Effects of physical activity interventions using wearables to improve objectively-measured and patient-reported outcomes in adults following orthopaedic surgical procedures: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To synthesize evidence on physical activity interventions that used wearables, either alone or in combination with education or rehabilitation, in adults following orthopaedic surgical procedures. METHODS: PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO and EMBASE were searched for randomized controlled trials of wearable-based interventions from each database's inception to August 2021 in patients undergoing orthopaedic surgery. Relevant outcomes included physical activity, physical function, pain, psychological distress, or general health. PEDro scale scoring ranges from 0 to 10 and was used to appraise studies as high (≥7), moderate (5-6), or poor (<5) quality. RESULTS: Of 335 articles identified, 6 articles met eligibility criteria. PEDro scores ranged from 2 to 6, with 3 studies of moderate quality and 3 of poor quality. Studies included patients undergoing total knee (number; n = 4) or total knee or hip (n = 1) arthroplasty and lumbar disc herniation surgery (n = 1). In addition to wearables, intervention components included step diary (n = 2), motivational interviewing (n = 1), goal setting (n = 2), tailored exercise program (n = 2), or financial incentives (n = 1). Interventions were delivered in-person (n = 2), remotely (n = 3) or in a hybrid format (n = 1). Intervention duration ranged from 6 weeks to 6 months. Compared to controls, 3 moderate quality studies reported greater improvement in steps/day; however, 1 moderate and 2 poor quality studies showed no between-group difference in physical function, pain, or quality of life. No serious adverse events related to the use of wearable were reported. CONCLUSIONS: The effects of physical activity interventions using wearables, either delivered in-person or remotely, appear promising for increasing steps per day after joint arthroplasty; however, this finding should be viewed with caution since it is based on 3 moderate quality studies. Further research is needed to determine the therapeutic effects of using wearables as an intervention component in patients undergoing other orthopaedic surgical procedures. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO Registration Number: CRD42020186103.

Proprioception and neuromuscular control at return to sport after ankle surgery with the modified Broström procedure.

The modified Broström procedure (MBP) is an initial treatment for symptomatic chronic ankle instability (CAI) patients. This study aimed to compare the proprioception and neuromuscular control ability of both affected and unaffected ankles at the time of return to sports after MBP for patients with scores of normal controls. 75 individuals (40 who underwent MBP, 35 normal controls) participated. The dynamic balance test scores were significantly higher in the affected ankle of the patients than in the controls (1.5 ± 0.6° vs. 1.1 ± 0.4°, p < 0.003). The time to peak torque for dorsiflexion (60.8 ± 13.9 ms vs. 52.2 ± 17.5 ms, p < 0.022) and eversion (68.9 ± 19.1 ms vs. 59.3 ± 21.1 ms, p < 0.043) was significantly delayed in the affected ankle of the patients than in the controls. The dynamic balance test and time to peak torque in CAI patients remained significantly reduced at the time of return-to-sport after MBP. Clinicians and therapists should be aware of potential deficits in proprioception and neuromuscular control when determining the timing of return to sports after MBP.

The application of quality control circle to improve functional exercise execution rate of orthopaedic surgery patients: A SQUIRE-compliant quality-improving study.

ABSTRACT: Since its application in medical institutions in China, quality control circle (QCC) has gained achievements in medical care and thus earned more attention from the administrative department of health. This paper focuses on the application of QCC (bone-strength test circle) as a new management concept and tool circle in improving the implementation rate of functional exercise in patients undergoing orthopedic surgery, which further effectively improve the accuracy and compliance of functional exercise in patients undergoing surgery, and further effectively promote the rehabilitation of patients.From July 2018 to November 2018, the management tools and statistical methods of QCC were used to compare the promotion effect of functional exercise execution rate of orthopedic surgery patients before and after QCC activities.The checklist investigated 6 key causes of functional exercise in patients undergoing orthopedic surgery, the operative rate of orthopaedic surgery in all aspects changed significantly. Among them, the factors of inadequate propaganda and education were compared before and after the improvement, which decreased by 71% after the improvement. The incorrect factors of exercise decreased by 69% after improvement, the effect was more obvious, the difference was statistically significant (P < .05). The improvement rate was 59.4%.Through this activity, functional exercise education process and functional exercise paths, and corresponding standards for various orthopedic diseases were established. At the same time, the measures such as health education for patients were strengthened, and the expected goals were effectively achieved.

