Effect of CURES Legislation on Narcotic Prescriptions After Soft-tissue Hand Surgery.

California's Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) was mandated in 2018 to monitor and limit opiate prescriptions. This study evaluated the effects of this legislation on postoperative opioid prescriptions of patients undergoing soft tissue hand surgery. Patients receiving carpal tunnel release, trigger finger release, and ganglion excisions 18 months prior to and 18 months after CURES were selected. The primary outcome was milligram morphine equivalent (MME) prescribed at the surgical encounter and at first postoperative visit. There were 758 patients in the pre-CURES cohort and 701 patients in the post-CURES cohort. In the pre-CURES cohort, there was 116.9 ± 123.8 MME prescribed post op and 10.2 ± 70.8 at first follow-up, whereas post-CURES had 58.8 ± 68.4 MME and 1.1 ± 14.1 for post-op and first follow-up respectively. Findings of this study indicate state regulations may play a role in reducing narcotic consumption following soft tissue hand surgery. (Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances 33(2):122-124, 2024).

Fluoroscopy and Radiographs for Detecting Retained Surgical Needles in the Hand.

When a surgical needle is lost, the protocol is to explore the surgical field and to obtain a plain radiograph if the needle cannot be located. The size of the needle that can be detected with imaging is debated. Plain-film radiographs, C-arm, and mini C-arm fluoroscopy imaging was obtained of a cadaveric hand with retained needle of varying lengths (suture sizes 4-0 - 10-0). The authors performed analyses to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the imaging modalities. There were no differences in diagnostic area under the receiver operating characteristic curve between the three modalities. For plain film, optimal cutoff for needle size was 5.2 mm (sensitivity 0.87, specificity 0.75), for C-arm 6.8 mm (sensitivity 0.84, specificity 0.87), and for mini C-arm 5.9 mm (sensitivity 0.82, specificity 0.86). In the hand, the use of C-arm fluoroscopy is as sensitive as plain-film radiography at detecting retained needles greater than 5.9 mm. (Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances 33(1):026-028, 2024).

The Effect of Upper Extremity Tourniquet Time on Postoperative Pain and Opiate Consumption.

BACKGROUND: There is widespread use of pneumatic tourniquet for both upper and lower extremity orthopedic surgeries. Tourniquet use improves visualization, decreases blood loss, and as a result, decreases operative time. Exceeding a certain amount of tourniquet time can cause lasting neuromuscular damage. Orthopedic procedures cause significant pain, and the perioperative narcotic prescriptions after orthopedic surgery have been identified as one of the major contributors to the opioid epidemic. Our aim was to determine whether increasing tourniquet time had a negative impact on immediate postoperative opiate usage in the upper extremity, and to determine other factors associated with increased immediate postoperative opiate usage. METHODS: A retrospective medical record review was performed on patients who underwent volar pleading for fracture fixation between January 2014 and December 2019 at a single institution. Postoperative pain, morphine equivalent dose (MED) usage, and demographic variables were collected. Multivariable analysis was performed, with P < .05 considered significant. RESULTS: Immediate postoperative MED consumed was not correlated with operative time, tourniquet time, preoperative substance usage, or sex. However, postoperative MED consumed was correlated with preoperative narcotic use, high body mass index (BMI), and fracture surgery complexity. CONCLUSIONS: Tourniquet usage under current guidelines does not appear to have an effect on postoperative pain and narcotic usage. Preoperative narcotic usage, BMI, and surgery complexity are significant factors for postoperative opiate consumption.

Traumatic Humeral Diaphysis Extrusion and Replantation With Periosteal Involvement.

