A Dedicated Orthopaedic Trauma Room Improves Efficiency While Remaining Financially Net Positive.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the impact of dedicated orthopaedic trauma room (DOTR) implementation on operating room efficiency and finances. DESIGN: Retrospective cost-analysis. SETTING: Single midsized academic-affiliated community hospital in Toronto, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: All patients that underwent the most frequently performed orthopaedic trauma procedures (hip hemiarthroplasty, open reduction internal fixation of the ankle, femur, elbow and distal radius), over a 4-year period from 2016 to 2019 were included. INTERVENTION: Patient data acquired for 2 years before the implementation of a DOTR was compared with data acquired for a 2-year period after its implementation, adjusting for the number of cases performed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome was surgical duration. The secondary outcome was financial impact, including after-hours costs incurred and opportunity cost of displaced elective surgeries. RESULTS: One thousand nine hundred sixty orthopaedic cases were examined pre- and post-DOTR. All procedures had reduced total operative time post-DOTR (mean improvement of 33.4%). The number of daytime operating hours increased 21%, whereas after-hours decreased by 37.8%. Overtime staffing costs were reduced by $24,976 alongside increase in opportunity costs of $22,500. This resulted in a net profit of $2476. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the premise that DOTRs improve operating room efficiency and can be cost efficient. Our study also specifically addresses the hesitation regarding potential loss of profit from elective surgeries. Widespread implementation can improve patient care while still remaining financially favorable. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Economic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Distal femoral replacement or internal fixation for management of periprosthetic distal femur fractures: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The number of periprosthetic fractures above a total knee arthroplasty continues to increase. These fractures are associated with a high risk of morbidity and mortality. Techniques for addressing these fractures include open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) and revision arthroplasty, including distal femoral replacement (DFR). The primary aim of this review is to compare mortality and reoperation rates between ORIF and DFR when used to treat periprosthetic distal femur fractures. METHODS: A systematic review including MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane Library databases was completed from inception to April 10, 2021. Studies including a comparator cohort were meta-analyzed. RESULTS: Fourteen studies were identified for inclusion, of which, five had sufficient homogeneity for inclusion in a meta-analysis. 30-day and 2-year mortality was 4.1% and 14.6% in the DFR group. There was no statistically significant difference between ORIF and DFR (log Odds-Ratio (OR) = -0.14, 95 %CI: -0.77 to 0.50). The reoperation rate in the DFR group was 9.3% versus 14.8% for ORIF, with no difference between groups (log OR = 0.10, 95 %CI: -0.59 to 0.79). There was no difference in rates of deep infection (log OR = 0.22, 95 %CI: -0.83 to 1.28). Direct comparison of functional outcomes was not possible, though did not appear significant. CONCLUSION: DFR in the setting of periprosthetic distal femur fractures is equivalent to ORIF with respect to mortality and reoperation rate and thus a safe and reliable treatment strategy. DFR may be more reliable in complex fracture patterns where the ability to obtain adequate fixation is difficult.

Risk of Total Hip Arthroplasty After Acetabular Fracture Fixation: The Importance of Age.

BACKGROUND: Geriatric patients are the most rapidly growing cohort of patients sustaining acetabular fractures (AFs). The purpose of this study was to examine the risk of a secondary total hip arthroplasty (THA) in older patients (>60 year old) with a prior AF open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) compared with younger patients (<60 year old) with an AF ORIF on a large population level. METHODS: Using administrative health care data from 1996 to 2010 inclusive of all 202 hospitals in Ontario, Canada, all adult patients with an AF ORIF and a minimum of two year follow-up were identified and included. The risk of THA was examined using a Cox proportional hazards model adjusting for patient risk factors. Secondary outcomes included surgical complications and all-cause mortality. RESULTS: A total of 1725 patients had an AF ORIF; 1452 (84.2%, mean age of 38.3 ± 12.1 years) aged <60 years ("younger") and 273 (15.8%, mean age of 69.9 ± 7.8 years) > 60 years ("older"). The mean (SD) follow-up time for all patients was 6.9 (4.2) years. In older patients, 19.4% (53 of 273) went on to receive a secondary THA with a median time to event of 3.9 years, compared with 12.9% (187 of 1452) in the younger patient cohort with a median time of 6.9 years (HR 1.7, 95% CI: 1.2-2.3). As expected, older patients had a higher 90-day mortality rate compared with younger patients (7.7% vs. 0.7%, respectively; HR 9.2, 95% CI: 4.3-19.9; P < .001). CONCLUSION: Older patients with an AF ORIF are at a significantly higher risk for a secondary THA than younger patients with an AF ORIF.