The effect of care transition pathway implementation on patients undergoing joint replacement during the COVID-19 pandemic: a quasi-experimental study from a tertiary care hospital orthopedic department in Beijing, China.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had a massive impact on individuals globally. The Chinese government has formulated effective response measures, and medical personnel have been actively responding to challenges associated with the epidemic prevention and control strategies. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the implementation of a care transition pathway on patients that underwent joint replacement during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A quasi-experimental study was designed to evaluate the effect of implementing a care transition pathway for patients who underwent joint replacement during the COVID-19 pandemic in the orthopedic department of a tertiary care hospital in Beijing, China. Using a convenient sampling method, a total of 96 patients were selected. Of these, 51 patients who had undergone joint replacement in 2019 and received treatment via the routine nursing path were included in the control group. The remaining 45 patients who underwent joint replacement during the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020 and received therapy via the care transition pathway due to the implementation of epidemic prevention and control measures were included in the observation group. The quality of care transition was assessed by the Care Transition Measure (CTM), and patients were followed up 1 week after discharge. RESULTS: The observation group was determined to have better general self-care preparation, written planning materials, doctor-patient communication, health monitoring, and quality of care transition than the control group. CONCLUSIONS: A care transition pathway was developed to provide patients with care while transitioning through periods of treatment. It improved the patient perceptions of nursing quality. The COVID-19 pandemic is a huge challenge for health professionals, but we have the ability to improve features of workflows to provide the best possible patient care.

Prospective Study on Tension Band Plating: Most Patients are Not Returning to Normal Activities 1 Month Following Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Tension band plating for temporary hemiepiphysiodesis has been reported by several authors as simple and effective for treating angular deformities of the lower limb. Anecdotally, patients have reported higher pain levels than expected given the small size of incision and relatively minimal amount of dissection, and we sought to investigate this further. METHODS: Patients 16 years old or less with lower extremity angular deformities or limb length inequality were prospectively enrolled before tension band plating from 2 pediatric institutions from July 2016 to December 2018. Participants completed postoperative questionnaires regarding their pain and activity level. Pain was assessed using the FACES Pain Scale. Patients were included if they completed the 1 month survey. RESULTS: Of the 48 patients that met inclusion criteria (mean age at surgery: 13.1 y; range: 7 to 16 y), 39 patients completed the survey at 3 months postoperatively. There was a significant change in pain level between 1 week and 1 month postoperatively (P<0.001). Eighty-three percent (34/41) of patients were still taking pain medication at 1 week, which decreased to 38% (18/48) at 1 month. At 3 months, 21% (8/39) patients reported they were still using pain medication. At 1 month, 65% of patients (31/48) had not returned to their prior activity level. Of the 39 patients who played sports, 59% (23/39) still had not fully returned to sports at 1 month. CONCLUSION: At 1 month following tension band plating, 65% of patients had not returned to their preoperative activity level, and 38% were taking pain medications. Although the tension band plate and surgical incision is small in size, patients and parents should be counseled that there are significant activity limitations and pain levels for a month or longer in many patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II.

Revisión bibliográfica para determinar calidad de vida y satisfacción, de pacientes con encefalopatía crónica no evolutiva sometidos a cirugía multinivel / Literature review to determine quality of life and satisfaction of patients with non-progressive chronic encephalopathy undergoing multilevel surgery / Revisão da literatura para determinar a qualidade de vida e a satisfação de pacientes com encefalopatia crônica não progressiva submetidos à cirurgia multinível

La calidad de vida relacionada a la salud se refiere a la percepción que tienen los sujetos sobre su estado de salud, y las actividades realizadas para mantener o mejorar la salud en su contexto sociocultural. La encefalopatía crónica no evolutiva es una lesión estática no progresiva que constituye la primera causa de disfunción motora en niños. La historia natural de la marcha y la función en esta población es el deterioro con el paso del tiempo. El tratamiento estándar es la cirugía multinivel. Objetivo: determinar los resultados sobre satisfacción, percepción de función y percepción de calidad de vida en niños con encefalopatía crónica no evolutiva luego de realizada la cirugía multinivel. Metodología: se realizó una revisión bibliográfica de la literatura. Resultados: se seleccionaron 10 artículos de metodologías heterogéneas que cumplen con los criterios de inclusión. Los resultados arrojan una mejora en la percepción de función y calidad de vida. Conclusiones: es necesario ahondar más en la investigación sobre los resultados de la cirugía y en abordajes que incorporen la mirada de los pacientes y sus cuidadores.

