Bio-Derived Apatite As a Bone Graft for Vertebral Trauma.

INTRODUCTION: Traumatic spinal injury presents the potential for significant morbidity and mortality, and posterior fixation and fusion with bone grafts is a primary treatment for many vertebral fractures. While iliac crest autograft (ICBG) is considered the gold standard in bone grafting, this carries risks of morbidity at the donor site as well as prolonging surgery time. Bone graft substitutes (BGS) may provide a viable alternative to autograft but there is little published data concerning its use in trauma. Therefore, we conducted this retrospective review to evaluate the outcomes for fusion among patients who have received a BGS during posterolateral fusion (PLF) for vertebral trauma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective, consecutive patient cohort. Over a six-month period, we identified 27 patients who had undergone PLF for spine trauma and in whom a BGS comprised of bovine-derived apatite was used. All patients had followed the standard of care. The postoperative plain film radiographs at three, six, 12, and (optionally) 24 months were independently assessed by an orthopedic surgeon who was not affiliated with the hospital. RESULTS: We documented a radiographically observed fusion rate of 85% and a successful treatment rate of 92%. There were no adverse events related to the BGS. Patients who received a BGS with ICBG spent significantly longer in surgery than other patients. There were no adverse events related to the BGS. CONCLUSIONS: The spondylodesis rate following surgery in which the BGS was used in PLF, whether alone, mixed with local bone, or mixed with ICBG is comparable to the rates that have been reported for iliac crest autograft in these indications. The data indicates that the BGS provides a useful adjunct in PLF for the treatment of traumatic spine vertebral injuries. The use of BGS also allows for shorter time in surgery, which may reduce resource utilization and thus lower the total costs of the procedure. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Posterolateral fusion can be obtained with the use of a bio-derived BGS while reducing the time in surgery by avoiding the second procedure necessary to harvest ICBG. This may be advantageous in cases where the surgeon wishes to minimize operating time or when the availability of autograft is limited.

Operative Stabilization of Chest Wall Trauma: Single-Center Report of Initial Management and Long-Term Outcome.

BACKGROUND: Conservative treatment of even severe thoracic trauma including flail chest was traditionally the standard of care. Recently, we reported possible benefits of surgical chest wall stabilization in accordance with other groups. The aim of this study was to critically review our indications and results of internal fixation of rib fractures in the long-term course. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the data of a consecutive series of patients with internal rib fracture fixation at our institution from 8/2009 until 12/2014, and we retrospectively studied the late outcome through clinical examination or personal interview. RESULTS: From 1398 patients, 235 sustained a severe thoracic trauma (AIS ≥3). In 23 of these patients, 88 internal rib fixations were performed using the MatrixRIB® system. The median age of these operated patients was 56 years [interquartile range (IQR) 49-63] with a median ISS of 21 [IQR 16-29]. From 18 local resident patients, follow-up was obtained after an average time period of 27.6 (12-68) months. Most of these patients were free of pain and had no limitations in their daily routine. Out of all implants, 5 splint tips perforated the ribs in the postoperative course, but all patients remained clinically asymptomatic. Plate osteosynthesis showed no loss of reduction in the postoperative course. No cases of hardware prominence, wound infection or non-union occurred. CONCLUSIONS: In our carefully selected thoracic trauma patients, locked plate rib fixation seemed to be safe and beneficial not only in the early posttraumatic course, but also after months and years, patients remain asymptomatic and complete recovery as a rule. Trial registration number KEK BASEC Nr. 2016-01679.

Biomechanical evaluation of the docking nail concept in periprosthetic fracture fixation around a stemmed total knee arthroplasty.

Intramedullary femoral nails provide an ideal mechanical axis for periprosthetic fracture fixation. Slotted nails allow a connection to a total knee arthroplasty (TKA) stem. This study aims to compare implant and construct stiffness, interfragmentary movement and cycles to failure between an antegrade slotted femoral nail construct docked to a TKA stem and a distal femoral locking plate in a human periprosthetic femoral fracture model. In eight pairs of fresh-frozen human femora with stalked TKA, a 10 mm transverse osteotomy gap was set simulating a Rorabeck type II, Su type I fracture. The femora were pairwise instrumented with either an antegrade slotted nail coupled to the prosthesis stem, or a locking plate. Cyclic testing with a progressively increasing physiologic loading profile was performed at 2 Hz until catastrophic construct failure. Relative movement at the osteotomy site was monitored by means of optical motion tracking. In addition, four-point bending implant stiffness, torsional implant stiffness and frictional fit of the stem-nail connection were investigated via separate non-destructive tests. Intramedullary nails exhibited significantly higher four-point bending and significantly lower torsional implant stiffness than plates, P < 0.01. Increasing difference between nail and stem diameters decreased frictional fit at the stem-nail junction. Nail constructs provided significantly higher initial axial bending stiffness and cycles to failure (200 ± 83 N/mm; 16'871 ± 5'227) compared to plate constructs (93 ± 35 N/mm; 7'562 ± 1'064), P = 0.01. Relative axial translation at osteotomy level after 2'500 cycles was significantly smaller for nail fixation (0.14 ± 0.11 mm) compared with plate fixation (0.99 ± 0.20 mm), P < 0.01. From a biomechanical perspective, the docking nail concept offers higher initial and secondary stability under dynamic axial loading versus plating in TKA periprosthetic fracture fixation.

