[Perspective of the transition from reusable instruments to single use ancillary in orthopedic surgery]. / Ancillaires orthopédiques : évolution du matériel restérilisable vers l'usage unique, quels impacts ?

OBJECTIVES: Since 2009, single-use (SU) ancillaries for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA) have been marketed to replace reusable ancillaries. The concept is not innovative but their use in orthopedics is still uncommon. An assessment has been done for the use of SU ancillary in Assistance publique-hôpitaux de Paris with the consequences for the patient, the surgeon and the hospital. METHODS: A technical and a clinical review has been done with those devices in 2015. The economic and organizational impacts were identified and submitted for opinion to committee experts in orthopedics. RESULTS: Three SU ancillaries are commercialized. No clinical studies are currently available. There is no reimbursement for SU ancillaries whereas reusable ancillaries are included in prosthesis reimbursement price. Although SU ancillaries (TKA and THA) saving costs for sterilization, the annual additional budget estimated for their purchase would approximately be 2.5 times higher. Nevertheless, indirect savings could be also considered in the long-term period (global costs for sterilization, volume effect…). For the same quality, according to the experts, organizational impacts are low for the patient and the surgeon but potentially important for the hospital, the nursing and pharmaceutical staff, and logistical activities. CONCLUSIONS: On logistic, clinical and financial aspects, SU ancillaries need more evaluation. The switch to SU ancillaries allows saving sterilization costs and time, and provided an immediate mobilization of the equipment but their interest must be demonstrated by clinical and economic data.

Traumatic avulsion of the flexor digitorum profundus tendon. Jersey finger, a 29 cases report.

Traumatic avulsion of flexor digitorum profundus (jersey finger) is an uncommon injury. Our study aimed to describe functional outcomes of jersey fingers after surgical treatment. From January 2004 to 2014, we performed surgery on 32 patients who had jersey finger. Twenty-six of these patients were male and 6 were female with a mean age of 37.2years (range 16-68). Of the 32 cases, 11 were sports injuries, 16 presented on the ring finger and 13 on the little finger. Using the Leddy and Packer and Smith classifications, 16 of the injuries were type I, 4 were type II, 5 were type III, 7 were type IV. The mean time between injury and surgery was 6.8days (range: 0-32). The surgical techniques used were anchor, pull-out, or an association of both these techniques. Prior to the patient discharge, functional outcomes were evaluated. Twenty-nine patients were evaluated in total and three patients were lost. Of the 29, the average time between surgery and discharge was 36.6months ranging from 4.5 to 118months. According to the Buck-Gramcko classification, six patients had an excellent result, six had a good result, seven had a satisfactory result and ten a poor result. The mean Quick DASH score immediately to prior discharge was 5.66 (range: 0-56.82). Twelve complications were reported on nine patients. No infections were reported. Rapid diagnosis and rapid surgical treatment led to restoration of full range motion.

Balloon humeroplasty reconstruction for acute Hill-Sachs injury: A technical note.

Posterior Hill-Sachs humeral defects are present in 80% to 100% of cases of anterior shoulder dislocation and are a factor in recurrent instability. Several techniques have been described to fill the defect and avoid recurrence. We developed a percutaneous technique to fill the newly created defect in which a percutaneous balloon, analogous to the one used in vertebral kyphoplasty, is used to reduce the defect, which is then filled with calcium phosphate cement. One patient with an acute anterior dislocation of the shoulder with no previous history was treated using this method. Early imaging results showed adequate reduction of the defect and no cement resorption. The patient was followed for 12 months; he had normal function of the shoulder and no recurrent dislocation. Shoulder computed tomography (CT) arthrography with contrast after 3 months showed an intact capsule and no recurrence of the defect. While this technique is certainly in its infancy, we have demonstrated that emergency reduction of the defect in acute first occurrence anterior shoulder dislocation is feasible, helps to restore normal anatomy of the humeral head and leads to good clinical results. Whether it can improve clinical results and prevent recurrent shoulder dislocation remains to be evaluated.

Traumatic Floating Knee: A Review of a Multi-Centric Series of 172 Cases in Adult.