Health-related quality of life refers to the perception that subjects have about their state of health, and the activities carried out to maintain or improve health in their sociocultural context. Chronic non-progressive encephalopathy is a non-progressive static lesion that is the leading cause of motor dysfunction in children. The natural history of gait and function in this population is deterioration over time. The standard treatment is multilevel surgery. Objective: to determine the results on satisfaction, perception of function and perception of quality of life in children with non-progressive chronic encephalopathy after multilevel surgery. Methodology: a bibliographic review of the literature was carried out. Results: 10 articles with heterogeneous methodologies that meet the inclusion criteria were selected. The results show an improvement in the perception of function and quality of life. Conclusions: it is necessary to delve deeper into research on the results of surgery and on approaches that incorporate the point of view of patients and their caregivers.

A qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde refere-se à percepção que os sujeitos têm sobre seu estado de saúde e as atividades realizadas para manter ou melhorar a saúde em seu contexto sociocultural. A encefalopatia crônica não progressiva é uma lesão estática não progressiva que é a principal causa de disfunção motora em crianças. A história natural da marcha e da função nesta população é a deterioração ao longo do tempo. O tratamento padrão é a cirurgia multinível. Objetivo: determinar os resultados sobre satisfação, percepção de função e percepção de qualidade de vida em crianças com encefalopatia crônica não progressiva após cirurgia multinível. Metodologia: foi realizada uma revisão bibliográfica da literatura. Resultados: foram selecionados 10 artigos com metodologias heterogêneas que atendem aos critérios de inclusão. Os resultados mostram uma melhora na percepção de função e qualidade de vida. Conclusões: é necessário aprofundar as pesquisas sobre os resultados da cirurgia e sobre as abordagens que incorporem o olhar do paciente e de seu cuidador.

Multiple comparisons of the efficacy and safety for six treatments in Acute Achilles Tendon Rupture patients: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The choice of the best therapeutic regimen for Acute Achilles Tendon Rupture (AATR) remains controversial. Our study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of therapeutic regimens in AATR patients using a network meta-analysis of data from clinical randomized controlled trials. MATERIAL/METHODS: The studies were abstracted from Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. RCTs meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were selected. Statistical analyses were conducted using Stata software, version 14.0 (Stata Corporation, College Station, Texas, USA). RESULTS: 38 randomized controlled trials involving 2480 participants were included. The studies were published between 1981 and 2019. A total of 6 therapeutic regimens -open repair (OR), minimally invasive repair (MIR) and nonoperative treatment (non) combined with traditional standard rehabilitation (TSR) and accelerated functional rehabilitation (AFR) - were included in the literature. The treatments were ranked based on the Surface Under the Cumulative Ranking Curve (SUCRA) probability. In terms of the re-rupture rate, the therapeutic regimens were ranked as follows: OR&AFR, OR&TSR, MIR&AFR, MIR&TSR, nonoperative treatment &AFR and nonoperative treatment &TSR. In terms of the wound-related complication, the therapeutic regimens were ranked as follows: MIR&AFR, nonoperative treatment &AFR, MIR&TSR, nonoperative treatment &TSR, OR&AFR and OR&TSR. In terms of the sural nerve injury, the therapeutic regimens were ranked as follows: non, OR and MIR. In terms of the deep venous thrombosis, the therapeutic regimens were ranked as follows: MIR&AFR, OR&AFR, nonoperative treatment &AFR, OR&TSR, MIR&TSR and nonoperative treatment &TSR. In terms of the returning back to sport, the therapeutic regimens were ranked as follows: MIR&TSR, OR&AFR, OR&TSR, nonoperative treatment &AFR, nonoperative treatment &TSR and MIR&AFR. CONCLUSIONS: MIR can repair the ruptured Achilles tendon and narrow the tendon gap with low risk of complications. AFR is superior to TSR without increasing the risk of rerupture. MIR&AFR is the best therapeutic regime for AATR. More RCTs focused on AATR are needed to further indicate this conclusion.