Healthcare-resource utilization associated with radiation to bone across eight European countries: Results from a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Bone metastases and lytic lesions due to multiple myeloma are common in advanced cancer and can lead to debilitating complications (skeletal-related events [SREs]), including requirement for radiation to bone. Despite the high frequency of radiation to bone in patients with metastatic bone disease, our knowledge of associated healthcare resource utilization (HRU) is limited. METHODS: This retrospective study estimated HRU following radiation to bone in Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland. Eligible patients were ≥ 20 years old, had bone metastases secondary to breast, lung or prostate cancer, or bone lesions associated with multiple myeloma, and had received radiation to bone between 1 July 2004 and 1 July 2009. HRU data were extracted from hospital patient charts from 3.5 months before the index SRE (radiation to bone preceded by a SRE-free period of ≥ 6.5 months) until 3 months after the last SRE that the patient experienced during the study period. RESULTS: In total, 482 patients were included. The number of inpatient stays increased from baseline by a mean of 0.52 (standard deviation [SD] 1.17) stays per radiation to bone event and the duration of stays increased by a mean of 7.8 (SD 14.8) days. Outpatient visits increased by a mean of 4.24 (SD 6.57) visits and procedures by a mean of 8.51 (SD 7.46) procedures. CONCLUSION: HRU increased following radiation to bone across all countries studied. Agents that prevent severe pain and delay the need for radiation have the potential to reduce the burden imposed on healthcare resources and patients.

Pathologic fracture and healthcare resource utilisation: A retrospective study in eight European countries.

BACKGROUND: Skeletal-related events (SREs; pathologic fracture [PF], spinal cord compression and radiation or surgery to bone) are common complications of bone metastases or bone lesions and can impose a considerable burden on patients and healthcare systems. In this study, the healthcare resource utilisation (HRU) associated with PFs in patients with bone metastases or lesions secondary to solid tumours or multiple myeloma was estimated in eight European countries. METHODS: Eligible patients were identified in Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland. HRU data were extracted from hospital charts from 3.5 months before the index PF (defined as a PF preceded by a 6.5-month period without a SRE) until 3 months after the last SRE during the study period. Changes from baseline in the number and duration of inpatient stays, number of outpatient visits and number of procedures provided were recorded. RESULTS: Overall, 118 patients with PFs of long bones (those longer than they are wide, e.g. the femur) and 241 patients with PFs of other bones were included. Overall, HRU was greater in patients with long bone PFs than in those with PFs of other bones. A higher proportion of patients with long bone PFs had multiple SREs (79.7%), and more of their SREs were considered to be linked (73.4%) compared with patients with PFs of other bones (51.0% and 47.2%, respectively). CONCLUSION: The increased number and duration of inpatient stays for PFs of long bones compared with those for PFs of other bones may be due in part to the requirement for complicated and lengthy rehabilitation in patients with long bone PFs. Implementing strategies to delay or reduce the number of PFs experienced by patients with bone metastases or lesions may therefore reduce the associated HRU and patient burden.

Health resource utilization associated with skeletal-related events: results from a retrospective European study.

BACKGROUND: Bone complications, also known as skeletal-related events (SREs), are common in patients with bone metastases secondary to advanced cancers. OBJECTIVE: To provide a detailed estimate of the health resource utilization (HRU) burden associated with SREs across eight European countries. METHODS: Eligible patients from centers in Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland with bone metastases or lesions secondary to breast cancer, prostate, or lung cancer or multiple myeloma who had experienced at least one SRE (defined as radiation to bone, long-bone pathologic fracture, other bone pathologic fracture, surgery to bone or spinal cord compression) were entered into this study. HRU data were extracted retrospectively from the patients' charts from 3.5 months before the index SRE until 3 months after the index SRE (defined as an SRE preceded by an SRE-free period of at least 6.5 months). RESULTS: Overall, the mean number of inpatient stays per SRE increased from baseline by approximately 0.5-1.5 stays, with increases in the total duration of inpatient stays of approximately 6-37 days per event. All SREs were associated with substantial increases from baseline in the frequency of procedures and the number of outpatient and day-care visits. CONCLUSIONS: SREs are associated with substantial HRU owing to considerable increases in the number and duration of inpatient stays, and in the number of procedures, outpatient visits, and day-care visits. These data collectively provide a valuable summary of the real-world SRE burden on European healthcare systems.