The traumatic floating knee in adults (FK) is a combined injury of the lower limb defined by ipsilateral fractures of the tibia and femur. The first publications emphasized the severity of injuries, the bad results after conservative treatment, the most severe functional outcome in case of articular fracture and the frequency of associated cruciate ligament injuries. The surgical management of FK has been highly modified according the improvement of the fracture fixation devices and the operative techniques. This retrospective multicentric observational study included 172 adults with a FK injury admitted in emergency in 5 different level I or II trauma centers. All the patients data were collected on an anonymized database. Results were evaluated by the overall clinical Karlström's score at latest follow-up. Fracture union was assessed on X-rays when at least 3 out of 4 cortices were in continuity in two different radiological planes. A statistical analysis was performed by a logistic regression method. Despite some limitations, this study confirms the general and local severity of this high-energy trauma, mainly occurring in young people around the third decade. A special effort should lead to a better initial diagnosis of associated ligamentous injury: a tear of PCL can be suspected on a lateral-ray view and a testing of the knee should be systematically performed after fixation of the fracture under anesthesia. Secondary MRI assessment is sometimes difficult to interpret because of hardware artifacts. The timing of fracture fixation is discussed on a case by case basis. However, a first femoral fixation is recommended except in cases of tibia fracture with major soft tissue lesion or leg ischemia requiring the tibia fixation first. Also a tibia stabilized facilitates the reduction and fixation of a complex distal femur fracture. The dual nailing remains so far for us the best treatment in Fraser I FK. Further prospective studies are needed to validate treatment algorithms, best fixation techniques in order to decrease the rate of complication and improve the functional outcome of floating knee injuries.

The position of strontium ranelate in today's management of osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis accounts for about 3 % of total European health-care spending. The low proportion of costs for the pharmacological prevention of osteoporotic fracture means that it is highly cost saving, especially in patient with severe osteoporosis or patients who cannot take certain osteoporosis medications due to issues of contraindications or tolerability. Following recent regulatory changes, strontium ranelate is now indicated in patients with severe osteoporosis for whom treatment with other osteoporosis treatments is not possible, and without contraindications including uncontrolled hypertension, established, current or past history of ischaemic heart disease, peripheral arterial disease, and/or cerebrovascular disease. We review here today's evidence for the safety and efficacy of strontium ranelate. The efficacy of strontium ranelate in patients complying with the new prescribing information (i.e. severe osteoporosis without contraindications) has been explored in a multivariate analysis of clinical trial data, which concluded that the antifracture efficacy of strontium ranelate is maintained in patients with severe osteoporosis without contraindications and also demonstrated how the new target population mitigates risk. Strontium ranelate is therefore an important alternative in today's management of osteoporosis, with a positive benefit-risk balance, provided that the revised indication and contraindications are followed and cardiovascular risk is monitored. The bone community should be reassured that there remain viable alternatives in patients in whom treatment with other agents is not possible and protection against the debilitating effects of fracture is still feasible in patients with severe osteoporosis.

Percutaneous Tenolig(®) repair under intra-operative ultrasonography guidance in acute Achilles tendon rupture.

BACKGROUND: Acute Achilles tendon rupture can be treated conservatively or surgically. Open surgery restores tendon continuity but carries a risk of skin complications. Tenolig(®) is a device designed for the percutaneous biological treatment of acute Achilles tendon rupture. Earlier studies found high rates of recurrent tears and nerve injury after Tenolig(®) repair. HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesised that intra-operative ultrasonography during Tenolig(®) repair would decrease the post-operative complication rate and improve functional outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 75 consecutive patients with a mean age of 39.9 years. The injury was sports-related in 82.8% of cases. Mean distance from the calcaneal tendon attachment to the tear was 5cm and mean time from injury to repair was 4.2 days. All patients underwent Tenolig(®) repair under ultrasound guidance followed by early rehabilitation therapy with partial weight bearing started after 3 weeks. RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 20.7 months and no patient was lost to follow-up. A single patient (1.3%) experienced rerupture and none had permanent sural nerve damage. Mean time to sports resumption was 8.6 months, with two-thirds of patients returning to their previous level of sporting activities. The mean AOFAS functional score was 95 and the mean ATRS score was 91.3. DISCUSSION: Our experience suggests that intra-operative ultrasonography, a non-invasive, widely available, and accurate tool, provided improved control of Tenolig(®) suture position. Ultrasonography provided valuable guidance during this demanding procedure and allowed the very early initiation of rehabilitation therapy. Another crucial factor is patient education about the physical therapy programme. Attention to this point allowed us to obtain robust and reliable functional outcomes in a population predominantly composed of athletes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

