Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons最新文献

Introduction: The field of orthopaedic surgery has disproportionately low numbers of women and underrepresented in medicine (URM) groups. Although the representation of women and URM in orthopaedics has increased over the past several years, the growth has not kept up with other surgical specialties.

Methods: This is a retrospective review of data presented by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) regarding US medical school faculty and department chair makeup in 2018 to 2022 and 2015 data from the AAMC Group on Women in Medicine and Sciences reports. Data regarding the sex and race/ethnicity of faculty and department chairs in orthopaedic surgery, a comparable surgical specialty (otolaryngology), surgery, and all medical fields were assessed. Otolaryngology was chosen as a comparable specialty because orthopaedic surgery and otolaryngology are the only two surgical specialties classified within the AAMC faculty report, separate from any medical counterpart.

Results: Among orthopaedic surgery, otolaryngology, surgery, and all clinical sciences, the representation of women and individuals from URM groups increased between 2015 and 2022. During this time, orthopaedic surgery had the lowest growth rate of the four groups in female faculty (+0.63%/year), URM faculty (+0.32%/year), and URM department chairs (+0.11%/year). However, orthopaedic surgery did have an increase in female department chairs (0.96%/year to 7% in 2022), similar to increases seen in surgery and all clinical sciences.

Discussion: The increase in representation in female and URM faculty and department chairs in orthopaedic surgery lags behind comparable fields and medicine as a whole. In addition, orthopaedic surgery had the lowest representation of female and URM faculty in 2015 and 2022. Improving the representation of female and URM orthopaedic faculty and department chairs is critical because this may encourage more diverse medical students to consider pursuing a career in the field.

Introduction: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services removed total hip arthroplasty (THA) from the inpatient-only list but continued to classify admissions as inpatient if they include two midnights, complicating care if an outpatient THA requires extended hospitalization. This study evaluates risk factors of patients undergoing outpatient-designated THA with a length of stay (LOS) ≥ 2 days.

Methods: A total of 17,063 THA procedures designated as outpatient in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database between 2015 and 2020 were stratified by LOS < 2 days (n = 2,294, 13.4%) and LOS ≥ 2 days (n = 14,765, 86.6%). Demographics, comorbidities, and outcomes were compared by univariate analysis. Multivariable regression analysis identified predictors of LOS ≥ 2 days.

Results: Outpatients with extended LOS were older (mean 65.3 vs. 63.5 years; P < 0.01); were more likely to have body mass index (BMI) > 35 (24.0 vs. 17.8%; P < 0.01); and had higher incidences of smoking (15.1% vs. 10.3%; P < 0.01), diabetes (15.4% vs. 9.9%; P < 0.01), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (4.4% vs. 2.3%; P < 0.01), and hypertension (57.6% vs. 49.2%; P < 0.01). Patients with LOS ≥ 2 days had a higher incidence of surgical site infection ( P < 0.01), hospital readmission ( P < 0.01), and revision surgery ( P < 0.01) over 30 days. Multivariable analysis demonstrated advanced age, female sex, African American race, Hispanic ethnicity, diabetes, smoking, and hypertension were independent risk factors for LOS ≥ 2 days.

Conclusion: Despite removal from the inpatient-only list, a subset of outpatient THA remains at risk of an extended LOS. This study informs surgeons on the relevant risk factors of extended stay, enabling early inpatient preauthorization.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons has developed Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) for the Return to Play to Pre-Injury Level Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injury . Evidence-based information, in conjunction with the clinical expertise of physicians, was used to develop the criteria to determine the appropriateness of return to play to pre-injury level after an ACL injury. The AUC for the Return to Play to Pre-Injury Level Following ACL Injury were derived by identifying clinical indications typical of patients wishing to return to play after an ACL injury. These indications were most often clinically significant parameters, including symptoms and diagnostic findings. In addition, "patient-level variables" (eg, activity level or demographics) can be considered. A total of 576 patient scenarios and 3 procedure recommendations were developed by the writing panel, a group of clinicians who are specialists in this AUC topic. Next, a separate multidisciplinary rating panel (made up of specialists and nonspecialists) rated the appropriateness of treatment of each patient scenario using a 9-point scale to designate a treatment as "appropriate" (median rating, 7 to 9), "may be appropriate" (median rating, 4 to 6), or "rarely appropriate" (median rating, 1 to 3).