Association between socioeconomic deprivation and surgical complications in adults undergoing ankle fracture fixation: a population-based analysis

Background: Few studies have investigated the outcomes of surgical fracture care among socially deprived patients despite the increased incidence of fractures and the inequality of care received in this group. We evaluated whether socioeconomic deprivation affected the complications and subsequent management of marginalized/homeless patients following surgery for ankle fracture. Methods: In this retrospective, population-based cohort study involving 202 hospitals in Ontario, Canada, we evaluated 45 444 patients who underwent open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) for ankle fracture performed by 710 different surgeons between Jan. 1, 1994, and Dec. 31, 2011. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the association between deprivation and shorter-term outcomes within 1 year (implant removal, repeat ORIF, irrigation and débridement owing to infection, and amputation). Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess longer-term outcomes up to 20 years (ankle fusion and ankle arthroplasty). Results: A higher level of deprivation was associated with an increased risk of irrigation and débridement (quintile 5 v. quintile 1: odds ratio [OR] 2.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.25­3.67, p = 0.0054) and amputation (quintile 4 v. quintile 1: OR 3.56, 95% CI 1.01­12.4, p = 0.0466). It was more common for less deprived patients to have their hardware removed (quintile 5 v. quintile 1: OR 0.822, 95% CI 0.76­0.888, p < 0.0001). There was no correlation between marginalization and subsequent revision ORIF, ankle fusion, or ankle arthroplasty. Conclusion: Marginalized patients are at a significantly increased risk of infection and amputation following surgical treatment of ankle fractures. However, these complications are still extremely uncommon among this group. Socioeconomic deprivation should not prohibit marginalized patients from receiving surgery for unstable ankle fractures.

Contexte: Malgré l'incidence accrue des fractures et les inégalités dans la prestation des soins chez les patients au statut socio-économique précaire, peu d'études se sont penchées sur les résultats de la chirurgie pour fracture chez cette population. Nous avons voulu vérifier si une situation socio-économique précaire influait sur les complications et la prise en charge subséquente des patients marginalisés/itinérants après une chirurgie pour fracture de la cheville. Méthodes: Au cours de cette étude de cohorte rétrospective basée dans la population regroupant 202 hôpitaux en Ontario, au Canada, nous avons évalué 45 444 patients ayant subi une réduction ouverte avec fixation interne (ROFI) pour fracture de la cheville, effectuée par 710 chirurgiens différents entre le 1er janvier 1994 et le 31 décembre 2011. Des modèles de régression logistique multivariée ont servi à évaluer le lien entre le statut précaire et les résultats à court terme (au cours de l'année) (retrait de l'implant, réintervention pour ROFI, irrigation et débridement en raison d'une infection, et amputation). Des modèles d'analyse multivariée à risques proportionnels de Cox ont servi à évaluer les résultats à plus long terme, jusqu'à 20 ans (fusion de la cheville et arthroplastie de la cheville). Résultats: Le risque d'irrigation et débridement (quintile 5 c. quintile 1 : rapport des cotes [RC] 2,14, intervalle de confiance [IC] de 95 % 1,25­3,67, p = 0,0054) et d'amputation (quintile 4 c. quintile 1 : RC 3,56, IC de 95 % 1,01­12,4, p = 0,0466) était proportionnel à la précarité de la situation des individus. Les patients moins défavorisés étaient moins susceptibles de se faire retirer leurs implants (quintile 5 c. quintile 1 : RC 0,822, IC de 95 % 0,76­0,888, p < 0,0001). On n'a observé aucune corrélation entre la marginalisation et une réintervention pour ROFI, fusion de la cheville ou arthroplastie de la cheville. Conclusion: Les patients marginalisés sont exposés à un risque significativement plus élevé d'infection et d'amputation après un traitement chirurgical pour fracture de la cheville. Cependant, de telles complications demeurent extrêmement rares chez cette population. Un statut socioéconomique précaire ne devrait pas empêcher les patients marginalisés de recevoir une chirurgie lors de fractures instables de la cheville.

Comparing Complications and Costs of Total Hip Arthroplasty and Hemiarthroplasty for Femoral Neck Fractures: A Propensity Score-Matched, Population-Based Study.

