Assessment of competency during orotracheal intubation in medical simulation.

BACKGROUND: Clinicians performing orotracheal intubation need to be competent to perform this technical skill safely. It is recognized that aggressive force applied during direct laryngoscopy may damage the oropharyngeal soft tissue; however, force is seldom considered in assessment of competency. The objective of this study was to explore the force applied during orotracheal intubation as a method of further discriminating between levels of competence. We sought evidence of construct validity in the form of discriminant, criterion, and concurrent validity. We hypothesized that the force generated during simulated intubation could serve to discriminate skill level among clinicians. METHODS: A convenience sample of 35 health-care professionals filled a self-reported questionnaire and were then divided into the following three groups: Group 1, experts (n=16); Group 2, intermediates (n=7); and Group 3, novices (n=12). They then intubated a part-task trainer (Laerdal Airway Management Trainer) after reviewing a procedural video and engaging in one practice session. Intubations were recorded. Outcome measures were as follows: (i) force applied to the epiglottis, calculated (in newtons) using two superimposed pressure-sensitive films (Prescale; Fujifilm, Madison, WI, USA) on the laryngoscope blade; (ii) number of attempts required to achieve successful intubation; (iii) time to intubation; and (iv) hand position. RESULTS: Of the four outcome measures, only force applied during orotracheal intubation was able to discriminate between groups. All data are reported as the mean (sd). There was a significant difference in force between groups during orotracheal intubation [one-way anova; experts, 102 (25) N; intermediates, 134 (28) N; and novices, 153 (43) N], with a significant difference (P<0.05) noted between novice and experts on post hoc analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Force exerted during intubation provides meaningful information when attempting to discriminate intubation skill level. Force demonstrated criterion validity and could be used as a measure of competency during training.

Precision biomaterials in cancer theranostics and modelling.

Despite significant achievements in the understanding and treatment of cancer, it remains a major burden. Traditional therapeutic approaches based on the 'one-size-fits-all' paradigm are becoming obsolete, as demonstrated by the increasing number of patients failing to respond to treatments. In contrast, more precise approaches based on individualized genetic profiling of tumors have already demonstrated their potential. However, even more personalized treatments display shortcomings mainly associated with systemic delivery, such as low local drug efficacy or specificity. A large amount of effort is currently being invested in developing precision medicine-based strategies for improving the efficiency of cancer theranostics and modelling, which are envisioned to be more accurate, standardized, localized, and less expensive. To this end, interdisciplinary research fields, such as biomedicine, material sciences, pharmacology, chemistry, tissue engineering, and nanotechnology, must converge for boosting the precision cancer ecosystem. In this regard, precision biomaterials have emerged as a promising strategy to detect, model, and treat cancer more efficiently. These are defined as those biomaterials precisely engineered with specific theranostic functions and bioactive components, with the possibility to be tailored to the cancer patient needs, thus having a vast potential in the increasing demand for more efficient treatments. In this review, we discuss the latest advances in the field of precision biomaterials in cancer research, which are expected to revolutionize disease management, focusing on their uses for cancer modelling, detection, and therapeutic applications. We finally comment on the needed requirements to accelerate their application in the clinic to improve cancer patient prognosis.

EBCOG position statement - Simulation-based training for obstetrics and gynaecology during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The specialty of Obstetrics and Gynaecology has been on the forefront of introducing simulation in post graduate education for the past two decades. Simulation training is known to enhance psychomotor skills and is considered an important step in the transition from classroom learning to clinical practice. Training on simulators allows trainees to acquire basic skills before getting involved in day to day care in real life situations. Clinical circumstances around the COVID 19 pandemic have highlighted the key importance of simulation training in delivering post graduate curriculum.

Measurement of transient and residual stresses during polymerization of bone cement for cemented hip implants.

