"Outpatient"-Same-calendar-day Discharge Hip and Knee Arthroplasty.

As the length of stay for hip and knee arthroplasty has decreased over the years, "outpatient," or same-calendar-day discharge has become increasingly common. Outpatient arthroplasty offers several possible benefits over traditional inpatient arthroplasty, including potential for cost reductions, faster rehabilitation, improved patient satisfaction, and reduced reliance on hospital resources. Despite these possible benefits, concerns remain over feasibility and patient safety. To date, multiple studies have demonstrated that, for select patients, "outpatient" hip and knee arthroplasty can be safe and effective and yield complication and readmission rates similar to inpatient procedures at potentially significant cost savings. Successful outpatient pathways have emphasized careful patient selection, detailed patient education, enlistment of strong social support, utilization of multimodal analgesia and strong "episode ownership," and involvement on behalf of the surgical team. As outpatient hip and knee arthroplasty becomes increasingly common, continued investigation into all aspects of the surgical episode is warranted.

Lateral Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty.

Lateral unicompartmental knee arthroplasty affords excellent functional results and implant survivorship for properly selected patients. More high-quality studies are necessary to determine whether expanded indications for medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty also apply to lateral unicompartmental knee arthroplasty. Operative adjuncts such as robotics, custom implants, and navigation technology hold promise in minimizing the technical burden and unfamiliarity of lateral unicompartmental knee arthroplasty. Improvements in lateral-specific implants may translate to operational efficiency and improved outcomes, but few lateral-specific implants currently exist. Mobile-bearing devices have increased rates of failure due to bearing dislocation, and further studies are warranted to evaluate this complication with newer designs. Future registry and cohort studies should show medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty and lateral unicompartmental knee arthroplasty separately to allow for better understanding of the nuances and technical differences between these uniquely different procedures.

Tranexamic Acid in Hip and Knee Arthroplasty.

Perioperative blood loss is a significant concern for patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty. A growing body of evidence has shown tranexamic acid (TXA) to be effective in decreasing perioperative blood loss and transfusion requirements in both primary and revision hip and knee arthroplasty. TXA is a synthetic drug that limits blood loss through inhibition of fibrinolysis and clot degradation. Both topical and intravenous administration of TXA, in a variety of dosing regimens, has proven effective. Further investigation is required to determine the optimal dose and dosing regimens; however, evidence exists to recommend an initial intravenous dose be given before beginning the procedure, with at least one additional intravenous dose administered postoperatively. Additionally, topical TXA doses >2 g appear to be more efficacious than lower doses. Finally, relatively few adverse reactions have been reported in arthroplasty patients, and no study to date has demonstrated an increased risk of symptomatic venous thromboembolic events in this patient population.

Late posterior hip instability after lumbar spinopelvic fusion.

The kinematic relationship between the hip and the axial skeleton is dynamic and can be variable based on individual anatomy. It has been shown [1] that pelvic incidence (sacral slope + pelvic tilt) can be used as a proxy to determine the ability of the pelvis to accommodate changes in sagittal balance. Individuals have varied pelvic incidence and thus may adapt differently degenerative and/or iatrrogenic to changes that occur in the axial spine. This is a case report in which surgical changes to the lumbopelvic spine resulted in chronic posterior periprosthetic hip instability. The focus of this discussion reflects the intimate relationship between the hip and spine and highlights the role between sagittal balance and acetabular version, specifically as it pertains to total hip arthroplasty.

Early failures in total hip arthroplasty -- a changing paradigm.

Between 2001 and 2011, 1168 revision hip arthroplasties were reviewed for "early" failures within 5 years of the primary total hip arthroplasty (THA). 24.1% underwent revision within 5 years of index THA. Aseptic loosening, infection, instability, metallosis, and fracture were common modes of failure. In our previous report from 1986 to 2000, 33% were "early" revisions, with instability and aseptic loosening accounting for over 70% of these early failures. While the proportion of "early" revisions decreased 9% from our previous report, this rate remains alarming. The emergence of metallosis and aseptic loosening of monoblock metal on metal shells as leading causes of early failures is concerning. This report suggests caution in the early adoption of new innovations before evidence based medicine is available to justify the risk of their use.

Patellar fractures in adults.

Patellar fracture is a common injury caused by excessive tension through the extensor mechanism or a direct blow. The intact patella increases the leverage and efficiency of the extensor mechanism and articulates with the femoral trochlea. Patellar fractures can lead to stiffness, extension weakness, and patellofemoral arthritis. Nonsurgical management is indicated for nondisplaced fractures with an intact extensor mechanism. Surgical fixation is recommended for fractures that either disrupt the extensor mechanism or demonstrate >2 to 3 mm step-off and >1 to 4 mm of displacement. Anatomic reduction and fixation with a tension-band technique is associated with the best outcomes; however, symptomatic hardware is a frequent complication. Open fractures are associated with more complications than closed fractures. These complications can be mitigated with timely débridement, irrigation, and internal fixation.

