Pathogenesis to management of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer whose incidence continues to rise in many parts of the world due to a concomitant rise in many associated risk factors, such as alcohol use and obesity. Although early-stage HCC can be potentially curable through liver resection, liver-directed therapies, or transplantation, patients usually present with intermediate to advanced disease, which continues to be associated with a poor prognosis. This is because HCC is a cancer with significant complexities, including substantial clinical, histopathologic, and genomic heterogeneity. However, the scientific community has made a major effort to better characterize HCC in those aspects via utilizing tissue sampling and histological classification, whole genome sequencing, and developing viable animal models. These efforts ultimately aim to develop clinically relevant biomarkers and discover molecular targets for new therapies. For example, until recently, there was only one approved systemic therapy for advanced or metastatic HCC in the form of sorafenib. Through these efforts, several additional targeted therapies have gained approval in the United States, although much progress remains to be desired. This review will focus on the link between characterizing the pathogenesis of HCC with current and future HCC management.

A Case of Acute Liver Failure in a Patient on Isoniazid Prophylaxis for Latent Tuberculosis.

Isoniazid (INH) is widely used for latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis despite the known risk of liver injury, with severe hepatitis occurring in up to 1% of patients. We report a patient who presented with two weeks of anorexia, nausea, and jaundice following six months of INH monotherapy for latent tuberculosis (TB). After other causes of liver injury were ruled out, she underwent a liver biopsy showing submassive necrosis, hepatocellular dropout, and lobular inflammation with no evidence of fibrosis. She was also found to have acute portal hypertension. She was diagnosed with drug-induced liver injury (DILI) and was treated with n-acetyl cysteine (NAC), ursodiol, and vitamin K. She recovered without the need for a liver transplant. This case supports the need for monitoring of liver tests in high-risk individuals on INH therapy to reduce the risk of hepatotoxicity.

Poor Access to Opioid Addiction Care for Total Joint Arthroplasty Patients.

INTRODUCTION: The United States is experiencing an opioid epidemic, and orthopedists prescribe a large proportion of these drugs. Patients often become dependent on painkillers and face barriers to treatment. Given that many joint arthroplasty patients are enrolled in Medicare, we aimed to examine the ease of orthopedic patients with various insurance types to access addiction and pain specialists. METHODS: Using three web-based directories, we identified addiction specialists within a 5-mile radius of our hospital. We contacted these practices and inquired as to whether they treated addiction, types of insurance they accepted, and appointment availability. RESULTS: We identified 190 addiction and pain management specialists and were able to reach 134/190 (70.5%). Nine (6.7%) of the 134 reachable physicians accepted Medicare or Medicaid, which is nine (4.7%) of the 190 physicians initially located. The average wait time to an appointment was 4.2 days, and a significant difference in wait time existed across insurance types (p = 0.0284). DISCUSSION: Orthopedic patients face many barriers to receiving treatment for painkiller addiction. Wait time to see an addiction specialist also varied based on insurance type. Online directories may not be useful for certain patient populations to identify physicians. Orthopedic surgeons should partner with addiction and pain specialists to help alleviate the barriers that patients face.

Tibial Shaft Fractures in Workers Compensation and No-Fault Insurance Is There a Difference in Resource Utilization?

BACKGROUND: Workers Compensation claims have been previously associated with inferior clinical outcomes. However, variation in inpatient stays for orthopedic trauma injuries according to insurance type has not been previously examined. METHODS: We investigated the differences according to insurance for tibial shaft fractures in regard to length of stay and disposition. Using the New York SPARCS database, we identified 1,856 adult non-elderly patients with an isolated tibial shaft fracture who underwent surgery. Patients were stratified by insurance type, including private, Medicaid, Workers Compensation, and no-fault, which covers medical expenses related to automobile or pedestrian accidents. RESULTS: Compared to private insurance (mean: 2.7 days), length of stay was longer for no-fault (mean: 3.9 days; adjusted difference +33%, p < 0.001) and Medicaid (mean: 3.5 days; adjusted difference +22%, p < 0.001), but not significantly different for Workers Compensation (mean: 3.5 days; adjusted difference +4%, p = 0.474). Compared to private insurance (rate: 3.5%), disposition to a facility was significantly higher for no-fault (rate: 10.1%; adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 3.3, p < 0.001) and Medicaid (rate: 7.6%; OR = 2.2, p = 0.003), but was not significantly different for Workers Compensation (rate: 6.3%; OR = 1.8, p = 0.129). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with no-fault insurance, but not Workers Compensation, are subject to longer hospital stays and are more likely to be discharged to a facility following operative fixation of an isolated tibial shaft fracture. These findings suggest that financial, social, and legal factors influence medical care for patients involved in automobile accidents with no-fault insurance.

Association of Magnet Nursing Status With Hospital Performance on Nationwide Quality Metrics.

