Are Hamstring Grafts a Predisposing Factor to Infection in R-ACL Surgery? A Comparative In Vitro Study.

BACKGROUND: The objective of the present study was to evaluate the formation of biofilms in bone patellar tendon bone grafts (BPTB grafts), and to compare it to the formation of biofilm formation in quadrupled hamstring anterior cruciate ligament grafts (4×Ht graft). METHODS: A descriptive in vitro study was conducted. One 4×Ht graft and one BPTB graft were prepared. They were then contaminated with a strain of S. epidermidis. Later, a quantitative analysis was conducted by means of microcalorimetry and sonication with plating. Additionally, a qualitative analysis was conducted by means of electron microscopy. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between the bacterial growth profiles of the 4×Ht graft and the BPTB graft in microcalorimetry and colony counting. In the samples analyzed with electron microscopy, no specific biofilm growth pattern was identified upon comparing the BPTB graft to the 4×Ht graft. CONCLUSIONS: There were no significant differences found at either the quantitative or qualitative level when comparing bacterial growth in the BPTB graft to that in the 4×Ht graft. Therefore, the presence of sutures in the 4×Ht graft cannot be established as a predisposing factor for increased biofilm growth in this in vitro study.

Early Postoperative CT Scan Provides Prognostic Data on Clinical Outcomes of Fresh Osteochondral Transplantation of the Knee.

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of information regarding the ability of imaging studies to predict clinical outcomes after fresh osteochondral allograft (FOCA) transplantation of the knee. PURPOSE: To determine the value of computed tomography (CT) scans to predict the clinical outcome of FOCA transplantation using the assessment computed tomography osteochondral allograft (ACTOCA) score. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. METHODS: We prospectively collected data from all consecutive patients who underwent FOCA transplantation for osteochondral knee lesions at one institution between August 2017 and August 2019. All patients were followed up for a minimum of 2 years. CT scans performed 6 months after surgery were evaluated by a musculoskeletal radiologist using the ACTOCA scoring system. The radiologist was blinded to the patient's medical history. Clinical outcomes were assessed preoperatively and at 12 and 30 months postoperatively using the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, the Kujala score, the Tegner activity scale, and the Western Ontario Meniscal Evaluation Tool (WOMET) score. RESULTS: A total of 38 cases were included. The ACTOCA score at 6 months after surgery showed a statistically significant correlation with clinical results at 12 and 30 months. The correlation was better at 30 months, showing a high negative correlation with the IKDC score (-0.663) and a moderate negative correlation with the Kujala, WOMET, and Tegner scores (-0.593; -0.547, and -0.593, respectively) (P < .001). CONCLUSION: A statistically significant correlation between the mean ACTOCA score on CT scans at 6 months and the clinical results measured by the IKDC, Kujala, WOMET, and Tegner scores at 30 months confirmed the predictive value of the ACTOCA score for use in clinical practice.

Impact of Early Referral to Palliative Care in Patients with Interstitial Lung Disease.

Background: Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) have a major impact on survival and quality of life but only a small percentage of patients are referred for palliative care (PC). Objective: To assess the impact of early PC referral on hospital admissions, emergency department visits, and place of death in the last year of life. Design: This is a single-center retrospective observational study. Setting/Subjects: Subjects were patients with ILDs who attended the respiratory department of Hospital Santa Creu i Sant Pau (Barcelona, Spain) between 2011 and 2019. Results: Of the 51 included patients, 45% received early PC referral. Logistic regression indicated that early PC referral was independently associated with a lower risk of hospital admissions in the last year of life (OR = 0.16; 95% CI 0.03-0.75; p = 0.02) and a lower risk of dying in hospital (OR = 0.11; 95% CI 0.02-0.5; p = 0.009). Conclusion: Early PC referral reduces the need for hospitalization and enables domiciliary death.

Computerized tomography scan evaluation after fresh osteochondral allograft transplantation of the knee correlates with clinical outcomes.

PURPOSE: To determine the correlation between the assessment computed tomography osteochondral allograft (ACTOCA) scoring system and clinical outcomes scores. The hypothesis was that the ACTOCA score would show sufficient correlation to support its use in clinical practice. METHODS: We prospectively collected data from all consecutive patients who underwent cartilage restitution with fresh osteochondral allograft (FOCA) transplantation for osteochondral lesions of the knee and had a minimum follow-up of two years. CT scans were performed at three, six and 24 months post-operatively. A musculoskeletal radiologist blinded to the patients' medical history evaluated the scans using the ACTOCA scoring system. Clinical outcomes collected preoperatively and at three, six and 24 months postoperatively were evaluated using the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC), Kujala, the Western Ontario Meniscal Evaluation Tool (WOMET), and the Tegner Activity Scale. RESULTS: The mean total ACTOCA score showed a statistically significant correlation with the clinical outcome. The correlation was optimal at 24 months. We found a high negative correlation with the IKDC, Kujala and Tegner (- 0.737; - 0.757, and - 0.781 respectively), and a moderate negative correlation with WOMET (- 0.566) (p < 0.001). IKDC, Kujala, WOMET, and Tegner scores showed a significant continuous improvement in all scores (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The mean total ACTOCA score showed a linear correlation with clinical results in IKDC, Kujala, WOMET, and Tegner scores, being the highest at 24 months post-surgery. This finding supports the use of ACTOCA to standardize CT scan reports following fresh osteochondral allograft transplantation in the knee.

