Assessment and trends in the methodological quality of the top 50 most cited articles in shoulder arthroplasty.

INTRODUCTION: Shoulder arthroplasty is increasingly frequent, and the associated literature is abundant. Citation rate is often considered a good means of assessing impact and scientific value. However, analysis of methodological quality is also essential in evidence-based medicine. OBJECTIVES: (1) To identify the 50 most cited articles on shoulder arthroplasty, and (2) to assess the correlation between citation rate and methodological quality. The study hypothesis was that there is no correlation between citation rate and methodological quality. METHOD: Articles were retrieved from PubMed and Google Scholar, identifying the 50 most cited articles on shoulder arthroplasty via the keywords "shoulder joint replacement", "shoulder arthroplasty", "anatomic shoulder prothesis", "reverse shoulder prothesis", and "glenohumeral arthritis". Modified Coleman Methodology Score (MCMS) and the Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies (MINORS) were calculated. RESULTS: Mean citation rate for the 50 articles was 312.4±169.5 (range, 151-841.5), with a mean citation density of 18.8±10.6 (range, 4.7-46.7). 56% of the studies (28/50) were retrospective case series with level of evidence IV. There was no correlation between citation rate and methodological quality. DISCUSSION: The 50 most cited articles on shoulder arthroplasty mostly showed low levels of methodological quality. There was no correlation between citation rate and methodological quality: the literature needs to be read with a critical eye. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

Management of medial femorotibial osteoarthritis: Epidemiology, and survival of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty versus valgus high tibial osteotomy in France. Study of 108,007 cases from the French National Hospitals Database.

INTRODUCTION: Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) and valgus high tibial osteotomy (HTO) are two options for isolated medial femorotibial osteoarthritis in genu varum. In the absence of registries for osteotomies and for arthroplasty in the knee, epidemiological data are hard to obtain in France. We therefore performed a retrospective study, with the aims of: 1) estimating UKA and HTO survival without revision by total knee arthroplasty (TKA), and 2) assessing risk factors for revision according to treatment group. HYPOTHESIS: Medium-term survival is better with HTO than UKA in under-70-year-olds. MATERIALS AND METHOD: All elderly patients undergoing HTO or UKA in the French National Hospitals Database for the period 2011-2020 were included: i.e., 108,007 patients; 43,537 HTO (29,330 male, 14,207 female; mean age 49.7 years, 95% CI 49.6-49.8) and 64,470 UKA (31,181 male, 33,289 female; mean age 60.5 years, 95% CI 60.5-60.6). RESULTS: Survival free of revision by TKA was 75.8% (95% CI=75.2-76.4) for UKA and 80.6% (95% CI=80.0-81.3) for HTO (p<0.00001). In UKA, revision risk factors comprised: low annual center volume (<17 UKAs per year) (HR=1.50; 95% CI=1.41-1.59), obesity (HR=1.25; 95% CI=1.18-1.32), and age <60years, with maximum risk for 50-59years (HR=2.41; 95% CI=1.83-3.16 in 50-59 year-olds). In HTO, revision risk factors comprised: obesity (HR=1.42; 95% CI=1.31-1.53), rheumatoid arthritis (HR=2.75; 95% CI=1.37-5.51), joint chondrocalcinosis (HR=2.01; 95% CI=1.18-3.39), and age >60years (HR=8.81; 95% CI=7.23-19.73 in 60-69-year-olds). Male gender was a protective factor against revision in both groups: UKA, HR=0.75 (95% CI=0.72-0.79); HTO, HR=0.73 (95% CI=0.69-0.77). The number of UKAs increased over the years, matching the increase in arthroplasty in France, with a decrease in HTOs until 2019. CONCLUSION: HTO showed better medium-term survival than UKA in under-70-year-olds in France. Even so, indications decreased in favor of UKA, although the respective risk factors differ. These findings suggest that conservative surgery still has a role, depending on osteoarthritis stage. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III; retrospective comparative study.

Single-use versus reusable ancillaries for dual mobility cup in total hip replacement. A prospective randomized short-term safety and feasibility comparison.

BACKGROUND: Single-use (SU) ancillaries for cup preparation in total hip arthroplasty (THR) aim to reduce the costs of hip replacement surgery. These devices have been recently introduced, but their safety and feasibility have not been studied. Therefore, we performed a prospective randomized study aiming to assess the impact in our department of using these SU ancillaries versus standard reusable ancillaries for dual mobility THR regarding 1) the cost, 2) operative time, 3) quality of primary fixation. HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesized that the use of SU ancillaries for acetabular preparation would reduce maintenance costs, and so optimise the operating procedure, reduce the overall cost of surgery, save time, while maintaining the same quality of prosthesis fitting. METHOD: We conducted a randomised, controlled, open-label, two-arm, single-centre, prospective therapeutic trial with a medico-economic objective. Inclusions were made prospectively from patients hospitalised and surgically managed in our department for arthrosis over 18 years old treated with dual mobility THR. RESULTS: In the current study, 18/20 (90%) of the cases required the use of one SU reamer when using SU ancillaries. Only two cases (10%) required a second SU reamer (without SU failure regarding the acetabular implant) because there was too much subchondral bone left and not enough cancellous bone allowing correct cup fitting. We also found that the test implant supplied in the SU kit had a less secure press-fit than the reusable metal test implants. There was one of primary press-fit failure in the SU group requiring a different cup with additional screws. The estimated cost to the supplier per procedure was 20,105 euros using single-use reamers versus 26,666 euros using conventional ancillary kits, a saving of 6561 euros (p<0.001). For the healthcare institution, the median price per intervention on the differentiating points was 2648 euros versus 2580 euros, with no significant difference (p=0.297). The results show an average societal cost of 52,199 euros using single-use and 53,572 euros using reusable ancillary equipment, with a significant difference between the two groups (p<0.003). The average cost of Healthcare Risk Waste (HCRW) disposal in the SU group was 5.2 euros per intervention against 5.1 euros in the RU group, without significant difference (p=0.910). We found a similar result for the cost of disposal of non-HCRW waste per procedure: 0.37 euros in the SU group versus 0.34 in the RU group, without significant difference (p=0.345). CONCLUSION: SU ancillaries significantly reduce the table set up time and have the potential to facilitate time and cost savings but further research is needed in this direction. Our study shows that the daily workload, operating times, and the number of boxes of instruments to be sterilised are decreased. The associated environmental gain is significant. Nevertheless, the economic promise of these SU ancillaries is only partially supported in this trial owing to the small number of patients. Further work will be needed to obtain a more powerful medico-economic assessment of this promising ancillary product. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II; prospective randomized study.