Open fractures that produce an extruded long bone diaphysis, such as this case, are an exceedingly rare incident, with even fewer cases documented, leading to difficult medical decision-making for the operative management of such situations. Options for operative management include replantation following sterilization of the extruded fragment, bone transport, a vascularized fibular graft, and even allograft reconstruction. Each option is associated with high and variable levels of risk. The authors report a case study of a 35-year-old female, status post motor vehicle collision (MVC), who sustained a fracture and expulsion of her humeral diaphysis during the incident. She presented to the emergency department by ambulance after colliding into a light post at 50 miles per hour. Upon presentation and examination, the patient scored 14 on the Glascow Coma Scale (GCS) with a positive Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (FAST) exam, consistent with splenic and hepatic injuries. In addition to this, the patient exhibited a flaccid left upper extremity combined with an absent left radial pulse and a small puncture wound on the left anterolateral antecubital area. Radiographic imaging revealed a 6-inch fragment of mid to distal humeral diaphysis missing. Moments later the initial Emergency Medical Services (EMS) crew returned from the scene of the accident with the missing 6-inch fragment of humerus contained in an emesis bag, which was found on the floorboard of the patient's vehicle. This fragment was preserved at -20 °C for 2 days and later used as an autograft in an open reduction internal fixation surgery. This case highlights and details the techniques for proper storage, treatment, and sterilization of the bone fragment during the period of patient stabilization following trauma, to optimize the replantation and union of the fragment. This includes contrasting the different techniques that could be utilized to preserve and sterilize bony fragments, such as autoclaving, gamma radiation, chemical sterilization with iodine, or deciding whether the fragment needs to be discarded altogether with the utilization of allograft.

Do Orthopaedic Residency Programs Have the Least Time Between Invitation and Interview?

BACKGROUND: The cost and stress of applying to residency programs are increasing. Planning for interviews with limited lead time can cause additional burden to residency applicants. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine if the specialty of orthopaedics was affording the same lead time between interview invitation and interview dates as its surgical and medical counterparts. METHODS: Dates for the first interview invitation and last possible interview were gathered for each program in orthopaedic surgery, general surgery, otolaryngology, vascular surgery, plastic surgery, neurological surgery, internal medicine, psychiatry, pediatrics, and family medicine. Interview lead time was calculated for each specialty. Mann-Whitney U and independent sample Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for nonparametric data with P < .05 considered as significant. RESULTS: Orthopaedic surgery lead time is significantly different when compared individually and pairwise to other specialties (P < .05 for all comparisons), with a median lead time of 57 days. The next lowest lead time specialty is otolaryngology with a 70-day lead time. The specialty with the longest is pediatrics (median 106 days). CONCLUSIONS: Residency programs (orthopaedic surgery in particular) vary widely in the amount of lead time given to schedule and attend interviews. The authors propose that interview invitations be extended into mid-October.

K-wire Pull-Out Force After Multiple Redirection Attempts.

PURPOSE: To evaluate if redirecting a Kirschner wire (K-wire) through the same proximal hole will weaken the pull-out force and to test if multiple redirections will result in a continued stepwise decrease in pull-out force. METHODS: An Instron was used to test the pull-out force of K-wires using the peak initial failure load as a measure of failure of K-wire fixation. K-wires 0.062 inches in diameter were inserted with an angled drill guide into a bicortical bone substrate. Trials were divided into 7 groups with the first group having the K-wires placed through both cortices and then tested without redirection. In groups 2-6, the K-wire was placed bicortically and then withdrawn and redirected through the same proximal hole with 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 redirections. A control group in which the K-wire was only unicortical was also tested. RESULTS: Compared with the control group of no redirects, any number of redirections weakened the pull-out force. There was no difference between redirected groups and the unicortical group. When comparing between redirections, there were no significant differences in pull-out force. Regression analysis showed that, after the first redirection, there was no stepwise change in pull-out force with additional redirection. CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant decrease in pull-out force with any redirections, but there was no stepwise decrease in failure force after multiple redirections. The failure force of any redirection was similar to a unicortically placed wire. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Any K-wire redirection attempts in hand bone fixation can result in a considerably weakened construct.

Biomechanical comparison of Krackow locking stitch versus nonlocking loop stitch with varying number of throws.

