Characteristics and Long-Term Outcome of Surgically Managed High-Grade Extremity Chondrosarcoma.

Background: Dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma (DCS) is a highly malignant variant that portends a poor prognosis. Although factors such as clinico-pathological characteristics, surgical margin, and adjuvant modalities likely play a role in overall survival, debate continues with varying results on the importance of these indicators. The purpose of this study is (1) To delineate the characteristics, local recurrence (LR), and survival of patients with intermediate (IGCS), high (HGCS) and dedifferentiated (DCS) chondrosarcoma of the extremity by utilizing detailed cases at one tertiary institution. (2) To assess survival between high grade chondrosarcoma and DCS utilizing a less detailed but large cohort from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Methods: Twenty-six cases of high-grade (conventional FNCLCC grades 2 and 3, dedifferentiated) chondrosarcoma were identified from an ongoing prospective cohort of 630 sarcoma patients managed surgically at a tertiary referral university hospital between 9/1/2010-12/30/2019. A retrospective review of demographics, tumor characteristics, surgical procedure, treatment course, and survival data was performed to determine prognostic factors for survival. An additional 516 cases of chondrosarcoma were identified from the SEER database. Using the Kaplan-Meier method, both the large database and case series were evaluated, and estimated cause-specific survival was calculated at 1, 2, and 5 years. Results: There were 12 IGCS, 5 HGCS, and 9 DCS patients in the single institution cohort. DCS had a higher stage at diagnosis (p=0.04). Limb salvage was the most common procedure performed in every group (11/12 IGCS, 5/5 HGCS, and 7/9 DCS; p=0.56). Margins included 8/12 wide and 3/12 intralesional for IGCS. For HGCS, there were 3/5 wide, 1/5 marginal, and 1/5 intralesional. A majority of DCS margins were wide (8/9) with only 1 marginal. There was no difference of associated margins between the groups (p=0.85), however there was a difference when margins were classified based on numerical measurement (IGCS: 0.125cm (0.1-0.35); HGCS: 0cm (0-0.1); DCS: 0.2cm (0.1-0.5); p=0.03). The overall median follow-up was 26 months (IQR:16.1-70.8). The time interval from resection to death was lower in DCS (11.5 months (10.7-12.2)), followed by IGCS (30.3 months (16.2-78.2)), and HGCS (55.1 months (32.0-78.2; p=0.047). LR occurred in 5/9 DCS, 1/5 HGCS, and 1/14 IGCS patients. Of the DCS patients only 2/6 who received systemic therapy had LR, while all 3/3 who did not receive systemic therapy had LR. Overall systemic therapy and radiation did not impact incidence of LR (p=0.67; p=0.34). However, patients who had LR were 17.5 times more likely to die within one year (HR=17.5, 95%CI (1.01-303.7), p=0.049), after adjusting for the age at the surgery. There was no correlation with the utilization of systemic therapy, radiation therapy, or margin and overall survival (p=0.63, p=0.52, p=0.74). In the SEER patient cohort, 149 cases (28.9%) were DCS and 367 (71.1%) were HGCS. At final follow-up, 49.6% (n=256) of the cohort had a cause of death due to chondrosarcoma. HGCS was associated with higher chance of 1-year survial (p<0.001), 2-year survival (p<0.001), 5-year survival (p<0.001), and overall survival (p<0.001). Additionally, decreased survival was associated with metastatic disease at presentation (p=0.01). Overall limb salvage was most utilized for both HGCS (76.5%) and DCS (74.3%). In regard to limb salvage vs. amputation, there was no difference in survival at 1 year (p=0.10) or 2 year (p=0.13) between the groups, however those who underwent limb salvage procedure had a significantly better chance of survival at 5 years when compared to amputation (HR=1.49 (1.11-1.99); p=0.002). Conclusion: High-grade chondrosarcoma remains a fatal disease in many patients, particularly if associated with dedifferentiated subtype. Interestingly, all (100%) DCS patients who did not receive systemic therapy had LR. However, chemotherapy and radiation did not significantly increase survival. In this case series and large database study, HGCS had the smallest surgical margin, but with the longest time interval for both LR and death. Additionally, using the SEER database, DCS and amputation had worse prognosis at the 5-year survival time. Further studies on valuable prognostic influences as well as earlier identification of this rare disease may help in developing better management options. Level of Evidence: III.

