Impact of Preoperative Quality of Life and Related Factors on the Development of Surgical Site Infections Following Primary Total Joint Arthroplasty: A Prospective Case-Control Study with a Five-Year Follow-Up.

Introduction: As surgical site infections (SSIs) after joint arthroplasty contribute to increased morbidity and mortality, they require further surgical intervention, prolonged hospitalisation, and antimicrobial treatment. The aim of our study is to examine the association between preoperative quality of life (QoL) and other predictive factors on the development of SSIs after primary arthroplasty. Methods: This is a prospective study that enrolled 56 patients with hip and knee primary osteoarthritis who underwent joint replacement. Data were collected from January to March 2017, including patient demographic characteristics, comorbidities, laboratory results, and perioperative clinical data. The patients' QoL was evaluated preoperatively by applying the knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS) and the hip disability and osteoarthritis outcome score (HOOS) for total knee replacement (TKR) and total hip replacement (THR), respectively. A 5-year follow-up was conducted to assess the clinical status of the patients. Results: 66.1% of patients underwent TKR, with 4.9 ± 1.2 days of hospitalisation, 16% of them required autologous blood transfusion, while 33.9% of patients were treated with THR, with 5.7 ± 1 days hospitalisation and 36.8 of them required this type of transfusion. 16 patients were diagnosed with SSIs, with the older of them (>65 years old) presenting lower probability (odds ratio: 0.13, 95% CI: 0.03-0.62) requiring treatment with additional antibiotics, while revision surgery was performed in 3 of these cases, following periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). Overall preoperative QoL was not statistically associated with SSIs, but low QoL scores were associated with higher rates of SSIs and increased levels of postoperative pain (p = 0.009 < 0.05). Conclusions: The duration of each operation (>90 min), the length of hospitalisation (>4 days), and the presence of comorbidities including hypothyroidism and recurrent urinary tract infections were associated with a high risk for SSIs following arthroplasties. On the contrary, this study revealed no association between other comorbidities, including heart coronary disease, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus, with close monitoring of plasma glucose and SSIs. Moreover, the younger the patients, the more likely they were to require treatment with antibiotics. Overall, high QoL index scores were mainly accompanied by low rates of postoperative SSIs and pain.

Femoral 3-in-1 Nerve Block for Total Knee Replacement, an Analgesic Approach Not to Be Neglected. Single Center Experience and Literature Review.

OBJECTIVES: Total Knee Replacement Surgery (TKR) is one of the most common elective orthopedic operations. Postoperative pain after total knee replacement, remains a challenge. In this retrospective observational study, we evaluated the effectiveness of 3-in-1 nerve block in patients after total knee arthroplasty compared to standard opioid treatment, and we state the reasons why this approach should still be considered. METHODS: To evaluate the effectiveness of the 3-in-1 nerve block, we assessed the acute pain service archive and compared the values of the visual analog scale, by separating patients into two groups according to the analgesic regimen they received as per local protocols. In group A, patients received 0.25% bupivacaine through a 3 in 1 block catheter and additional meperidine IM if needed, while in group B they received meperidine every six hours. RESULTS: Our analysis showed the statistically significant better effectiveness of 3-in-1 nerve block with bupivacaine administration in postoperative TKR pain control compared to repeated administration of meperidine. CONCLUSION: The results of our study suggest that 3-in-1 nerve block with bupivacaine is an option that must always be considered in order to alleviate post-operative pain after TKR.

Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) Relevant to Musculoskeletal Conditions Translated and Validated in the Greek Language: A COSMIN-Based Systematic Review of Measurement Properties.

BACKGROUND: The use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) constitutes a valuable tool in evaluating the quality of care offered in orthopaedic surgery. The aim of this review is to identify the PROMs that have been translated into and validated in the Greek language, summarise their measurement properties, and evaluate their methodological quality according to the COSMIN Risk of Bias Checklist. METHODS: A structured literature search was conducted using the databases PubMED/MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library in order to identify PROMs relevant to musculoskeletal conditions translated and validated in the Greek language. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed according to the COSMIN Risk of Bias Checklist, and the quality of measurement properties according to the COMSIN criteria. RESULTS: Literature search yielded 6743 articles. After removal of duplicates and screening of the articles, 32 studies including PROMs related to musculoskeletal conditions were identified. The studies included 31 PROMs and reported 171 measurement properties. Methodological quality was adequate for 81 of them (47.3%). The most commonly reported measurement properties were internal consistency, reliability, construct validity and responsiveness. CONCLUSION: The majority of PROMs translated into Greek involves the lower extremity and especially knee pathologies. The search revealed that there are areas of Musculoskeletal Medicine such as skeletal trauma, musculoskeletal oncology, and paediatric orthopaedics in which patient reported-outcome measures have not been translated into Greek. Translation and validation of new outcome measures is encouraged, using studies designed in compliance with the COSMIN guidelines, and further validation of the translated instruments.

