Injuries Associated with Subdural Hematoma: A Study of the National Trauma Data Bank.

Of 92030 patients with subdural hematoma (SDH) in the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB), 55729 had fall mechanisms of injury (61%), while 36301 had other traumatic mechanisms (nonfall, 39%). For nonfall mechanisms, the three associated injuries with the highest incidence were: skull fractures (43.3%), rib/sternum injuries (25.0%), and thoracic organ injuries (24.0%). For fall mechanisms, the three associated injuries with the highest incidence were: skull fractures (19.0%), spinal injuries (7.1%), and upper extremity fractures (6.8%). Mortality was associated with age and most studied associated injuries (odds ratios ofup to 2.04). 'This study conveys an important clinical point: even though traditional teaching highlights the risk of noncontiguous spine fractures in patients with a known spine fracture, the risk of a noncontiguous spine fracture is higher when dealing with a patient with SDH. This is underscored by the fact that mortality is higher for SDH patients with other associated injuries.

The Effect of Insurance Type on Patient Access to Carpal Tunnel Release Under the Affordable Care Act.

PURPOSE: To assess the effect of insurance type (Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance) on access to hand surgeons for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). METHODS: The research team called 240 hand surgeons in 8 states (California, Massachusetts, Ohio, New York, Florida, Georgia, Texas, and North Carolina). The caller requested an appointment for her fictitious mother to be evaluated for CTS and possible surgical management through carpal tunnel release (CTR). Each office was called 3 times to assess the responses for Medicaid, Medicare, or Blue Cross Blue Shield. From each call, we recorded whether an appointment was given and whether there were barriers to an appointment, such as the need for a referral. RESULTS: Twenty percent of offices scheduled an appointment for a patient with Medicaid, compared with 89% for Medicare and 97% for Blue Cross Blue Shield. Patients with Medicaid had an easier time scheduling appointments (28% vs 13%) and experienced fewer requests for referrals (25% vs 67%) in states with expanded Medicaid eligibility. Neither Medicaid nor Medicare reimbursement for CTR was significantly correlated with the incidence of successful appointments. Although the difference in Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements for CTR was small, the appointment success incidence for Medicare was approximately 5 times higher. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the passage of the Affordable Care Act, patients with Medicaid have reduced access to surgical care for CTS and more complex barriers to receiving an appointment. Although Medicaid was accepted at a higher rate in states with expanded Medicaid eligibility, a more robust strategy for increasing access to care may be helpful for patients with Medicaid. TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic II.

Spinal fractures and/or spinal cord injuries are associated with orthopedic and internal organ injuries in proximity to the spinal injury.

BACKGROUND: the demographics, mechanisms of injury, and concurrent injuries associated with cervical, thoracic and lumbar spinal fracture and/or spinal cord injury remain poorly characterized. METHODS: Patients aged 18 and older with spinal injury between 2011 and 2015 in the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) were identified. Patient demographics, comorbidity burden, mechanism of injury, and associated injuries were analyzed. RESULTS: in total, 520,183 patients with acute spinal injury were identified including 216,522 cervical, 191,218 thoracic, and 220,294 lumbar. The age distributions were trimodal with peaks in incidence at around 2155 and a lesser peak around 85 years of age. The number of comorbidities increased while injury severity decreased with advancing patient age. Motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) were the most common mechanism of injury. Associated bony and internal organ injuries were common and occurred in 63% of cervical spine injury patients, 79% of thoracic spine injury patients, and 71% of lumbar spine injury patients. In all three sub-populations, there was a predominance of injuries in the local area of the primary injury. For cervical, these were rib injuries (28%), thoracic spine injuries (22%), skull fractures (20%), intracranial injuries (26%) and lung injuries (21%). For thoracic, these were rib injuries (47%), lumbar spine injuries (26%), cervical spine injuries (25%), lung injuries (35%) and intracranial injuries (24%). For lumbar, these were rib injuries (38%), thoracic spine injuries (22%), pelvic fractures (20%), lung injuries (26%) and intracranial injuries (19%). Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that increased injury severity was strongly correlated with increased mortality, with lesser contributions from increased age and comorbidity burden. CONCLUSIONS: the current study revealed spinal fractures and/or cord injuries had high incidences of associated injuries that had a predominance of local distribution. These findings, in combination with the mortality analysis, demonstrate the importance of local targeted evaluations for associated injuries.