BACKGROUND: Although the prevalence of displaced femoral neck fractures in the elderly population is increasing worldwide, there remains controversy as to whether these injuries should be managed with hemiarthroplasty or total hip arthroplasty. Although total hip arthroplasties result in better function, they are more expensive and may have higher complication rates. Our objective was to compare the complication rates and health-care costs between hemiarthroplasty and total hip arthroplasty for displaced femoral neck fractures in the elderly population. METHODS: A population-based, retrospective cohort study was performed on adults (≥60 years of age) undergoing either hemiarthroplasty or total hip arthroplasty for hip fracture between April 1, 2004, and March 31, 2014. We excluded patients who resided in long-term care facilities prior to the injury and those who were discharged to these facilities after the surgical procedure. Patients who underwent a hemiarthroplasty and those who underwent a total hip arthroplasty were matched using a propensity score encompassing patient demographic characteristics, patient comorbidities, and provider factors. After matching, we compared the rates of medical and surgical complications, as well as the perioperative and postoperative health-care costs in the year following the surgical procedure. The primary outcome was the occurrence of a medical complication (acute myocardial infarction, deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, ileus, pneumonia, renal failure) within 90 days or a surgical complication (dislocation, infection, revision surgical procedure) within 1 year. Additionally, we examined the change in health-care costs in the year following the surgical procedure, including costs associated with the index admission, relative to the year before the surgical procedure. RESULTS: Among 29,121 eligible patients, 2,713 (9.3%) underwent a total hip arthroplasty. After successfully matching 2,689 patients who underwent a total hip arthroplasty with those who underwent a hemiarthroplasty, the patients who underwent a total hip arthroplasty were at an increased risk for dislocation (1.7% compared with 1.0%; p = 0.02), but were at a decreased risk for revision (0.2% compared with 1.8%; p < 0.0001), relative to patients who underwent a hemiarthroplasty. Furthermore, the overall increase in the annual health-care expenditure in the year following the surgical procedure was approximately $2,700 in Canadian dollars lower in patients who underwent a total hip arthroplasty (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Among elderly patients with displaced femoral neck fractures, total hip arthroplasty was associated with lower rates of revision surgical procedures and reduced health-care costs during the index admission and in the year following the surgical procedure, relative to hemiarthroplasty. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

A standard universal C-arm language: Assessing its need and its likelihood of acceptance.

Intraoperative fluoroscopy has facilitated improvements in surgical procedures across various subspecialties but has resulted in increased radiation exposure to the patient and surgeon. The results of a survey administered to 447 orthopedic surgeons and radiological technologists show that there is no standard universal c-arm language, that significant confusion and miscommunication exists between surgeons and technologists because of this, that unnecessary radiation exposure occurs as a direct consequence of this miscommunication, and that the vast majority of respondents would accept a standardized language similar to the one proposed in this study. This could potentially lead to less miscommunication and radiation exposure.

Medical Costs of Delayed Hip Fracture Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Waiting for hip fracture surgery is associated with complications. The objective of this study was to determine whether waiting for hip fracture surgery is associated with health-care costs. METHODS: We conducted a population-based, propensity-matched cohort study of patients treated between 2009 and 2014 in Ontario, Canada. The primary exposure was early hip fracture surgery, performed within 24 hours after arrival at the emergency department. The primary outcome was direct medical costs, estimated for each patient in 2013 Canadian dollars, from the payer perspective. The costs in the early and delayed groups were then compared using a difference-in-differences approach: the baseline cost in the year prior to the hip fracture that had been accrued by patients with early surgery was subtracted from the cost in the first year following the surgery (first difference), and the difference was then compared with the same difference among propensity-score-matched patients who had received delayed surgery (second difference). The secondary outcome was the postoperative length of stay (in days). RESULTS: The study included 42,230 patients who received hip fracture surgery from a total of 522 different surgeons at 72 hospitals. The mean cost (and standard deviation) attributed to the hip fracture was $39,497 ± $46,645 per person. The matched patients who underwent surgery after 24 hours had direct 1-year medical costs that were an average of $2,638 higher (95% confidence interval [CI] = $1,595 to $3,680, p < 0.0001) and a postoperative length of stay that was an average of 0.610 day longer (95% CI = 0.1749 to 1.0331 days, p = 0.0058) compared with those who underwent surgery within 24 hours. CONCLUSIONS: Waiting >24 hours for hip fracture surgery was associated with increased medical costs and length of stay. Costs incurred by waiting may provide a financial incentive to mitigate delays in hip fracture surgery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Economic Level III. Please see Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

The impact of thermal cycling on Staphylococcus aureus biofilm growth on stainless steel and titanium orthopaedic plates.

