Design of the COMEBACK and BACKHOME Studies, Longitudinal Cohorts for Comprehensive Deep Phenotyping of Adults with Chronic Low-Back Pain (cLBP): a part of the BACPAC Research Program.

Objective: The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Core Center for Patient-centric, Mechanistic Phenotyping in Chronic Low Back Pain (REACH) is one of the three NIH Back Pain Consortium (BACPAC) Research Programs Mechanistic Research Centers (MRCs). The goal of UCSF REACH is to define cLBP phenotypes and pain mechanisms that can lead to effective, personalized treatments for patients across the population. The primary objective of this research project is to address the critical need for new diagnostic and prognostic markers, and associated patient classification protocols for chronic low back pain (cLBP) treatment. Design: To meet this objective, REACH is conducting two large investigator-initiated translational research cohort studies called: The Longitudinal Clinical Cohort for Comprehensive Deep Phenotyping of Chronic Low-Back Pain (cLBP) Adults Study (comeBACK) and the Chronic Low-Back Pain (cLBP) in Adults Study (BACKHOME). Setting: comeBACK is a longitudinal multicenter in-person observational study of 450 adults with chronic low back pain designed to perform comprehensive deep phenotyping. While, the BACKHOME study is a site-less longitudinal observational e-cohort of approximately 3000 U.S. adults with cLBP. To our knowledge, BACKHOME is the largest prospective remote registry of nationwide adults with cLBP. Methods: Both the comeBACK and BACKHOME studies are collecting a robust and comprehensive set of risk factors, outcomes, and covariates in order to perform deep phenotyping of cLBP patients based on combined biopsychosocial variables to: define cLBP subtypes, establish phenotyping tools for routine clinical evaluation, and lead to improved cLBP outcomes in the future. The data from both studies will be used to establish techniques to develop a patient-centric definition of treatment success and to analyze cLBP patient traits to define clinically useful cLBP phenotypes, using a combination of traditional data analyses and deep learning methods. Conclusions: These 2 pivotal studies, in conjunction with the ancillary studies being performed in both comeBACK and BACKHOME, and the other BACPAC-consortium research projects, we will be able to address a number of diagnostic and therapeutic issues in this complex and diverse patient population with cLBP. These studies will help clarify biopsychosocial mechanisms of cLBP with the aim to provide a foundation to improve the evaluation of treatment effectiveness and to spur new avenues of therapeutic research, including personalized outcome measures that constitute a clinically meaningful treatment effect for individual cLBP patients.

Diabetic management and infection risk in total ankle arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: As total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) increases in popularity nationwide for the management of end-stage arthritis, it is essential to understand ways to mitigate the risk of infection. Diabetes increases the risk of infection due to compromised immunity and impaired wound-healing mechanisms. However, there is limited research on how diabetic management, inclusive of medications and glucose control, may impact infection risks post-TAA. This study aims to demonstrate the impact of diabetic management on the occurrence of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) following TAA. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of patients who underwent a TAA at a single academic institution from March 2002 to May 2022. Patients with diabetes who developed an intraarticular infection following TAA were propensity score matched (1:3) to diabetic patients who did not. Data collection included demographics, implant types, diabetic medications, and preoperative hemoglobin A1c. PJI was diagnosed based on Musculoskeletal Infection Society (MSIS) criteria. Statistical analyses assessed differences in medication use, glucose control, and infection rates between groups. RESULTS: Of the 1863 patients who underwent TAA, 177 patients had a diagnosis of diabetes. The infection rate in patients with diabetes (2.8%) was higher than the total cohort rate (0.8%). Five patients with diabetes developed a PJI at an average of 2.2 months postoperatively. This cohort (n = 5) was compared to propensity score-matched controls (n = 15). There was no significant difference in diabetic medication use. Patients who developed PJI had higher rates of uncontrolled diabetes (60.0% vs. 6.7%) and average A1c levels (7.02% vs. 6.29%) compared to controls. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the elevated risk of PJI observed in individuals with diabetes subsequent to TAA may be attributed not solely to the presence of diabetes, but to inadequate glycemic control. Effectively managing blood glucose levels is imperative for achieving favorable outcomes following TAA. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

Virtual Reality Distraction for Needle-Related Pain and Distress in Children: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.