An Audit of the effect of Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 Treatment in patients with non-union of long bone fractures.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcomes, clinical and radiological application of Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 alone versus Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 with autograft in long bone non-unions. METHODS: A prospective review of patients was done with fracture non-union admitted to Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from January 2016 to January 2019. The patients were divided into two groups; those exposed to Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 alone in group 1, and those exposed to Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 plus autologous graft in group 2. RESULTS: Background characteristics of both the groups were analysed. Patients were followed up at 6, 12 and 24 weeks through their medical records. The primary outcome was postoperative union at 6, 12 and 24. Union was defined by having the clinical union as well as the radiological union at the same time of assessment. Of the 80 patients enrolled, 13(16.25%) were excluded, and 5(6.25%) were lost to follow-up. The final sample had 62(77.5%) patients; 35(56.5%) in group 1, and 27(43.5%) in group 2. Union at 6 weeks was observed in 13(21%) patients; 8(62%) in group 1, and 5(38%) in group 2. Union at 12 weeks was observed in 38(61%) patients; 20(53%) in group 1, and 18(47%) in group 2. CONCLUSIONS: Results showed that using the adjuvant treatment alone was not worse than using it along with bone autologous graft.

Web-Based Patient Educational Material on Osteosarcoma: Quantitative Assessment of Readability and Understandability.

BACKGROUND: Patients often turn to web-based resources following the diagnosis of osteosarcoma. To be fully understood by average American adults, the American Medical Association (AMA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommend web-based health information to be written at a 6th grade level or lower. Previous analyses of osteosarcoma resources have not measured whether text is written such that readers can process key information (understandability) or identify available actions to take (actionability). The Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) is a validated measurement of understandability and actionability. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate web-based osteosarcoma resources using measures of readability, understandability, and actionability. METHODS: Using the search term "osteosarcoma," two independent Google searches were performed on March 7, 2020 (by AGS), and March 11, 2020 (by TRG). The top 50 results were collected. Websites were included if they were directed at providing patient education on osteosarcoma. Readability was quantified using validated algorithms: Flesh-Kincaid Grade Ease (FKGE), Flesch-Kincaid Grade-Level (FKGL). A higher FKGE score indicates that the material is easier to read. All other readability scores represent the US school grade level. Two independent PEMAT assessments were performed with independent scores assigned for both understandability and actionability. A PEMAT score of 70% or below is considered poorly understandable or poorly actionable. Statistical significance was defined as P≤.05. RESULTS: Two searches yielded 53 unique websites, of which 37 (70%) met the inclusion criteria. The mean FKGE and FKGL scores were 40.8 (SD 13.6) and 12.0 (SD 2.4), respectively. No website scored within the acceptable NIH or AHA recommended reading level. Only 4 (11%) and 1 (3%) website met the acceptable understandability and actionability threshold. Both understandability and actionability were positively correlated with FKGE (ρ=0.55, P<.001; ρ=0.60, P<.001), but were otherwise not significantly associated with other readability scores. There were no associations between readability (P=.15), understandability (P=.20), or actionability (P=.31) scores and Google rank. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, web-based osteosarcoma patient educational materials scored poorly with respect to readability, understandability, and actionability. None of the web-based resources scored at the recommended reading level. Only 4 achieved the appropriate score to be considered understandable by the general public. Authors of patient resources should incorporate PEMAT and readability criteria to improve web-based resources to support patient understanding.

Innovations in surgery between the past and future: A narrative review of targeted literature.

Innovation is the introduction of a new method or technology designed to change the way things are done. History is full of remarkable innovations in surgery over the years as surgeons have always been innovating and pioneering latest techniques and equipment that can benefit the mankind. Though persistent, progress has been far from uniform. Despite all the bells and whistles that these innovations bring to the table, the little acknowledged fact is that they are only accessible to a very small proportion of the global population. Five billion people on this planet do not even have access to an operating room when needed. It has been reported that conditions requiring surgery are responsible for one-third of all the deaths in the world. The current narrative review was planned to focus on the importance of innovations in surgery, to highlight the problems that were faced by resource-restricted countries in the past, and the necessity of innovative solutions to improve global surgical care in the future.