A new computed tomography scoring system to assess osteochondral allograft transplantation for the knee: inter-observer and intra-observer agreement.

AIM OF THE STUDY: To describe a new semiquantitative computed tomography (CT) scoring system for multi-feature analysis of cartilage defect repair by osteochondral allografts for the knee and to assess its intra-observer and inter-observer variability. METHOD: A semiquantitative assessment CT osteochondral allograft (ACTOCA) scoring system was designed based on fresh osteochondral allograft transplantations for the knee. The system includes five CT features: density relative to host bone, integration at the host-graft junction, surface percentage with a discernible cleft at the host-graft junction, cystic changes, and intra-articular fragments. Inter-observer variability was calculated by three observers blinded to the patient's medical history and treatment. Intra-observer variability was also determined. RESULTS: Inter-observer agreement was moderate to substantial for all CT score components and intra-observer agreement was moderate to almost perfect for all CT score components (κ > 0.5, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The ACTOCA score is a reliable tool to evaluate integration of osteochondral allograft transplantations. It provides an accurate evaluation of bone changes and may help to standardize CT scan reports following osteochondral allograft transplantation for the knee.

Art Therapy in a Palliative Care Unit: Symptom Relief and Perceived Helpfulness in Patients and Their Relatives.

CONTEXT: Creative arts therapies aim to expand conventional palliative care interventions by making clinical care more holistic. OBJECTIVES: The objective of the present study was to evaluate the benefits of an art therapy intervention in a tertiary hospital palliative care unit, directly in adult cancer inpatients and indirectly in their relatives. METHODS: We evaluated the intensity of pain, anxiety, depression, and well-being using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale before and after the first, third, and fifth art therapy sessions. After the third and fifth sessions, perceived helpfulness was assessed via a questionnaire developed by the palliative care team, combining open-ended questions and a checklist. We categorized the narrative data into three predetermined types: generally helpful (some positive experience), helpfulness related to a dyadic relationship (patient-art therapist), and helpfulness related to a triadic relationship (patient-image-art therapist). RESULTS: We observed a significant reduction in anxiety, depression, and pain as well as a significant increase in well-being at each of the time points evaluated. Ninety-eight percent of the patients considered the art therapy helpful, which could be categorized as generally helpful in 54.8%, related to a triadic relationship in 32.9%, and to a dyadic relationship in 12.3%. Relatives gave similar opinions regarding the effects on patients and, in addition, reported an indirect helpful effect for themselves. The most frequently selected experiences from the checklist were feeling calm, being entertained, and expressing and communicating emotions. CONCLUSION: This art therapy intervention was beneficial in reducing symptom intensity. Almost all the participants directly or indirectly involved in the creative art process considered it helpful. They reported a wide variety of sensory, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual experiences.

Which type of bone releases the most vancomycin? Comparison of spongious bone, cortical powder and cortico-spongious bone.