Demographics, mechanism of injury, and associated injuries of 25,615 patients with talus fractures in the National Trauma Data Bank.

BACKGROUND: Extensive research has been conducted concerning the epidemiology of fractures of the calcaneus and ankle. However, less work has characterized the population sustaining talus fractures, necessitating the analysis of a large, national sample to assess the presentation of this important injury. METHODS: The current study included adult patients from the 2011 through 2015 National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) who had talus fractures. Modified Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), mechanism of injury (MOI), Injury Severity Score (ISS), and associated injuries were evaluated. RESULTS: Out of 25,615 talus fracture patients, 15,607 (61%) were males. The age distribution showed a general decline in frequency as age increased after a peak incidence at 21 years of age. As expected, CCI increased as age increased. The mechanism of injury analysis showed a decline in motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) and an increase in falls as age increased. ISS was generally higher for MVAs compared to falls and other injuries.Overall, 89% of patients with a talus fracture had an associated injury. Among associated bony injuries, non-talus lower extremity fractures were common, with ankle fractures (noted in 42.7%) and calcaneus fractures (noted in 27.8%) being the most notable. The most common associated internal organ injuries were lung (noted in 19.0%) and intracranial injuries (noted in 14.9%). CONCLUSION: This large cohort of patients with talus fractures defined the demographics of those who sustain this injury and demonstrated ankle and calcaneus fractures to be the most commonly associated injuries. Other associated orthopaedic and non-orthopaedic injuries were also defined. In fact, the incidence of associated lumbar spine fracture was similar to that seen for calcaneus fractures (14%) and nearly 1 in 5 patients had a thoracic organ injury. Clinicians need to maintain a high suspicion for such associated injuries for those who present with talus fractures. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II, retrospective study.

Does Medicaid Insurance Provide Sufficient Access to Pediatric Orthopedic Care Under the Affordable Care Act?

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act had a profound impact on health insurance coverage of children. Given the importance of pediatric specialty care, this study assessed access to pediatric orthopedic urgent care for a child's likely operative distal radius fracture. Researchers called 180 pediatric orthopedic surgeons in 8 states requesting appointments for the caller's fictitious 11-year-old child who suffered a distal radius fracture. Each office was called twice to assess the ability to obtain an appointment for Medicaid and privately insured patients. Overall, significantly fewer offices scheduled appointments for Medicaid than privately insured patients (38.3% vs 82.8%, P < .001). Patients with Medicaid in states without Medicaid expansion were more successful in obtaining appointments than patients with Medicaid in states with Medicaid expansion (41 [47%] vs 28 [30%]; P < .001; 95% confidence interval = 0.3-0.9). Pediatric Medicaid patients experienced reduced access to care, and this access was worse in states that had expanded Medicaid eligibility.

Admission NarxCare Narcotics Scores are not Associated With Adverse Surgical Outcomes or Self-reported Patient Satisfaction Following Elective Spine Surgery.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study OBJECTIVE.: The aim of this study was to investigate how elective spine surgery patient preoperative opioid use (as determined by admission NarxCare narcotics use scores) correlated with 30-day perioperative outcomes and postoperative patient satisfaction. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The effect of preoperative narcotics usage on postoperative outcomes and patient satisfaction following spine surgery has been of question. The NarxCare platform analyzes the patients' state Physician Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) records to assign numerical scores that approximate a patient's overall opioid drug usage. METHODS: Elective spine surgery cases performed at a single institution between October 2017 and March 2018 were evaluated. NarxCare narcotics use scores at the time of admission were assessed. Patient characteristics, as well as 30-day adverse events, readmissions, reoperations, and mortality, were abstracted from the medical record. Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey data were also abstracted when available.Cases were binned based on the following ranges of admission NarxCare scores: 0, 1 to 99, 100 to 299, 300 to 499, and 500+. Multivariate logistic regressions were performed to compare the odds of having an adverse events, readmission, reoperation, and mortality between the different narcotics groups. One-way analysis of variance analyses were performed to compare HCAHPS survey response rates and HCAHPS survey results between the different narcotics score groups. RESULTS: In total, 346 patients met criteria for inclusion in the study (NarxScore 0: n = 74, 1-99: n = 58, 300-499: n = 117, and 500+: n = 21). Multivariate logistic regressions did not detect statistically significant differential odds of experiencing adverse events, readmission, reoperation, or mortality between the different groups of admissions narcotics scores. Analyses of variance did not detect statistically significant differences in HCAHPS survey response rates, total HCAHPS scores, or HCAHP subgroup scores between the different narcotics score groups. CONCLUSION: Although there are many reasons to address preoperative patient narcotic utilization, the present study did not detect perioperative outcome differences or patient satisfaction based on the narcotic use scores as stratified here. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