Novel Scoring Criteria for Preoperative Prediction of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Response in Osteosarcoma.

Background: The extent of tumor necrosis after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is an important predictive factor of survival in osteosarcoma. However, the response to chemotherapy is not known until after the definitive resection and limits the utility of this information for operative planning. Our study questions include: 1) Are there clinical and radiographic factors following neoadjuvant chemotherapy, but prior to the tumor resection, that may aid in predicting response to treatment? 2) Can we combine these criteria into a predictive composite score that can identify good and poor responders to chemotherapy? Methods: We identified consecutive patients diagnosed with osteosarcoma and managed with neoadjuvant chemotherapy prior to surgical resection. We assessed post-chemotherapy tumor ossification, tumor size and growth, and the presence of pain to devise a scoring criteria to predict the percent necrosis on the final histologic specimen. Bivariate analyses were done, and a receiver operating characteristic curve was constructed to determine predictive capacity. Results: Out of the 40 patients included in this study, 15 (38%) had a good response (≥ 90% necrosis) to treatment and ten patients (25%) had a poor response with ≤ 50% necrosis. Tumor size, growth and increase in ossification were significantly associated with a good response to treatment. For good responders, a composite score of 6 was seen to attain the highest sensitivity and specificity, 100% and 84%, respectively. Tumor size, no change in ossification, and post-chemotherapy pain were significantly associated with a poor response to treatment. For poor responders, a composite score of 7 was seen to have the highest sensitivity and specificity, 100% and 63%, respectively. Conclusion: Compared to the use of one single factor, our combined scoring criteria demonstrated a far improved accuracy in identifying good responders to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, where a score of 6 or less is predictive of a good response. However, the specificity of this scoring criteria to predict poor responders was low, indicating that this criterion may not be the most accurate method to identify poor responders. The utility of this score has implications regarding pre-operative counseling of the patient and operative planning.Level of Evidence: III.

Accuracy of X-Ray and Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Defining the Tumor Margin in Primary Bone Sarcoma.

Background: Limb-salvage surgery for primary bone sarcomas are preceded by X-ray and MRI for surgical planning. However, the accuracy of X-ray and MRI predicted margins are not well described. Our study examined these questions: (1) How accurately do X-ray and MRI margin measurements reflect the true margin on pathology reports? (2) Do X-ray or MRI margin measurements have smaller differences compared to pathology reports? (3) How many X-ray or MRI margin measurement differences were greater than 1 cm, 2 cm, and 3 cm from pathology reports? (4) Is there an X-ray or MRI view that consistently results in a smaller difference from pathology reports? Methods: This retrospective chart review examined patients with primary bone sarcoma treated with limb-salvage surgery. Reviewers used electronic measurement tools to determine margins from X-ray or MRI based on the resection length of the pathologic specimen. Mean differences of margin measurements to pathology reports were calculated. We determined outliers of imaging margin measurements at 1 cm, 2 cm, and 3 cm differences to pathology reports. Results: In the total cohort of 39 patients, the mean difference of X-ray and MRI margins compared to pathology reports were 1.09 cm (st dev 0.79 cm) and 0.71 cm (st dev 0.70 cm), respectively. MRI margin measurements had smaller differences compared to pathology reports than X-ray in 32 of 38 cases (84%) with complete imaging. X-ray outliers at 1 cm, 2 cm, and 3 cm differences were 36, 14 and 2 respectively for 70 margin measurements and MRI outliers at 1 cm, 2 cm, and 3 cm differences were 17, 6, and 0 respectively for 66 margin measurements. The views with the smallest difference were anterior-posterior X-rays and MRI views with the closest predicted margin. Conclusion: Electronic MRI margin measurements with the closest predicted margin provided the smallest differences with pathology reports and are therefore the most accurate for preoperative planning. When there is adequate residual diaphysis for reconstructive fixation, surgeons should plan for a 3 cm bone margin using MRI measurements to ensure complete removal of the intramedullary extent of sarcoma.Level of Evidence: IV.