The initial fixation of a cemented hip implant relies on the strength of the interface between the stem, bone cement and adjacent bone. Bone cement is used as grouting material to fix the prosthesis to the bone. The curing process of bone cement is an exothermic reaction where bone cement undergoes volumetric changes that will generate transient stresses resulting in residual stresses once polymerization is completed. However, the precise magnitude of these stresses is still not well documented in the literature. The objective of this study is to develop an experiment for the direct measurement of the transient and residual radial stresses at the stem-cement interface generated during cement polymerization. The idealized femoral-cemented implant consists of a stem placed inside a hollow cylindrical bone filled with bone cement. A sub-miniature load cell is inserted inside the stem to make a direct measurement of the radial compressive forces at the stem-cement interface, which are then converted to radial stresses. A thermocouple measures the temperature evolution during the polymerization process. The results show the evolution of stress generation corresponding to volumetric changes in the cement. The effect of initial temperature of the stem and bone as well as the cement-bone interface condition (adhesion or no adhesion) on residual radial stresses is investigated. A maximum peak temperature of 70 degrees C corresponds to a peak in transient stress during cement curing. Maximum radial residual stresses of 0.6 MPa in compression are measured for the preheated stem.

Measurement of deformation heterogeneities in additive manufactured lattice materials by Digital Image Correlation: Strain maps analysis and reliability assessment.

The mechanical behaviour of porous lattice materials for potential orthopaedic applications was investigated at a fine scale by means of digital image correlation (DIC). Specimens with cubic, body cubic-centered reinforced (BCCZ), and diamond mesostructures were tested in quasi-static compression up to failure. Images were continuously recorded by an imaging setup and processed by a custom DIC program, OpenDIC. The resulting strain maps were analyzed in both spatial and temporal scales, displaying the onset and evolution of strain heterogeneities. The three geometries show different failure modes, i.e. collective buckling of an entire row for cubic, diagonal shearing band for BCCZ, and generalized crushing for diamond. The strain maps correlate well with these patterns. Most importantly, they show early strain localization below the macroscopic elastic limit. After failure, a phenomenon of strain release was witnessed and evaluated in the parts of the specimen that do not fracture. In the cubic geometry, the vertical struts sustain most of the deformation. Further analysis shows that the rows of vertical struts have similar, yet scattered, evolutions until failure. Interestingly, the row that leads to specimen failure is not necessarily the first one to deform. In addition to these experimental results, the uncertainties of the method were thoroughly assessed by means of calibration procedures.

Static coefficient of friction between stainless steel and PMMA used in cemented hip and knee implants.

BACKGROUND: Design of cemented hip and knee implants, oriented to improve the longevity of artificial joints, is largely based on numerical models. The static coefficient of friction between the implant and the bone cement is necessary to characterize the interface conditions in these models and must be accurately provided. The measurement of this coefficient using a repeatable and reproducible methodology for materials used in total hip arthroplasty is missing from the literature. METHODS: A micro-topographic surface analysis characterized the surfaces of the specimens used in the experiments. The coefficient of friction between stainless steel and bone cement in dry and wet conditions using bovine serum was determined using a prototype computerized sliding friction tester. The effects of surface roughness (polished versus matt) and of contact pressure on the coefficient of friction have also been investigated. FINDINGS: The serum influences little the coefficient of friction for the matt steel surface, where the mechanical interactions due to higher roughness are still the most relevant factor. However, for polished steel surfaces, the restraining effect of proteins plays a very relevant role in increasing the coefficient of friction. INTERPRETATION: When the coefficient of friction is used in finite element analysis, it is used for the debonded stem-cement situation. It can thus be assumed that serum will propagate between the stem and the cement mantle. The authors believe that the use of a static coefficient of friction of 0.3-0.4, measured in the present study, is appropriate in finite element models.

The influence of contact ratio and its location on the primary stability of cementless total hip arthroplasty: A finite element analysis.