Operative treatment of acute shaft and neck lesser metatarsals fractures: a systematic review of the literature.

PURPOSE: Metatarsal fractures are relatively common injuries that they might lead to significant disability and chronic pain if suboptimally treated. Operative treatment is reserved for the displaced fractures. The primary aim of the herein study is to present the union time and rate, as well as the functional outcome of the surgically treated isolated lesser metatarsal shaft and neck fractures. The secondary aim is to present the related complications of each fixation method. METHODS: The electronic databases of Pubmed, Scopus, Embase and Cochrane libraries were searched from January 1990 to December 2020. PRISMA guidelines were used for data collection. We retrieved five articles including in total 154 patients, which were compatible to our inclusion criteria and they were used for this systematic review. RESULTS: A total of 75 patients were treated with percutaneous antegrade pinning resulting in AOFAS score: 96.4 ± 4.8 and time to heal 7.4 ± 1 weeks, 34 patients underwent ante/retrograde pinning resulting in AOFAS score: 95.2 ± 4.75 and time to heal 6.5 ± 1 weeks, and 45 patients underwent open reduction and internal fixation with plate and screws resulting in a time to union 10.9 ± 0.5 weeks. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that K wire intramedullary nailing regardless of the specific technique (antegrade, retrograde, ante/retrograde) is associated with better outcomes compared to open reduction and internal fixation as it permits faster weight bearing and quicker rehabilitation. K-wire fixation is related to statistically significant shorter time for the fracture to heal, by approximately three weeks compared to open reduction and internal fixation. Future research should focus on studies directly comparing the different intramedullary K-wiring techniques and also K-wiring versus plate fixation.

International trauma care: initial European approaches during the COVID 19 pandemic.

The world was not prepared for the global of pandemic in early 2020 with the arrival of COVID 19. Europe has some of the most developed health care systems in the world and this article explains the initial response to the pandemic from an orthopaedic and trauma viewpoint from 8 nations. Italy reported the first cluster in February, which then rapidly spread around the continent, requiring a rapid reorganization of services. The reports highlight how elective surgery was universally stopped, surgical services were reconfigured, and new practices, such as the widespread use of telemedicine, may well become permanent. It also emphasizes how the pandemic has re-educated us on the importance of a consistent and central approach to deal with a global health crisis, and how medical services need to remain flexible and responsive to new ways of working.

Influence of reaming intramedullary nailing on MSC population after surgical treatment of patients with long bone fracture.

Reamed intramedullary nailing (RIN) is a surgical method of choice for treatment of diaphyseal fractures. This procedure affects the biological environment of bone tissue locally and systemically. This study investigated the influence of RIN on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in patients with long bone fractures. The axis of C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4)/stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF­1) was selected since it is considered as major pathway for MSC homing and migration. Iliac crest bone marrow (IC­BM) samples and blood samples were collected at two different time points. One sample was collected before the RIN (BN) and the other immediately after RIN (AN). BM­MSCs were cultured and RT­qPCR was performed for CXCR4 mRNA levels and ELISA for the SDF­1 sera levels. The experimental study revealed that there was a correlation between the increase of SDF­1 levels in peripheral blood and a decrease in the levels of CXCR4 in MSCs in the IC­BM following RIN. The levels of SDF­1 showed a significant increase in the sera of patients after RIN. In conclusion, the present study is the first providing evidence of the effects of RIN on MSC population via the CXCR4/SDF­1 axis. The levels of serum SDF­1 factor were elevated after RIN while increased levels of SDF­1 in peripheral blood were inversely correlated with the mRNA levels of CXCR4 on BM­MSCs after RIN. Therefore, this study contributes to enlighten the systematic effects of RIN on the population of MSCs at a cellular level.