Is local recurrence in bone and soft tissue sarcomas just a local recurrence or does it impact the overall survival, retrospective cohort from a sarcoma referral center.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Sarcoma local recurrence (LR) is often associated with metastasis, but it is unclear if LR can be a causal event leading to metastasis. We question if LR is best viewed as an independent oncologic event or as a worrisome harbinger threatening a patient's overall survival. METHODS: We identified patients with LR and/or metastasis from an ongoing cohort of 629 patients with primary sarcoma and performed a detailed review to assess the timing of metastasis resulting in the following groups: (1) Isolated LR, (2) LR before metastasis, (3) LR within 6 months of metastasis, (4) LR 6-12 months after metastasis, (5) LR >12 months after metastasis, and (6) metastasis at diagnosis. RESULTS: Overall, 43 patients met the inclusion criteria with an LR rate of 7%. Ten patients (2% of the entire cohort, 23% of LR) developed an LR before or within 6 months of metastasis. For patients without systemic disease preceding LR, 3 of 23 soft tissue sarcoma STS (13%) and 7 of 10 bone sarcoma (70%) subsequently developed metastasis (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: LR with subsequent metastasis is a rare event. LR appears to be best viewed as a marker of tumor aggressiveness rather than the cause of metastasis and poor survival. LR in bone sarcoma patients should warn providers of a high risk of imminent metastasis.

What is the likelihood of nonpulmonary metastasis occurring in the absence of lung metastasis in bone and soft tissue sarcoma? A nested case-control from a sarcoma referral centre.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Nonpulmonary metastases (NPM) are rare, associated with a poorer prognosis, and maybe missed on conventional chest imaging for sarcoma surveillance. We determined (1) the proportion of NPM occurring in isolation or with synchronous or prior pulmonary metastases (PM), and (2) if initial NPM would have been recognized with a standard surveillance protocol. METHODS: Investigators identified patients who developed initial NPM without prior evidence of or concurrent PM from an ongoing cohort of bone and soft tissue sarcoma (STS) patients. Logistic regression at univariate level was done. RESULTS: There were 138/630 (22%) patients with metastasis and 66 (10%) had NPM: 50 (8%) patients had PM presenting first, while 16 (3%) had initial NPM. Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor, angiosarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, synovial sarcoma, and myxoid liposarcoma were six times more likely to develop initial NPM than other subtypes of STS with odds ratio = 6 (95% confidence interval: 1.93-18.65, p value < 0.01). Chest imaging and physical examination were sufficient to identify NPM in all except three bone sarcoma patients. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who develop initial NPM are rare and demonstrate a predilection towards some subtypes of extremity sarcoma. They develop oligometastatic disease, which may be amenable for surgical excision. All isolated or initial NPM in STS patients were discovered by physical examination and standard chest imaging.

Comparison of Surgical Site Infection After Skin Closure by Prolene or Staples in Bilateral Simultaneous Knee Arthroplasty Patients: A Parallel Design Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Knee arthroplasty also known as the total knee replacement is an orthopedic surgical procedure done to resurface the knee that has been severely damaged by arthritis. After the completion of the surgical procedure, the skin closure is done. The optimal goal of skin closure after the procedure is to promote rapid healing and an acceptable cosmetic result while minimizing the risk of infection. Skin closure after knee arthroplasty is done by using either of the two widely used sutures i.e., polypropylene (Prolene) sutures or the skin staple sutures. There are no standard guidelines as which type of the suture should be used. The present study aims to compare the incidence of surgical site infections (superficial and deep) for Prolene vs staple sutures in the bilateral knee arthroplasty patients within 6 weeks for superficial and within 90 days for deep infection. METHODS: This study will be conducted as an open blinded, parallel design, equivalence randomized controlled trial. The patients would be selected and randomized in 1:1 ratio to receive either of the two interventions i.e., Prolene or Staples. Patients undergoing unilateral or staged total knee replacement (TKR) were excluded. ANALYSIS: The normality assessment will be done using Shapiro Wilk test. Cox proportional hazard regression will be used to check the univariate and multi-variable associations of independent variables with the outcome. Both intention to treat analysis and per protocol analysis would be performed. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: All the required approvals will be taken from the ethical review committee. Informed consent will be taken form the patient to enroll him/her in the study. Results of the study will be disseminated to the study participants, public health and clinical professionals and would also be published in a reputable international journal.The trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov and UIN of the registry is NCT04492852. HIGHLIGHTS: Post-operative surgical site infections and complications are a major concern nowadays.Skin staples are not widely used as compared to Prolene because they are expensive and not easily available in every hospital.There are no standard guidelines as which type of the suture should be used.The type of sutures is being selected on the orders and wishes of the surgeon at the time of skin closure.

