Mapping bacterial biofilm on explanted orthopedic hardware: An analysis of 14 consecutive cases.

Hardware implanted during primary total joint arthroplasty carries a serious risk for periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). The formation of bacterial biofilms, which are highly tolerant of antibiotics and host immunity, is recognized as being a major barrier to treatment. It is not known whether some components and their surface features are more prone to biofilm than others. This study attempted to map biofilm on different components and features of orthopedic hardware recovered during revision. Implant surface culture (ISC) was used on 53 components from 14 hip and knee revisions. ISC achieves a thin agar coating over components, followed by incubation and observation for colony outgrowth over 9 days. Recovered organisms were identified by selective culture and 16s rRNA sequencing. Outcomes were compared with clinical culturing and PJI diagnosis based on 2013 Musculoskeletal Infection Society criteria. ISC paralleled clinical culturing with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 57.1%. When compared to Musculoskeletal Infection Society criteria, sensitivity remained at 100% while specificity was 80%. Biofilm accumulation was patchy and heterogeneous throughout different prostheses, though notably the non-articulating surfaces between the tibial tray and polyethylene insert showed consistent growth. On individual components, ridges and edges consistently harbored biofilm, while growth elsewhere was case dependent. ISC successfully identified microbial growth with high sensitivity while also revealing that biofilm growth was commonly localized to particular locations. Understanding where biofilm formation occurs most often on implanted hardware will help guide debridement, retention choices, and implant design.

Socioeconomic factors affecting outcomes in total knee and hip arthroplasty: a systematic review on healthcare disparities.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies showed that healthcare disparities exist in use of and outcomes after total joint arthroplasty (TJA). This systematic review was designed to evaluate the currently available evidence regarding the effect socioeconomic factors, like income, insurance type, hospital volume, and geographic location, have on utilization of and outcomes after lower extremity arthroplasty. METHODS: A comprehensive search of the literature was performed by querying the MEDLINE database using keywords such as, but not limited to, "disparities", "arthroplasty", "income", "insurance", "outcomes", and "hospital volume" in all possible combinations. Any study written in English and consisting of level of evidence I-IV published over the last 20 years was considered for inclusion. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed on the data. RESULTS: A total of 44 studies that met inclusion and quality criteria were included for analysis. Hospital volume is inversely correlated with complication rate after TJA. Insurance type may not be a surrogate for socioeconomic status and, instead, represent an independent prognosticator for outcomes after TJA. Patients in the lower-income brackets may have poorer access to TJA and higher readmission risk but have equivalent outcomes after TJA compared to patients in higher income brackets. Rural patients have higher utilization of TJA compared to urban patients. CONCLUSION: This systematic review shows that insurance type, socioeconomic status, hospital volume, and geographic location can have significant impact on patients' access to, utilization of, and outcomes after TJA. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

Medial Ankle Instability: Review of Anatomy, Evaluation, and Treatment.

The medial ankle ligamentous complex, which includes the deltoid, talocalcaneal, and calcaneonavicular ligaments, functions to provide stability to the medial ankle. Injuries to the deltoid ligament can lead to medial-sided ankle pain, subsequent instability, and posttraumatic osteoarthritis given the altered biomechanics of the ankle joint. After completing a thorough physical examination, imaging modalities such as stress radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging can be used to confirm the diagnosis. Acute injuries to the deltoid ligament should be managed conservatively with a short course of immobilization. For patients with continued pain and instability following a regimen of nonoperative management, surgical intervention can be considered. Primary repair using suture anchor fixation to the medial malleolus can be utilized if sufficient tissue remains. However, if reconstruction is necessitated, autograft or allograft can be utilized in several described techniques.Levels of Evidence: Therapeutic.