This international multicenter randomized controlled trial aimed to compare the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) distraction with an identical non-VR game in reducing needle-related pain and anxiety in children undergoing venous blood draw. The study involved 304 children aged 5-9 years undergoing a blood draw procedure, randomly allocated to one of three groups: VR distraction, non-VR distraction, and control group (usual care). The distraction task was based on the Multiple Object Tracking (MOT) paradigm, and the game was identical in design and gameplay for both VR and non-VR distraction groups. The primary outcome was self-reported pain intensity using the Faces Pain Scale-Revised (FPS-R). Secondary outcomes included child distress, attention/distraction to the blood draw, and parent and medical staff satisfaction with procedure. Analyses were conducted using analysis of variance and multivariable linear regression models. The results showed that VR distraction and non-VR distraction performed similarly, showing large effect sizes compared with standard care. There was no significant difference between the two types of distraction. The study's findings suggest that VR and non-VR distraction are similarly effective in reducing needle-related pain and anxiety in children undergoing venous blood draw. This is the first well-powered study comparing modern VR distraction with an identical task displayed on a smartphone or monitor screen. The study's results have important implications for using VR in clinical settings and suggest that investing in expensive VR equipment for acute pain management may not be necessary. The study protocol was pre-registered on Open Science Framework at https://osf.io/frsyc.

Shoulder Hemiarthroplasty Is Associated With Higher 30-Day Complication Rates Compared With Total Shoulder Arthroplasty for Glenohumeral Osteoarthritis: A Propensity Score Matched Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Anatomical total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) and shoulder hemiarthroplasty (HA) have both been shown to have good outcomes in patients with osteoarthritis of the glenohumeral joint. However, evidence comparing perioperative complications between these procedures in this population is heterogeneous. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried between the years 2012 and 2021 (10 years in total) for records of patients who underwent either TSA or HA for osteoarthritis of the glenohumeral joint. Patients in each group underwent a 1:1 propensity match for demographic variables. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to compare complications and risk factors between these cohorts. RESULTS: A total of 4376 propensity-matched patients, with 2188 receiving TSA and 2188 receiving HA, were included in the primary analyses. The HA cohort had a higher rate of any adverse event (7.18% vs 4.8%, P=.001), death (0.69% vs 0.1%, P=.004), sepsis (0.46% vs 0.1%, P=.043), postoperative transfusion (4.62% vs 2.2%, P<.001), postoperative intubation (0.5% vs 0.1%, P=.026), and extended length of stay (23.77% vs 13.1%, P<.001). HA was found to increase the odds of developing these complications when baseline demographics were controlled. Older age (odds ratio, 1.040; 95% CI, 1.021-1.059; P<.001) and lower body mass index (odds ratio, 0.949; 95% CI, 0.923-0.975; P<.001) increased the odds of having any adverse event in the HA cohort but not in the TSA cohort. CONCLUSION: Compared with TSA, HA appears to be associated with significantly higher rates of 30-day postoperative complications when performed for glenohumeral osteoarthritis. [Orthopedics. 202x;4x(x):xx-xx.].

Fabrication of a Novel 3D Extrusion Bioink Containing Processed Human Articular Cartilage Matrix for Cartilage Tissue Engineering.

Cartilage damage presents a significant clinical challenge due to its intrinsic avascular nature which limits self-repair. Addressing this, our study focuses on an alginate-based bioink, integrating human articular cartilage, for cartilage tissue engineering. This novel bioink was formulated by encapsulating C20A4 human articular chondrocytes in sodium alginate, polyvinyl alcohol, gum arabic, and cartilage extracellular matrix powder sourced from allograft femoral condyle shavings. Using a 3D bioprinter, constructs were biofabricated and cross-linked, followed by culture in standard medium. Evaluations were conducted on cellular viability and gene expression at various stages. Results indicated that the printed constructs maintained a porous structure conducive to cell growth. Cellular viability was 87% post printing, which decreased to 76% after seven days, and significantly recovered to 86% by day 14. There was also a notable upregulation of chondrogenic genes, COL2A1 (p = 0.008) and SOX9 (p = 0.021), suggesting an enhancement in cartilage formation. This study concludes that the innovative bioink shows promise for cartilage regeneration, demonstrating substantial viability and gene expression conducive to repair and suggesting its potential for future therapeutic applications in cartilage repair.