BACKGROUND: Orthopaedic implant infections are difficult to eradicate because bacteria adhering to implant surfaces inhibit the ability of the immune system and antibiotics to combat these infections. Thermal cycling is a temperature modulation process that improves performance and longevity of materials through molecular structural reorientation, thereby increasing surface uniformity. Thermal cycling may change material surface properties that reduce the ability for bacteria to adhere to the surface of orthopaedic implants. This study aims to determine whether thermal cycling of orthopaedic implants can reduce bacterial growth. METHODS: In a randomized, blinded in-vitro study, titanium and stainless steel plates treated with thermal cycling were compared to controls. Twenty-seven treated and twenty-seven untreated plates were covered with 10 ml tryptic soy broth containing ~ 105 colony forming units (CFU)/ml of bioluminescent Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus)Xen29 and incubated at 37 °C for 14d. Quantity and viability of bacteria were characterized using bioluminescence imaging, live/dead staining and determination of CFUs. RESULTS: Significantly fewer CFUs grow on treated stainless steel plates compared to controls (p = 0.0088). Similar findings were seen in titanium plates (p = 0.0048) following removal of an outlier. No differences were evident in live/dead staining using confocal microscopy, or in metabolic activity determined using bioluminescence imaging (stainless steel plates: p = 0.70; titanium plates: p = 0.26). CONCLUSION: This study shows a reduction in CFUs formation on thermal cycled plates in-vitro. Further in-vivo studies are necessary to investigate the influence of thermal cycling on bacterial adhesion during bone healing. Thermal cycling has demonstrated improved wear and strength, with reductions in fatigue and load to failure. The added ability to reduce bacterial adhesions demonstrates another potential benefit of thermal cycling in orthopaedics, representing an opportunity to reduce complications following fracture fixation or arthroplasty.

Reporting and evaluating wait times for urgent hip fracture surgery in Ontario, Canada.

BACKGROUND: Although a delay of 24 hours for hip fracture repair is associated with medical complications and costs, it is unknown how long patients wait for surgery for hip fracture. We describe novel methods for measuring exact urgent and emergent surgical wait times (in hours) and the factors that influence them. METHODS: Adults aged 45 years and older who underwent surgery for hip fracture (the most common urgently performed procedure) in Ontario, Canada, between 2009 and 2014 were eligible. Validated data from linked health administrative databases were used. The primary outcome was the time elapsed from hospital arrival recorded in the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System until the time of surgery recorded in the Discharge Abstract Database (in hours). The influence of patient, physician and hospital factors on wait times was investigated using 3-level, hierarchical linear regression models. RESULTS: Among 42 230 patients with hip fracture, the mean (SD) wait time for surgery was 38.76 (28.84) hours, and 14 174 (33.5%) patients underwent surgery within 24 hours. Variables strongly associated with delay included time for hospital transfer (adjusted increase of 26.23 h, 95% CI 25.38 to 27.01) and time for preoperative echocardiography (adjusted increase of 18.56 h, 95% CI 17.73 to 19.38). More than half of the hospitals (37 of 72, 51.4%), compared with 4.8% of surgeons and 0.2% of anesthesiologists, showed significant differences in the risk-adjusted likelihood of delayed surgery. INTERPRETATION: Exact wait times for urgent and emergent surgery can be measured using Canada's administrative data. Only one-third of patients received surgery within the safe time frame (24 h). Wait times varied according to hospital and physician factors; however, hospital factors had a larger impact.

Risk of Hip Arthroplasty After Open Reduction Internal Fixation of a Fracture of the Acetabulum: A Matched Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVES: To determine what proportion of operatively treated acetabular fracture patients proceeded to total hip arthroplasty (THA), over what time period, and quantify the influence of patient, provider, and surgical factors on rates of THA. DESIGN: Retrospective matched cohort prognostic study using administrative data. SETTING: This study used the large population database of Ontario (population 13,125,000 in 2010), Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Patients who underwent open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) of an acetabulum fracture between 1996 and 2010 in the province of Ontario were identified from administrative health databases. METHOD: Each patient was matched to 4 individuals from the general population according to age, sex, income, and urban/rural residence. The rates of THA at 2, 5, and 10 years were compared using time-to-event analysis. The influence of patient, provider, and surgical factors on the risk of eventual THA was examined using a Cox model. INTERVENTION: The primary intervention was ORIF of the acetabulum. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENT: The primary outcome measurement was THA. RESULTS: A total of 1725 eligible patients were identified and were matched to 6900 controls. Among cases, there was a 13.9% (N = 240) rate of hip arthroplasty after a median of 6.25 (interquartile range 3.5-10.1) years, compared with 0.6% (N = 38) among matched controls (relative risk = 25.26). The greatest difference in risk of eventually undergoing a THA was in the first 10 years, after which time the risk in the group that had undergone ORIF acetabulum trended down toward that of the control group. Among surgical patients, risk factors for eventual hip arthroplasty included older age [hazard ratio (HR) 1.035 (1.027, 1.044); P < 0.0001]; female sex [HR 1.65 (1.257, 2.165); P = 0.0003]. Higher surgeon volume revealed a 2.6% decreased risk of arthroplasty for each acetabulum ORIF performed above 10 per year [HR 0.974 (0.960, 0.989); P = 0.0007]. CONCLUSION: Patients who underwent acetabulum fracture ORIF had a 25 times higher prevalence of hip arthroplasty compared with matched controls. THA rate was greater in women, older patients, and patients whom had ORIF performed by low-volume surgeons. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic Level II. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Open Reduction and Internal Fixation Versus Acute Arthroplasty for the Management of Common Extremity Injuries: Evidence-Based Decision Making.