Gum Chewing, Added to Conventional Feeding, Reduces Risk of Post-Operative Ileus after Elective Hip and Knee Arthroplasty Procedures in Elderly Population: A Protocol for a Parallel Design, Open-Label, Randomized Controlled Trial.

INTRODUCTION: Postoperative ileus (poi) is defined as a temporary cessation of bowel movement after a surgical procedure. Cessation of bowel movement not only leads to disturbing constipation but also may lead to nausea, loss of appetite, and food intolerance. Literature reports "sham feeding" (gum-chewing) effect as an increase in chewing and saliva which enhances the gastric emptying and overall motility of gut as a cephalic phase of digestion. Therefore, we aim to assess the effect of adding gum-chewing to the conventional postoperative feeding regimen on restoring postoperative bowel function and length of stay in hospital of patients undergoing elective hip arthroplasty. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a single-center, open-label, parallel design, superiority randomized-controlled trial with 2 treatment arms. The primary and secondary outcomes will be the time interval in hours from the end of surgery until the passage of flatus and the time interval in hours from the end of surgery until the passage of stool. Statistical analysis will be done using STATA software. Length of stay will be calculated by Kaplan-Meier analysis, with unadjusted comparison of groups by Mantel-Cox log rank test. Risk ratios for the time-to-become ileus free and time-to-discharge from hospital will be calculated by Cox regression modeling. P value as 0.05 or less will be taken as significant. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This protocol is exempted from Ethical review at this stage however all the required approvals will be taken from the ethical review committee before starting the study. Informed consent will be taken form the patient to enroll him/her in the study. Results of the study will be disseminated to the study participants, public health, and clinical professionals. The results would also be published in a reputable international journal. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial is registered on clinicaltrials.gov with ID: NCT04489875. HIGHLIGHTS: Cessation of bowel movement not only leads to disturbing constipation but also may lead to nausea, loss of appetite, and food intolerance.These patients tend to have more pain scores and dissatisfaction with the surgical management and team.The "sham feeding" (gum-chewing) effect causes an increase in chewing and saliva formation and therefore enhances the gastric emptying and overall motility of gut as a cephalic phase of digestion even in non-gastro or colorectal surgeries.We hypothesize that there is an association between gum chewing and the relief from postoperative ileus in hip arthroplasty patients.

Does more testing in routine preoperative evaluation benefit the orthopedic patient? Case control study from a resource-constrained setting.

BACKGROUND: Routine preoperative tests in healthy patients not only cause extra anxiety, but may delay treatment without influencing surgical plan. This has worse impact in resource-constrained settings where fee for service rather than health insurance is the usual norm. Investigators aim to determine if "routine" pre-operative tests are justified in healthy orthopedic patients. METHODS: We conducted a non-commercialized, non-funded matched case control study in tertiary care university hospital and a level-1 trauma centre for healthy patients (ASA-1&2) admitted from January 2014-December 2016 for elective orthopedic intermediate and major procedures. Cases (patient who had a change in his/her surgical plan after admission) and controls were selected independently of the exposure of interest then matched randomly to cases on age, gender and procedure type. Primary exposure was the routine preoperative lab tests, as defined by the American Society of Anesthesiologist, which included 13 blood tests. Analysis was done using Principle Component Analysis and Conditional logistic regression at univariate and multivariable levels reporting matched adjusted Odds Ratios. The data was reported in line with STROCSS criteria. RESULTS: Overall, 7610 preoperative tests were done for 670 patients with 62% men among cases and 53% men among controls with mean age of 49.9 ± 22.5 years and 41.1 ± 23.0 years, respectively. There were 1076 (14%) abnormal result that influenced surgical plan in 0.96% cases only. Matched adjusted OR with 95% confidence interval of primary exposure was insignificant. CONCLUSION: Routine preoperative tests were superfluous and did not influence the surgical plan when adjusted for other variables in the model as well as after matching on potential confounders. This study would be amongst first steps to move towards an evidence based surgical practice for preoperative evaluation.