Resolving the Nanoscale Structure of ß-Sheet Peptide Self-Assemblies Using Single-Molecule Orientation-Localization Microscopy.

Synthetic peptides that self-assemble into cross-ß fibrils are versatile building blocks for engineered biomaterials due to their modularity and biocompatibility, but their structural and morphological similarities to amyloid species have been a long-standing concern for their translation. Further, their polymorphs are difficult to characterize by using spectroscopic and imaging techniques that rely on ensemble averaging to achieve high resolution. Here, we utilize Nile red (NR), an amyloidophilic fluorogenic probe, and single-molecule orientation-localization microscopy (SMOLM) to characterize fibrils formed by the designed amphipathic enantiomers KFE8L and KFE8D and the pathological amyloid-beta peptide Aß42. Importantly, NR SMOLM reveals the helical (bilayer) ribbon structure of both KFE8 and Aß42 and quantifies the precise tilt of the fibrils' inner and outer backbones in relevant buffer conditions without the need for covalent labeling or sequence mutations. SMOLM also distinguishes polymorphic branched and curved morphologies of KFE8, whose backbones exhibit much more heterogeneity than those of typical straight fibrils. Thus, SMOLM is a powerful tool to interrogate the structural differences and polymorphism between engineered and pathological cross-ß-rich fibrils.

Predictors of response in PROMIS-global in a chronic low back pain specialty clinic: STarTBack and chronic overlapping pain conditions.

BACKGROUND: Tools, such as the STarTBack Screening Tool (SBT), have been developed to identify risks of progressing to chronic disability in low back pain (LBP) patients in the primary care population. However, less is known about predictors of change in function after treatment in the specialty care population. OBJECTIVE: We pursued a retrospective observational cohort study involving LBP patients seen in a multidisciplinary specialty clinic to assess which features can predict change in function at follow-up. METHODS: The SBT was administered at initial visit, and a variety of patient characteristics were available in the chart including the presence of chronic overlapping pain conditions (COPCs). Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System-10 (PROMIS-10) global physical health (PH) and global mental health (MH) were measured at baseline and at pragmatic time points during follow-up. Linear regression was used to estimate adjusted associations between available features and changes in PROMIS scores. RESULTS: 241 patients were followed for a mean of 17.0 ± 7.5 months. Mean baseline pain was 6.7 (SD 2.1), PROMIS-10 global MH score was 44.8 (SD 9.3), and PH score was 39.4 (SD 8.6). 29.7% were low-risk on the SBT, 41.8% were medium-risk, and 28.5% were high-risk. Mean change in MH and PH scores from baseline to the follow-up questionnaire were 0.86 (SD 8.11) and 2.39 (SD 7.52), respectively. Compared to low-risk patients, high-risk patients had a mean 4.35 points greater improvement in their MH score (p= 0.004) and a mean 3.54 points greater improvement in PH score (p= 0.006). Fewer COPCs also predicted greater improvement in MH and PH. CONCLUSIONS: SBT and the presence of COPC, which can be assessed at initial presentation to a specialty clinic, can predict change in PROMIS following treatment. Effort is needed to identify other factors that can help predict change in function after treatment in the specialty care setting.