Cementless hip stems are fixed to the surrounding bone by means of press-fit. To ensure a good press-fit, current surgical technique specifies an under-reaming of the bone cavity using successively larger broaches. Nevertheless, this surgical technique is inaccurate. Several studies show that the contact ratio (percentage of stem interface in contact with bone) achieved after surgery can vary between 20% and 95%. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the influence of the contact ratio and its location on the primary stability of a cementless total hip arthroplasty using finite element analysis. A straight tapered femoral stem implanted in a composite bone was subjected to stair climbing. Micromotion of 7600 nodes at the stem-bone interface was computed for different configurations of contact ratios between 2% and 98%) along the hip stem. Considering the 15 configurations evaluated, the average micromotion ranges between 27µm and 54µm. The percentage of the porous interface of the stem having micromotion below 40µm that allows bone ingrowth range between 25-57%. The present numerical study shows that full contact (100%) between stem and bone is not necessary to obtain a good primary stability. The stem primary stability is influenced by both the contact ratio and its location. Several configurations with contact ratio lower than 100% and involving either the proximal or the cortical contact provide better primary stability than the full contact configuration. However, with contact ratio lower than 40%, the stem should be in contact with cortical bone to ensure a good primary stability.

Influence of the stem fixation scenario on load transfer in a hip resurfacing arthroplasty with a biomimetic stem.

Finite element (FE) analysis is a widely used tool for extensive preclinical testing of orthopaedic implants such as hip resurfacing femoral components, including evaluation of different stem fixation scenarios (cementation vs osseointegration, etc.). Most FE models use surface-to-surface contact elements to model the load-bearing interfaces that connect bone, cement and implant and neglect the mechanical effects of phenomena such as residual stresses from bone cement curing. The objective of the current study is to evaluate and quantify the effect of different stem fixation scenarios and related phenomena such as residual stresses from bone cement curing. Four models of a previously clinically available implant (Durom) were used to model different stem fixation scenarios of a new biomimetic stem: a cemented stem, a frictional stem, a partially and completely bonded stem, with and without residual stresses from bone cement curing. For the frictional stem, stem-bone micromotions were increased from 0% to 61% of the available surface subjected to micromotions between 10 and 40µm with the inclusion of residual stresses from bone cement curing. Bonding the stem, even partially, increased stress in the implant at the stem-head junction. Complete bonding of the stem decreased bone strain at step tip, at the cost of increased strain shielding when compared with the frictional stem and partially bonded stem. The increase of micromotions and changes in bone strain highlighted the influence of interfacial conditions on load transfer, and the need for a better modeling method, one capable of assessing the effect of phenomena such as interdigitation and residual stresses from bone cement curing.

Residual stresses at the stem-cement interface of an idealized cemented hip stem.

During the operation of total hip arthroplasty, when the cement polymerizes between the stem implant and the bone, residual stresses are generated in the cement. The purpose of this study was to determine whether including residual stresses at the stem-cement interface of cemented hip implants affected the cement stress distributions due to externally applied loads. An idealized cemented hip implant subjected to bending was numerically investigated for an early post-operative situation. The finite element analysis was three-dimensional and used non-linear contact elements to represent the debonded stem-cement interface. The results showed that the inclusion of the residual stresses at the interface had up to a 4-fold increase in the von Mises cement stresses compared to the case without residual stresses.

Modelling debonded stem-cement interface for hip implants: effect of residual stresses.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of the residual stresses due to cement curing on the load transfer of cemented hip implants. DESIGN: The load transfer at the stem-cement interface of an idealized hip stem surrounded by cortical bone was investigated using a three-dimensional finite element analysis. A debonded stem-cement interface was considered to simulate a highly polished stem in contact with cement; Coulomb friction at the stem-cement interface was considered. BACKGROUND: Numerical analyses on the load transfer of cemented hip implants do not include residual stresses due to cement curing at the stem-cement interface. METHODS: The magnitude of the residual stresses was determined experimentally. In the finite element model, non-linear contact elements modelled the debonded stem-cement interface. In particular, the compressive radial residual stresses that are generated at the interface, due to the cement expansion during curing, were treated similar to a press-fit problem. RESULTS: The cement stress distributions were affected by the magnitude of the residual stresses. Failing to include residual stresses underestimated the cement stresses at the interface, mainly affecting the radial and hoop stresses. The load was transferred from the stem to the cement more uniformly along the interface once residual stresses were included. CONCLUSIONS: Because there is no chemical bond at the interface between the stem and cement, the interface resistance depends on friction thus radial residual compressive stresses developed by the cement curing play a direct role. RELEVANCE: Implant loosening of cemented hip implants is one of the major causes of late failure of the arthroplasty. The load is transferred from the stem to the bone primarily across the interfaces, consequently modelling accurately the interface is essential in predicting the load transfer.

