Surgical Treatment of Focal Chondral Lesions of the Knee in the Military Population: Current and Future Therapies.

INTRODUCTION: Chondral and osteochondral defects of the knee are common injuries in the military population that have a significant impact on readiness. Definitive treatment of these injuries is challenging since cartilage has a limited capacity for self-repair and regeneration. Management is particularly challenging in military patients who maintain a higher level of activity similar to athletes. Existing surgical techniques have variable results and often long recovery times, sparking the development of several new innovative technologies to return service members back to duty more quickly and effectively after cartilage injury. The purpose of this article is to review the current and future surgical treatments for chondral and osteochondral knee lesions and their relevance in managing these injuries in the military. METHODS: In this review article, we describe the current treatments for chondral and osteochondral defects of the knee, reporting on outcomes in military populations. We explore emerging treatment modalities for cartilage defects, reporting innovations, stage of research, and current data. Published results of each treatment option in military populations are reviewed throughout the article. RESULTS: This review includes 12 treatments for chondral lesions. Of these therapies, four are considered synthetic and the remaining are considered regenerative solutions. Regenerative therapies tend to perform better in younger, healthier populations with robust healing capacity. Success of treatment depends on lesions and patient characteristics. Nearly all modalities currently available in the USA were successful in improving patients from presurgical function in the short (<6 months) term, but the long-term efficacy is still challenged. Upcoming technologies show promising results in clinical and animal studies that may provide alternative options desirable for the military population. CONCLUSIONS: The current treatment options for cartilage lesions are not entirely satisfactory, usually with long recovery times and mixed results. An ideal therapy would be a single procedure that possesses the ability to enable a quick return to activity and duty, alleviate pain, provide long-term durability, and disrupt the progression of osteoarthritis. Evolving technologies for cartilage lesions are expanding beyond currently available techniques that may revolutionize the future of cartilage repair.

Long-Term Health Outcomes of Limb Salvage Compared with Amputation for Combat-Related Trauma.

BACKGROUND: There are little long-term health data, particularly in terms of body composition and development of metabolic syndromes, to help surgeons to guide the decision between limb salvage and amputation in patients with limb-threatening trauma. The purpose of this study was to compare long-term health outcomes after high-energy lower-extremity trauma between patients who underwent attempted flap-based limb salvage or amputation. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of servicemembers with a minimum 10-year follow-up who underwent flap-based limb salvage followed by unilateral amputation or continued limb salvage after combat-related, lower-extremity trauma between 2005 and 2011. Patient demographic characteristics, injury characteristics, and health outcomes including body mass index (BMI) and development of metabolic disease (e.g., hyperlipidemia, hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes) were compared between treatment cohorts. Adjusted BMIs were calculated for the amputation cohort to account for lost surface area. We performed multivariable and propensity score analysis to determine the likelihood of developing obesity or metabolic disease. RESULTS: In this study, 110 patients had available long-term follow-up (mean, 12.2 years) from the time of the injury. Fifty-six patients underwent limb salvage and 54 patients underwent unilateral amputation. There was no difference in preinjury BMI (p = 0.30). After adjusting for limb loss, the amputation cohort had a trend toward higher BMIs at ≥1 years after the injury, a higher rate of obesity, and a greater increase in BMI from baseline after the injury. The development of metabolic comorbidities was common after both amputation (23 [43%] of 54) and limb salvage (27 [48%] of 56). With the numbers available, we were unable to demonstrate a difference in risk for the development of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, heart disease, or any comorbidity other than obesity (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Amputations may be medically necessary and may decrease pain, improve mobility, and/or expedite return to activity compared with limb salvage after similar injuries. However, limb loss may negatively impact metabolic regulation and may contribute to a higher risk of obesity despite beneficial effects on mobility. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level III . See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Epidemiology of Meniscus Injuries in the Military Health System and Predictive Factors for Arthroscopic Surgery.

Meniscus injuries occur at a higher rate in the military than the general population. Appropriate management and rehabilitation of meniscus injuries is important for maintaining readiness. The purpose of this study was to describe the health burden of meniscus injuries in the Military Health System (MHS) to identify the surgical intervention rate for meniscus injuries, and to determine which injury characteristics and demographic variables were associated with the likelihood of surgery after injury. The U.S. Department of Defense Management Analysis and Reporting Tool, a database of health care encounters by military personnel and dependents, was queried for encounters associated with a meniscal injury diagnosis between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2011. Meniscus injuries were categorized into (1) isolated medial, (2) isolated lateral, (3) combined medial and lateral, and (4) unspecified cohorts. Patients under 18 and over 51 years were excluded, as well as patients without records at least 1 year prior to diagnosis or 2 years after. Relevant surgical procedures were identified with the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes for arthroscopic surgery of the knee, meniscus repair, meniscectomy, and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. There were 2,969 meniscus injuries meeting inclusion criteria during the study period. There were 1,547 (52.1%) isolated medial meniscus injuries, 530 (17.9%) isolated lateral meniscus injuries, 452 (15.3%) involved both menisci, and 435 (14.7%) were unspecified. The mean age was 35.5 years (standard deviation [SD] = 9.3). An adjacent ligamentous injury occurred in 901 patients (30.3%). The treatment course led to arthroscopic surgery in 52.8% (n = 1,568) of all meniscus injuries. Eighty-five percent (n = 385) of combined medial and lateral tears, 54.9% of medial tears, and 51.6% of lateral tears underwent surgery. Partial meniscectomy was the most common procedure performed while 47.2% (n = 1,401) of tears were not treated surgically. Bilateral meniscus injuries had 4.57 greater odds of undergoing knee arthroscopy (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.46, 6.04), 2.42 times odds of undergoing a meniscus repair, and 4.59 times odds for undergoing a meniscus debridement (95% CI: 3.62, 5.82). The closed nature of the MHS allows reliable capture of surgical rates for meniscus injuries within the military population. Meniscus injuries are common in the military and impose a significant burden on the MHS. Appropriate management and rehabilitation of this injury is important for maintaining readiness.