Academic productivity correlates with industry earnings in foot and ankle fellowship programs in the United States: A retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND: The study investigates the connection between academic productivity and industry earnings in foot and ankle orthopedic surgery fellowships. Utilizing metrics like the H-index and Open Payments Database (OPD) data, it addresses a gap in understanding the relationship between scholarly achievements and financial outcomes, providing a basis for further exploration in this specialized medical field. AIM: To elucidate the trends between academic productivity and industry earnings across foot and ankle orthopedic surgery fellowship programs in the United States. METHODS: This study is a retrospective analysis of the relationship between academic productivity and industry earnings of foot and ankle orthopedic surgery fellowships at an individual faculty and fellowship level. Academic productivity was defined via H-index and recorded from the Scopus website. Industry earnings were recorded from the OPD. RESULTS: Forty-eight foot and ankle orthopedic surgery fellowships (100% of fellowships) in the United States with a combined total of 165 physicians (95.9% of physicians) were included. Mean individual physician (n = 165) total life-time earnings reported on the OPD website was United States Dollar (USD) 451430.30 ± 1851084.89 (range: USD 25.16-21269249.85; median: USD 27839.80). Mean physician (n = 165) H-index as reported on Scopus is 14.24 ± 12.39 (range: 0-63; median: 11). There was a significant but weak correlation between individual physician H-index and individual physician total life-time earnings (P < 0.001; Spearman's rho = 0.334) and a significant and moderate positive correlation between combined fellowship H-index and total life-time earnings per fellowship (P = 0.004, Spearman's rho = 0.409). CONCLUSION: There is a significant and positive correlation between academic productivity and industry earnings at foot and ankle orthopedic surgery fellowships in the United States. This observation is true on an individual physician level as well as on a fellowship level.

Systematic Review of Bracing After Proximal Hamstring Repair.

Background: Traditionally, postoperative rehabilitation protocols after proximal hamstring repair (PHR) for avulsion of the proximal hamstring tendon from its ischial insertion recommend bracing the hip and/or knee to protect the fixation. However, because of the cumbersome nature of these orthoses, recent studies have investigated outcomes in patients with postoperative protocols that do not include any form of postoperative bracing. Purpose: To synthesize the current body of evidence concerning bracing versus nonbracing postoperative management of PHR. Study Design: Systematic review; level of evidence, 4. Methods: Using PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, we conducted a thorough search of the PubMed/Medline, Cochrane, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), and Embase (OVID) databases on March 24, 2023. We analyzed complication rates, reoperation rates, patient satisfaction, return to sport, and patient-reported outcomes of studies that used postoperative bracing versus studies that used no postoperative bracing after PHR with at least 12 months of follow-up. A total of 308 articles were identified after initial search. Results: In total, 25 studies were included in this review: 18 studies (905 patients) on bracing and 7 studies (291 patients) on nonbracing after PHR. The overall complication rate in the braced patients was found to be 10.9%, compared with 12.7% in nonbraced patients. The rate of reoperation due to retear of the proximal hamstring was found to be 0.05% in braced patients and 3.1% in nonbraced patients. Patient-reported outcome measures were found to be higher at the final follow-up in braced versus nonbraced patients, and patient satisfaction was found to be 94.7% in braced studies compared with 88.9% in nonbraced studies. The rate of 12-month return to sport in athletic patients was 88.4% with bracing and 82.7% without bracing. Conclusion: The findings of this review demonstrated lower complication and reoperation rates, higher patient-reported outcome scores, higher patient satisfaction, and a higher rate of return to sport in braced patients compared with nonbraced patients.

Partial Patellar Tendon Tears in Athletes: A Systematic Review of Treatment Options, Outcomes, and Return to Sport.

Introduction: Partial patellar tendon tears (PPTTs) are overuse injuries in sports with frequent jumping, such as basketball and volleyball. There are several treatment options, including both operative and non-operative modalities. Current literature is largely focused broadly on patellar tendinopathy; however, there are few studies which specifically evaluate treatment outcomes for PPTTs. Objective: To systematically review the literature on treatment options, clinical outcomes, and return to sport (RTS) in athletes with a PPTT. Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane were searched through May 1st, 2023 for studies reporting treatment outcomes in athletes with partial patellar tendon tears. Data was extracted on the following topics: treatment modalities, surgical failures/reoperations, surgical complications, RTS, and postoperative time to RTS. Results: The review covers 11 studies with 454 athletes: 343 males (86.2%) and 55 females (13.8%). The average age was 25.8 years, ranging from 15 to 55 years. 169 patients (37.2%) received only non-operative treatments, while 295 (65.0%) underwent surgery. 267 patients (92.1%) returned to sports after 3.9 months of treatment. The average follow-up was 55.8 months. Conclusion: Our review of current literature on PPTTs in athletes illustrates over 90% return to sport following either conservative or surgical treatment. There is currently little data that directly compares the treatment options to establish an evidence-based "gold-standard" treatment plan. The data we present suggests that current treatment options are satisfactory but would benefit from future study.

