Unplanned Emergency Department Visits Following Revision Total Joint Arthroplasty: Incidences, Risk Factors, and Mortalities.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of unplanned emergency department (ED) visits following revision total joint arthroplasty is an indicator of the quality of postoperative care. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidences, timings, and characteristics of ED visits within 90 days after revision total joint arthroplasty. METHODS: A retrospective review of 457 consecutive cases, including 254 revision total hip arthroplasty (rTHA) and 203 revision total knee arthroplasty (rTKA) cases, was conducted. Data regarding patient demographics, timings of the ED encounter, chief complaints, readmissions, and diagnoses indicating reoperation were analyzed. RESULTS: The results showed that 41 patients who had rTHA (16.1%) and 14 patients who had rTKA (6.9%) returned to the ED within 90 days postoperatively. The incidence of ED visits was significantly higher in the rTHA group than in the rTKA group (P = .003). The most common surgery-related complications were dislocation among rTHA patients and wound conditions among rTKA patients. Apart from elevated calculated comorbidity scores, peptic ulcer in rTHA patients and cerebral vascular events and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in rTKA patients might increase chances of unplanned ED visits. Patients who had ED visits showed significantly higher mortality rates than the others in both rTHA and rTKA cohorts (P = .050 and P = .008, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The ED visits within 90 days are more common after rTHA than after rTKA. Patients in both ED visit groups after rTHA and rTKA demonstrated worse survival. Efforts should be made to improve quality of care to prevent ED visits.

Depressive Symptoms in Patients with Fibromyalgia: Current Evidence and Preventive Approaches.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by multifocal pain, fatigue, and cognitive impairment [...].

Tumoral calcinosis of the shoulder.

Tumoral calcinosis is a rare clinical and histopathologic syndrome that causes the formation of calcium salt crystal deposits in periarticular soft tissue. This soft tissue calcification typically behaves as a large-sized tumor. However, the mechanism is unknown for the massive periarticular calcification caused by tumoral calcinosis. In addition, tumor calcinosis occurs infrequently in patients who have been on long-term hemodialysis and have end-stage renal disease (ESRD). This report describes a 40-year-old male uremia patient on long-term hemodialysis. This patient developed a huge tumor mass and pain over the left shoulder and was diagnosed with tumoral calcinosis. Although common treatments include management of metabolic levels such as calcium and phosphate, in some cases, surgical intervention may be needed. In this patient case, complete surgical excision was done successfully with an excellent outcome at the 2-year follow-up.