Guidelines for Rehabilitation and Return to Play After Cervical Surgery in a General Athletic Population: A Delphi Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Decisions concerning the rehabilitation process and return to play (RTP) after cervical spine surgery in a general sporting population can be difficult and may be influenced by several factors. Moreover, no clear guidelines for this are currently available. The aim of this study was to create tentative guidelines for rehabilitation and RTP after cervical surgery in a general sporting population. DESIGN: Five-step Delphi analysis. SETTINGS: Primary, secondary, and tertiary medical practitioners. PARTICIPANTS: Panel of Belgian neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons, physiotherapists, and physical and rehabilitation medicine practitioners. ASSESSMENT: Round 1 (R1) was a brainstorm phase. A comprehensive list of answers from R1 was validated in round 2 (R2). In round 3 (R3), experts ranked these items in a chronological order. Contraindications and criteria to start each rehabilitation step were linked in round 4 (R4). In round 5 (R5), panelists ranked theses about contraindications and criteria on a 5-point Likert scale. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Theses scoring ≥10% "oppose" or "strongly oppose" were rejected. RESULTS: The response rate was 100% (n = 15) for R1, 93% (n = 14) for R2, 73% (n = 11) for R3, 53% (n = 8) for R4, and 67% (n = 10) for R5. In R5, 25 theses on absolute and relative contraindications and criteria were endorsed. CONCLUSIONS: This Delphi analysis resulted in contraindications and criteria for the rehabilitation process and RTP after cervical surgery in a general athletic population. Tentative guidelines and timetable are proposed. Key messages from these guidelines are (1) Rehabilitation should start before surgery with education; (2) Rehabilitation should be patient-tailored; and (3) An unstable arthrodesis is an absolute contraindication for RTP.

Postoperative Management for Articular Cartilage Surgery in the Knee.

The postoperative rehabilitation team plays a crucial role in optimizing outcomes after articular cartilage surgery. A comprehensive approach to postoperative physical therapy that considers the type of surgery, location in the knee, concurrent procedures, and patient-specific factors is imperative. While postoperative rehabilitation protocols should be specific to the patient and type of surgery performed and include phased rehabilitation goals and activities, the key principles for postoperative rehabilitation apply across the spectrum of articular cartilage surgeries and patients. These key principles consist of preoperative assessments that include physical, mental, and behavioral components critical to recovery; education and counseling with respect to expectations and compliance; and careful monitoring and adjustments throughout the rehabilitation period based on consistent communication among rehabilitation, surgical, and imaging teams to ensure strict patient compliance with restrictions, activities, and timelines to optimize functional outcomes after surgery.

What Factors Predict Adverse Discharge Disposition in Patients Older Than 60 Years Undergoing Lower-extremity Surgery? The Adverse Discharge in Older Patients after Lower-extremity Surgery (ADELES) Risk Score.