[Evidence-based interventions to treat chronic low back pain: treatment selection for a personalized medicine approach : German version]. / Evidenzbasierte Interventionen zur Behandlung von chronischem Schmerz im unteren Rücken ­ Therapieauswahl für einen personalisierten Behandlungsansatz : Deutsche Fassung.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic low back pain (cLBP) is highly prevalent in the United States and globally, resulting in functional impairment and lowered quality of life. While many treatments are available for cLBP, clinicians have little information about which specific treatment(s) will work best for individual patients or subgroups of patients. The Back Pain Research Consortium, part of the National Institutes of Health Helping to End Addiction Long-termSM (HEAL) Initiative, will conduct a collaborative clinical trial, which seeks to develop a personalized medicine algorithm to optimize patient and provider treatment selection for patients with cLBP. OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this article is to provide an update on evidence-based cLBP interventions and describe the process of reviewing and selecting interventions for inclusion in the clinical trial. METHODS: A working group of cLBP experts reviewed and selected interventions for inclusion in the clinical trial. The primary evaluation measures were strength of evidence and magnitude of treatment effect. When available in the literature, duration of effect, onset time, carryover effect, multimodal efficacy, responder subgroups, and evidence for the mechanism of treatment effect or biomarkers were considered. CONCLUSION: The working group selected 4 leading, evidence-based treatments for cLBP to be tested in the clinical trial and for use in routine clinical treatment. These treatments include (1) duloxetine, (2) acceptance and commitment therapy, (3) a classification-based exercise and manual therapy intervention, and (4) a self-management approach. These interventions each had a moderate to high level of evidence to support a therapeutic effect and were from different therapeutic classes.

Femoral rotational osteotomy for femoroacetabular impingement: A systematic review.

Purpose: To synthesize existing literature regarding the indications and outcomes of femoral rotational osteotomies (FDO) for femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) due to. Methods: Medline, Cochrane, and Embase were searched using keywords "femoroacetabular impingement", "rotational osteotomy" and others to identify FAI patients undergoing FDO. Double-screened studies were reviewed by blinded authors according to inclusion criteria. Data from full texts was extracted including study type, number of patients, sex, mean age, surgical indication, type of dysplasia, associated pathology, surgical technique, follow-up, and pre-op/post-op evaluations of the following: impingement test, femoral version (FV), 'other angles measured', outcome scores, range of motion (ROM). Results: 7 studies including 91 patients (97 FDO surgeries), 73 females (80 %) with mean age of 28.3 years, and follow-up mean of 2.44 ± 2.83 years. Pain or impingement was the most common clinical indication, while others included aberrant FV and ROM measurements for both anteverted and retroverted femurs. There were reports of FDO being performed with concomitant procedures addressing other pathology. Various outcome scores and ROM measurements showed postoperative improvement after FDO. Complication data was sparse, preventing aggregation. The rate of unplanned reoperation was 40 % (where reported), with 'hardware removal' being the most common. Conclusions: FDO is effective in treating FAI due to increased FV, improving clinical symptoms, and potentially delaying articular degeneration. Hardware removal surgery remains an inherent risk in undergoing FDO. Further work is needed to discover indications warranting FDO as a primary treatment versus hip arthroscopy. Level of evidence: This review contains 4 studies with Level IV evidence and 3 studies with Level III evidence.

Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation in Elite Athletes: A Systematic Review.