Intraoperative hypothermia in patients undergoing Total knee arthroplasty: a cross-sectional study from a developing country.

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative hypothermia is associated with various risk factors, morbidity, and mortality in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA), increasing the emotional and financial burden on patients. This study aimed to identify risk factors of intraoperative hypothermia in patients undergoing TKA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All adult patients (⩾18 years) who underwent TKA from January 2016 to December 2017 at a tertiary-care hospital in Pakistan were included in this retrospective, cross-sectional study. Temperature < 36 °C was defined as hypothermia. RESULTS: The study included 286 patients (77.6% female) with a mean age of 61.4 ± 10.4 years. The overall proportion of intraoperative hypothermia was 26.6%. Of the total patients, 66.1% underwent bilateral TKA whereas 33.9% underwent unilateral TKA. 73.8% of the patients were ASA Level 2. Only 13.3% of patients had postoperative hypothermia. CONCLUSION: Intraoperative hypothermia was significantly associated with age, bilateral procedure, ASA level and postoperative hypothermia in patients undergoing TKA. The surgeon and the operative team should be aware of the risk factors and the adverse outcomes associated with intraoperative hypothermia, especially in resource constrained settings to plan preventive strategies. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was retrospectively registered on ClinicalTrials.gov on 3rd October 2020. The registration ID is NCT04575246 .

Does early surgery prevent Postoperative ICU admission after surgery for the fracture of the hip. Nested case control study of 911 patients.

INTRODUCTION: Since most hip fractures are treated surgically, it is imperative to find an optimum fracture-to-surgery time to decrease the potential complications and enhance postoperative outcomes. In comparison to the vast plethora of literature available on surgical delay and its implications on mortality, very little, if any, research is available on the impact of delayed surgery on postoperative ICU admission. The primary objective of our study is to examine the factors influencing post-surgical ICU admission in order to work on preventive strategies to reduce the potential associated morbidity. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Investigators did a nested case control study in a university hospital. A case was defined as a patient who had postoperative ICU admission while controls were patients who did not have postoperative ICU admission after hip fracture surgery. The primary outcome variable was postoperative ICU admission. The exposure variable was defined as the time to surgery which was categorized into two categories; early and late; the early surgery included patients who were operated within ≤ 48 h and the late included patients who had their surgery >48 h. Information on potential confounders including age, type of the procedure and comorbidities were also obtained. Result reported in-line with STROCSS criteria. RESULTS: A total cohort of 1084 hip fracture surgeries were performed from January 2010 to December 2018. After screening for eligibility criteria, 911 patients were eligible for the final simple logistic regression analysis (48 cases and 863 controls). Our exposure variable i.e. time from admission to surgery showed no difference between cases and controls. The odds of being treated with Hemiarthroplasty among cases admitted in ICU was 2.42 times as compared to controls (aOR = 2.42; 95% C.I. 1.21-4.86). CONCLUSION: Our study did not find an association between surgical delay and post-operative ICU admission after accounting for other covariates and potential confounders.

Musculoskeletal tumours throughout history and beyond: Clinical features, imaging, staging and biopsy.