A considerable burden of disease is associated with the management of periarticular fractures. Increasingly, evidence-based medicine is used to define the standard of clinical care. The role of internal fixation in the management of periarticular fractures, particularly in elderly patients, has been questioned. Currently available evidence-based medicine studies may help surgeons decide whether open reduction and internal fixation or arthroplasty is appropriate for the management of common periarticular injuries. The management of periarticular injuries about the shoulder, elbow, hip, and knee is controversial. The long-term outcomes of patients with a periarticular upper or lower extremity injury who undergo open reduction and internal fixation are limited by high complication and revision surgery rates and poor functional outcomes. Despite evidence-based medicine decision making and the substantial number of prospective clinical trials available in the literature, a lack of consensus with regard to best practices for the surgical management of periarticular injuries exists. This lack of consensus has substantial implications given that proximal humerus, elbow, hip, and knee fractures are common and that the role of acute arthroplasty in the management of periarticular injuries is changing.

Association of Overlapping Surgery With Increased Risk for Complications Following Hip Surgery: A Population-Based, Matched Cohort Study.

Importance: Overlapping surgery, also known as double-booking, refers to a controversial practice in which a single attending surgeon supervises 2 or more operations, in different operating rooms, at the same time. Objective: To determine if overlapping surgery is associated with greater risk for complications following surgical treatment for hip fracture and arthritis. Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a retrospective population-based cohort study in Ontario, Canada (population, 13.6 million), for the years 2009 to 2014. There was 1 year of follow-up. This study encompassed 2 large cohorts. The "hip fracture" cohort captured all persons older than 60 years who underwent surgery for a hip fracture during the study period. The "total hip arthroplasty" (THA) cohort captured all primary elective THA recipients for arthritis during the study period. We matched overlapping and nonoverlapping hip fractures by patient age, patient sex, surgical procedure (for the hip fracture cohort), primary surgeon, and hospital. Exposures: Procedures were identified as overlapping if they overlapped with another surgical procedure performed by the same primary attending surgeon by more than 30 minutes. Main Outcomes and Measures: Complication (infection, revision, dislocation) within 1 year. Results: There were 38 008 hip fractures, and of those, 960 (2.5%) were overlapping (mean age of patients, 66 years [interquartile range, 57-74 years]; 503 [52.4%] were female). There were 52 869 THAs and of those, 1560 (3.0%) overlapping (mean age, 84 years [interquartile range, 77-89 years]; 1293 [82.9%] were female). After matching, overlapping hip fracture procedures had a greater risk for a complication (hazard ratio [HR], 1.85; 95% CI, 1.27-2.71; P = .001), as did overlapping THA procedures (HR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.02-3.14; P = .04). Among overlapping hip fracture operations, increasing duration of operative overlap was associated with increasing risk for complications (adjusted odds ratio, 1.07 per 10-minute increase in overlap; P = .009). Conclusions and Relevance: Overlapping surgery was relatively rare but was associated with an increased risk for surgical complications. Furthermore, increasing duration of operative overlap was associated with an increasing risk for complications. These findings support the notion that overlapping provision of surgery should be part of the informed consent process.

Exploring Canadian surgeons' decisions about postoperative weight bearing for their hip fracture patients.