Three-dimensional morphometry of the femoral condyles.

OBJECTIVE: The present study describes the geometry of the three-dimensional articular surfaces of the human femoral condyles based on measurements of surface coordinates. DESIGN: The purpose was not to obtain a complex representation of one single condyle, but to describe the femoral condyles using simple geometric parameters based on measurements using a number of specimens. BACKGROUND: In joint modeling, a representative knee joint geometry is often desired which requires an approximation of the irregular joint geometry while taking into account interspecimen variations. METHODS: An optical device was used to measure the condylar articular surfaces of 12 human femurs in the femorotibial contact region. The sagittal profiles were reconstructed by means of two circular arcs and the radial profiles by means of one circular arc. RESULTS: The results provide the geometric parameters necessary for the three-dimensional reconstruction of the articular surfaces of the femoral condyles. The results indicate that the medial and lateral condyles of the distal femur are significantly asymmetric in a number of morphological features. CONCLUSION: The primary application of the results is expected to be in the formulation of finite element models of the knee joint for static contact problems. RELEVANCE: Numerical models of the knee joint are being widely used to study the mechanics of the joint. However, formulation of such models demands a prior knowledge of the complex three-dimensional geometry of the articular surfaces of the natural joint to establish the input parameters of the model.

Bone remodeling in the resurfaced femoral head: effect of cement mantle thickness and interface characteristics.

Metal-on-metal hip resurfacing prostheses were re-introduced during the last 10-15 years. These prostheses have the potential to better restore normal function with limited activity restriction, being an option for younger and more active patients. Resurfacing procedures have demonstrated high failure rates in national registers [1,2]. Multiple factors may affect early and long-term HR performance. The influence of femoral cement mantle thickness and different interface characteristics between the prosthesis components on the long-term performance of resurfacing prostheses is still unknown. In the present work, a model was used to predict bone remodeling with different mantle thicknesses and interface characteristics. A very thin cement mantle (0.25mm) increased bone resorption at the superior femoral head, while greater thickness (1 or 3mm) had a lesser effect. In all cases, bone apposition was predicted around the stem and at the stem tip. Bone formation and resorption were observed clinically in good agreement with the predictions calculated in simulations. Computed results showed that 1-mm cement mantle thickness combined with a bonded bone-cement interface and a debonded implant-cement interface was an appropriate configuration. Bone remodeling results and computed equivalent strains were correlated. In conclusion, we have been able to demonstrate the importance of choosing an adequate cement mantle thickness. Additionally, computational studies should consider realistic interface characteristics between the components in order to perform simulations closer to reality.

Influence of the medial offset of the proximal humerus on the glenohumeral destabilising forces during arm elevation: a numerical sensitivity study.

This study assessed the influence of the medial offset of the proximal humerus on the glenohumeral destabilising forces during arm elevation in the plane of the scapula, using the AnyBody Modeling System. The variability of the medial offset was covered using literature data (minimum, 0 mm; average, 7 mm and maximum, 14 mm). The following parameters were studied: moment arm (MA; middle deltoid), muscle activity and stability ratios. The minimum offset decreased the MA of the middle deltoid ( -11%), increased its activation (+18%) and its superior destabilising action (+40%). The maximum offset had an opposite effect (+9%, -30% and -30%). The stabilising action of the rotator cuff was not affected. Varying the medial offset seems to have an influence on the destabilising action of the middle deltoid. The AnyBody simulation tool appears to be promising in establishing links between shoulder morphology and stability.

Influence of prosthetic humeral head size and medial offset on the mechanics of the shoulder with cuff tear arthropathy: a numerical study.