Epidemiology of painful knee after total knee arthroplasty in a tertiary care center: Assessment by decision tree.

BACKGROUND: Painful knee after arthroplasty concerns up to 21% of patients at six months. We aimed to evaluate: the application of a decision tree to explain painful knee after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), the rate of unexplained pain after complete algorithmic screening. The aim of the study was to evaluate the causes of painful TKA. Our hypothesis was that it is possible to find the cause of the pain in more than 90% of cases. METHODS: A single-center retrospective study analyzed all 1130 consultations between 1 April 2017 and 31 July 2018. We included all patients consulting for unexplained chronic painful knee arthroplasty. RESULTS: We included 112 knees in 105 patients as unexplained painful knee arthroplasty. Final diagnostic status was no diagnosis in seven (6.3%) cases; infection in five (4.5%); instability without real dislocation in three (2.7%); placement error in two (1.8%), due to rotational problems; loosening in 25 (22.3%): 24 (21.4%) tibial and two (1.8%) femoral; polyethylene wear in nine (8.0%); periarticular pain in 37 (33.9%): 20 with quadriceps deficiency, four with iliotibial tendinitis, four with pes bursitis, six with stiffness, and three with prepatellar bursitis); zero material problems; projected pain in 21 (18.8%); and complex regional pain syndrome in three (2.7%) cases, improved by gentle physiotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: The present study was original and presents the problem in the context of everyday practice, from the clinician's point of view, with an easy-to-use decision tree that can be implemented to assess painful knee in consultation.

Ten-year epidemiological study in an orthopaedic and trauma surgery centre: Are there risks involved in increasing scheduled arthroplasty volume without increasing resources?

BACKGROUND: Current trends in patient management include decreasing hospital stay lengths and reductions in available material and human resources. A shortening of hospital stays in university hospitals has been documented over the last decade. However, to our knowledge, no study has assessed possible relationships linking shorter stays to staffing levels or complication rates. The objectives of this study were: 1) to assess changes in case volume in a university orthopaedics and trauma surgery department between 2006 and 2016, 2) and to look for correlations linking these changes to staffing levels and the rates of significant complications, including the number of hip dislocations after total hip arthroplasty (THA) and the number of infections and complications resulting in malpractice litigation after hip, knee, or shoulder arthroplasty. HYPOTHESIS: The case volume increased during the study period, whereas resources remained unchanged or decreased. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective study was performed using the electronic database of an orthopaedics and trauma surgery department. Data collected between 2006 and 2016 were analysed. Mean hospital stay length, patient age, and surgical volume were recorded, and changes over time in case volume for trauma surgery and scheduled arthroplasties were evaluated. Changes in staffing levels and rates of complications (dislocation after THA and infections and complications resulting in malpractice litigation) between 2006 and 2016 were assessed. Only arthroplasty procedures performed in the department were considered for the study of complications and litigation. RESULTS: Between 2006 and 2016, mean hospital stay decreased from 8.7±10.8 days (range, 0-141 days) in to 7.0±9.4 days (range, 0-150 days). Mean patient age increased from 54.4±21.2 years (range, 11.7-100.9 years) in 2006 to 59.3±20.9 years (range, 13.2-103.1 years) in 2016. The total number of procedures rose from 2158 in 2006 to 3100 in 2016 (+43.6%). The number of THAs increased by 16.2% and the number of total knee arthroplasties by 96.7%. The number of operations for trauma increased from 725 in 2006 to 1135 in 2016 (+56.0%). During the study period, the number of hospital beds declined from 70 to 55. No increase was seen in the frequencies of dislocation after THA (3/284 [1.4%] in 2006 and 4/330 [1.2%] in 2016) or prosthetic joint infection (5/439 [1.1%] in 2006 and 6/657 [0.9%] in 2016). In contrast, malpractice suits filed by patients after arthroplasty increased from 1/439 (0.2%) in 2006 to 8/657 (1.2%) in 2016. CONCLUSION: Over the last decade, trauma and arthroplasty surgical volumes increased substantially, whereas staffing levels remained unchanged and number of beds diminished. The frequency of significant complications such as dislocation after THA did not increase. In contrast, a marked rise was seen in malpractice litigation. However, the increased volume with unchanged resources found in this study should be interpreted in the light of the marked increase in patient dependency and of our role as a referral centre managing patients with complications after surgery performed at other institutions. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV, retrospective observational study.