For older adults with osteoporosis, a fall resulting in hip fracture is a life-changing event from which only one-third fully recover. Current best evidence argues strongly for elderly patients to bear weight on their repaired hip fracture immediately after their surgery to maximize their chances of full or nearly full recovery. Patient stakeholders in Canada have argued that some surgeons fail to issue "weight-bearing-as-tolerated" (WBAT) orders in all eligible cases, protecting their bony repair but contributing to increased mortality and long-term disability rates. In collaboration with a national stakeholder organization, Bone and Joint Canada, we interviewed 20 orthopedic surgeons across Canada who perform hip fracture repair surgery, with the aim of understanding their attitudes and behavior toward patient management regarding weight bearing. Qualitative content analysis, in which themes are identified and agreed by multiple coders, suggested that both patient characteristics and surgeon factors influence surgeons' postoperative weight-bearing orders. While almost all respondents agreed that weight bearing as tolerated is indeed therapeutic for most hip fracture repair or replacement patients, surgeons also described certain patient characteristics that would diminish the value of immediate weight bearing, including poor bone quality and certain types of fracture pattern. Surgeon factors that affect postoperative mobilization orders include choice of construct, previous experience of construct failure, and lack of local audit data regarding past weight-bearing decisions and patient outcomes. Thus, although familiar with best practice guidelines, surgeons also have "rules to break the rules." In an era when "good" medicine leans toward science rather than art, the role of individual experience in decision making with regard to hip fracture care continues to be important and would benefit from being discussed openly.

Association Between Wait Time and 30-Day Mortality in Adults Undergoing Hip Fracture Surgery.

Importance: Although wait times for hip fracture surgery have been linked to mortality and are being used as quality-of-care indicators worldwide, controversy exists about the duration of the wait that leads to complications. Objective: To use population-based wait-time data to identify the optimal time window in which to conduct hip fracture surgery before the risk of complications increases. Design, Setting, and Participants: Population-based, retrospective cohort study of adults undergoing hip fracture surgery between April 1, 2009, and March 31, 2014, at 72 hospitals in Ontario, Canada. Risk-adjusted restricted cubic splines modeled the probability of each complication according to wait time. The inflection point (in hours) when complications began to increase was used to define early and delayed surgery. To evaluate the robustness of this definition, outcomes among propensity-score matched early and delayed surgical patients were compared using percent absolute risk differences (RDs, with 95% CIs). Exposure: Time elapsed from hospital arrival to surgery (in hours). Main Outcomes and Measures: Mortality within 30 days. Secondary outcomes included a composite of mortality or other medical complications (myocardial infarction, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and pneumonia). Results: Among 42 230 patients with hip fracture (mean [SD] age, 80.1 years [10.7], 70.5% women) who met study entry criteria, overall mortality at 30 days was 7.0%. The risk of complications increased when wait times were greater than 24 hours, irrespective of the complication considered. Compared with 13 731 propensity-score matched patients who received surgery earlier, 13 731 patients who received surgery after 24 hours had a significantly higher risk of 30-day mortality (898 [6.5%] vs 790 [5.8%]; % absolute RD, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.23-1.35) and the composite outcome (1680 [12.2%]) vs 1383 [10.1%]; % absolute RD, 2.16; 95% CI, 1.43-2.89). Conclusions and Relevance: Among adults undergoing hip fracture surgery, increased wait time was associated with a greater risk of 30-day mortality and other complications. A wait time of 24 hours may represent a threshold defining higher risk.

Discharge destination following hip fracture: comparative effectiveness and cost analyses.

This study determines outcomes and costs of similar hip fracture patients that were discharged from hospital to a rehabilitation facility or to the community within 1 year. Community patients had worse outcomes and lower costs compared to rehabilitation facility patients. This study contributes to understanding hip fracture quality of care. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to determine the impact on mortality and rehospitalization, as well as health system cost, of similar hip fracture patients being discharged to an inpatient rehabilitation facility or directly to the community within 1 year in Ontario, Canada. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of a propensity-matched cohort completed from the health system perspective. Administrative databases were used to identify and match two groups of older adults (total n = 18,773) discharged alive from acute care for hip fracture repair: patients discharged to inpatient rehabilitation were matched to patients discharged to the community. RESULTS: A higher proportion of patients discharged to the community (27-42%) died or were rehospitalized (SDhighipr = 0.21, SDlowipr = 0.33) and had substantially lower health system costs (SDhighipr = 0.65, SDlowipr = 0.42) up to 1 year post-acute discharge compared to similar patients discharged to inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IPR) (10-11%). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that similar hip fracture patients are discharged to different post-acute settings (i.e., home-based rehabilitation and inpatient rehabilitation) and have different outcomes, thereby calling into question the appropriateness of post-acute rehabilitation delivery in Ontario, Canada. Future research should focus on determining how trade-offs in resource allocation between settings would impact patient outcomes.

