Steven J. Hattrup

Rotator cuff repair: Relevance of patient age

A review of patients after repair of a rotator cuff tear was done to determine the overall results, the influence of tear size, and the importance of patient age. A total of 88 patients were studied; 53 were 65 years or older, and 35 were younger than 65 years. Tear size was classified as small in three patients, medium in 34, large in 31, and massive in 20. Larger tears were more frequent in the older population. For patients younger than 65 years results were excellent in 31 (88.6%) of 35, satisfactory in three (8.6%), and unsatisfactory in one (2.9%). For those patients older than 65 years results were 41 (77.4%) excellent, seven (13.2%) satisfactory, and five (9.4%) unsatisfactory. Excellent results decreased from 89.2% in small or medium tears to 80.4% in large or massive tears. Although more challenging tears and fewer excellent results can be expected in the older patient, a gratifying outcome can usually be anticipated.

Osteonecrosis of the humeral head: Relationship of disease stage, extent, and cause to natural history

One hundred fifty-one patients with 200 shoulders affected with osteonecrosis of the humeral head were evaluated for associated factors, the need for prosthetic replacement surgery, the state of the unoperated shoulder, and the existence of prognostic factors. Associated factors included corticosteroid use in 112 shoulders, trauma in 37, Gauchers disease in 3, sickle cell disease in 3, and radiation necrosis in 1. No cause was evident in 44 shoulders. Ninety-seven shoulders had replacement surgery. The need for replacement surgery was found to be related to extent and stage of humeral head involvement and to diagnosis. Shoulders with a traumatic cause of osteonecrosis required surgery more often (cumulative rate of 77.8% by 3 years). Advancing stage of disease was also related to the need for surgery. By 3 years the cumulative replacement rate was performed in 42% for shoulders with stage 2 disease, 29% with stage 3 disease, 55% with stage 4 disease, and 79% with stage 5 disease. In a similar manner, surgical frequency increased with increasing extent of humeral head involvement. In 60 shoulders not surgically treated that were monitored an average of 8.6 years (range 3.4 to 14.5 years), there was none to occasional moderate pain in 46 and moderate to severe pain in 14. The mean American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score was 64.8.

Metastatic Tumors of the Foot and Ankle

In a review of the Mayo Clinic files, 17 biopsy-proven cases of metastatic tumors of the foot and ankle were found; 4 additional cases were considered to have metastatic disease on the basis of clinical and radiographic evidence but no histological confirmation was available. Lung, kidney, and colon were the most common sites of the primary tumors. The patients survived as long as 28 months after discovery of the metastasis. Treatment consisted of individualized combinations of orthotics, surgery, and radiotherapy to maintain mobility. In 9 of these 17 cases, no primary lesion was identified at the time the metastasis was diagnosed. Metastatic tumors of the foot present special problems in diagnosis and management.

The influence of postoperative acromial and scapular spine fractures on the results of reverse shoulder arthroplasty.

Fractures of the acromion or scapular spine are recognized complications of reverse arthroplasty. This study reviewed the outcome of reverse arthroplasties with such fractures and compared the results to arthroplasties without the fractures. A consecutive series of 125 reverse arthroplasties were reviewed for the development of a postoperative acromial or scapular spine fracture. Nine cases were identified, all treated nonoperatively. Five fractures occurred from falls, and the remainder were fatigue fractures. These results were compared to 67 patients with similar diagnoses in the series without such fractures. No significant differences existed between the 2 groups in terms of age, sex, side of surgery, or diagnosis. Preoperatively, both groups had substantial pain, limitation of motion, and poor American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) and Simple Shoulder Test (SST) outcome scores. No significant differences existed between the 2 groups. At minimum 1-year follow-up, results in the shoulders with fractures were improved. Mean visual analog score (VAS) was 4.0, flexion was 89.3 degrees, ASES score was 47.9, and SST score was 5.6. Nevertheless, these results were inferior to those in shoulders without a fracture, whose mean VAS was 0.7, flexion was 152.1 degrees, ASES score was 87.7, and SST score was 10.2. Nonoperative management was chosen in these cases due to a concern that stable fixation would not be obtained with surgery. Although the final outcome was diminished, these patients improved their preoperative state. A decision for surgical treatment will need to weigh the challenges of internal fixation with the incremental improvement that may occur with improved fracture healing.

Preoperative patient education reduces in-hospital falls after total knee arthroplasty.