The Multicenter Orthopaedic Outcomes Network Shoulder Group conducted a prospective cohort study of 452 patients with symptomatic atraumatic rotator cuff tears treated with a physical therapy program to determine the predictors of failure of nonsurgical treatment, to provide insight into indications for surgery. After 10 years, we found the following: (1) Physical therapy was effective for over 70% of patients. (2) PROMs showed statistical and clinical improvement after 12 weeks of therapy and did not decline over 10 years. (3) Cuff tear severity did not correlate with pain, duration of symptoms, or activity level. (4) Of those who had surgery, 56.7% had surgery in the first 6 months while 43.3% had surgery between 6 months and 10 years. (5) Early surgery was primarily driven by low patient expectations regarding the effectiveness of therapy. (6) Later surgery predictors included workers' compensation status, activity level, and patient expectations. (7) Only 1 patient had a reverse arthroplasty (0.2% of the cohort). These data suggest that physical therapy is an effective and durable treatment of atraumatic symptomatic rotator cuff tears and most patients successfully treated with physical therapy do not exhibit a decline in patient-reported outcomes over time. Reverse arthroplasty after nonsurgical treatment is exceptionally rare.

Proximal humerus fractures account for 2% of fractures in skeletally immature patients. Avulsion fractures of the lesser and greater tuberosity are a rare subset of these injuries. Lack of awareness of these fracture types and subtle radiographic findings can result in delayed diagnosis and treatment. Case reports provide most of the current literature, and thus common injury mechanisms, clinical presentation, and ideal treatment time frame and modality are still undetermined. There are limited data directly comparing outcomes with nonsurgical or surgical management leading to unclear treatment guidelines. Presently, techniques for management of these injuries continue to evolve. Although these injuries represent a subset of pediatric proximal humerus injuries, they must be considered when evaluating a child with atraumatic and traumatic shoulder pain.

For years, anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion has been considered the benchmark for patients with cervical radiculopathy/myelopathy. However, concerns regarding adjacent segment pathology have promoted the popularity of cervical disk arthroplasty (CDA) with its motion-preserving properties. To replicate the natural cervical disk's six degrees of freedom and compressibility in cervical spine implants, designers need to carefully consider the level of constraint for stability and material selection. Recent CDA designs have incorporated strategies to facilitate unrestricted or semirestricted motion, deploying various articulating components and materials with distinct wear and compressibility properties. To optimize outcomes, patient selection considering additional degeneration of the cervical spine is critical. Clinical long-term studies have been reported in industry-funded FDA investigational device exemption and nonindustry-funded data for one-level and two-level CDA. There are limited data available on three-level and four-level CDA. Adverse events such as heterotopic ossification, osteolysis, migration, subsidence, and failure have been described, where analysis from explanted devices yields insight into in vivo wear and impingement performance. CDA has shown short-term cost advantages, such as decreased procedural expenses. Nonetheless, long-term analysis is necessary to assess possible economic tradeoffs. Advancements in designs may lead to improved implant longevity while evidence-based decision making will guide and responsibly manage the rapid advancement in CDA technology.

Introduction: There remains a lack of consensus on the optimal treatment of isolated distal radius fractures in young adults. The primary aim of this study was to identify differences in treatment of isolated distal radius fractures in patients aged 17 to 21 years treated by adult versus pediatric orthopaedic surgeons. The secondary aim was to identify whether there is a variation in utilization of open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) versus closed reduction and percutaneous pinning when treated surgically by adult versus pediatric orthopaedic surgeons.

Methods: Patients aged 17 to 21 years with isolated distal radius fractures who were treated by adult or pediatric orthopaedic surgeons at 1 of 3 hospitals were identified through retrospective chart review. 72 patients in the pediatric surgeon cohort and 64 patients in the adult surgeon cohort were included. Demographic details were recorded, and radiographs from the initial clinic visit and final follow-up were obtained. Bivariate analysis was used to evaluate for primary and secondary aims.