Outcomes of After-Hours Hip Fracture Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Given single-institution studies showing trends between after-hours hip fracture surgical procedures and adverse outcomes, as well as fixation time targets that may increasingly compel after-hours operations, we investigated the relationship between after-hours hip fracture surgical procedures and adverse outcomes in a large, population-based cohort. METHODS: All Ontarians who were ≥60 years of age and underwent a hip fracture surgical procedure between April 2002 and March 2014 were eligible for study inclusion. Data were obtained from linked health administrative databases. The primary exposure was after-hours provision of surgical procedures, occurring weekday evenings between the hours of 5 P.M. and 12 A.M. or over the weekend, but not overnight (after 12 A.M. to 7 A.M.). Surgical complications up to 6 months following a hip fracture surgical procedure comprised the primary outcome. Medical complications, including mortality, up to 90 days postoperatively were also assessed. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using a logistic regression model that accounted for clustering at the hospital level and adjusted for patient, provider, and fracture characteristics previously shown to explain the majority of variance in hip fracture outcomes. RESULTS: During the study period, 87,647 patients underwent an isolated hip fracture surgical procedure; 51.2% of these patients had femoral neck fractures, 44.1% had intertrochanteric fractures, and 4.7% had subtrochanteric fractures. The surgical procedure occurred after hours in 59,562 patients (68.0%), and 27,240 patients (31.1%) underwent a surgical procedure during normal hours (7 A.M. to 5 P.M.). Only 845 patients (1%) underwent a surgical procedure overnight. We observed no significant relationships between timing of the surgical procedure and adverse outcomes, except for patients who had undergone an after-hours surgical procedure and had fewer inpatient surgical complications (OR, 0.90 [95% confidence interval, 0.83 to 0.99]; p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Adverse outcomes following a hip fracture surgical procedure were similar whether a surgical procedure occurred during normal hours or after hours. Concerns regarding the quality of after-hours surgical procedures should not influence hip fracture prioritization policy. However, given that the great majority of hip fracture surgical procedures occurred after hours, future research should examine other potential consequences of this practice, such as financial impact and surgeon burnout. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Prospective Randomized Clinical Trial Investigating the Effect of the Reamer-Irrigator-Aspirator on the Volume of Embolic Load and Respiratory Function During Intramedullary Nailing of Femoral Shaft Fractures.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine whether the use of the Reamer-Irrigator-Aspirator (RIA) device resulted in a decreased amount of fat emboli compared with standard reaming (SR) when performing intramedullary (IM) nailing of femoral shaft fractures. DESIGN: Prospective randomized clinical trial. SETTING: Multi-centered trial, level I trauma centers. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: All eligible patients who presented to participating institutions with an isolated femoral shaft fracture amenable to fixation with antegrade IM nailing. Thirty-one patients were enrolled: nine were excluded because of technical difficulties with the transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) recording. Therefore, the study comprised 22 patients: 11 patients randomized to the SR group and eleven patients randomized to the RIA group. INTERVENTION: Antegrade IM nailing of a femoral shaft fracture with standard reamers or the RIA device. All patients were monitored intraoperatively with a continuous TEE to assess embolic events in the right atrium. A radial arterial line was used to monitor blood gases and potential systemic effects of emboli. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Duration, size, and severity of emboli as measured by TEE. The operative procedure was divided into 6 distinct stages: preoperative, reduction, guidewire passage, reaming, nail insertion, and postoperative. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in emboli between the RIA and SR groups preoperatively, during fracture reduction, guidewire insertion, or postoperatively. Measured with a standardized scoring system, there was a modest reduction in total emboli score in the RIA group during reaming (SR 5.30 [SD; 1.81] vs. RIA 4.05 [SD; 2.19], P = 0.005) and during nail insertion (SR 5.09 [SD; 1.74] vs. RIA 4.25 [SD; 1.89], P = 0.03). We were unable to correlate this reduction with any improvement in physiologic parameters (mean arterial pressure, end-tidal CO2, O2 saturation, pH, paO2, and paCO2). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed a modest reduction of embolic debris during the reaming and nail insertion segments of the operative procedure. We were unable to correlate this with any change in physiologic parameters. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level II. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Predictors of Prescription Opioid Use 4 Months After Traumatic Musculoskeletal Injury and Corrective Surgery: A Prospective Study.