Timing of Adverse Events Following Geriatric Hip Fracture Surgery: A Study of 19,873 Patients in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program.

This study uses a prospective surgical registry to characterize the timing of 10 postoperative adverse events following geriatric hip fracture surgery. There were 19,873 patients identified who were ≥70 years undergoing surgery for hip fracture as part of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP). The median postoperative day of diagnosis (and interquartile range) for myocardial infarction was 3 (1-5), cardiac arrest requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation 3 (0-8), stroke 3 (1-10), pneumonia 4 (2-10), pulmonary embolism 4 (2-11), urinary tract infection 7 (2-13), deep vein thrombosis 9 (4-16), sepsis 9 (4-18), mortality 11 (6-19), and surgical site infection 16 (11-22). For the earliest diagnosed adverse events, the rate of adverse events had diminished by postoperative day 30. For the later diagnosed adverse events, the rate of adverse events remained high at postoperative day 30. Findings help to enable more targeted clinical surveillance, inform patient counseling, and determine the duration of follow-up required to study specific adverse events effectively. Orthopedic surgeons should have the lowest threshold for testing for each adverse event during the time period of greatest risk.

Predicting Adverse Outcomes After Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Comparison of Demographics, the American Society of Anesthesiologists class, the Modified Charlson Comorbidity Index, and the Modified Frailty Index.

INTRODUCTION: No known study has compared the predictive power of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class, modified Charlson Comorbidity Index, modified Frailty Index, and demographic characteristics for general health complications after total hip arthroplasty (THA). METHODS: Comorbidity indices and demographics from National Surgical Quality Improvement Program THA patients were evaluated for discriminative ability in predicting adverse outcomes using the area under the curve analysis from the receiver operating characteristic curves. Perioperative outcomes included any adverse event, severe adverse events, minor adverse events, extended hospital stay, and discharge to higher-level care. RESULTS: In total, 64,792 THA patients were identified. The most predictive comorbidity index was ASA, and demographic factor was age. Of these, age had the greatest discriminative ability for four of the five adverse outcomes. CONCLUSION: For THA, easily obtained patient ASA and age are more predictive of perioperative adverse outcomes than the more complex and numerically tabulated modified Charlson Comorbidity Index and modified Frailty Index.

Access of Patients With Lumbar Disc Herniations to Spine Surgeons: The Effect of Insurance Type Under the Affordable Care Act.

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of insurance type (Medicaid vs. a specific private insurance) on patient access to spine surgeons for lumbar disc herniation as measured by (A) acceptance of insurance, (B) need for a referral, and (C) wait time for appointment. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Limited studies have been conducted to examine the issue of patient access to spine surgeons based on different insurance types (Medicaid vs. a specific private insurance), especially in relation to the Medicaid expansion that resulted from the Affordable Care Act. METHODS: Appointment success rates, the need for a referral, and waiting periods were compared between Medicaid and a specific private insurance for patients needing an evaluation for a herniated lumbar disc. The waiting period was studied in the context of comparing states that have expanded Medicaid eligibility to ones that have not, and the surgical training of the spine surgeon (orthopaedic surgeons vs. neurosurgeons). RESULTS: Appointment success rate for patients seeking access to lumbar spine care was significantly higher for patients with BlueCross insurance (95.0%) versus patients with Medicaid insurance (0.8%) (P <0.001). The need for referrals was significantly higher for patients with Medicaid insurance (93.3%) versus patients with BlueCross insurance (4.2%) (P <0.001). Among BlueCross patients, wait times were longer in Medicaid-expanded states. However, the same trend was not seen among patients with Medicaid insurance. CONCLUSION: Patients with Medicaid were less successful at scheduling an appointment and faced more barriers to care, such as the need for a referral, compared with the private insurance studied. In the states with expanded Medicaid, wait times for appointments were longer for BlueCross patients, but were not longer for patients with Medicaid insurance. Overall, this study suggests that increased coverage resulting from Medicaid expansion does not necessarily equate to increased access to care. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2.