This numerical study assesses the influence of an oversized humeral hemiprosthesis with a larger medial offset on the mechanics of the shoulder with cuff tear arthropathy (CTA). Shoulder elevation in the scapular plane is performed, and a Seebauer Type IIa CTA is simulated: a massive rotator cuff tear, a proximal and static migration of the humeral head, and two contacts with friction (glenohumeral and acromiohumeral). The CTA model without a prosthesis (friction coefficient 0.3) is evaluated first as a reference model. Then, three humeral head prosthetic geometries (friction coefficient 0.15) are evaluated: anatomical head, oversized head, and oversized head with a large medial offset. The function of the middle deltoid (i.e. moment arm, applied force, and strength), the contact forces, and the range of motion are studied. The anatomical head, which reduces friction by half, decreases the middle deltoid force (25%) and the contact forces (glenoid 7%; acromion 25%), and increases the range of motion from 41 to 54°. The oversized head increases the moment arm (15%) and the middle deltoid strength (13%), which further decreases the deltoid force (7%) and the contact forces (glenoid 7%; acromion 17%), and increases the range of motion from 54° to 69°. The oversized head with a large medial offset enhances these effects: the moment arm increases by another 3.1%, the deltoid force decreases by another 5% and the acromiohumeral contact force by another 12%, and the range of motion increases from 69° to 84°. These results suggest that increasing the medial offset and oversizing the hemiprosthetic head improve the function of the deltoid, reduce acromial solicitation, and restore elevation to almost 90°.

The influence of uncemented femoral stem length and design on its primary stability: a finite element analysis.

One of the crucial factors for short- and long-term clinical success of total hip arthroplasty cementless implants is primary stability. Indeed, motion at the bone-implant interface above 40 µm leads to partial bone ingrowth, while motion exceeding 150 µm completely inhibits bone ingrowth. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of two cementless femoral stem designs with different lengths on the primary stability. A finite element model of a composite Sawbones(®) fourth generation, implanted with five lengths of the straight prosthesis design and four lengths of the curved prosthesis design, was loaded with hip joint and abductor forces representing two physiological activities: fast walking and stair climbing. We found that reducing the straight stem length from 146 to 54 mm increased the average micromotion from 17 to 52 µm during fast walking, while the peak value increased from 42 to 104 µm. With the curved stem, reducing length from 105 to 54 mm increased the average micromotion from 10 to 29 µm, while the peak value increased from 37 to 101 µm. Similar findings are obtained for stair climbing for both stems. Although the present study showed that femoral stem length as well as stem design directly influences its primary stability, for the two femoral stems tested, length could be reduced substantially without compromising the primary stability. With the aim of minimising surgical invasiveness, newer femoral stem design and currently well performing stems might be used with a reduced length without compromising primary stability and hence, long-term survivorship.

Anisotropic bone remodeling of a biomimetic metal-on-metal hip resurfacing implant.

Hip resurfacing (HR) is a highly attractive option for young and active patients. Some surgeons have advocated cementing the metaphyseal stem of the femoral component to improve fixation and survivorship of HR. However, extending component fixation to the metaphysis may promote femoral head strain shielding, which in turn may reduce survival of the femoral component. Replacing the metallic metaphyseal stem by a composite material with bone-matching properties could help to alleviate this phenomenon. This study uses finite element analysis to examine the strain state in the femoral head for three types of implant fixation: an unfixed metallic stem, an osseointegrated biomimetic stem and a cemented metallic stem. Bone remodeling is also simulated to evaluate long-term bone resorption due to strain shielding. Results show that the unfixed stem causes strain shielding in the femoral head, and that cementing the stem increases strain shielding. The biomimetic stem does not eliminate the strain shielding effect, but reduces it significantly versus the metallic cemented version. The current finite element study suggests that an osseointegrated metaphyseal stem made of biomimetic material in hip resurfacing implants could become an interesting alternative when fixation extension is desired.

Effect of stem preheating and precooling on residual stress formation at stem/cement interface for cemented hip implants.