BACKGROUND: Over the last century, there has been a remarkable development in the study of bone and soft tissue sarcomas. This is primarily due to the improved knowledge of the nature of these lesions and the improved imaging technology. In literature there are many protocols that are being used and all of them have reported various advantages and disadvantages of each technique used. However, there is no set guideline and whatever has been proposed has been developed on the basis of the experience of different centres and different surgeons. OBJECTIVE: The current systematic review was planned to thoroughly evaluate the levels of evidence on which we base decisions for surgical management of lower extremity bone tumours. METHODS: The review included descriptive studies published in the English language. Studies included case reports, case series and experiences of different centres for the surgical management of lower extremity bone tumours. Articles reporting all levels of evidence - Level I to V - were included. PubMed, ERIC, MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Reviews databases from 2002 to 2012 were searched. RESULTS: Information was gathered and thoroughly studied from 63 articles. There were no Level I studies, 2(3.2%) Level II studies, 47(74.6%) Level III, and the remaining 14(22.2%) studies were Level IV and Level V. CONCLUSIONS: Sarcomas are rarely occurring neoplastic conditions which are present in all age groups but commonly affect young age population. Most are asymptomatic but can present with pain or pathological fracture. These lesions are commonly diagnosed with plain radiographs. CT scan and MRI may be used to delineate anatomy and to quantify the extent of soft tissue involvement. Various advantages and disadvantages associated with each aspect in the management of patients starting from the basic history-taking, physical examination, imaging, biopsy principles, peri-operative laboratory work-up and staging of the cancer were studied. Treatment ranges from conservative to en-block resection including extended curettage. Aggressive tumours should be closely followed up for recurrence and metastasis.

Charlson comorbidity index predicts postoperative complications in surgically treated hip fracture patients in a tertiary care hospital: Retrospective cohort of 1045 patients.

INTRODUCTION: Hip fractures are of major concern due to the aging population worldwide. Surgery on this vulnerable population carries high risk. Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), has been reported to predict the mortality in these patients. Investigators in this study aimed at studying the prediction effect of CCI on hip fracture surgery complications after controlling other patents' and procedures' related factors. METHODOLOGY: We conducted a retrospective cohort of 1045 patients with hip fractures who were treated surgically at our tertiary care and level 1 trauma Center between 2010 and 2018. Primary exposure was CCI and primary outcome was in-hospital and 30 days postoperative complications (major and minor). Cox proportional algorithm analysis was done at univariate and multivariable levels to report Crude Relative Risk (RR) and Adjusted Relative Risk (aRR), respectively. Results were reported in line with STROBE criteria. RESULTS: Exposed group included 867 (83%) of patients with 340 (39%) males. Postoperative complications occurred in 449 (43%) of the patients in exposed group with (62) 6% patients admitted in ICU postoperatively. At multivariable model, CCI was significantly associated with postoperative complications; patients with moderate-severe systemic diseases were 1.45 times (95% CI: 1.05-1.99) at risk of developing postoperative complications as compared to patients with low CCI scores after controlling for other variables in the model. Other significant factors included ASA status and postoperative ICU admission. CONCLUSION: CCI can be a good predictor independent variable of postoperative complications after hip fracture surgery. These patients need extra care and counseling to reach an informed decision keeping in mind the benefits versus risks of surgery. We recommend multi-center studies for corroboration.

Do new trainees pose a threat to postoperative complications after hip fracture surgeries? Retrospective cohort of 1045 patients over a decade at a university hospital.

INTRODUCTION: Induction of new residents and surgical trainees in most institutes occurs once a year. Fresh residents with no experience, may pose a threat to the surgical procedure outcome and there can be a potential increase in patients' morbidity and mortality as a result of this turnover. Literature is inconclusive about this effect. Our aim was to study the "new residents' induction effect" on postoperative complications after hip fracture surgeries. METHODOLOGY: This is non funded non commercialized study from a university hospital. Investigators studied a retrospective cohort of 1045 adult hip fracture patients who were operated at our tertiary care and level 1 trauma centre of a metropolitan city between 2008 and 2018. We defined primary exposure as the time period of new resident's induction (January-March) with the primary outcome in-hospital and 30days postoperative complications. Cox proportional hazard algorithm analysis was done at univariate and multivariable levels reporting Crude Relative Risk (RR) and Adjusted Relative Risk (aRR), respectively. Results were reported in line with STROBE criteria. RESULTS: There were 274 (26%) patients in exposed group out of whom 109 (40%) developed postoperative complications. Interestingly, patients who had their surgeries during the induction period of new residents had 8% less risk of developing postoperative complications. However, result was statistically insignificant at both univariate and multivariable levels with RR; 95% C.I of 0.9 (0.78-1.22) and aRR; 95% C.I of 0.9 (0.78-1.22) after adjusting for the all other independent variables. CONCLUSION: The association of new residents' induction on postoperative hip fracture surgery complications, although protective, was insignificant after controlling for the potential confounding effect of patients' background and demographic characteristics. We recommend further multi-centre high powered studies to analyze this.