Views of general practitioners on the use of STOPP&START in primary care: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: STOPP (Screening Tool of Older Person's Prescriptions) and START (Screening Tool to Alert Doctors to Right Treatment) criteria aim at detecting potentially inappropriate prescribing in older people. The objective was to explore general practitioners' (GPs) perceptions regarding the use of the STOPP&START tool in their practice. DESIGN: We conducted three focus groups which were conveniently sampled. Vignettes with clinical cases were provided for discussion as well as a full version of the STOPP&START tool. Knowledge, strengths and weaknesses of the tool and its implementation were discussed. Two researchers independently performed content analysis, classifying quotes and creating new categories for emerging themes. RESULTS: Discussions highlighted incentives (e.g. systematic procedure for medication review) and barriers (e.g. time-consuming application) influencing the use of STOPP&START in primary care. Usefulness, comprehensiveness, and relevance of the tool were also questioned. Another important category emerging from the content analysis was the projected use of the tool. The GPs imagined key elements for the implementation in daily practice: computerized clinical decision support system, education, and multidisciplinary collaborations, especially at care transitions and in nursing homes. CONCLUSION: Despite variables views on the usefulness, comprehensiveness, and relevance of STOPP&START, GPs suggest the implementation of this tool in primary care within computerized clinical decision support systems, through education, and used as part of multidisciplinary collaborations.

Primary-care physicians' patient referral patterns to private versus public hospitals for orthopaedic or trauma surgery-- French Sentinels® database, 1997-2011.

BACKGROUND: In France, primary-care physicians referring patients for admission can choose between public and private hospitals. The factors that govern their choices are unknown. METHODS: Among all patient admissions reported from 1997 to 2011 by primary-care physicians participating in the Sentinels(®) network, we identified those due to orthopaedic conditions or trauma. We then identified the factors associated with referral to a private hospital rather than to a public hospital. RESULTS: Of 45,960 admissions reported to Sentinels(®) in 1997-2011, 2794 (6.1%) were for orthopaedic/trauma care. The main reasons for admission were hip fractures (27.5%), elective orthopaedic surgery (15.5%), fractures of the humerus (5.9%), wrist fractures (5.4%), soft-tissue lesions of the forearm or hand (5.0%), and spinal injuries (4.5%). Private hospitals were chosen more often for orthopaedic/trauma patients than for patients with other conditions (40% vs. 21.6% of cases, P<0.0001). When fracture of the humerus was used as the reference, referral to private hospitals was significantly more common for elective surgery (odds ratio, 3.30 [2.02-5.40]) and hip fracture (odds ratio, 1.50 [1.03-2.18]) and significantly less common for spinal injuries (odds ratio, 0.35 [0.19-0.66]). Other factors associated with referral to private hospitals were patient age, admission decision during an office visit or in a non-emergent setting, and admission decision made by the patient's usual physician. CONCLUSION: Specific factors seem to govern decisions by primary-care physicians to refer orthopaedic/trauma patients to private vs. public hospitals. Identical pricing scales for private and public hospitals will be implemented soon in France, a change that requires further analyses. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

Implications for fracture healing of current and new osteoporosis treatments: an ESCEO consensus paper.

Osteoporotic fracture healing is critical to clinical outcome in terms of functional recovery, morbidity, and quality of life. Osteoporosis treatments may affect bone repair, so insights into their impact on fracture healing are important. We reviewed the current evidence for an impact of osteoporosis treatments on bone repair. Treatment with bisphosphonate in experimental models is associated with increased callus size and mineralization, reduced callus remodeling, and improved mechanical strength. Local and systemic bisphosphonate treatment may improve implant fixation. No negative impact on fracture healing has been observed, even after major surgery or when administered immediately after fracture. Experimental data for denosumab and raloxifene suggest no negative implications for bone repair. The extensive experimental results for teriparatide indicate increased callus formation, improved biomechanical strength, and greater external callus volume and total bone mineral content and density. Case reports and a randomized trial have produced mixed results but are consistent with a positive impact of teriparatide on clinical fracture healing. Studies with strontium ranelate in models of fracture healing indicate that it is associated with improved bone microstructure, callus volume, and biomechanical properties. Finally, there is experimental evidence for a beneficial effect of some of the agents currently being developed for osteoporosis, notably sclerostin antibody and DKK1 antibody. There is currently no evidence that osteoporosis treatments are detrimental for bone repair and some promising experimental evidence for positive effects on healing, notably for agents with a bone-forming mode of action, which may translate into therapeutic applications.

[Antibiotic use in general practice in Belgium and France: between collective factors and individual responsibility]. / Prescription d'antibiotiques en médecine générale en Belgique et en France: entre déterminants collectifs et responsabilité individuelle.

