Pain Management with Early Regional Anesthesia in Geriatric Hip Fracture Patients.

BACKGROUND: Geriatric hip fracture patients are susceptible to the adverse effects of opioid-induced analgesia. Fascia iliaca blocks (FIBs) have emerged as an analgesic technique for this population. There are limited data on a preoperative FIB's effect on perioperative opioid intake. We hypothesized that preoperative FIB would reduce perioperative opioid consumption, measured in morphine milliequivalents (MMEs). DESIGN: This is a prospective observational study. SETTING: A level 1 trauma center in California. PARTICIPANTS: From March 2017 to December 2017, patients 65 years and older presenting with a hip fracture received a preoperative FIB and were prospectively observed. This cohort was compared with a historical control. INTERVENTION: All prospectively enrolled patients were given FIBs. For a single-shot FIB, a 30- to 40-mL bolus of 0.25% bupivacaine with 1:200,000 epinephrine was injected. For a continuous FIB, a bolus of 10 to 20 mL of 0.2% bupivacaine was injected, followed by a continuous infusion of 0.2% bupivacaine at 6 mL/h ending on the morning of postoperative Day 1. RESULTS: A total of 725 patients were included in this study, with 92 in the prospectively collected cohort. The mean age of this cohort was 84.2 (standard deviation = 8.4) years, and 69.2% were female. Patients who received a preoperative FIB consumed less MME preoperatively, 18.0 (interquartile range = 6.0-44.5) versus 29.5 (interquartile range = 6.0-56.5) (P = .007), with no change in pain scores. No differences were found in postoperative opioid consumption between groups. There was no difference in MME or pain score in patients with dementia. Subgroup analysis based on fracture pattern (femoral neck and intertrochanteric) demonstrated a significant decrease in preoperative MME consumption in femoral neck fractures only, 12.0 (interquartile range = 5.0-24.0) versus 29.0 (interquartile range = 12.0-59.0) (P < .001). CONCLUSION: FIBs reduce preoperative opioid intake and have low rates of opioid-related adverse events in geriatric hip fracture patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: The level of evidence was II.

A Comparison of Rehabilitation Methods After Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair: A Systematic Review.

CONTEXT: Despite the significant attention directed toward optimizing arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, there has been less focus on rehabilitation after rotator cuff repair surgery. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of different rehabilitation protocols on clinical outcomes by comparing early versus late mobilization approaches and continuous passive mobilization (CPM) versus manual therapy after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. DATA SOURCES: PubMed was searched for relevant articles using the keywords rotator cuff, rotator, cuff, tears, lacerations, and rehabilitation to identify articles published from January 1980 to March 2014. STUDY SELECTION: Inclusion criteria consisted of articles of level 1 or 2 evidence, written in the English language, and with reported outcomes for early versus late mobilization or rehabilitation with CPM versus manual therapy after primary arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. Exclusion criteria consisted of articles of level 3, 4, or 5 evidence, non-English language, and those with significantly different demographic variables between study groups. Included studies were evaluated with the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials criteria. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 2. DATA EXTRACTION: Level of evidence, study type, number of patients enrolled, number of patients at final follow-up, length of follow-up, age, sex, rotator cuff tear size, surgical technique, and concomitant operative procedures were extracted from included articles. Postoperative data included clinical outcome scores, visual analog score for pain, shoulder range of motion, strength, and rotator cuff retear rates. RESULTS: A total of 7 studies met all criteria and were included in the final analysis. Five studies compared early and late mobilization. Two studies compared CPM and manual therapy. CONCLUSION: In general, current data do not definitively demonstrate a significant difference between postoperative rotator cuff rehabilitation protocols that stress different timing of mobilization and use of CPM.

Serum interleukin-6 as a marker of periprosthetic shoulder infection.