BACKGROUND: Adverse discharge disposition, which is discharge to a long-term nursing home or skilled nursing facility is frequent and devastating in older patients after lower-extremity orthopaedic surgery. Predicting individual patient risk allows for preventive interventions to address modifiable risk factors and helps managing expectations. Despite a variety of risk prediction tools for perioperative morbidity in older patients, there is no tool available to predict successful recovery of a patient's ability to live independently in this highly vulnerable population. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: In this study, we asked: (1) What factors predict adverse discharge disposition in patients older than 60 years after lower-extremity surgery? (2) Can a prediction instrument incorporating these factors be applied to another patient population with reasonable accuracy? (3) How does the instrument compare with other predictions scores that account for frailty, comorbidities, or procedural risk alone? METHODS: In this retrospective study at two competing New England university hospitals and Level 1 trauma centers with 673 and 1017 beds, respectively; 83% (19,961 of 24,095) of patients 60 years or older undergoing lower-extremity orthopaedic surgery were included. In all, 5% (1316 of 24,095) patients not living at home and 12% (2797 of 24,095) patients with missing data were excluded. All patients were living at home before surgery. The mean age was 72 ± 9 years, 60% (11,981 of 19,961) patients were female, 21% (4155 of 19,961) underwent fracture care, and 34% (6882 of 19,961) underwent elective joint replacements. Candidate predictors were tested in a multivariable logistic regression model for adverse discharge disposition in a development cohort of all 14,123 patients from the first hospital, and then included in a prediction instrument that was validated in all 5838 patients from the second hospital by calculating the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (ROC-AUC).Thirty-eight percent (5360 of 14,262) of patients in the development cohort and 37% (2184 of 5910) of patients in the validation cohort had adverse discharge disposition. Score performance in predicting adverse discharge disposition was then compared with prediction scores considering frailty (modified Frailty Index-5 or mFI-5), comorbidities (Charlson Comorbidity Index or CCI), and procedural risks (Procedural Severity Scores for Morbidity and Mortality or PSS). RESULTS: After controlling for potential confounders like BMI, cardiac, renal and pulmonary disease, we found that the most prominent factors were age older than 90 years (10 points), hip or knee surgery (7 or 8 points), fracture management (6 points), dementia (5 points), unmarried status (3 points), federally provided insurance (2 points), and low estimated household income based on ZIP code (1 point). Higher score values indicate a higher risk of adverse discharge disposition. The score comprised 19 variables, including socioeconomic characteristics, surgical management, and comorbidities with a cutoff value of ≥ 23 points. Score performance yielded an ROC-AUC of 0.85 (95% confidence interval 0.84 to 0.85) in the development and 0.72 (95% CI 0.71 to 0.73) in the independent validation cohort, indicating excellent and good discriminative ability. Performance of the instrument in predicting adverse discharge in the validation cohort was superior to the mFI-5, CCI, and PSS (ROC-AUC 0.72 versus 0.58, 0.57, and 0.57, respectively). CONCLUSION: The Adverse Discharge in Older Patients after Lower Extremity Surgery (ADELES) score predicts adverse discharge disposition after lower-extremity surgery, reflecting loss of the ability to live independently. Its discriminative ability is better than instruments that consider frailty, comorbidities, or procedural risk alone. The ADELES score identifies modifiable risk factors, including general anesthesia and prolonged preoperative hospitalization, and should be used to streamline patient and family expectation management and improve shared decision making. Future studies need to evaluate the score in community hospitals and in institutions with different rates of adverse discharge disposition and lower income. A non-commercial calculator can be accessed at www.adeles-score.org. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, diagnostic study.

Percepção de pacientes cirúrgicos sobre segurança e seu envolvimento no cuidado à saúde / Surgical patients´ perception of safety and their involvement in health care / Percepción de los pacientes quirúrgicos sobre la seguridad y su participación en la atención médica

Objetivo: investigar a percepção do paciente cirúrgico sobre segurança do paciente e o seu envolvimento no cuidado à saúde durante a internação hospitalar. Método: estudo exploratório de abordagem qualitativa, com 14 pacientes em pós-operatório. Dados obtidos através de entrevistas semiestruturadas, realizadas em 2016 em um hospital de reabilitação, e analisados conforme o referencial de Bardin. Resultados: os participantes associaram segurança à estrutura física, confiança institucional, capacitação da equipe de saúde e humanização da assistência. O envolvimento se deu, principalmente, no processo de administração de medicamentos e em situações que divergiam do plano de cuidado conhecido pelo paciente. Conclusão: a percepção dos pacientes sobre segurança da assistência e erros em saúde foi associada a situações vivenciadas ou veiculadas na mídia. O envolvimento dos pacientes ocorreu através de ações que se configuraram como barreiras para ocorrência de erros relacionados à assistência à saúde, legitimando seu papel como corresponsável pela segurança do cuidado.

Objective: to investigate surgical patients' perceptions of patient safety, and their involvement in health care during hospitalization. Method: in this qualitative, exploratory study of 14 postoperative patients, data were obtained by semistructured interview in 2016 at a rehabilitation hospital, and analyzed taking Bardin as the theoretical framework. Results: the participants associated safety with physical structure, institutional trust, the health team's training, and humanized care. They were involved mainly in the medication administration process and in situations that diverged from the care plan known to the patient. Conclusion: patients' perceptions of health care safety and health care errors were associated with situations they experienced or which were broadcast in the media. Patient involvement occurred in actions constituted as barriers to the occurrence of health care errors, thus legitimizing their role as co-responsible for safe care.