The mechanisms that might explain the antibiotic use in ambulatory practices go widely beyond microbiology and epidemiology. Sociocultural factors (help-seeking behaviour) and structural factors (liberal fee-for system), similar in France and Belgium, explain how an inappropriate health demand and an inappropriate supply are supporting each other, to keep the two countries high in European ranking. Beyond these collective factors of antibiotic use, the general practitioners' individual responsibility is also discussed.

[Osteoporosis and the orthopaedic surgeon in 2007]. / L'ostéoporose et l'orthopédiste en 2007.

Despite advances in the prevention and treatment of fragility fractures, their prevalence continues to grow. The identification and treatment of osteoporosis in these high-risk patients are widely reported to be inadequate. The results of the 2002 and 2006 "Orthopaedic Surgeon Survey" under the auspice of BJD and IOF have shown a better involvement of the orthopaedic surgeon in osteoporosis management during his routine clinical practice. The orthopaedic surgeons knew that fragility fractures in patient over 50 years old require investigation for osteoporosis. Although some surgeons agreed to initiate investigation and inform patient about new osteoporosis fracture risk, the majority did not institute medical treatment and thought that the patient primary care provider or rheumatologist should be responsible for medical care. This round table highlights the current aspect of management of fragility fractures and focuses on diagnosis imaging techniques, pharmacological treatment as well as recent advances in implant design and surgical techniques.

[The floating knee: a retrospective analysis of 172 cases]. / Le genou flottant: étude rétrospective de 172 cas.

A retrospective multicentric observational study of 172 floating knee injuries is reviewed. According Fraser's classification 71.5% of the cases are type I and the repartition of the type II in the 3 subgroups is as follow: II A 8.2%, II B 11.6%, et II C 8.7%. At least one of the fractures was open in 69.2% of the patients. The average Injury Severity Score (ISS) was 19.5. The polytraumatized patients (ISS over 18) represented 37.7% of the cases. The surgical procedure started within the 6 first hours in 62% of the injured people. The Intramedullary nailing (IM) was the preferred method at the femur site (73%, 126 cases), at the tibia IM was performed in 54.4% of cases and external fixation was used in one every four patients. The mean operating time was 167 minutes (range: 40'-300') and the total time for the whole procedure was 216 minutes (range: 80'-410'). The mean follow up is 34.2 months. According the functional score of Karlström and Olerud, 23 patients were rated as excellent, 38 as good, 35 as fair and 20 as bad. The contributing factors influencing bad functional outcome are the age, a type II lesion, a femoral fracture located at the distal third, and an open fracture. The IM using a single knee incision does not show in this series better results but the shortening of the operating time was highly significant.

Substantial use of primary health care by prisoners: epidemiological description and possible explanations.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the use of primary care services by a prisoner population so as to understand the great number of demands and therefore to plan services oriented to the specific needs of these patients. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study of a sample of prisoners' medical records. SETTING: All Belgian prisons (n = 33). PATIENTS: 513 patients over a total of 182 patient years, 3328 general practitioner (GP) contacts, 3655 reasons for encounter. MAIN RESULTS: Prisoners consulted the GP 17 times a year on average (95%CI 15 to 19.4). It is 3.8 times more than a demographically equivalent population in the community. The most common reasons for encounter were administrative procedures (22%) followed by psychological (13.1%), respiratory (12.9%), digestive (12.5%), musculoskeletal (12%), and skin problems (7.7%). Psychological reasons for consultations (n = 481) involved mainly (71%) feeling anxious, sleep disturbance, and prescription of psychoactive drugs. Many other visits concerned common problems that in other circumstances would not require any physician intervention. CONCLUSION: The most probable explanations for the substantial use of primary care in prison are the health status (many similarities noted between health problems at the admission and reasons for consultations during the prison term: mental health problems and health problems related to drug misuse), lack of access to informal health services (many contacts for common problems), prison rules (many consultations for administrative procedures), and mental health problems related to the difficulties of life in prison.

Use of genotypic identification by sodA sequencing in a prospective study to examine the distribution of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species among strains recovered during septic orthopedic surgery and evaluate their significance.