Bone infections can be challenging to treat and can lead to several surgeries and relapses. When a graft is needed, cavitary bone loss can be grafted with cancellous or cortical bone. Both can be used for grafting. However, the antibiotic releasing capacity of these grafts has not been compared. Which type of bone is best at releasing the most antibiotic has not been well established. The aim of this study was to determine which type of bone is best for antibiotic release when the bone is suffused with antibiotics by the surgeon. The hypothesis is that there would be a difference between the type of bone tested due to different release capacities of cortical and cancellous bone. This was an experimental study. Cortical spongy bone in chips, Spongy bone in chips and demineralized cortical bone powder were compared. For each type of bone, 5 samples were tested. Processed and decontaminated grafts were freeze-dried to be kept at room temperature. The primary endpoint was the amount of vancomycin released by the graft as it affects the concentration of antibiotic around the graft in clinical practice. The procedure for the study consisted of full graft immersion in a vancomycin solution. Then, the liquid was removed with aspiration. In order to measure the quantity of antibiotic released, the bone was put into distilled water in agitation in a heated rocker at 37 °C. After 30 min of soaking, 1 mL of the liquid was removed. The same extraction process was also carried out after 60 min soaking, 2 h, 3 h, 24 h, and 48 h. No differences were found between each type of bone relative to the concentration of vancomycin released at each time of the assessment. There was a significant difference in the weight of the bone with a higher weight for the cortical powder (1.793 g) versus cortical spongy bone and spongy bone (1.154 g and 1.013 g) with a p value < 0.0001. A significant difference was seen in the weight of the bone with vancomycin after the aspiration of the liquid with 3.026 g for cortical powder, 2.140 g and 2.049 g for the cortical spongy bone and the spongy bone with a p value < 0.0001. In daily clinical practice, one can use cancellous bone, cortico-cancellous bone or cortical powder in order to add vancomycin to a bone graft. Our results show the release kinetics of the soaked allografts. With a maximum of 14 mg/mL in the first minutes and a rapid decrease it shows a pattern comparable to antibiotic loaded bone cement. The method used appears favourable for prophylactic use, protecting the graft against contamination at implantation, but is not sufficient for treating chronic bone infection. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: V.

Fresh Osteochondral Resurfacing of the Patellofemoral Joint.

Large osteochondral lesions of the knee in young patients continue to be a challenge for orthopaedic surgeons and the focus of continual research. This is particularly true if the injury is a consequence of a dysplastic trochlea and involves both articular surfaces of the biomechanically complex patellofemoral joint. To obtain a healthy and congruent patellofemoral joint, the use of a bipolar fresh osteochondral allograft transplantation of the patella and trochlea is one of the few options to biologically treat these injuries. This would achieve a replacement of the entire articular surface of the patellofemoral joint with a high number of viable chondrocytes and respect the unique structural characteristics of the cartilage. The aim of this study was to obtain symptomatic and functional improvements while delaying the timing of prosthetic surgery. We present a reproducible although demanding surgical technique to perform a bipolar fresh osteochondral allograft transplantation of the patella and trochlea.

Five-year results of implants inserted into freeze-dried block allografts.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcome after 5 years of allografts as bone growth material and success of implants inserted in fresh-frozen allograft bone. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 20 patients were operated and 41 onlay block freeze-dried allografts (calvarial and iliac crest) were inserted for bone augmentation. A total of 64 dental implants were performed in a two-stage procedure. Four patients had total edentulism and 16 had partial edentulism. RESULTS: A total of 41 onlay block allografts were used to augment atrophic maxillae and mandibles in 20 patients. In five cases, there were horizontal and vertical augmentations. Exposure of bone allograft occurred in three cases during the first 6 weeks; all of them located in the posterior area. There were no postoperative effects in any of the cases. Fracture was observed in one case, the remaining bone was adequate to place the implants. Sixty-two dental implants were placed at second stage surgery. There was no loss of implants. CONCLUSIONS: The use of fresh-frozen allogenic bone blocks can be considered as being reliable for reconstruction of maxillomandibular defects.

Arthroscopic Keller technique for Freiberg disease.

Freiberg disease is a disorder that has a predilection for the second metatarsal head. Keller excision of the base of the proximal phalanx is a procedure described for the treatment of late-stage Freiberg disease. We describe a case of a 60-year-old man, with a stage IV lesion according to Smillie's classification, treated by debridement, removal of the free body, and arthroscopic Keller excision. Arthroscopic treatment allows the patient to begin and maintain an aggressive postoperative physical therapy program immediately after surgery, thus decreasing the risk of scarring and contracture. At last evaluation, 2 years postoperatively, he is symptom-free. A suggested pattern of minimally invasive surgery management of this disease is proposed.

The radial portal for scaphotrapeziotrapezoid arthroscopy.

The scaphotrapeziotrapezoidal (STT) joint is a complex joint in which the arthroscope and instruments can be used through the radial midcarpal and STT-ulnar portals. This report describes a new arthroscopic portal at the STT joint to complete and improve the evaluation and treatment of this joint by arthroscopy: The STT-radial (STT-R) portal is situated immediately radial to the abductor pollicis longus at the STT level. Five cadaveric wrist specimens were dissected immediately after the portal was established, and photographed to determine the proximity of neurovascular structures. Magnetic resonance imaging evaluation of 15 hands was performed to measure the proximity of the radial artery. A cadaveric distal scaphoid excision was also created arthroscopically to show the real usefulness of this portal. Results of the anatomic study showed that no lesions of nerves or vessels were seen at this portal. Magnetic resonance imaging showed that the radial artery was located at a safe distance from the portal. The distal scaphoid excision was performed 15 minutes after the STT portals were established. Our results suggest that this new portal is safe and effective.