BackgroundInpatient hospital falls after orthopaedic surgery represent a major problem, with rates of about one to three falls per 1000 patient days. These falls result in substantial morbidity for the patient and liability for the institution.Questions/purposesWe determined whether preoperative patient education reduced the rate of in-hospital falls after primary TKA and documented the circumstances and the injuries resulting from the falls.Patients and MethodsWe reviewed data from all 244 patients who underwent primary TKA at a single institution between March and November 2009. Seventy-two patients of one surgeon were enrolled in a preoperative nurse-led education program. This group was compared with a control group of 172 patients who concurrently underwent TKA at the same institution but did not receive preoperative education.ResultsMore control patients had in-hospital falls than those in the education group: seven (one of whom had two falls) of 172 (4%) versus none of 72 (0%), respectively. Three of the eight falls resulted in a serious injury, including one wound dehiscence and one wound hematoma that both required repeat surgery and one clavicle fracture.ConclusionsInpatient falls after TKA may be associated with major complications. Our preoperative patient education reduced these falls and is now mandatory for patients undergoing TKA at our institution.Level of EvidenceLevel III, therapeutic study. See Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Shoulder hemiarthroplasty for steroid-associated osteonecrosis

Currently, there is little information on the outcome of humeral head replacement for steroid-associated osteonecrosis of the humeral head. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcome of patients who underwent humeral head replacement for steroid-associated osteonecrosis to determine the results, risk factors for an unsatisfactory outcome, and rates of revision surgery. Between 1980 and 2000, 32 shoulder hemiarthroplasties were performed for steroid-associated osteonecrosis. We included 31 hemiarthroplasties in 25 patients with a minimum 2-year follow-up (mean, 12.0 years) in the study. The mean age of the 23 female and 9 male patients was 49.4 years at the time of surgery (range, 25-86 years). Overall, mean pain scores decreased from 4.6 to 2.6 (P < .0001). However, moderate or severe pain was reported in 12 shoulders (38%) at the most recent follow-up, 2 of them requiring implant revision. The mean preoperative to postoperative active elevation increased from 92 degrees to 139 degrees (P < .0001), and external rotation increased from 36 degrees to 65 degrees (P < .0001). According to a modified Neer result rating system, there were 13 excellent results (42%), 4 satisfactory results (13%), and 14 unsatisfactory results (45%). Improvement in pain and function most often occurred after hemiarthroplasty as a treatment for steroid-associated osteonecrosis of the humeral head. However, there are a large number of unsatisfactory results related to glenoid cartilage wear over time.

Cost utility analysis of reverse total shoulder arthroplasty

BACKGROUND Reverse shoulder arthroplasty provides satisfactory outcomes, but its cost-effectiveness is unproven. We prospectively analyzed outcomes and costs for primary reverse shoulder arthroplasty. METHODS Thirty serial patients (16 women and 14 men; mean age, 74.1 years [range, 61.1-87.3 years]) with rotator cuff arthropathy had active motion recorded and completed function tests (visual pain analog scale; Simple Shoulder Test; American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Shoulder Outcome score; EuroQol; and Short Form-36 Health Survey) preoperatively and postoperatively at 1 and 2 years. Costs included professional fees, operating room and supply costs, and hospital care. Changes were compared by the Wilcoxon signed rank test, and quality-adjusted life-years were calculated preoperatively and postoperatively. RESULTS Twenty-seven patients completed the study. Clinical and functional outcomes demonstrated significant improvement (P < .05). Significantly improved (P < .05) Short Form-36 subgroups included physical functioning, role limitations due to physical health, bodily pain, vitality, and physical composite score. EuroQol dimensions of usual activities and pain/discomfort improved significantly (P < .05). Calculations with the SF-6D showed that median QALYs improved from 6.56 preoperatively to 7.43 at 1-year follow-up (P <.09) and from 6.56 preoperatively to 7.58 at 2-year follow-up (P <.003). The increase in QALYs calculated from the EQ-5D was somewhat greater, changing from 6.21 preoperatively to 7.69 at 1-year follow-up (P <.0001) and from 6.13 to 8.10 at 2-year follow-up (P <.04). Mean cost was

Revision of an unstable hemiarthroplasty or anatomical total shoulder replacement using a reverse design prosthesis

21,536. Cost utility at 2 years was

Two-stage Shoulder Reconstruction for Active Glenohumeral Sepsis

26,920/quality-adjusted life-year by the Short Form 6 Dimensions and

Tranexamic acid decreases blood loss in total shoulder arthroplasty and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty

16,747/quality-adjusted life-year by the EuroQol. CONCLUSION EuroQol and Short Form-36 results demonstrated modestly cost-effective (<