Decreasing Post-Operative Narcotic Usage Following Total Knee Arthroplasty Requires More than Simple Education: A Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial.

The purpose of this study was to understand if including a patient opioid education document would decrease opioid consumption following TKA. Patients were balanced between the control and intervention group based on age, sex, and date of surgery. At 5 weeks following surgery, there were significantly fewer patients driving in the education cohort as compared to the control cohort. There was not a significant difference in mean 2-week post-operative VAS pain score, mean 5 weeks post-operative VAS pain score, mean number of dispensed pills. Reducing post-operative narcotic usage likely requires a more comprehensive strategy.

Complications after traumatic distal triceps tears: an analysis of 107 cases.

Background: The major complication and reoperation rates after distal triceps repair are poorly defined. The purpose of this large retrospective cohort study of distal triceps repairs performed by multiple surgeons within a large orthopedic group was to more clearly define the rates and risk factors of clinically impactful major complications and reoperations. Methods: All distal triceps tendon repairs for traumatic injuries performed from January 2006 to April 2017 with a minimum 2-month follow-up were identified using the Current Procedural Terminology code 24342. A total of 107 patients were included in this study. The primary outcome measure was total major complication rate. Reoperations, minor complications, and risk factors were also tracked. Results: Repairs were performed via bone tunnels (63.5%), suture anchors (13%), or a combination of the two (17.8%). A 14% complication rate and 13.1% reoperation rate were observed. Indication for reoperation included 9 reruptures, 3 infections, and 2 others. The time between injury and surgery was not found to be a risk factor for tendon rerupture. Smoking status, gender, utilization of a splint or controlled motion brace, and time to first active mobilization were not shown to influence rates or rerupture. Conclusion: Distal triceps repair for traumatic injuries is associated with 14% complication and 13.1% reoperation rates. Patient, rehabilitation, and surgeon-specific factors did not influence the complication rate.