Background: Deficiency in vitamin D has been shown to increase the risk of injury. Purpose: To synthesize current placebo-controlled randomized trials investigating the effect of vitamin D supplementation in elite athletes on (1) aerobic capacity; (2) anaerobic measures, such as strength, speed, and anaerobic power; (3) serum biomarkers of inflammation; and (4) bone health. Study Design: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 1. Methods: A literature search was conducted on November 30, 2022, according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Included were randomized, placebo-controlled studies of longer than 2 weeks on subjects with active participation in organized sport. Excluded were nonrandomized controlled trial study designs, vitamin D administration routes other than oral, studies that did not use vitamin D supplementation as the sole intervention, and studies with nonathletic or military populations. Results: Out of 2331 initial studies, 14 studies (482 athletes) were included. Of the 3 studies that assessed aerobic capacity, 2 demonstrated significantly greater improvements in maximal oxygen uptake and physical working capacity-170 (P < .05) in supplemented versus nonsupplemented athletes. Measurements of anaerobic power and strength were consistently increased in supplemented groups compared with nonsupplemented groups in 5 out of the 7 studies that assessed this. Of the 6 studies that assessed sprint speed, 4 found no significant difference between supplemented and nonsupplemented groups. Aside from 1 study that found significantly lower interleukin-6 levels in supplemented athletes, measures of other inflammatory cytokines were not affected consistently by supplementation. The 4 studies that assessed markers of bone health were conflicting regarding benefits of supplementation. One study found demonstrated improvements in bone mineral density in response to supplementation (P = .02) compared with control whereas another found no significant difference between supplemented and nonsupplemented groups. However, in 3 other studies, serum biomarkers of bone turnover such as bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, parathyroid hormone, and N-terminal telopeptide appeared to be higher in subjects with lower serum vitamin D levels (P < .05). Conclusion: Results of this systematic review indicated that the greatest benefit of vitamin D supplementation in elite athletes may be improving aerobic endurance, anaerobic power, and strength. More research is needed to determine the effect of vitamin D supplementation on bone health and injury risk in this population.

Weightbearing Imaging Assessment of Midfoot Instability in Patients with Confirmed Hallux Valgus Deformity: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Hallux valgus deformity (HVD) involves subluxation of the first metatarsophalangeal joint. While HVD is primarily considered a forefoot condition, midfoot instability may play a significant role in its development and severity. However, very few studies have placed a heavy emphasis on studying this phenomenon. Therefore, this review had a particular focus on understanding midfoot instability based on weightbearing imaging assessments of the TMT joint. This review followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and searched five databases for studies on midfoot instability in HVD patients. The severity of HVD was defined by hallux valgus angle (HVA) and distal metatarsal articular angle (DMAA). Data was extracted, and articles were graded using the Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies (MINORS). Of 547 initially retrieved articles, 23 met the inclusion criteria. Patients with HVD showed higher HVA and DMAA on weightbearing radiographs (WBRG) and weightbearing computed tomography (WBCT) compared to healthy individuals. Midfoot instability was assessed through intermetatarsal angle (IMA) and tarsometatarsal angle (TMT angle). Patients with HVD exhibited greater IMA and TMT angles on both WBRG and WBCT. This review highlights the importance of weightbearing imaging assessments for midfoot instability in HVD. IMA and TMT angles can differentiate between healthy individuals and HVD patients, emphasizing the significance of midfoot assessment in understanding HVD pathology. These findings validate the limited evidence thus far in the literature pertaining to consistent midfoot instability in HVD patients and are able to provide ample reasoning for physicians to place a larger emphasis on midfoot imaging when assessing HVD in its entirety.

Significant Increase in Early Reoperation After Latarjet-Bristow Procedure Versus Arthroscopic Bankart Repair for Anterior Shoulder Instability: A Propensity-Score Matched Analysis.

PURPOSE: To compare the 30-day outcomes, including length of stay, short-term complications, hospital readmission, all-cause reoperation, and death after arthroscopic Bankart (AB) and Latarjet. METHODS: Patients in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database who had undergone either AB or Latarjet-Bristow (LB) procedures for anterior shoulder instability from 2012 to 2018 were identified using Current Procedural Terminology codes. Nearest neighbor propensity score matching was used to address any potential demographic differences. The 30-day incidence of postoperative complications were compared, and univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to identify risk factors associated with the incidence of post-operative complications. RESULTS: A total of 7,519 patients were identified, with 6,990 (93.0%) undergoing AB and 529 (7.0%) LB. After propensity score matching, the baseline demographics were not significantly different (P > .05). There was no significant difference in rate of total adverse events between the AB and LB cohorts (P = .06). There was a significant difference in the rate of return to the operating room between LB (1.9%) when compared to AB (0%) (P < .001). Of reoperations, 40% were due to need for revision stabilization (0.8% of all LB cases) and 40% were for irrigation and debridement. There was also a significant difference in operative time (AB = 87 minutes, LB = 131 minutes; P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: Overall 30-day complication rates were low for both groups, with similar rates among AB and LB patients. However, there was a statistically significant increased rate of short-term reoperation or revision stabilization in the LB cohort. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, retrospective comparative prognostic trial.