INTRODUCTION: Magnet Recognition is the highest distinction a healthcare organization can receive for excellence in nursing. Although Magnet status is generally associated with superior clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction, its association with performance on nationwide quality metrics is currently unknown. METHODS: Within a propensity score-matched cohort, we compared performance on the Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program (HACRP), Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (VBP), and Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (RRP) initiatives. RESULTS: The mean HACRP total performance score was inferior at Magnet versus non-Magnet hospitals (p < .001), and HACRP penalties were more likely to be levied against Magnet hospitals (p = .003). There was no significant difference according to Magnet status for VBP penalties after correcting for multiple comparisons (p = .049). There were no significant difference in RRP penalties according to Magnet status (p = .999). CONCLUSIONS: Magnet hospitals performed worse on a number of hospitalwide quality metrics tied to reimbursement by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service. Although Magnet hospitals are known for superior nursing care and organizational support for safety and quality improvement, this is not captured within these composite measures of quality, which can be influenced at many levels of care. These data underscore the need for comprehensive quality improvement across multiple domains of care outside of nursing. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, retrospective study.

Are Histological Examinations of Arthroplasty Specimens Performed Consistently Across the Country? A Large Database Study.

BACKGROUND: It is currently unknown to what extent routine histological examination of joint arthroplasty specimens occurs across hospitals nationwide. Although this practice is neither supported nor refuted by the available evidence, given the increasing demand for joint arthroplasties, it is crucial to study overall utilization as well as its main drivers. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: Using national data on joint replacements, we aimed to evaluate: (1) What is the current use of routine histological examination of joint arthroplasty specimens? (2) Does the use vary by geographic location and hospital characteristics? (3) Has use changed over time? METHODS: From the Premier Healthcare database (2006-2016) we included claims data from 87,667 shoulder (595 hospitals, median age 70 years, 16% nonwhite), 564,577 hip (629 hospitals, median age 65 years, 21% nonwhite), and 1,131,323 (630 hospitals, median age 66 years, 24% nonwhite) knee arthroplasties (all elective). Our study group has extensive experience with this data set, which contains information on 20% to 25% of all US hospitalizations. Included hospitals are mainly concentrated in the South (approximately 40%) with equal distributions among the Northeast, West, and Midwest (approximately 20% each). Moreover, the Premier data set has detailed billing information, which allows for evaluations of real-world clinical practice. There was no missing information on the main variables of interest for this specific study. We assessed frequency of histology examination (defined by Current Procedural Terminology codes) overall as well as by hospital characteristics (urban/rural, bed size, teaching status, arthroplasty volume), geographic region (Northeast, South, Midwest, West), and year. Given the large sample size, instead of p values, standardized differences were applied in assessing group differences where a standardized difference of > 0.1 (or 10%) was assumed to represent a meaningful difference between groups. For significance of trends, p values were applied. Percentages provided represent proportions of individual procedures. RESULTS: In most hospitals, histology testing was either rare (1%-10%, used in 187 of 595, 189 of 629, and 254 of 630 hospitals) or ubiquitous (91%-100%, used in 121 of 595, 220 of 629, and 195 of 630 hospitals) for shoulder, hip, and knee arthroplasties, respectively. Overall, histology testing occurred more often in smaller hospitals (37%-53% compared with 26%-45% in larger hospitals) and those located in the Northeast (59%-68% compared with 22%-44% in other regions) and urban areas (32%-49% compared with 20%-31% in rural areas), all with standardized differences > 10%. Histologic examination is slowly decreasing over time: from 2006 to 2016, it decreased from 34% to 30% for shoulder arthroplasty, from 50% to 45% for THAs, and from 43% to 38% for TKAs (all p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Although overall use is decreasing, a substantial number of hospitals still routinely perform histology testing of arthroplasty specimens. Moreover, variation between regions and hospital types suggests that this practice is driven by a variety of factors. This is the first study addressing national utilization, which will be helpful for individual hospitals to assess how they compare with national utilization patterns. Moreover, the findings have clear implications for followup studies, which may be necessary given the exponentially growing demand for arthroplasties. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, therapeutic study.

What are the prevalence and risk factors for repeat ipsilateral knee arthroscopy?

PURPOSE: The number of arthroscopic knee surgeries performed annually has increased over the last decade. It remains unclear what proportion of individuals undergoing knee arthroscopy is at risk for subsequent ipsilateral procedures. Better knowledge of risk factors and the incidence of reoperative ipsilateral arthroscopy are important in setting expectations and counselling patients on treatment options. The aim of this study is to determine the incidence of repeat ipsilateral knee arthroscopy, and the risk factors associated with subsequent surgery over long-term follow-up. METHODS: The New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative Systems outpatient database was reviewed from 2003 to 2016 to identify patients who underwent elective, primary knee arthroscopy for one of the following diagnosis-related categories of procedures: Group 1: cartilage repair and transfer; Group 2: osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) lesions; Group 3: meniscal repair, debridement, chondroplasty, and synovectomy; Group 4: multiple different procedures. Subjects were followed for 10 years to determine the odds of subsequent ipsilateral knee arthroscopy. Risk factors including the group of arthroscopic surgery, age group, gender, race, insurance type, surgeon volume, and comorbidities were analysed to identify factors predicting subsequent surgery. RESULTS: A total of 765,144 patients who underwent knee arthroscopy between 2003 and 2016, were identified. The majority (751,873) underwent meniscus-related arthroscopy. The proportion of patients undergoing subsequent ipsilateral knee arthroscopy was 2.1% at 1-year, 5.5% at 5 years, and 6.7% at 10 years of follow-up. Among patients who underwent subsequent arthroscopic surgery at 1-, 5-, and 10-year follow-up, there was a greater proportion of patients with worker's compensation insurance (p < 0.001), index operations performed by very high volume surgeons (p < 0.001), and cartilage restoration index procedures (p < 0.001), compared with those who never underwent repeat ipsilateral surgery. CONCLUSION: Understanding the incidence of subsequent knee arthroscopy after index procedure in different age groups and the patterns over 10 years of follow-up is important in counselling patients and setting future expectations. The majority of subsequent surgeries occur within the first 5 years after index surgery, and subjects tend to have higher odds of ipsilateral reoperation for up to 10 years if they have worker's compensation insurance, or if their index surgery was performed by a very high volume surgeon, or was a cartilage restoration procedure. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