The aim of the present study was to examine the incidence and predictors of persistent prescription opioid use 4 months after traumatic injury. Adults who sustained a traumatic musculoskeletal injury were recruited to participate in this observational prospective, longitudinal study within 14 days of injury (T1) and followed for 4 months (T2). Measures included questionnaires on pain, opioid consumption, pain disability, anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress symptoms as well as a chart review for injury related information. The sample consisted of 122 patients (66.4% male; mean age = 44.8 years, SD = 17.1), of whom 94.3% (n = 115) were using prescription opioids. At T2, 35.3% (n = 43) patients were using prescription opioids. After controlling for age, sex, injury severity, T1 pain severity, and T2 symptoms of depression, 2 factors emerged as significantly related to T2 prescription opioid use; namely, T2 pain severity (odds ratio = 1.248, 95% confidence interval, 1.071-1.742) and T2 pain self-efficacy (odds ratio = .943, 95% confidence interval, .903-.984). These results suggest that opioid use after traumatic musculoskeletal injury is related to pain severity and how well patients cope specifically with their pain, over and above other psychological factors, such as depression and anxiety. PERSPECTIVE: This article identifies predictive factors for prescription opioid use after traumatic musculoskeletal injury, namely severe pain and a poor sense of control over the pain. These results highlight the importance of using prospective longitudinal study designs to understand why patients continue to use prescription opioids after major tissue-damaging events.

Post-acute pathways among hip fracture patients: a system-level analysis.

BACKGROUND: Hip fractures among older adults are one of the leading causes of hospitalization and result in significant morbidity, mortality, and health care use. Guidelines suggest that rehabilitation after surgery is imperative to return patients to pre-morbid function. However, post-acute care (which encompasses rehabilitation) is currently delivered in a multitude of settings, and there is a lack of evidence with regards to which hip fracture patients should use which post-acute settings. The purpose of this study is to describe hip fracture patient characteristics and the most common post-acute pathways within a 1-year episode of care, and to examine how these vary regionally within a health system. METHODS: This study took place in the province of Ontario, Canada, which has 14 health regions and universal health coverage for all residents. Administrative health databases were used for analyses. Community-dwelling patients aged 66 and over admitted to an acute care hospital for hip fracture between April 2008 and March 2013 were identified. Patients' post-acute destinations within each region were retrieved by linking patients' records within various institutional databases using a unique encoded identifier. Post-acute pathways were then characterized by determining when each patient went to each post-acute destination within one year post-discharge from acute care. Differences in patient characteristics between regions were detected using standardized differences and p-values. RESULTS: Thirty-six thousand twenty nine hip fracture patients were included. The study cohort was 71.9 % female with a mean age of 82.9 (±7.5SD). There was significant variation between regions with respect to the immediate post-acute discharge destination: four regions discharged a substantially higher proportion of their patients to inpatient rehabilitation compared to all others. However, the majority of patient characteristics between those four regions and all other regions did not significantly differ. There were 49 unique post-acute pathways taken by patients, with the largest proportion of patients admitted to either community-based or short-term institutionalized rehabilitation, regardless of region. CONCLUSIONS: The observation that similar hip fracture patients are discharged to different post-acute settings calls into question both the appropriateness of care delivered in the post-acute period and health system expenditures. As policy makers continue to develop performance-based funding models to increase accountability of institutions in the provision of quality care to hip fracture patients, ensuring patients receive appropriate rehabilitative care is a priority for health system planning.

Early Weightbearing and Range of Motion Versus Non-Weightbearing and Immobilization After Open Reduction and Internal Fixation of Unstable Ankle Fractures: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare early weightbearing and range of motion (ROM) to nonweightbearing and immobilization in a cast after surgical fixation of unstable ankle fractures. DESIGN: Multicentre randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Two-level one trauma centers. PATIENTS: One hundred ten patients who underwent open reduction and internal fixation of an unstable ankle fracture were recruited and randomized. INTERVENTION: One of 2 rehabilitation protocols: (1) Early weightbearing (weightbearing and ROM at 2 weeks, Early WB) or (2) Late weightbearing (nonweightbearing and cast immobilization for 6 weeks, Late WB). MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome measure was time to return to work (RTW). Secondary outcome measures included: ankle ROM, SF-36 heath outcome scores, Olerud/Molander ankle function score, and rates of complications. RESULTS: There was no difference in RTW. At 6 weeks postoperatively, patients in the Early WB group had significantly improved ankle ROM (41 vs. 29, P < 0.0001); Olerud/Molander ankle function scores (45 vs. 32, P = 0.0007), and SF-36 scores on both the physical (51 vs. 42, P = 0.008) and mental (66 vs. 54, P = 0.0008) components. There were no differences with regard to wound complications or infections and no cases of fixation failure or loss of reduction. Patients in the Late WB group had higher rates of planned/performed hardware removal due to plate irritation (19% vs. 2%, P = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Given the convenience for the patient, early improved functional outcome, and the lack of an increased complication rate, we recommend early postoperative weightbearing and ROM in patients with surgically treated ankle fractures. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level I. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.