Juan Astoul Bonorino

Patellofemoral arthritis treated with resurfacing implant: Clinical outcome and complications at a minimum two-year follow-up

BACKGROUND This study evaluated the clinical and radiographic outcomes of a series of patients treated with an anatomic inlay resurfacing implant, with a minimum two-year follow-up. METHODS Fifteen patients underwent patellofemoral-resurfacing procedures using a HemiCAP Wave Patellofemoral Inlay Resurfacing implant from 2010 to 2013. Clinical outcomes included: Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Lysholm score, Knee Society Score (KSS), and evaluation of Kujala, and Hospital for Special Surgery Patellofemoral score (HSS-PF). The postoperative complications were analyzed. RESULTS Nineteen knees were evaluated; the average follow-up was 35.2months. Fourteen were women, with an average age of 54years. The pre-operative/postoperative clinical results presented a significant improvement: VAS 8/2.5, Lysholm 31.9/85.8, KSS 39.8/82.5, Kujala 32.1/79.3 and Hospital for Special Surgery Patellofemoral score (HSS-PF) 15.9/90.6. A total of 87% of patients were either satisfied or very satisfied with the overall outcome. There were no radiographic signs of loosening. Seven postoperative complications were recorded: two presented ongoing knee pain, one postoperative stiffness, one patellar bounce due to maltracking, two ilio-tibial band syndrome, and one tibial anterior tuberosity osteotomy nonunion. Two patients underwent a total knee arthroplasty conversion and were considered a failure. None of these complications were implant related. CONCLUSIONS Patellofemoral inlay resurfacing for isolated patellofemoral arthritis was an effective and safe procedure with high levels of patient satisfaction. No mechanical implant failure was seen at a minimum two-year follow-up. This implant design appeared to be an alternative to the traditional patellofemoral prostheses. Concomitant osteochondral lesions, patellofemoral dysplasia or patellar maltracking might be poor prognostic factors for this type of implant.

Traumatic Dislodgement of Tibial Polyethylene Insert after a High-Flex Posterior-Stabilized Total Knee Replacement

Many pathologic entities can produce a painful total knee replacement (TKR) that may lead to potential prosthetic failure. Polyethylene insert dissociation from the tibial baseplate has been described most frequently after mobile-bearing and cruciate-retaining TKRs. However, only 3 tibial insert dislocations in primary fixed-bearing High-Flex posterior-stabilized TKRs have been reported. We present a new case of tibial insert dislocation in a High-Flex model that shares similarities and differences with the cases reported, facilitating the analysis of the potential causes, which still remain undefined.

Short-term complication rate following orthopedic surgery in a tertiary care center in Argentina

Introduction: Registration of adverse events following orthopedic surgery has a critical role in patient safety and has received increasing attention. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and severity of postoperative complications in the department of orthopedic unit in a tertiary hospital. Methods: A retrospective review from the postoperative complication registry of a cohort of consecutive patients operated in the department of orthopedic surgery from May 2015 to June 2016 was performed. Short-term complications (3 months after surgery), age gender, types of surgery (elective, scheduled urgency, non-scheduled urgency, and emergency), operative time, surgical start time (morning, afternoon or evening), American Society of Anesthesiologists score and surgeons experience were assessed. Complications were classified based on their severity according to Dindo-Clavien system: Grade I complications do not require alterations in the postoperative course or additional treatment; Grade II complications require pharmacological treatment; Grade III require surgical, endoscopic, or radiological interventions without (IIIa) or with (IIIb) general anesthesia; Grade IV are life-threatening with single (IVa) or multi-organ (IVb) dysfunction(s), and require ICU management; and Grade V result in death of the patient. Complications were further classified in minor (Dindo I, II, IIIa) and major (Dindo IIIb, IVa, IVb and V), according to clinical severity. Results: 1960 surgeries were performed. The overall 90-day complication rate was 12.7% (249/1960). Twenty-three complications (9.2 %) were type I, 159 (63.8%) type II, 9 (3.6%) type IIIa, 42 (16.8%) type IIIb, 7 (2.8%) type IVa and 9 (3.6%) were grade V according to Dindo-Clavien classification (DCC). The most frequent complication was anemia that required blood transfusion (27%) followed by wound infection (15.6%) and urinary tract infection (6%). Discussion: The overall complication rate after orthopedic surgery in our department was 12.7%. The implementation of the DCC following orthopedic surgery was an important tool to measure the standard of care.