The Effect of Anesthesia on Passive Ankle Dorsiflexion.

BACKGROUND: Equinus contractures can commonly be due to contractures of gastrocnemius muscle or combined contractures of the gastrocnemius-soleus Achilles tendon complex. The decision to release part or all of the gastrocnemius-soleus Achilles tendon complex is often assessed intraoperatively while the patient is under anesthesia. It remains unknown whether the administration of general anesthesia affects the measurement of passive ankle dorsiflexion. METHODS: The unaffected, nonoperative limb on 46 foot and ankle patients underwent a Silfverskiold test measuring passive ankle dorsiflexion preoperatively and intraoperatively after administration of general anesthesia using an instrumented force-angular displacement goniometer. To determine clinical significance, we surveyed experienced surgeons to estimate the perceived minimally detectable clinical accuracy for measuring passive ankle dorsiflexion. RESULTS: Forty-six subjects were included with mean age of 42 ± 14.8 years, mean body mass index of 26.2 ± 4.9, and 52% female. The mean change in dorsiflexion values from before anesthesia to after the administration of general anesthesia was 1.9 degrees with 10 lb of pressure with knee extended (E10), 2.3 degrees with 20 lb of pressure with knee extended (E20), 2.8 degrees with 10 lb of pressure with knee flexed (F10), and 2.3 degrees with 20 lb of pressure with knee flexed (F20) (all P < .001). Thirty-three of 45 (73%) surgeons responded to the survey; all thought their minimally detectable clinical accuracy was 5 degrees or greater. CONCLUSION: After the administration of general anesthesia, a small but likely not clinically detectable increase in passive ankle dorsiflexion occurs. The common clinical practice of making intraoperative treatment decisions regarding the presence of a gastrocnemius-soleus driven equinus contractures after general anesthesia without use of paralytic agents appears reasonable given the magnitude of the changes identified in this study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II, prospective cohort study.

The incidence of subsequent hip arthroscopy after rectus-sparing periacetabular osteotomy.

Aims: Periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) is the preferred treatment for symptomatic acetabular dysplasia in adolescents and young adults. There remains a lack of consensus regarding whether intra-articular procedures such as labral repair or improvement of femoral offset should be performed at the time of PAO or addressed subsequent to PAO if symptoms warrant. The purpose was to determine the rate of subsequent hip arthroscopy (HA) in a contemporary cohort of patients, who underwent PAO in isolation without any intra-articular procedures. Methods: From June 2012 to March 2022, 349 rectus-sparing PAOs were performed and followed for a minimum of one year (mean 6.2 years (1 to 11)). The mean age was 24 years (14 to 46) and 88.8% were female (n = 310). Patients were evaluated at final follow-up for patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). Clinical records were reviewed for complications or subsequent surgery. Radiographs were reviewed for the following acetabular parameters: lateral centre-edge angle, anterior centre-edge angle, acetabular index, and the alpha-angle (AA). Patients were cross-referenced from the two largest hospital systems in our area to determine if subsequent HA was performed. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze risk factors for HA. Results: A total of 16 hips (15 patients; 4.6%) underwent subsequent HA with labral repair and femoral osteochondroplasty, the most common interventions. For those with a minimum of two years of follow-up, 5.3% (n = 14) underwent subsequent HA. No hips underwent total hip arthroplasty and one revision PAO was performed. Overall, 17 hips (4.9%) experienced a complication and 99 (26.9%) underwent hardware removal. All PROMs improved significantly postoperatively. Radiologically, 80% of hips (n = 279) reached the goal for acetabular correction (77% for acetbular index and 93% for LCEA), with no significant differences between those who underwent subsequent HA and those who did not. Conclusion: Rectus-sparing PAO is associated with a low rate of subsequent HA for intra-articular pathology at a mean of 6.2 years' follow-up (1 to 11). Acetabular correction alone may be sufficient as the primary intervention for the majority of patients with symptomatic acetabular dysplasia.

