Threshold Values for Success After Hip Arthroscopy Using the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Assessment: Determining the Minimum Clinically Important Difference and Patient Acceptable Symptomatic State.

BACKGROUND: Threshold values for patient-reported outcome measures, such as the minimum clinically important difference (MCID) and patient acceptable symptomatic state (PASS), are important for relating postoperative outcomes to meaningful functional improvement. PURPOSE: To determine the PASS and MCID after hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement using the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) questionnaire. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 3. METHODS: A consecutive series of patients undergoing primary hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement were administered preoperative and minimum 1-year postoperative PROMIS surveys focusing on physical function (PF) and pain interference (PI). External anchor questions for the MCID and PASS were given with the postoperative PROMIS survey. Receiver operator curves were constructed to determine the threshold values for the MCID and PASS. Curves were generated for the study population as well as separate cohorts segregated by median baseline PF or PI scores and preoperative athletic participation. A multivariate post hoc analysis was then constructed to evaluate factors associated with achieving the PASS or MCID. RESULTS: There were 113 patients (35% male; mean ± SD age, 32.8 ± 12.5 years; body mass index, 25.8 ± 4.8 kg/m2), with 60 (53%) reporting preoperative athletic participation. Survey time averaged 77.5 ± 49.2 seconds. Anchor-based MCID values were 5.1 and 10.9 for the PF and PI domains, respectively. PASS thresholds were 51.8 and 51.9 for the PF and PI, respectively. PASS values were not affected by baseline scores, but athletic patients had a higher PASS threshold than did those not participating in a sport (53.1 vs 44.7). MCID values were affected by preoperative baseline scores but were largely independent of sports participation. A post hoc analysis found that 94 (83%) patients attained the MCID PF while 66 (58%) attained the PASS PF. A multivariate nominal logistic regression found that younger patients (P = .01) and athletic patients (P = .003) were more likely to attain the PASS. CONCLUSION: The PROMIS survey is an efficient metric to evaluate preoperative disability and postoperative function after primary hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement. The MCID and PASS provide surgeons with threshold values to help determine PROMIS scores that are clinically meaningful to patients, and they can assist with therapeutic decision making as well as expectation setting.

Diversity among academic orthopedic shoulder and elbow surgery faculty in the United States.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to perform a cross-sectional analysis of diversity among academic shoulder and elbow surgeons in the United States. METHODS: US shoulder and elbow surgeons who participated in shoulder and elbow fellowship and/or orthopedic surgery resident education as of November 2018 were included. Demographic data (age, gender, race), practice setting, years in practice, academic rank, and leadership roles were collected through publicly available databases and professional profiles. Descriptive statistics were performed and findings were compared between different racial and gender groups. Statistical significance was set at P <.05. RESULTS: A total of 186 orthopedic shoulder and elbow surgeons were identified as participating in shoulder and elbow fellowship and/or orthopedic surgery residency education. Overall, 83.9% were white, 14.5% were Asian, 1.1% were Hispanic, 0.5% were an other race, and 0% were African American. In addition, 94.6% of surgeons were male, whereas 5.4% were female. Further, 64.5% of all surgeons had been in practice for >10 years, and 39.2% worked in an urban setting. Less than half (40.3%) of the surgeons practicing primarily at academic institutions held a professor rank. White surgeons had a significantly greater time in practice vs. nonwhite surgeons (mean 18.8 vs. 12.6 years, P < .01) and were more likely to hold a professor rank (44.0% vs. 21.7%, P = .04). CONCLUSION: Racial and gender diversity among US shoulder and elbow surgeons who participate in fellowship and residency education is lacking. Hispanic, African American, and female surgeons are underrepresented. Efforts should be made to identify the reasons for these deficiencies and address them to further advance the field of orthopedic shoulder and elbow surgery.

Cost and quality of life outcome analysis of postoperative infections after subaxial dorsal cervical fusions.

OBJECT: Infections following spine surgery negatively affect patient quality of life (QOL) and impose a significant financial burden on the health care system. Postoperative wound infections occur at higher rates following dorsal cervical procedures than ventral procedures. Quantifying the health outcomes and costs associated with infections following dorsal cervical procedures may help to guide treatment strategies to minimize the deleterious consequences of these infections. Therefore, the goals of this study were to determine the cost and QOL outcomes affecting patients who developed deep wound infections following subaxial dorsal cervical spine fusions. METHODS: The authors identified 22 (4.0%) of 551 patients undergoing dorsal cervical fusions who developed deep wound infections requiring surgical debridement. These patients were individually matched with control patients who did not develop infections. Health outcomes were assessed using the EQ-5D, Pain Disability Questionnaire (PDQ), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and visual analog scale (VAS). QOL outcome measures were collected preoperatively and after 6 and 12 months. Health resource utilization was recorded from patient electronic medical records over an average follow-up of 18 months. Direct costs were estimated using Medicare national payment amounts, and indirect costs were based on patients' missed workdays and income. RESULTS: No significant differences in preoperative QOL scores were found between the 2 cohorts. At 6 months postsurgery, the noninfection cohort had significant pre- to postoperative improvement in EQ-5D (p = 0.02), whereas the infection cohort did not (p = 0.2). The noninfection cohort also had a significantly higher 6-month postoperative EQ-5D scores than the infection cohort (p = 0.04). At 1 year postsurgery, there was no significant difference in EQ-5D scores between the groups. Health care-associated costs for the infection cohort were significantly higher ($16,970 vs $7658; p < 0.0001). Indirect costs for the infection cohort and the noninfection cohort were $6495 and $2756, respectively (p = 0.03). Adjusted for inflation, the total costs for the infection cohort were $21,778 compared with $9159 for the noninfection cohort, reflecting an average cost of $12,619 associated with developing a postoperative deep wound infection (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Dorsal cervical infections temporarily decrease patient QOL postoperatively, but with no long-term impact; they do, however, dramatically increase the cost of care. Knowledge of the financial burden of wound infections following dorsal cervical fusion may stimulate the development and use of improved prophylactic and therapeutic techniques to manage this serious complication.