A total of 212 coagulase-negative Staphylococcus strains recovered prospectively during 119 surgeries for proven or suspected bone and joint infection (BJI) were identified by sodA sequencing. These strains were identified as 151 Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates, 15 S. warneri isolates, 14 S. capitis isolates, 9 S. hominis isolates, 6 S. lugdunensis isolates, 5 S. haemolyticus isolates, 4 S. caprae isolates, 4 S. pasteuri isolates, 3 S. simulans isolates, and 1 S. cohnii isolate. Only S. epidermidis, S. lugdunensis, S. capitis, and S. caprae were found to be infecting organisms and were involved, respectively, in 35 (81.4%), 3 (7.0%), 3 (7.0%), and 2 (4.6%) cases of BJI.

The value of suction drainage fluid culture during aseptic and septic orthopedic surgery: a prospective study of 901 patients.

There are no guidelines on the value of suction drainage fluid culture (SDC), and it is difficult to determine whether the organisms cultured from suction drainage fluid samples are pathogenic or simply contaminants. We performed 2989 cultures of suction drainage fluid samples obtained, during a 1-year period, from 901 patients who underwent aseptic or septic orthopedic surgery (946 operations). The culture results were analyzed to evaluate their ability to detect postoperative infection after aseptic operations or to detect either a persistent or new episode of sepsis in patients known to have infection. For aseptic operations, the sensitivity of SDC was 25%, the specificity was 99%, the positive predictive value was 25%, and the negative predictive value was 99%. For septic operations, the sensitivity of SDC was 81%, the specificity was 96%, the positive predictive value was 87%, and the negative predictive value was 94%. We conclude that, for aseptic orthopedic surgery, SDC is not useful in detecting postoperative infection. However, for septic orthopedic surgery, it is of clinical importance.

Combined injuries in the upper cervical spine: clinical and epidemiological data over a 14-year period.

Concomitant traumatic injuries in the upper cervical spine are often encountered and rarely reported. We examined the data concerning 784 patients with cervical spine injuries following trauma, including 116 patients with upper cervical spine injuries. Twenty-six percent of patients with upper cervical spine injuries (31 cases) were found to have combined injuries involving either the upper or the upper and lower cervical spine. The frequent patterns were combined type I bipedicular fracture of the axis and dens fracture, and combined dens fracture and fracture of the posterior arch of C 1. Other patterns posed specific problems, such as combined dens and Jefferson fracture and combined dens and C2 articular pillar fracture. Seventy percent of atlas fractures, 30% of C2 traumatic spondylolistheses and 30% of dens fractures were part of a combination. A total of 1.7% of patients with lower cervical spine injuries had a combined injury in the upper cervical spine. A comprehensive therapeutic schedule is outlined. Combined injuries in the upper cervical spine should be sought in any patient with a cervical spine injury.

Reducing the cervical flexion tear-drop fracture with a posterior approach and plating technique: an original method.

Flexion tear-drop fractures (FTDF) in the cervical spine constitute a highly unstable condition with a high incidence of neurological complications due to posterior displacement of the fractured vertebra in the spinal canal. The widely accepted surgical management for this condition includes complete excision and grafting of the vertebral body through an anterior approach. Thorough radiological and CT analysis of FTDF shows that the vertebral body is often separated into two parts by a sagittal plane fracture, but remains continuous through the pedicle and anterior arch of the vertebral foramen with the lateral mass and the articular processes. We therefore hypothesized that reduction would be possible by acting on the articular process through a posterior approach with a particular plating technique. Eight patients with FTDF were operated on with the technique we describe. Three had complete tetraplegia, four had incomplete tetraplegia and one was normal. A preoperative CT scan was made in all patients. Local kyphosis, posterior displacement of the vertebral body, and general lordosis in the cervical spine were recorded. In all cases, a satisfactory reduction was achieved on the postoperative radiographs and at the mean follow-up of 18.6+/-12.1 months, with residual posterior displacement being less than 1 mm. No complication occurred. Out of seven neurologically impaired patients, five showed some motor recovery at the latest follow-up. The posterior technique is described, and the rationale and pros and cons are discussed. The study showed that posterior reduction and fixation of flexion tear-drop fracture is not only possible, but permits an accurate restoration of the anatomy of the fractured cervical spine.

Traumatic total axial reversal of the thoracic vertebral body.

Numerous vertebral fracture patterns have been reported in the literature. We present the case of a patient who sustained severe trauma to the back that resulted in a very unusual and not previously reported rotational injury consisting in complete 180 degrees rotation of the T6 vertebral body along a vertical axis, with only limited anteroposterior and lateral displacement. An unsuspected aortic tear resulted in severe evolution with fatal outcome following surgical attempt. The aetiology of such displacement is unknown. The possibility of late vascular complications should be kept in mind while treating thoracic spine fractures with rotational displacement.