Results: 40 of 136 patients were treated surgically. Bivariate analysis showed that factors associated with surgical treatment were treatment by an adult orthopaedic surgeon, higher body mass index, radiographic severity, AO classification, intraarticular involvement, distal radial-ulnar joint involvement, and meeting AAOS clinical practice guideline surgical criteria. Factors associated with ORIF compared with closed reduction and percutaneous pinning included treatment by an adult orthopaedic surgeon, older age, higher body mass index, and greater articular step-off.

Discussion: In comparable cohorts of young adult patients with distal radius fractures with similar fracture characteristics, there was notable variation in treatment between adult and pediatric orthopaedic surgeons. Surgical treatment was used more by adult surgeons, and when treated surgically, ORIF was used more by adult surgeons. Variation among surgeons illustrates the persistent lack of consensus on the optimal treatment in this population and highlights the need for additional research on this topic to guide management.

Level of evidence: Level IV.

At present, there is uncertainty regarding the objective and subjective characteristics of competitive applicants for orthopaedic surgery residency (OSR). With the hope of enlightening future applicants and their orthopaedic surgeon mentors on what factors they ought to emphasize to successfully match into an OSR program, we summarized and analyzed the characteristics of OSR applicants between the 2020 and 2023 residency application cycles using data from the Texas Seeking Transparency in Application to Residency (STAR) database and insights from the 2020 National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) program director (PD) Survey. Factors considered in our analysis include standardized examination scores, class quartile, research output, extracurricular activities, and application characteristics, such as number of programs applied to, number of interviews attended, and match outcome. To elucidate the importance of more nonquantifiable metrics, we analyzed 423 subjective comments from OSR applicants found in the STAR database and compared them with relevant findings from the 2020 NRMP PD Survey. Of the 1,094 OSR applicants identified, 926 matched and 168 did not match, yielding a match rate of 84.64%. Matched applicants had markedly higher board examination scores, were more likely to be in the first and second quartiles of their class, had a higher number of honored clerkships, were more likely to have Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) membership, and overall had more research, volunteer, and leadership experiences. Our logistics regression analysis showed that being in the first quartile had the greatest effect on odds of matching, sequentially followed by having a United States Medical Licensing Examination step 2 score above 250, having more leadership opportunities, and finally, more total research output. With respect to nonquantifiable metrics, applicants and PDs alike heavily emphasized performing well on subinternships and having desirable personal attributes such as a strong work ethic, willingness to learn, and understanding the importance of teamwork.

Background: Although longer surgical times in primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) are associated with higher complication rates, this has yet to be explored in conversion THA. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between surgical time and complications in the setting of conversion THA with implant removal. We aim to establish a length of surgery after which the risk of complications increases.

Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted at a single institution. A total of 260 conversion THAs performed between 2015 and 2021 were included. An area under the curve (AUC) was constructed to determine a surgery time that increased the likelihood of complications. Logistic regressions were run to determine predictors for longer surgical times and complications.

Results: The overall complication rate of conversion THA involving implant removal was 25.8% (67 patients). Surgical times greater than 114 minutes were found to be a predictor of complications (AUC: 0.700, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.630 to 0.771), with complications 6 times as likely in these cases (9.57% vs. 34.9%, P < 0.001). Regression analysis revealed that index implants of cephalomedullary nails ( P < 0.001, odds ratio [OR]: 17.47) and dynamic hip screw plates ( P < 0.001, OR: 10.9) were notable predictors of surgical times greater than 114 minutes along with higher body mass index ( P = 0.005, OR: 1.10). Higher body mass index and surgical times greater than 114 minutes were also found to be predictors of complications ( P = 0.035, OR: 0.93; P < 0.001, 6.37).

Conclusion: Conversion THA cases involving implant removal that are longer than 114 minutes are associated with higher complication rates and revision surgeries. Conversion THA requiring implant removal of cephalomedullary nails or dynamic hip screw plates were predictors for longer surgical times. Improved surgical planning and perioperative patient optimization may be viable options to limit surgical times. This information can be used to counsel patients on the risk of complications and the possibility of a staged procedure if appropriate.