three hundred and thirty-five surgeons completed the survey. The typical respondent was a North American, male orthopaedic surgeon or consultant over the age of thirty years who had completed trauma fellowship training, worked in an academic practice, supervised residents, and had more than six years of experience in treating orthopaedic injuries. Most surgeons endorsed a lack of standardization in definitions for delayed unions (73%) and nonunions (55%); almost all agreed that defining a delayed union and nonunion should be done on the basis of both radiographic and clinical criteria (88%). Most respondents believed that the degree of soft-tissue injury (approximately 93%), smoking history (approximately 82%), and vascular disease (approximately 76%) increased the risk of healing complications. CONCLUSIONS Surgeons use similar prognostic factors to define and assess delayed unions and nonunions, but there is a lack of consensus in the definitions of delayed union and nonunion. The need for standardization and future randomized trials was strongly endorsed.

Predictors of nonunion and reoperation in patients with fractures of the tibia: an observational study

BackgroundTibial shaft fractures are the most common long bone fracture and are prone to complications such as nonunion requiring reoperations to promote fracture healing. We aimed to determine the fracture characteristics associated with tibial fracture nonunion, and their predictive value on the need for reoperation. We further aimed to evaluate the predictive value of a previously-developed prognostic index of three fracture characteristics on nonunion and reoperation rate.MethodsWe conducted an observational study and developed a risk factor list from previous literature and key informants in the field of orthopaedic surgery, as well as via a sample-to-redundancy strategy. We evaluated 22 potential risk factors for the development of tibial fracture nonunion in 200 tibial fractures. We also evaluated the predictive value of a previously-identified prognostic risk index on secondary intervention and/or reoperation rate. Two individuals independently extracted the data from 200 patient electronic medical records. An independent reviewer assessed the initial x-ray, the post-operative x-ray, and all available sequential x-rays. Regression and chi-square analysis was used to evaluate potential associations.ResultsIn our cohort of patients, 37 (18.5%) had a nonunion and 27 (13.5%) underwent a reoperation. Patients with a nonunion were 97 times (95% CI 25.8-366.5) more likely to have a reoperation. Multivariable logistic regression revealed that fractures with less than 25% cortical continuity were predictive of nonunion (odds ratio = 4.72; p = 0.02). Such fractures also accounted for all of the reoperations identified in our sample. Furthermore, our data provided preliminary validation of a previous risk index predictive of reoperation that includes the presence of a fracture gap post-fixation, open fracture, and transverse fracture type as variables, with an aggregate of fracture gap and an open fracture yielding patients with the highest risk of developing a nonunion.ConclusionsWe identified a significant association between degree of cortical continuity and the development of a nonunion and risk for reoperation in tibial shaft fractures. In addition, our study supports the predictive value of a previous prognostic index, which inform discussion of prognosis following operative management of tibial fractures.

Systematic review of the treatment of periprosthetic distal femur fractures.

Objectives: To systematically review and compare nonoperative and operative treatments for the management of periprosthetic distal femur fractures adjacent to total knee arthroplasties. Specific operative interventions compared included locked plating, retrograde intramedullary nailing (RIMN), and conventional (nonlocked) plating. Where possible, data were pooled to arrive at summary estimates of treatment effect [odds ratios (ORs) with associated 95% confidence intervals (CIs)]. Methods: A comprehensive database search (via Pubmed, Medline, Cochrane Database, and the Orthopaedic Trauma Association database) was completed, yielding 44 eligible studies with a total of 719 fractures for analysis. Pertinent outcomes including malunion, nonunion, and the need for secondary surgical procedures were compared statistically. Results: Both locked plating and RIMN demonstrated significant advantages over nonoperative treatment. Some advantages were also observed when locked plating and RIMN were compared with conventional (nonlocked) plates. Comparison of locked plating and RIMN showed no significant differences with regard to nonunion rates (OR = 0.39, 95% CI = 0.13–1.15; P = 0.09) or rate of secondary surgical procedures (OR = 0.65, 95% CI = 0.31–1.35; P = 0.25). However, RIMN demonstrated a significantly higher malunion rate when compared with locked plating (OR = 2.37, 95% CI = 1.17–4.81; P = 0.02). Conclusions: Locked plating and RIMN offer significant advantages over nonoperative treatment and conventional (nonlocked) plating techniques in the management of periprosthetic femur fractures above total knee arthroplasties. Locked plating demonstrated a trend toward increased nonunion rates when compared with RIMN. Malunion was significantly higher with RIMN compared with locked plating.