Outpatient Total Joint Arthroplasty at a High-Volume Academic Center: An Analysis of Failure to Launch.

BACKGROUND: Unanticipated failure to discharge home (failure to launch, FTL) following scheduled same-day discharge (SDD) total joint arthroplasty (TJA) is problematic for the surgical facility with respect to staffing, care coordination, and reimbursement concerns. The aim of this study was to review rates, etiologies, and contributing factors for FTL in SDD TJA at an inpatient academic medical center. METHODS: All patients who underwent primary TJA between February 2021 and February 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. Of those scheduled for SDD, risk factors for FTL were compared with successful SDD. Readmission and emergency department (ED) visits were compared with historical cohorts. There were 3,093 consecutive primary joint arthroplasties performed, of which 2,411 (78%) were scheduled for SDD. RESULTS: Overall, SDD was successful in 94.2% (n = 2,272) of patients who had an FTL rate of 5.8%. Specifically, SDD was successful in 91.4% with total hip arthroplasty, 96.0% with total knee arthroplasty, and 98.6% with unicompartmental knee arthroplasty. Factors that significantly increased the risk of FTL included general anesthesia versus spinal anesthesia (P < .0001), later surgery start time (P < .0001), longer surgical time (P = .0043), higher estimated blood loss (P < .0001), women (P = .0102), younger age (P = .0079), and lower preoperative mental health patient-reported outcomes scores (P = .0039). Readmission and ED visit rates were not higher in the SDD group when compared to historical controls (P = .6830). CONCLUSIONS: With a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach dedicated to improving SDDs at an academic medical center, we have seen successful SDD in nearly 80% of primary TJA, with an FTL rate of 5.8%, and no increased risk of readmission or ED visits. Without adding many personnel, hospital recovery units, or other resources, simple interventions to help decrease FTL have included enhanced preoperative education and expectation settings, improved perioperative communications, reallocating personnel from the inpatient to the outpatient setting, the use of short-acting spinal anesthetics, and earlier scheduled surgery times.

John Charnley Award: A Quantitative Fluoroscopic Tool Improves Acetabular Fragment Positioning in Periacetabular Osteotomy.

BACKGROUND: Radiographic assessment of acetabular fragment positioning during periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) has been linked to hip survivorship. Intraoperative plain radiographs are time and resource intensive, while fluoroscopy can introduce image distortion affecting measurement accuracy. Our purpose was to determine whether intraoperative fluoroscopy-based measurements with a distortion correcting fluoroscopic tool improved PAO measurement targets. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 570 PAOs; 136 PAOs utilized a distortion correcting fluoroscopic tool, and 434 PAOs performed with routine fluoroscopy, prior to this technology. Lateral center-edge angle (LCEA), acetabular index (AI), posterior wall sign (PWS), and anterior center-edge angle (ACEA) were measured on preoperative standing radiographs, intraoperative fluoroscopic images, and postoperative standing radiographs. Defined target zones of correction were AI: 0-10°, ACEA: 25-40°, LCEA: 25-40°, PWS: negative. Postoperative correction in zones and patient-reported outcomes were compared using chi-square tests and paired t-tests, respectively. RESULTS: The average difference between postcorrection fluoroscopic measurements and 6-week postoperative radiographs was 0.21° for LCEA, 0.01° for ACEA, and -0.07° for AI (all P < .01). The PWS agreement was 92%. The percentages of hips meeting target goals overall improved with the new fluoroscopic tool: 74%-92% for LCEA (P < .01), 72%-85% for ACEA (P < .01), and 69 versus 74% for AI (P = .25), though there was no improvement in PWS (85 versus 85%, P = .92). All patient-reported outcomes except PROMIS Mental Health were significantly improved at most recent follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated improved PAO measurements and target goals with the use of a distortion correcting quantitative fluoroscopic real-time measuring device. This value-additive tool gives reliable quantitative measurements of correction without interfering with surgical workflow.