Preferences for risks and benefits of treatment outcomes for chronic low back pain: Choice-based conjoint measure development and discrete choice experiment.

INTRODUCTION: Understanding individual patient preferences for chronic low back pain (cLBP) outcomes is essential for targeting available therapeutic options; yet tools to elicit patient outcome preferences are limited. OBJECTIVE: To develop and test a choice-based conjoint (CBC) measure, commonly used in behavioral economics research, to elicit what outcomes patients with cLBP want to achieve and avoid. DESIGN: We developed a survey-based CBC measure to allow patients to make risk/benefit trade-off choices between possible treatment outcomes. After extensive literature, clinician, and patient input, our measure included seven attributes: fatigue, anxiety/depression, difficulty thinking/making decisions, pain intensity, physical abilities, change in pain, and ability to enjoy life despite pain. Random-parameters logit models were used to estimate strength of preferences, and latent class analysis was used to identify patient characteristics associated with distinct preference. SETTING: Online study using the Sawtooth web-based platform. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred eleven individuals with cLBP recruited from online advertising as well as at clinical sites across multiple academic and private institutions. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. RESULTS: The most valued outcome was the highest level of physical activity (ß = 1.6-1.98; p < .001), followed by avoiding cognitive difficulties (ß = -1.48; p < .001). Avoidance of severe pain was comparable to avoiding constant fatigue and near-constant depression/anxiety (ß = -0.99, -1.02); p < .001). There was an association between preferences and current pain/disability status; patients with higher pain had a stronger preference to avoid severe pain, whereas those with higher disability have stronger preferences for achieving physical activity. The latent class analysis identified two distinct groups: (1) more risk-seeking and willing to accept worse outcomes (56%); and (2) more risk-averse with a stronger preference for achieving maximum benefits (44%). CONCLUSIONS: Our study illuminated cLBP patient preferences for treatment outcomes and heterogeneity in these preferences. Patients stressed the importance of reaching high physical activity and avoiding cognitive declines, even over a desire to avoid pain. More work is needed to understand patient preferences to aid informed, shared decisions.

No Increased Risk of Cerebrovascular Accident With Beach-Chair Versus Lateral Positioning for Shoulder Arthroscopy.

Purpose: To assess the incidence of adverse cerebrovascular events following shoulder arthroscopy in the beach-chair position when compared with the lateral position. Methods: Records of 5 shoulder surgeons were searched using Current Procedural Technology codes to identify patients who underwent arthroscopic shoulder surgery in both the beach-chair and lateral positions between 2015 and 2020. Using both Current Procedural Technology codes for cerebrovascular accident (CVA) imaging as well as the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, codes for CVA and late neurologic sequela, patient charts were analyzed in the 30-day postoperative period. The anesthesiology record also was queried for data regarding the blood pressure management intraoperatively, recording mean arterial pressures (MAPs), and vasopressor administration. Patient demographics, comorbidities, and complications were compared between the 2 cohorts using the Student 2-tailed t-test for continuous variables and χ2 analysis for categorical variables. Significance was set at P < .05. Results: There were 711 patients included in the analysis, with 471 in the beach-chair cohort and 240 in the lateral cohort. Baseline demographics were similar between groups, except for age and American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification, with the lateral group being significantly younger (P < .001) and lower American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification (P = .001) than the beach-chair group. Mean body mass index, history of CVA, transient ischemic attack, hypertension, and peripheral vascular disease were not significantly different. There were no documented CVAs in either cohort. There was no significant difference in the number of postoperative radiologic scans to evaluate for CVA (P = .77) or neurologic sequelae (P = .48) between groups. The beach-chair cohort had fewer instances of MAP <65 mm Hg, greater mean minimum MAP, but a greater percentage of patients who received blood pressure support. Conclusions: There were no significant differences identified in the incidence of CVA between patients undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery in the beach-chair and lateral positions. Level of Evidence: Level III, retrospective cohort study.

