Opioid Consumption Following Foot and Ankle Surgery.

Background Orthopedic surgeons frequently prescribe pain medications during the postoperative period. The efficacy of these medications at alleviating pain after foot/ankle surgery and the quantity of medication required (and conversely, leftover) are unknown. METHODS: Patients undergoing foot/ankle surgery during a 3-month period who met inclusion criteria were surveyed at their first postoperative visit. Information collected included gender, number of prescribed pills remaining, satisfaction with pain control, and willingness to surrender leftover opioids to a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) disposal center. Additional data, including utilization of a perioperative nerve block and type (bony versus nonbony) and anatomic region of procedure, were collected through review of the medical record. All data were analyzed in a retrospective fashion. A total of 171 patients with a mean age of 53.1 ± 15.5 years (range, 18-81 years) were included in the study. RESULTS: The mean number of opioids taken was 27.2 ± 17.5 pills (range, 0-70). The mean number of short-acting opioids and long-acting opioids taken was 21.4 ± 14.8 and 9.2 ± 5.0 pills, respectively. Most (73.5%) patients were satisfied with their pain control. Patients who underwent ankle/hindfoot surgery took more long-acting opioids on average than others ( P = .047). There was not a significant difference in opioid usage between bony and nonbony procedures. Of those with leftover opioids, 63% were willing to surrender them to a DEA disposal center. Patients willing to surrender leftover medications had both more short-acting ( P < .001) and long-acting ( P = .015) opioids leftover than those not willing to surrender them. CONCLUSION: Most patients undergoing foot/ankle surgery had opioids leftover at the first postoperative visit, and most were willing to surrender them. We can adequately treat patients' pain and decrease the number of opioid pills available in the community by decreasing the number of pills prescribed and encouraging disposal of leftovers. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, retrospective case series.

Novel Technique for Femoral Head Reconstruction using Allograft following Obturator Hip Dislocation.

INTRODUCTION: Obturator hip dislocations with an associated osteochondral fracture of the femoral head are uncommon. The treatment of these injuries is challenging and the functional outcomes are poor. Though the injury pattern has been described previously in literature, there are few published reports regarding treatment options. This case report illustrates a novel technique for fixation and stabilization for an unusual injury involving an obturator hip dislocation and an osteochondral impaction fracture of the femoral head. CASE PRESENTATION: A 30-years old African American male, involved in a motor vehicle collision, sustained an obturator dislocation of the left hip with a large posterior osteochondral fracture of the femoral head. An emergency closed reduction procedure was performed followed by a computed tomography (CT) scan of the hip joint which demonstrated a large osteochondral defect (25 x 10 mm, depth: 5 mm) of the femoral head, visualized within the weight-bearing area. Surgical intervention was planned as a fracture of the femoral head with a defect deeper than four millimeters has been shown to be a risk factor for the development of post-traumatic arthritis, often with onset of symptoms within 5 years of the date of injury. Following surgical hip dislocation, the defect of the femoral head was reconstructed with implantation of a femoral head allograft and internal fixation. At the six months follow-up, the patient could ambulate with minimal pain and without assistive devices. Radiographs demonstrated maintenance of articular congruity with no evidence of implant failure, post-traumatic arthritis or avascular necrosis. CONCLUSION: Surgical hip dislocation and reconstruction using femoral head allograft used to treat obturator hip dislocations with concomitant femoral head impaction fractures can lead to satisfactory short term functional outcomes.