Epidemiology of Symptomatic Dorsal Wrist Ganglia in Active Duty Military and Civilian Populations.

Purpose: The epidemiology of dorsal wrist ganglia (DWG) has been poorly studied. The purpose of this study was to determine the epidemiology of DWG in the US military and civilian populations. We hypothesized that military service would be associated with an increased risk for developing a DWG. Methods: The US Department of Defense Management Analysis and Reporting Tool, a database of health care encounters by military personnel and dependents, was queried for encounters with an International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision diagnosis of 727.41 (ganglion of a joint) or 727.43 (ganglion, unspecified location) between 2009 and 2014. There is no specific code for DWG, so a random sample of 1,000 patients was selected from both the military and civilian cohorts. These 2,000 electronic medical records were examined to identify patients with a DWG. This estimate was used to determine the unadjusted incidence of DWG with a 95% confidence interval and a 5% margin of error in the entire military and civilian dependent population. Adjusted incidence rates and incidence rate ratios (IRR) were determined using Poisson regression, controlling for demographic covariates. Results: The incidence of DWG in the military population is 14.25/10,000 person-years compared with 7.01/10,000 person-years in the civilian population. Female sex was a significant risk factor in both the military (IRR, 2.59) and civilian populations (IRR, 2.26). Younger age group (age 25-34 years) was a significant risk factor for DWG compared with an older age group (age 45-64 years) in both the military (IRR, 1.74) and civilian populations (IRR, 2.56). Senior rank (both officer and enlisted) was a significant risk factor for DWG compared with junior rank (IRR, 1.95). Conclusions: The incidence of DWG was higher in the military compared with the civilian population. There is a higher incidence of a DWG in females and in the senior ranks (both officer and enlisted). Type of study/level of evidence: Prognostic III.

The idle central venous catheter in the NICU: When should it be removed?

PURPOSE: There is debate regarding the optimal timing of central line removal in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The purpose was to evaluate outcomes of idle peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) and tunneled central venous catheters (TCVCs) and determine the incidence of line-related infections and replacements. METHODS: Patients in the NICU with T-CVCs placed between 11/2008 and 8/2015 (n=134) or PICCs placed between 7/2013 and 10/2015 (n=467) were included. Demographics and outcomes were compared. RESULTS: The most common indications for line placement were parenteral nutrition for PICCs (74%) and lack of access for T-CVCs (53%). T-CVCs had a greater proportion of idle days (T-CVC- 25.2% vs PICC- 5.1%, p<0.001) and removal within 24h of discharge (T-CVC-53% vs PICC-5.8%, p<0.001). Conversely, 81% of PICCs were removed within 24h of nonuse. Line replacement after removal for nonuse was required in 6% of PICCs and zero T-CVCs. In both groups, the central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) rate was lower in idle lines compared to ones in use. CONCLUSION: Patients treated with PICCs and T-CVCs are different populations and should have different guidelines for removal. In neonates with difficult access, the low risk of CLABSIs in idle surgically placed catheters may justify maintaining access until discharge. TYPE OF STUDY: Treatment study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

Incidence and Risk Factors for Volar Wrist Ganglia in the U.S. Military and Civilian Populations.

PURPOSE: To identify the incidence and demographic factors associated with volar wrist ganglia in both military and civilian beneficiary populations. METHODS: The U.S. Department of Defense Management Analysis and Reporting Tool (M2) accesses a comprehensive database of all health care visits by military personnel and their dependents. Because there is no specific code for ganglions of the wrist, the database was searched for all military personnel and civilian beneficiaries with an International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, diagnosis of 727.41 (ganglion of a joint) or 727.43 (ganglion, unspecified location) between 2009 and 2014. Two random samples of 1000 patients were selected from both the military and the civilian beneficiary cohorts, and their electronic medical records were examined to identify those with volar wrist ganglia. The proportion of volar wrist ganglia was then applied to the overall population data to estimate the total incidence with a 95% confidence interval and 5% margin of error. Unadjusted incidence rates and adjusted incidence rate ratios were determined using Poisson regression, controlling for age, sex, branch of military service, and military seniority. RESULTS: The unadjusted incidence of volar wrist ganglia is 3.72 per 10,000 person-years (0.04%/y) in female civilian beneficiaries, 1.04 per 10,000 person-years (0.01%/y) in male civilian beneficiaries, 7.98 per 10,000 person-years (0.08%/y) in female military personnel, and 3.73 per 10,000 person-years (0.04%/y) in male military personnel. When controlled for age, military personnel have a 2.5-times increased rate of volar wrist ganglia, and women have a 2.3-times increased rate. In the military cohort, female sex, branch of service, and seniority were significantly associated with the diagnosis of a volar wrist ganglion when controlled for age. In the civilian beneficiary cohort, only female sex was significant. CONCLUSIONS: Military service members have higher rates of volar wrist ganglia diagnoses than their age- and sex-matched civilian counterparts. Women are significantly more likely to be diagnosed with a volar wrist ganglion, regardless of age or military status. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The epidemiology of volar wrist ganglia is poorly defined, and few studies have firmly defined demographic factors associated with the diagnosis. We provide the overall incidence rate of the diagnosis and report a significant association with female sex even when controlled for age.