Predictors of Episode-of-Care Costs for Ankle Fractures.

Ankle fractures are one of the most resource-consuming traumatic orthopedic injuries. Few studies have successfully evaluated the episode-of-care costs (EOCC) of common traumatic orthopedic injuries. The objective of this study was to determine the EOCC associated with the surgical management of ankle fractures. A retrospective cohort study of 105 consecutive patients who underwent open reduction internal fixation of an isolated ankle fracture at a Canadian Level-1 trauma center was conducted. Episode-of-care costs were generated using an activity-based costing framework. The median global episode-of-care cost for ankle fracture surgeries performed at the studied institution was $3,487 CAD [IQR 880] ($2,685 USD [IQR 616]). Patients aged 60 to 90 years had a significantly higher median EOCC than younger patients (p = .01). Supination-adduction injuries had a significantly higher median EOCC than other injury patterns (p = .01). The median EOCC for patients who underwent surgery within 10 days of their injury ($3,347 CAD [582], $2,577 USD [448]) was significantly lower than the cost for patients who had their surgery delayed 10 days or more after the injury ($3,634 CAD [776], $2,798 USD [598]) (p = .03). Patient sex, anesthesia type, ASA score and surgeon's fellowship training did not affect the EOCC. This study provides valuable data on predictors of EOCC in the surgical management of ankle fractures. Delaying simple ankle fracture cases due to operating time constraints can increase the total cost and burden of these fractures on the healthcare system. In addition, this study provides a framework for future episode-of-care cost analysis studies in orthopedic surgery.

Postoperative Outcomes in Elderly Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery With Preoperative Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Older patients with preoperative cognitive impairment are at risk for increased postoperative complications after noncardiac surgery. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the association between preoperative cognitive impairment and dementia and postoperative outcomes in older surgical patients after cardiac surgery. METHODS: Eight electronic databases were searched from inception to January 4, 2022. Inclusion criteria were cardiac surgery patients ≥60 years of age; preoperative cognitive impairment; ≥1 postoperative complication reported; comparator group with no preoperative cognitive impairment; and written in English. Using a random-effects model, we calculated effect sizes as odds ratio (OR) and standardized mean differences (SMDs). Risk of random error was assessed by applying trial sequential analysis. RESULTS: Sixteen studies (62,179 patients) were included. Preoperative cognitive impairment was associated with increased risk of delirium in older patients after cardiac surgery (70.0% vs 20.5%; OR, 8.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.25-16.38; I 2 , 0%; P < .00001). Cognitive impairment was associated with increased hospital length of stay (LOS; SMD, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.20-0.51; I 2 , 22%; P < .00001) and intensive care unit (ICU) LOS (SMD, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.09-0.68; I 2 , 70%; P = .01). No significant association was seen for 30-day mortality (1.7% vs 1.1%; OR, 2.58; 95% CI, 0.64-10.44; I 2 , 55%; P = .18). CONCLUSIONS: In older patients undergoing cardiac surgery, cognitive impairment was associated with an 8-fold increased risk of delirium, a 5% increase in absolute risk of major postoperative bleeding, and an increase in hospital and ICU LOS by approximately 0.4 days. Further research on the feasibility of implementing routine neurocognitive testing is warranted.

From Protocol to Definitive Study-The State of Randomized Controlled Trial Evidence in Sports Medicine Research: A Systematic Review and Survey Study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the progression, quality, and challenges associated with conducting and publishing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in sports medicine. DESIGN: Systematic review and survey. SETTING: MEDLINE and Embase were searched for all publications before September 17, 2021. A targeted search of clinicaltrials.gov , BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, PubMed, and Google Scholar were also conducted. The survey was administered to authors using REDCap. PARTICIPANTS: Where the systematic search revealed no corresponding published definitive trial, authors of the published pilots were surveyed. INTERVENTIONS: Survey assessing limitations to definitive trials. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Protocol/method articles, pilot articles, and relevant clinical trial registry records with corresponding definitive trials were pooled. RESULTS: Our literature search yielded 27 006 studies; of which, we included 208 studies (60 (28.8%) pilot RCTs, 84 (40.4%) protocol/method articles, and 64 (30.8%) trial registry records). From these, 44 corresponding definitive RCTs were identified. Pilot study and definitive RCT methodological quality increased on average most significantly during the duration of this review (30.6% and 8.2%). Of the 176 authors surveyed, 59 (33.5%) responded; 24.6% (14/57) stated that they completed an unpublished definitive trial, while 52.6% (30/57) reported having one underway. CONCLUSIONS: The quality and number of RCT publications within the field of sports medicine has been increasing since 1999. The number of sports medicine-related protocol and pilot articles preceding a definitive trial publication showed a sharp increase over the past 10 years, although only 5 pilot studies have progressed to a definitive RCT.