After Posterior Fusions for Adult Spinal Deformity, Operative Time is More Predictive of Perioperative Morbidity, Rather Than Surgical Invasiveness: A Need for Speed?

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the independent effects of operative time and surgical invasiveness on perioperative outcomes after posterior spinal fusions for adult spinal deformity. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Morbidity is high after posterior fusions for adult spinal deformity. Although previous reports have demonstrated an association between perioperative outcomes and the extent of correction and fusion (number of posterior levels fused, pelvic fixation, combined anterior-posterior fusion), no study has looked at the independent effects of the surgical invasiveness after controlling for operative time. METHODS: All adult patients, undergoing posterior spinal fusion for spinal deformity, were identified in the 2010 to 2014 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database. Multivariate analysis was used to determine the independent effects of longer operative timing and the surgical invasiveness (number of levels fused, anterior or transforaminal interbody fusions, osteotomies, and pelvic fixation) on 30-day complications. RESULTS: A total of 1540 patients undergoing posterior spinal fusion for adult spinal deformity were identified. The overall rate of complications was 15.3%. In multivariate analysis, greater operative timing was associated with increased inpatient complications [odds ratio (95% confidence interval, 95% CI) from 2.23 (1.25-3.98) for 7-8 hours to 4.46 (2.61-7.64) for 9+ hours; P < 0.001]. Although the number of levels fused, anterior/interbody fusions, osteotomies, and pelvic fixation were associated with complications on bivariate analysis, these factors were not associated with increased complications in multivariate analysis when controlling for other factors such as operative time. CONCLUSION: For adult deformity surgery, longer operative time appears to be a better predictor of the overall rate perioperative complications than surgical invasiveness in multivariate analysis. Rather than avoidance of a more extensive and invasive surgical procedure, which may be indicated to improve alignment and stability, these data suggest the importance of safely and efficiently minimizing overall operative time. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.

The Influence of Medical Insurance on Patient Access to Orthopaedic Surgery Sports Medicine Appointments Under the Affordable Care Act.

BACKGROUND: The goal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was to expand patient access to health care. Since the rollout of the PPACA, Medicaid patients have demonstrated difficulty obtaining appointments in some specialty care settings. PURPOSE: To assess the effect of insurance type (Medicaid and private) on patient access to orthopaedic surgery sports medicine specialists for a semiurgent evaluation of a likely operative bucket-handle meniscus tear. The study was designed to determine whether disparities in access exist since the PPACA rollout. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. METHODS: The design was to call 180 orthopaedic surgery sports medicine specialists in 6 representative states (California, Ohio, New York, Florida, Texas, and North Carolina) between June 2015 and December 2015. An appointment was requested for the caller's fictitious 25-year-old-brother who had suffered a bucket-handle meniscus tear. Each office was called twice to assess the ease of obtaining an appointment: once for patients with Medicaid and once for patients with private insurance. For each call, data pertaining to whether an appointment was given, wait times, and barriers to receiving an appointment were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 177 surgeons were called within the study period. Overall, 27.1% of offices scheduled an appointment for a patient with Medicaid, compared with 91.2% (P < .0001) for a patient with private insurance. Medicaid patients were significantly more likely to be denied an appointment due to lack of referral compared with private patients (40.2% vs 3.7%, P < .0001), and Medicaid patients were more likely to experience longer wait times for an appointment (15 vs 12 days, P < .029). No significant differences were found in patients' access to orthopaedic surgery sports medicine specialists between Medicaid-expanded and -nonexpanded states. Medicaid reimbursement for knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair was not significantly correlated with appointment success rate or patient waiting periods. CONCLUSION: Despite the passage of the PPACA, patients with Medicaid have reduced access to care. In addition, patients with Medicaid confront more barriers to receiving appointments than patients with private insurance and wait longer for an appointment.