The role of computed tomography in the diagnosis and management of femoral neck fractures in the geriatric patient.

Femoral neck fractures are common in the elderly; however, agreement on classification and treatment varies. It was hypothesized that computed tomography (CT) would increase agreement for Garden Classification and treatment plan over plain radiographs alone. This article presents results of an online survey completed by 32 respondents at a single institution. The survey was comprised of 5 elderly patients with femoral neck fractures using plain radiographs and CT images. Cases were randomly presented in 3 formats: (1) plain radiograph, (2) CT, and (3) plain radiograph and CT together. Patients were described as low-energy trauma, 65 years or older, and cleared for surgery. Garden Classification and treatment plans were queried. A single case was repeated for intraobserver reliability. Kappa was calculated for inter- and intraobserver reliability. The addition of CT and modification of the Garden Classification (nondisplaced vs displaced) improved interobserver agreement in all cases. Participants were 1.7× more likely (P=.042) to change their Modified Garden Classification when CT was added to plain radiograph compared to plain radiograph added to CT. Treatment agreement was slight to fair. Intraobserver agreement varied from slight to moderate. The rate of arthoplasty recommendations was similar across attending subspecialties; however, arthroplasty-trained surgeons were 20 to 60 times more likely to recommend total hip arthroplasty (P=.009) over hemiarthroplasty compared to nonarthroplasty-trained surgeons. The addition of CT to plain radiograph after femoral neck fracture improves Garden Classification agreement. However, treatment agreement was not impacted by CT. Factors other than improved classification agreement appeared to direct surgeons' treatment recommendations.

Open tibial shaft fractures: II. Definitive management and limb salvage.

Definitive treatment of open fractures of the tibial diaphysis is challenging. The high-energy nature of these fractures, as well as the contamination of the fracture site and devitalization of the soft-tissue envelope, greatly increases the risk of infection, nonunion, and wound complications. The goals of definitive treatment include wound coverage or closure; prevention of infection; restoration of length, alignment, rotation, and stability; fracture healing; and return of function. Advances in orthobiologics, modern plastic surgical techniques, and fracture stabilization methods, most notably locked intramedullary nailing, have led to improved prognosis for functional recovery and limb salvage. Despite improved union and limb salvage rates, the prognosis for severe type III open fracture of the tibial shaft remains guarded, and outcomes are often determined by patient psychosocial variables.

Open tibial shaft fractures: I. Evaluation and initial wound management.

Open fractures of the tibial diaphysis are often associated with severe bone and soft-tissue injury. Contamination of the fracture site and devitalization of the soft-tissue envelope greatly increase the risk of infection, nonunion, and wound complications. Management of open tibial shaft fractures begins with a thorough patient evaluation, including assessment of the bone and soft tissue surrounding the tibial injury. Classification of these injuries according to the system of Gustilo and Anderson at the time of surgical débridement is useful in guiding treatment and predicting outcomes. Administration of antibiotic prophylaxis as soon as possible after injury as well as urgent and thorough débridement, irrigation, and bony stabilization are done to minimize the risk of infection and improve outcomes. The use of antibiotic bead pouches and negative-pressure wound therapy has proved to be efficacious for the acute, temporary management of severe bone and soft-tissue defects.

MRI of HAGL lesions: four arthroscopically confirmed cases of false-positive diagnosis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to present the cases of four consecutive patients with preoperative MR diagnosis of humeral avulsion of the glenohumeral ligament (HAGL) who had no evidence of HAGL at arthroscopy. CONCLUSION: These four cases suggest that the diagnosis of HAGL should be reserved for arthroscopy and illustrate the difficulty in distinguishing HAGL from other abnormalities of the inferior glenohumeral ligament complex with MRI. Thus, MRI findings classically associated with HAGL should be more broadly described as defects of the inferior glenohumeral ligament complex. This terminology more accurately describes the abnormalities of the inferior glenohumeral ligament complex that may be depicted by MRI.

A technique for correction of equinus contracture using a wire fixator and elastic tension.

Equinus contracture often is a complication of trauma, burns, or neurologic deficit. Many patients with contractures secondary to trauma or burns have poor soft tissue, which makes invasive correction a less appealing option. The Ilizarov external fixator has been used as a less invasive attempt to correct equinus contracture. We describe our "dynamic" technique and present a clinical patient series using a variation of the unconstrained Ilizarov technique, which uses elastic bands rather than threaded rods to supply the corrective force.