Seasonal influence on postoperative hip fracture complications: Retrospective cohort of more than 1000 patients from a tertiary-care university hospital.

BACKGROUND: Hip fractures account for one of the most debilitating conditions affecting the general population amongst the developed and developing nations. Investigators aimed to study the influence of the ongoing season i.e. whether patients operated upon in summer or winter, on post-operative complications occurring within 30 days of surgical procedure for hip fractures at a tertiary care hospital and level 1 trauma center. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Investigators conducted a non-funded, non-commercialized retrospective cohort of 1045 patients with hip fractures managed surgically. Primary exposure was surgical procedures undertaken during the summer months (April-September). Our primary outcome was determining post-operative complication rates from January 2010 to December 2018 and evaluating impact of the season through univariate and multivariable regression analyses using Cox Proportional Hazard Algorithm with STATA V15. The work has been reported in line with the STROCSS criteria. RESULTS: Age, ASA status, type of procedure, mechanism of injury and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) were identified as significant associated factors with postoperative complications after hip fracture surgery. Although overall results revealed a rising rate of complications during the summer season with a relative risk (RR; 95% CI) of 1.1(0.89-1.32), univariate and multivariable analysis did not show any significant correlations. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study did not demonstrate a significant seasonal variability in the rate of postoperative complications for hip fracture patients operated upon during the hot months of summer. More research is required to analyze postoperative complications in order to optimize patients' outcomes.

In the cost-conscious era: Ilizarov circular frame or uniplanar external fixator for management of complex open tibia shaft fracture, retrospective cohort study from a level-1 trauma center.

OBJECTIVE: External fixation is the most commonly used method for temporary management of open fractures of the Tibial shaft followed by internal fixation. This can also be used as a definitive method of fixation. Ilizarov is more superior and can be the primary and definite option where expertise is available. This study was conducted todetermine the outcome of open tibia shaft fracture treated with either Ilizarov or AO External Fixator. METHODS: Anon-commercial retrospective cohort was conducted at Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi on patients operated for isolated open tibia fractures Gustillo type III (A, B, C) stabilized with external fixation either circular or uniplanar external fixator. These two groups were compared in terms of fracture pattern, healing and complications. For fracture healing, Radiographic union score (RUST) for tibial fractures were used. RESULTS: A total of 93 patients were included in the study. Mean age 36.7 +/- 17.3 years comprising 83 males and 10 females. Circular Fixator was used for 46 whereas 47 were treated with uni-planar fixator. Mean new injury severity score was 21 ± 3.4 for circular fixator group and 26 ± 7 in uniplanar fixator group. Mean time fur fracture healing was 6±1months in circular fixator group and 9 months in Uniplanar Fixator group. Mean RUST score for circular fixator was 9.5±1.2.and of uniplanar it was 7.3±1.0. CONCLUSIONS: Circular fixator works as a single stage procedure with acceptable outcomes for Gustilo grade III open tibial shaft fractures as compared to uniplanar external fixator.

A comprehensive basic understanding of pelvis and acetabular fractures after high-energy trauma with associated injuries: Narrative review of targeted literature.

Acetabular fractures are caused by energy trauma which is high enough to cause such a fracture with incidence of 3 patients / 100000. In older individuals, most commonmechanism of injury is fall and, in younger individuals, road traffic accidents. Acetabular fractures are usually associated with visceral injuries and other musculoskeletal injuries (about 50% of patient). In this narrative review of targeted English literature from all level of evidences, which is written and supervised by experienced specialized orthopedic and trauma surgeons who were among the pioneers of conducting pelvis fracture management workshops in the country, we aim to describe the mechanism of injury, assessment principles and associated injuries, decision-making and preoperative planning and indications of non-operative managements.