Increased Age, Operative Time, American Society of Anesthesiologists Classification, Functional Dependency, and Comorbidity Burden Are Risk Factors for Adverse Events After Meniscectomy and Meniscus Repair: 10-Year Analysis of 64,223 Patients.

PURPOSE: To use the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database to identify risk factors for 30-day adverse events and hospital readmission following isolated and unilateral meniscectomy or meniscus repair. METHODS: A retrospective review of the NSQIP database from the years 2012 to 2021 identified all patients undergoing isolated, unilateral meniscectomy or meniscus repair. Multivariable analyses were performed for each procedure to identify patient characteristics associated with any adverse event (AAE) or unplanned hospital readmission within 30 days of surgery. RESULTS: From 2012 to 2021, 59,450 (93%) patients underwent meniscectomy, and 4,773 (7%) patients underwent meniscus repair. Overall adverse event rate was 0.95% after meniscectomy and 1.40% after repair. Risk factors for AAE after meniscectomy included increased age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.010; P = .009), increased operative time (OR = 1.003; P = 0.011), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class IV (OR = 2.048; P = .045), functional dependency (OR = 3.527; P = .001), and current smoking (OR = 1.308; P = .018). Risk factors for AAE after meniscus repair included age (OR = 1.024; P = .016), operative time (OR = 1.004; P = .038), and bleeding disorders (OR = 7.000; P = .014). ASA class III increased risk of hospital readmission after both procedures (OR = 1.906; P = .008; OR = 4.101; P = .038), and medical comorbidities of heart failure (OR = 3.924; P = .016), hypertension (OR = 1.412; P = .011), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR = 2.350; P < .001) increased readmission risk after meniscectomy only. CONCLUSIONS: Per analysis of the ACS-NSQIP database, surgical treatment of meniscal tears in the knee has been performed frequently over the past 10 years, with meniscectomies comprising over 90% of cases. Increased age and operative time were associated with a modest risk of adverse events after both meniscectomy and meniscus repair. Increased comorbidity burden, evidenced by ASA class, dependent functional status, current smoking, and systemic medical conditions, such as heart failure, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and bleeding disorders, greatly increased rates of unfavorable outcomes within 30 days of meniscus surgery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, retrospective prognostic comparative investigation.

No Difference in Short-Term Complications following Treatment of Closed Tibial Shaft Fractures with Intramedullary Nailing versus Plate Fixation.

Objectives: Tibial shaft fractures are treated with both intramedullary nailing (IMN) and plate fixation (ORIF). Using a large national database, we aimed to explore the differences in thirty-day complication rates between IMN and ORIF. Methods: Patients in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) database who had undergone either tibial IMN or ORIF for closed fractures from 2010 to 2018 were identified using current procedural terminology (CPT) codes. After excluding all patients with open fractures, the propensity score was matching. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to identify risk factors associated with the thirty-day incidence of complications in the two cohorts. Results: A total of 5,400 patients were identified with 3,902 (72.3%) undergoing IMN and 1,498 (27.7%) ORIF. After excluding any ICD-10 diagnosis codes not pertaining to closed, traumatic tibial shaft fractures, 2,136 IMN and 621 ORIF cases remained. After matching, the baseline demographics were not significantly different between the cohorts. Following matching, the rate of any adverse event (aae) did not differ significantly between the IMN (7.08% (n = 44)) and ORIF (8.86% (n = 55)) cohorts (p=0.13). There was also no significant difference in operative time (IMN = 98.5 min, ORIF = 100 min; p=0.3) or length of stay (IMN = 3.7 days, ORIF = 3.3 days; p=0.08) between the cohorts. Conclusion: There were no significant differences in short-term complications between cohorts. These are important data for the surgeon when considering surgical management of closed tibial shaft fractures.