BACKGROUND: Common suture configuration techniques used for ligament and tendon grafts and repair are the Krackow locking stitch and a nonlocking loop stitch, such as a whipstitch. Clinically, the preferences of orthopaedic surgeons vary. HYPOTHESIS: The Krackow locking stitch and the nonlocking whipstitch, with varying suture loops, produce different biomechanical and physical effects on the tendon end. STUDY DESIGN: Controlled laboratory study. METHODS: A total of 52 fresh-frozen porcine flexor digitorum tendons were used and assigned into 10 groups. Two stitch configurations (Krackow stitch [K] and whipstitch [W]) with varying number of loops (2 throws, n = 6; 4 throws, n = 5; 6 throws, n = 5; 8 throws, n = 5; 10 throws, n = 5) were tested. No. 2 FiberWire was used. Each sample was preloaded to 5 N and then cyclically loaded for 200 cycles to 200 N at 1 Hz, and then the tendon-suture construct was analyzed for gap formation, tendon elongation, and tendon end width. Next, each tendon was loaded to failure, and ultimate strength and mode of failure were recorded. Data were evaluated with 2-way analysis of variance. RESULTS: For gap formation, the Krackow stitch produced less gap compared with the whipstitch (15.2 ± 4.0 mm [K] vs 18.9 ± 6.8 mm [W]; P = .012). Gap formation was larger when the number of loops increased from 2 to ≥6 (P = .015). For elongation, the Krackow technique increased the tendon length after cyclic loading. In contrast, the whipstitch was noted to shorten the length of the tendon (1.17 ± 0.97 mm [K] vs -0.14 ± 1.13 mm [W]; P < .001). For tendon end width, the Krackow better preserved the transverse width (-0.64 ± 0.81 mm [K] vs -1.39 ± 0.64 mm [W]; P = .001). Both stitch types had similar ultimate strength (322.1 ± 20.3 N [K] vs 319.7 ± 20.4 N [W]; P = .676) and modes of failure (all by suture breakage; therefore, no statistical calculation was performed). There was no statistical difference in tendon elongation, width, failure load, or mode regardless of the number of throws. CONCLUSION/CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Given the finding that the Krackow suture had less gap formation and better preservation of tendon architecture (length and width) compared with the whipstitch, coupled with the finding that ultimate strength is similar with both types of sutures, the Krackow stitch is recommended for tendon reconstruction when these parameters are important.

High-pressure pulsatile lavage propagates bacteria into soft tissue.

Initial wound treatment is critical in the treatment of open fractures, contaminated wounds, and abscesses. Ample evidence suggests that high-pressure pulsatile lavage damages bone structure and disrupts soft tissue. We compared the depth of penetration and amount of retention of bacteria in contaminated soft tissue subjected to one of two lavage methods: high-pressure pulsatile and low-pressure gravity flow. Fresh ovine muscle was harvested, contaminated with fluorescently stained Staphylococcus aureus, and subjected to lavage treatment. Specimens in each lavage method group were subdivided based on orientation across or in line with the muscle fibers. High-pressure lavage causes increased depth of bacterial penetration (across: 3,835 microm; in line: 4,220 microm) when compared with low-pressure lavage (across: 1,680 microm; in line: 2,095 microm). Furthermore, both high-pressure treatment groups had higher numbers of retained bacteria as counted in 50 mum x 7,500 microm x 5 microm sections of tissue after lavage (across: 197; in line: 188) when compared with the low-pressure groups (across: 94; in line: 40). These results show that high-pressure pulsatile lavage causes deeper penetration of bacteria and results in greater bacterial retention in soft tissue when compared with low-pressure lavage.

High-pressure pulsatile lavage causes soft tissue damage.

Irrigation and debridement can be a source of iatrogenic injury in open fracture treatment. Although high-pressure pulsatile lavage has been shown to cause considerable damage to bone, little has been written about its effects on soft tissue. The purpose of this study is to quantify and compare the damages on soft tissue caused by high-pressure pulsatile lavage and low-pressure lavage. Forty specimens of fresh ovine muscle were collected and subjected to high-pressure pulsatile lavage or low-pressure lavage, with the delivery orientation being across or in line with the muscle fibers. Ten additional specimens were used as controls. The results show that high-pressure pulsatile lavage causes considerable soft tissue penetration of particulate markers (across, 4.7 mm; in line, 15.6 mm) when compared with low-pressure lavage (across, 0.5 mm; in line, 0.7 mm). Furthermore, all specimens subjected to high-pressure pulsatile lavage showed gross tissue disruption. Fifteen additional samples were obtained to measure cellular death. This was observed at a deeper level for high-pressure pulsatile lavage (median depths: across, 1210 microm; in line, 1335 microm), which was approximately twice that of low-pressure lavage (across, 485 microm; in line, 682 microm). These results show that high-pressure pulsatile lavage penetrates and disrupts soft tissue to a deeper level than low-pressure lavage, causing considerable gross and microscopic tissue disruption.