Continuous Infusion of Bupivacaine Following Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Randomized Control Trial Pilot Study

An RCT pilot-study was conducted to assess efficacy of a 48-h continuous local infiltration of intra-articular bupivacaine (0.5% at 2 cc/h) versus placebo (0.5% saline at 2 cc/h) in decreasing PCA morphine consumption following TKA. Secondary outcomes included 48-h VAS pain, opioid side effects, length of stay, and knee function scores up to 1-year postoperatively. Of 67 randomized patients, 49 completed the trial including 24 bupivacaine, and 25 placebo patients. Mean 48-h PCA morphine consumption did not differ significantly between treatment (39 mg ± 27.1) and placebo groups (53 mg ± 30.4) (P = .137). The intervention did not improve pain scores, or any other outcome studied. Given study results we would conclude that analgesia outcomes with a multimodal analgesia regimen are not significantly improved by adding 48 h of 0.5% bupivacaine infiltration at 2 cc/h.

Diagnosing Femoroacetabular Impingement From Plain Radiographs Do Radiologists and Orthopaedic Surgeons Differ

Background: A diagnosis of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) requires careful history and physical examination, as well as an accurate and reliable radiologic evaluation using plain radiographs as a screening modality. Radiographic markers in the diagnosis of FAI are numerous and not fully validated. In particular, reliability in their assessment across health care providers is unclear. Purpose: To determine inter- and intraobserver reliability between orthopaedic surgeons and musculoskeletal radiologists. Study Design: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Six physicians (3 orthopaedic surgeons, 3 musculoskeletal radiologists) independently evaluated a broad spectrum of FAI pathologies across 51 hip radiographs on 2 occasions separated by at least 4 weeks. Reviewers used 8 common criteria to diagnose FAI, including (1) pistol-grip deformity, (2) size of alpha angle, (3) femoral head-neck offset, (4) posterior wall sign abnormality, (5) ischial spine sign abnormality, (6) coxa profunda abnormality, (7) crossover sign abnormality, and (8) acetabular protrusion. Agreement was calculated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results: When establishing an FAI diagnosis, there was poor interobserver reliability between the surgeons and radiologists (ICC batch 1 = 0.33; ICC batch 2 = 0.15). In contrast, there was higher interobserver reliability within each specialty, ranging from fair to good (surgeons: ICC batch 1 = 0.72; ICC batch 2 = 0.70 vs radiologists: ICC batch 1 = 0.59; ICC batch 2 = 0.74). Orthopaedic surgeons had the highest interobserver reliability when identifying pistol-grip deformities (ICC = 0.81) or abnormal alpha angles (ICC = 0.81). Similarly, radiologists had the highest agreement for detecting pistol-grip deformities (ICC = 0.75). Conclusion: These results suggest that surgeons and radiologists agree among themselves, but there is a need to improve the reliability of radiographic interpretations for FAI between the 2 specialties. The observed degree of low reliability may ultimately lead to missed, delayed, or inappropriate treatments for patients with symptomatic FAI.

Anterior hip capsuloligamentous reconstruction with Achilles allograft following gross hip instability post-arthroscopy.

AbstractThe increasing use of hip arthroscopy has led to further development in our understanding of hip anatomy and potential post-operative complications. Iatrogenic gross hip instability following hip arthroscopy is a concerning complication described in recent orthopaedic literature. Post-arthroscopy hip instability is thought to be multifactorial, related to a variety of patient, surgical and post-operative factors. Given its infrequency, there is scarcity of literature describing appropriate surgical management and operative technique for addressing this instability. This study reports a case of gross hip instability following hip arthroscopy, describing a novel technique of management through anterior hip capsuloligamentous reconstruction with Achilles tendon allograft. Level of evidence V, Case Study.