Race, Utilization, and Outcomes in Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review on Health-Care Disparities.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that utilization and outcomes of total joint arthroplasty (TJA) are not equivalent across different patient cohorts. This systematic review was designed to evaluate the currently available evidence regarding the effect that patient race has, if any, on utilization and outcomes of lower-extremity arthroplasty in the United States. METHODS: A literature search of the MEDLINE database was performed using keywords such as "disparities," "arthroplasty," "race," "joint replacement," "hip," "knee," "inequities," "inequalities," "health," and "outcomes" in all possible combinations. All English-language studies with a level of evidence of I through IV published over the last 20 years were considered for inclusion. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed on the collected data. RESULTS: A total of 82 articles were included. There was a significantly lower utilization rate of lower-extremity TJA among Black, Hispanic, and Asian patients compared with White patients (p < 0.05). Black and Hispanic patients had lower expectations regarding postoperative outcomes and their ability to participate in various activities after surgery, and they were less likely than White patients to be familiar with the arthroplasty procedure prior to presentation to the orthopaedic surgeon (p < 0.05). Black patients had increased risks of major complications, readmissions, revisions, and discharge to institutional care after TJA compared with White patients (p < 0.05). Hispanic patients had increased risks of complications (p < 0.05) and readmissions (p < 0.0001) after TJA compared with White patients. Black and Hispanic patients reached arthroplasty with poorer preoperative functional status, and all minority patients were more likely to undergo TJA at low-quality, low-volume hospitals compared with White patients (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review shows that lower-extremity arthroplasty utilization differs by racial/ethnic group, and that some of these differences may be partly explained by patient expectations, preferences, and cultural differences. This study also shows that outcomes after lower-extremity arthroplasty differ vastly by racial/ethnic group, and that some of these differences may be driven by differences in preoperative functional status and unequal access to care. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Initial Displacement Does Not Affect Loss of Reduction After Lisfranc Fracture Dislocations.

We sought to determine whether significantly displaced Lisfranc injuries had a higher rate of loss of reduction after fixation compared to those with low displacement. Forty-five patients who had fixation of an acute Lisfranc injury from 2005 to 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. All patients underwent subsequent hardware removal at 3 to 15 months after their index procedure. Radiographs were reviewed from the time of injury, 2 weeks, and 6 months postoperative. Lisfranc joint reduction was assessed using criteria previously described in the literature and graded as malreduced if displacement was >2 mm. We used a cutoff of 4 mm for high initial displacement. Those patients with ≥4 mm of initial displacement did not have an increased rate of loss of reduction after hardware removal compared to those patients with <4 mm initial displacement (40% and 27%, respectively; P = .362). Anatomic reduction was achieved immediately postoperative in 89% of cases. A high degree of displacement in Lisfranc injuries does not preclude achievement and maintenance of adequate reduction after fixation of these injuries. Levels of Evidence: Prognostic study, Level II: Retrospective.

Implementation of a Service-Specific Template Integrating Objective Structured Clinical Examination and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Milestones: One Institution's Experience.

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) orthopaedic milestones require detailed, frequent resident evaluations. This institution desired a cost-effective objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) to facilitate these evaluations. Data were collected as a prospective, uncontrolled observational study. The OSCE was completed by residents entering and exiting the foot and ankle rotation during postgraduate years 2 and 4. Physician assistants functioned as standardized patients. Statistical analyses were performed using paired and independent t tests. The OSCE was implemented using reliable, low-cost modalities and has facilitated milestones evaluations. Preliminary data show 4th-year residents performed higher in prerotation global assessment with a standardized patient and written exam (p < .03). Second-year residents showed improvement in the written exam on rotation completion (p = .03). Using this methodology, institutions may establish similar cost-effective OSCEs as feasible evaluative solutions to satisfy milestone requirements. The authors believe this tool may be modified for any specialty. (Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances 26(4):257-261, 2017).

Subintimal angioplasty for advanced lower extremity ischemia due to TASC II C and D lesions of the superficial femoral artery.

OBJECTIVE: Subintimal angioplasty (SA) has evolved into a viable revascularization procedure for complex lower extremity lesions. Although patency rates are lower than those for autogenous bypass, limb salvage rates are comparable. This study reviewed the 8-year experience of SA in a single center. METHODS: Records of patients undergoing SA were reviewed. Clinical presentation and noninvasive exams were used to classify patients. Lesions were categorized by TransAtlantic InterSociety Consensus (TASC) II guidelines. Outcomes included technical success, patency, amputation-free survival, and limb salvage. RESULTS: 120 patients with TASC II C/D lesions underwent SA. Technical success was 91%. Primary patency at 6 and 12 months was 90% and 73%. Secondary patency at 6 and 12 months was 94% and 85%. One-year amputation-free survival was 90%. One-year limb salvage was 98%. CONCLUSIONS: SA for TASC C/D lesions is a safe procedure and may be considered an alternative to bypass, especially in high-risk patients.