The Demographic and Geographic Trends of Meniscal Procedures in New York State: An Analysis of 649,470 Patients Over 13 years.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine the geographic and demographic variations and time trends of different types of meniscal procedures in New York State to determine whether disparities exist in access to treatment. METHODS: The New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) outpatient database was reviewed to identify patients who underwent elective, primary knee arthroscopy between January 1, 2003, and December 31, 2015, for 1 of the following diagnosis-related categories: Group 1, meniscectomy; Group 2, meniscal repair; and Group 3, meniscal allograft transplantation, with or without anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). The 3 groups of meniscal procedures were compared on geographic distribution, patient age, insurance, concomitant ACLR, and surgeon and hospital volume over the study period. RESULTS: A total of 649,470 patients who underwent knee arthroscopy between 2003 and 2015 were identified for analysis. Both meniscectomies and meniscal repairs had a scattered distribution throughout New York State, with allograft volume concentrated at urban academic hospitals. The majority of patients who underwent any meniscal procedure had private insurance, with Medicaid patients having the lowest rates of meniscal surgery. At high-volume hospitals, meniscal repairs and allografts are being performed with increasing frequency, especially in patients <25 years of age. Meniscal repairs are being performed concomitantly with ACLR with increasing frequency. CONCLUSIONS: Meniscal repairs and allografts are being performed at high-volume hospitals for privately insured patients with increasing frequency. Geographic access to these treatments, particularly allografts, is limited. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Disparities in the availability of advanced meniscal treatment require further investigation and understanding to improve access to care.

Patterns of Narcotic Prescribing by Orthopedic Surgeons for Medicare Patients.

In recent years, narcotics have been subject to increased regulation and monitoring because of their side effects and potential for misuse. Currently, variation in prescribing patterns of narcotics among orthopedic surgeons is unknown. The Medicare Part D claims database was used to identify orthopedic surgeons who prescribed at least one schedule II or III narcotic during 2014. The median duration of a narcotic prescription was 8.2 days. The median prescription duration was shortest for hand surgeons (5.6 days) and longest for spine surgeons (12.6 days). Orthopedic surgeons in New York (10.1 days) provided the most narcotics per prescription, with physicians in Vermont (6.2 days) providing the least. Substantial variation exists in narcotic prescribing patterns for orthopedic surgeons at the individual, subspecialty, and statewide levels. With public health focus on reducing narcotics abuse, physician stewardship of these medications will become increasingly relevant.

Differences in Fundamental Sagittal Pelvic Parameters Based on Age, Sex, and Race.

STUDY DESIGN: This is a retrospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether age, sex, and race have independent effects on sagittal pelvic parameters. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Pelvic parameters and sagittal balance correlate with health-related quality of life and are important for patient assessment and surgical planning. Age, sex, and race are 3 unalterable patient factors that may influence pelvic morphology. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of consecutive adult patients who presented to our radiology practice between 2010 and 2015 and had a standing, lateral lumbosacral radiograph. Any patients without both femoral heads and L1-S1 visible on the radiograph, and any patients presenting with traumatic injury, coronal deformity, prior instrumentation, spondylolisthesis, or neoplasm of the spine were excluded. Univariate analysis determined differences in measurements among African American, white, and Hispanic races, as well as between male and female sexes. Correlation analysis between age and different measurements was also conducted. Multivariable regression was then used to determine the independent effect of age, sex, and race on pelvic parameters. RESULTS: We investigated 1801 adults (older than 18 y) and 1246 had a recorded race. There were 1165 women, 636 men, 525 whites, 404 African Americans, and 317 Hispanics. Multivariable regression demonstrated a statistically significant increase in pelvic tilt (PT), pelvic incidence (PI), and pelvic incidence-lumbar lordosis (PI-LL) with aging, and statistically significant decrease in sacral slope (SS) and LL with aging. Women had a statistically greater LL than men. African Americans had a statistically smaller PT and greater SS and PI-LL relative to whites, while Hispanics had a statistically smaller PT and PI-LL, and a statistically greater SS and LL relative to whites. CONCLUSIONS: Pelvic parameters were different between sexes, among races, and changed with age. These findings are important for patient assessment and preoperative planning to obtain optimal sagittal balance. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3.