BACKGROUND: Infection after shoulder arthroplasty can be a devastating complication, and subacute and chronic low-grade infections have proven difficult to diagnose. Serum marker analyses commonly used to diagnose periprosthetic infection are often inconclusive. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) as a marker of periprosthetic shoulder infection. METHODS: A prospective cohort study of thirty-four patients who had previously undergone shoulder arthroplasty and required revision surgery was conducted. The serum levels of IL-6 and C-reactive protein (CRP), the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and the white blood-cell count (WBC) were measured. The definitive diagnosis of an infection was determined by growth of bacteria on culture of intraoperative specimens. Two-sample Wilcoxon rank-sum (Mann-Whitney) tests were used to determine the presence of a significant difference in the ESR and WBC between patients with and those without infection, while the Fisher exact test was used to assess differences in IL-6 and CRP levels between those groups. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of each marker were also calculated. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the IL-6 level, WBC, ESR, or CRP level between patients with and those without infection. With a normal serum IL-6 level defined as <10 pg/mL, this test had a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of 0.14, 0.95, 0.67, 0.61, and 0.62, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: IL-6 analysis may have utility as a confirmatory test but is not an effective screening tool for periprosthetic shoulder infection. This finding is in contrast to the observation, in previous studies, that IL-6 is more sensitive than traditional serum markers for periprosthetic infection.

Recommendations for driving after right knee arthroscopy.

No established guidelines currently exist to assist orthopedic surgeons in determining when a patient may safely control a motor vehicle after undergoing simple right knee arthroscopy. Despite this lack of concrete evidence, premature postoperative driving could expose orthopedic surgeons to legal liability and, more importantly, patients to danger and further injury. Through questionnaires directed at physicians, patients, and insurance companies, the authors attempted to identify common postoperative management trends among orthopedic surgeons in an effort to better identify patterns that could help direct practice for the optimized treatment of patients after right knee arthroscopy.Although 29.7% of physicians always incorporated postoperative driving instructions during routine preoperative consultation, 57% of physicians brought up these conversations half of the time or less. In addition, when the preoperative discussions were conducted, approximately 23.6% of physicians never initiated the conversation. The majority of physicians recommended driving after narcotics were discontinued (70%), when the patient felt they could subjectively control their vehicle (57.1%), and when postoperative symptoms would allow safe driving (38.8%); these achievements were most commonly reached at 1 week postoperatively. After simple right knee arthroscopy, the common consensus indicates that patients may safely return to driving 1 week postoperatively when they are narcotic-free and feel safe to control their vehicle.

Talar revascularization after a complete talar extrusion.

We present a rare case of complete talar extrusion after trauma. Treatment of this severe injury remains controversial as a result of the lack of congruent evidence-based literature, associated high complication rate with primary repair, and difficulty in objectively assessing long-term outcomes. Recent small sampled retrospective studies and isolated case reports have documented success with immediate reimplantation of the talus through using various health status questionnaires and serial radiographs. This case illustrates complete revascularization on 1-year follow-up magnetic resonance imaging of a completely extruded and fractured talus that underwent immediate reimplantation.

Magnetic resonance imaging protocols for cervical disc disease: what is your neighbor up to?

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To summarize the prevalence of particular protocols used for routine magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine. METHODS: Centers nationwide were asked to submit routine protocols for degenerative disease. Cases with a history of demyelinating disease or suspected cord lesions were excluded. The pulse sequences and scanning planes were tabulated for 105 centers. For the last 53 centers studied, axial gradient recalled echo sequences were subdivided into 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional Fourier transform. RESULTS: There were 21 different combinations. A protocol consisting of sagittal T1+sagittal T2+axial gradient recalled echo T2 was used by 48% of centers. Two sagittal and 2 axial series in any combination was used in 30% (32/105 centers). One center used gradient recalled echo images exclusively, consisting of T1, proton density, and T2-weighted images, which included axial and sagittal planes. CONCLUSION: Sagittal T1+sagittal T2+axial gradient recalled echo T2 is by far the most prevalent protocol used for imaging the cervical spine.