PMMA polymerization is an exothermic phenomenon during which stresses and porosity are observed. An experimental model is devised to directly measure radial forces, to be converted to radial stresses, at the stem/cement interface, and temperatures at both interfaces during cement curing. The effects of stem and bone cement initial temperatures (preheating or precooling vs. room temperature) as well as mixing method (hand vs. vacuum mixing) and cement type (Simplex P vs. Palacos R) on radial stress and temperatures are investigated. Compressive radial residual stresses at the stem/cement interface are measured for hand mixed PMMA with preheated stem, with a maximum magnitude of 1.0 MPa. No radial residual stresses are observed when the stem is initially at room temperature or precooled, suggesting that during curing, bone cement can polymerize away from the stem/cement interface generating radial stress in tension or gaps. The results demonstrate the reverse direction of polymerization for preheated stems. Stem preheating significantly increases transient temperatures at the bone/cement interface and also the risk of bone thermal necrosis, because the exposure time to high temperature is prolonged. The results provide interfacial characteristics for accurate modeling of bone cement polymerization to better understand the debonding process of cemented hip prostheses.

Does stem preheating have a beneficial effect on PMMA bulk porosity in cemented THA?

In cemented total hip arthroplasty (THA), porosity plays a major role in the fatigue failure of bone cement. Stem preheating procedure is known to reduce the stem/cement interfacial porosity. In the literature, no information is available about the effect of such procedure on cement bulk porosity. This study helps to find out if stem preheating can have a beneficial effect on bulk porosity, thus enhancing long-term bone cement integrity. A simplified experimental model of a stem/cement/bone construct of a cemented THA is designed to reproduce the mechanical boundary conditions of polymerizing cement. Effect of stem preheating and polymethylmethacrylate prechilling and mixing method (hand mixed and vacuum mixed) on cement porosity are investigated. Bulk porosity is analysed within three zones across the cement mantle in terms of pore number, pore area, and mean pore size. The results demonstrate that bulk cement porosity is strongly influenced by stem preheating, cement precooling as well as cement composition and mixing method. Stem preheating procedure displaces the porosity away from stem/cement interface toward bone; consequently reducing the pore area within the zone near the stem and increasing it in the middle and bone/cement zone. The most pronounced beneficial effect of stem preheating before implantation is visible for vacuum mixed procedure as the cement contains few pores of very small size (<100 µm). However, if stem is preheated, cement precooling should be avoided as it could counteract the beneficial effect of reduced porosity inside cement mantle.

Computational modelling of bone cement polymerization: temperature and residual stresses.

The two major concerns associated with the use of bone cement are the generation of residual stresses and possible thermal necrosis of surrounding bone. An accurate modelling of these two factors could be a helpful tool to improve cemented hip designs. Therefore, a computational methodology based on previous published works is presented in this paper combining a kinetic and an energy balance equation. New assumptions are that both the elasticity modulus and the thermal expansion coefficient depend on the bone cement polymerization fraction. This model allows to estimate the thermal distribution in the cement which is later used to predict the stress-locking effect, and to also estimate the cement residual stresses. In order to validate the model, computational results are compared with experiments performed on an idealized cemented femoral implant. It will be shown that the use of the standard finite element approach cannot predict the exact temporal evolution of the temperature nor the residual stresses, underestimating and overestimating their value, respectively. However, this standard approach can estimate the peak and long-term values of temperature and residual stresses within acceptable limits of measured values. Therefore, this approach is adequate to evaluate residual stresses for the mechanical design of cemented implants. In conclusion, new numerical techniques should be proposed in order to achieve accurate simulations of the problem involved in cemented hip replacements.

Sagittal profile of the femoral condyles and its application to femorotibial contact analysis.

Measurements of the sagittal profiles of the articular surfaces of 24 femoral condyles were performed using a laser range finder. An algebraic algorithm was developed to reconstruct the measured sagittal profiles with simple geometry. In particular, it has been shown that a two-circular-arc model provides a very accurate reconstruction of the actual profiles in the femorotibial contact region. The average sagittal profile was used for a femorotibial contact analysis of TKA implants. The contact analysis was performed by using a rigid-body-spring model extended to the case of nonlinear force-deformation behavior of the tibial polyethylene component.