Informed consent and the readability of the written consent form.

Introduction The aim of this study was to objectively ascertain the level of readability of standardised consent forms for orthopaedic procedures. Methods Standardised consent forms (both in summary and detailed formats) endorsed by the British Orthopaedic Association (BOA) were retrieved from orthoconsent.com and assessed for readability. This involved using an online tool to calculate the validated Flesch reading ease score (FRES). This was compared with the FRES for the National Health Service (NHS) Consent Form 1. Data were analysed and interpreted according to the FRES grading table. Results The FRES for Consent Form 1 was 55.6, relating to the literacy expected of an A level student. The mean FRES for the BOA summary consent forms (n=27) was 63.6 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 61.2-66.0) while for the detailed consent forms (n=32), it was 68.9 (95% CI: 67.7-70.0). All BOA detailed forms scored >60, correlating to the literacy expected of a 13-15-year-old. The detailed forms had a higher FRES than the summary forms (p<0.001). Conclusions This study demonstrates that the BOA endorsed standardised consent forms are much easier to read and understand than the NHS Consent Form 1, with the detailed BOA forms being the easiest to read. Despite this, owing to varying literacy levels, a significant proportion of patients may struggle to give informed consent based on the written information provided to them.

Outcomes after early return to theatre following hip hemiarthroplasty for intracapsular fracture of the femoral neck.

AIMS: Hip hemiarthroplasty is a standard treatment for intracapsular proximal femoral fractures in the frail elderly. In this study we have explored the implications of early return to theatre, within 30 days, on patient outcome following hip hemiarthroplasty. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the hospital records of all hip hemiarthroplasties performed in our unit between January 2010 and January 2015. Demographic details, medical backround, details of the primary procedure, complications, subsequent procedures requiring return to theatre, re-admissions, discharge destination and death were collected. RESULTS: A total of 705 procedures were included; 428 Austin Moore and 277 Exeter Trauma Stems were used. A total of 34 fractures (in 33 patients) required early return to theatre within 30 days. Age, gender, laterality, time from admission to primary procedure, American Society of Anesthesiologists grade, and implant type were similar for those requiring early return to theatre and those who did not. Early return to theatre was associated with a significantly higher length of stay (mean 33.6 days (7 to 107) versus 18.6 days (0 to 152), p < 0.001), re-admission rate (38.2% versus 8.6%, p < 0.001), and subsequent revision rate (17.6% versus 1.3%, p < 0.001). We found no difference in level of care required on discharge or mortality. CONCLUSION: Proximal femoral fractures are common in the elderly population, with far-reaching medical and economic implications. Factors such as infection or dislocation may require early return to theatre, and this is associated with outcomes which may be both medically and economically detrimental. This illustrates the importance of avoiding early complications to improve longer term outcome. Return to theatre within 30 days is associated with longer length of stay, higher re-admission rate, and higher subsequent revision rate. It may be a useful short-term quality indicator for longer term outcome measures following hip hemiarthroplasty for intracapsular fractures of the proximal femur. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2017;99-B:958-63.

Incidence and management of Kaposi sarcoma in renal transplant recipients: the Greek experience.

OBJECTIVE: One of the most common malignancies in kidney transplant recipients is Kaposi sarcoma. The incidence of Kaposi sarcoma, which develops after renal transplantation, is 400-500 times higher than that in the general population. The aims of this study were to review the experience with Kaposi sarcoma in the highest-volume transplantation Unit in Greece and to analyze clinical characteristics and response to treatment, with respect to both the patients' survival and the renal graft function. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The records of 2008 renal graft recipients between March 1983 and December 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. Kaposi sarcoma was diagnosed based on clinical, laboratory, radiological, endoscopic, and histopathologic examinations. The disease was staged according to the classification of Al-Khader et al. RESULTS: The prevalence of Kaposi sarcoma was 1.2% in our renal transplant population. Of these, 1006 recipients underwent living-donor renal transplantation, whereas 1002 received their graft from deceased donors. Post-transplantation malignancy developed in 153 patients, among which, Kaposi sarcoma has been found in 24 cases. Of the 24 cases of Kaposi sarcoma, lesions were mainly cutaneous in 14 cases, visceral and cutaneous in 8, and concomitant visceral and lymph node involvement was observed in 2 patients. With regard to the final outcome, 20 patients (83.3%) showed remission of the disease, whereas 4 patients with visceral involvement (16.6%) did not respond to chemotherapy and discontinuation of immunosuppression and died. Moreover, 8 deaths occurred due to apparently unrelated causes. CONCLUSIONS: Kaposi sarcoma is an important part (15.7%) of all post-transplantation neoplasias in our series. Furthermore, our findings confirmed the previously described close association between human herpesvirus-8 and post-transplantation Kaposi sarcoma. Reduction of immunosuppression or discontinuation of calcineurin inhibitors results in remission of the disease in most of the cases. Prognosis in patients with Kaposi sarcoma limited to the skin is favorable, whereas visceral involvement is associated with high mortality.

Lithiasis of the renal allograft, a rare urological complication following renal transplantation: a single-center experience of 2,045 renal transplantations.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Urinary lithiasis represents an unusual urologic complication in renal transplantation, with an incidence of 0.17%-1.8%.We present our experience with renal graft lithiasis in our series of renal transplantations. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We reviewed the medical records for 2045 patients who underwent kidney transplantation from January 1983 to July 2013. Among the grafts, 9 patients were found to have allograft lithiasis. In 6 cases, the calculi were localized within the renal unit, and in 3 cases in the ureter. Two of the patients had relapsed after a few years from the first treatment. In both of them the stones were localized again in the ureter. RESULTS: In our series, incidence of graft lithiasis was 0.44% (n = 9). Three of the 9 patients (33.3%) were treated via percutaneous nephrolithotripsy (PCNL), 3 (33.3%) underwent extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL), 2 (22.2%) passed their stones spontaneously, and 1 (11.1%) underwent PCNL after 2 failed ESWL interventions. All patients are currently stone free but still remain under close urologic surveillance. CONCLUSIONS: Urinary stone formation can lead to significant morbidity and graft loss. The treatment options should be similar to those for patients in the general population. Long-term follow-up is substantial to determine the outcome and to prevent the recurrence.

Single-center experience of transplantation for polycystic liver disease.

BACKGROUND: Polycystic liver disease (PLD) may lead to massive hepatomegaly, abdominal distension, pain, and various degrees of dyspnea. The surgical treatment of this entity remains controversial. METHODS: We report our experience from a retrospective analysis of 23 patients suffering from PLD who were treated with liver transplantation (LT) in our institution. RESULTS: Liver transplantation for PLD patients with extensive hepatic involvement offers excellent symptoms relief. The actuarial 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rate after transplantation was 86%. CONCLUSIONS: Our experience demonstrates that PLD patients with extensive hepatic involvement and who are treated with LT have good long-term prognosis and excellent symptoms relief. LT might be considered in severe PLD cases where conventional surgery is not a curative option, and it must be balanced against the risks of LT and lifelong commitment to immunosuppression.