Analysis of Bony and Internal Organ Injuries Associated With 26,357 Adult Femoral Shaft Fractures and Their Impact on Mortality.

The spectrum of injuries associated with femoral shaft fractures and those injuries' association with mortality have not been well delineated previously. Patients in the National Trauma Data Bank who presented with femoral shaft fractures from 2011 to 2012 were analyzed in 3 age groups (18-39, 40-64, and 65+ years). For each group, modified Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), mechanism of injury (MOI), injury severity score (ISS), and associated injuries were reported. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify predictors of mortality. Among the 26,357 patients with femoral shaft fractures, modified CCIs gradually increased with increasing age category and ISS decreased. Motor vehicle accidents were the most common MOI in the younger 2 age groups, whereas falls were the most common MOI in the 65 years and older age group. The top 3 associated bony injuries for the study cohort as a whole were tibia/fibula (20.5%), ribs/sternum (19.1%), and non-shaft femur (18.9%, of which 5.8% of the total cohort were femoral neck) fractures. The top 3 associated internal organ injuries were lung (18.9%), intracranial (13.5%), and liver (6.2%), injuries. A multivariate mortality analysis showed that increasing age, increasing comorbidity burden, and associated injuries all had independent associations with mortality. The injuries most associated with mortality were thoracic organ injuries (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=3.53), head injuries (AOR=2.93), abdominal organ injuries (AOR=2.78), and pelvic fractures (AOR=1.80). This study used a large, nationwide sample of trauma patients to profile injuries associated with femoral shaft fractures. Associations between injuries and mortality underscore the importance of these findings. [Orthopedics. 2017; 40(3):e506-e512.].

Tibial shaft fracture: A large-scale study defining the injured population and associated injuries.

This is the first large-scale study to define the injured population and examine associated injuries for patients with tibial shaft fractures. Patients over 18 years of age in the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) who presented with tibial shaft fractures during 2011 and 2012 were identified. Modified Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), mechanism of injury (MOI), injury severity score (ISS), and specific associated injuries were described. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify predictors of mortality.

Risk Factors for Blood Transfusion With Primary Posterior Lumbar Fusion.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE: To identify factors associated with blood transfusion for primary posterior lumbar fusion surgery, and to identify associations between blood transfusion and other postoperative complications. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Blood transfusion is a relatively common occurrence for patients undergoing primary posterior lumbar fusion. There is limited information available describing which patients are at increased risk for blood transfusion, and the relationship between blood transfusion and short-term postoperative outcomes is poorly characterized. METHODS: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database was used to identify patients undergoing primary posterior lumbar fusion from 2011 to 2013. Multivariate analysis was used to find associations between patient characteristics and blood transfusion, along with associations between blood transfusion and postoperative outcomes. RESULTS: Out of 4223 patients, 704 (16.7%) had a blood transfusion. Age 60 to 69 (relative risk [RR] 1.6), age greater than equal to 70 (RR 1.7), American Society of Anesthesiologists class greater than equal to 3 (RR 1.1), female sex (RR 1.1), pulmonary disease (RR 1.2), preoperative hematocrit less than 36.0 (RR 2.0), operative time greater than equal to 310 minutes (RR 2.9), 2 levels (RR 1.6), and 3 or more levels (RR 2.1) were independently associated with blood transfusion. Interbody fusion (RR 0.9) was associated with decreased rates of blood transfusion. Receiving a blood transfusion was significantly associated with any complication (RR 1.7), sepsis (RR 2.6), return to the operating room (RR 1.7), deep surgical site infection (RR 2.6), and pulmonary embolism (RR 5.1). Blood transfusion was also associated with an increase in postoperative length of stay of 1.4 days (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: 1 in 6 patients received a blood transfusion while undergoing primary posterior lumbar fusion, and risk factors for these occurrences were characterized. Strategies to minimize blood loss might be considered in these patients to avoid the associated complications. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.