Objetivo: investigar las percepciones de los pacientes quirúrgicos sobre la seguridad del paciente y su participación en la atención médica durante la hospitalización. Método: en este estudio cualitativo, exploratorio de 14 pacientes postoperatorios, los datos se obtuvieron mediante entrevista semiestructurada en 2016 en un hospital de rehabilitación, y se analizaron tomando a Bardin como marco teórico. Resultados: los participantes asociaron la seguridad con la estructura física, la confianza institucional, la formación del equipo de salud y la atención humanizada. Se involucraron principalmente en el proceso de administración de medicamentos y en situaciones que divergían del plan de atención conocido por el paciente. Conclusión: las percepciones de los pacientes sobre la seguridad en la atención de la salud y los errores en la atención de la salud se asociaron con situaciones que vivieron o que fueron difundidas en los medios. La participación del paciente se produjo en acciones constituidas como barreras para la ocurrencia de errores asistenciales, legitimando así su rol como corresponsables de la atención segura.

Computer- and Telephone-Delivered Interventions on Patient Outcomes and Resource Utilization in Patients With Orthopaedic Conditions: A Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis.

BACKGROUND: As the number of patients with orthopaedic conditions has risen continuously, hospital-based healthcare resources have become limited. Delivery of additional services is needed to adapt to this trend. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe the current literature of computer- and telephone-delivered interventions on patient outcomes and resource utilization in patients with orthopaedic conditions. METHODS: The systematic review was conducted in January 2019. The standardized checklist for randomized controlled trials was used to assess the quality of the relevant studies. A meta-analysis was not possible due to heterogeneity in the included studies, and a narrative synthesis was conducted to draw informative conclusions relevant to current research, policy, and practice. RESULTS: A total of 1,173 articles were retrieved. Six randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria, providing evidence from 434 individuals across four countries. Two studies reported findings of computer-delivered interventions and four reported findings of telephone-delivered interventions. The patients who received both computer- and telephone-delivered interventions showed improvements in patient outcomes that were similar or better to those of patients receiving conventional care. This was without any increase in adverse events or costs. CONCLUSION: Computer- and telephone-delivered interventions are promising and safe alternatives to conventional care. This review, however, identifies a gap in evidence of high-quality studies exploring the effects of computer- and telephone-delivered interventions on patient outcomes and resource utilization. In future, these interventions should be evaluated from the perspective of intervention content, self-management, and patient empowerment. In addition, they should consider the whole care journey and the development of the newest technological innovations. Additionally, future surgery studies should take into account the personalized needs of special, high-risk patient groups and focus on patient-centric care to reduce postdischarge health problems and resource utilization in this population.

Outpatient Orthopedic Rehabilitation in New York State During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Therapist Perspectives.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a strong impact on the care of orthopedic patients. This impact has been particularly difficult in New York State, which experienced the largest number of COVID-19 cases and led to a state- mandated pause on all elective surgeries. As a result, physical and occupational therapists became the principal providers of care and had to adjust their workflow to ensure quality care. Understanding the perspectives and needs of therapists relative to the circumstances created by COVID-19 is critical to safe and effective care. The goal of this study was to define the perspectives of therapists in New York State regarding the impact of COVID-19 on their work. An email-based 20-question survey was distributed to 250 therapists from all 10 regions of New York State who treated outpatient orthopedic patients during the peak of the pandemic in early April 2020. The survey collected demographic and practice information as well as responses regarding several clinical practice issues. The results provide insight into the concerns of therapists regarding the delivery of care, and responses clarify indications for therapy and for the use of telemedicine to achieve goals during the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic is profoundly impacting the work of therapists worldwide. Therapists responded to this survey expressing concerns about the safe delivery of care, access to personal protective equipment, use of telemedicine, and their role within health care during the pandemic. The results of this study can be used to establish guidelines for safe, effective, and efficient therapy during the pandemic. [Orthopedics. 2020;43(5):292-294.].

The BOAST recommendations for care of the older or frail orthopaedic trauma patient.

Safe and effective care for the elderly or physiologically frail patient in cases of trauma requires a multidisciplinary perioperative approach. This article expands upon the British Orthopaedic Association Standards for Trauma and Orthopaedics guidelines for the management of the older or frail orthopaedic trauma patient. Optimisation of the patient is key to a successful surgical outcome, because these patients often have significant comorbidities involving bone health, nutrition, cognitive function and cardiovascular stability. This article discusses the evidence base for tailoring the management of these patients and the importance of doing so in an ageing population. It considers the requisite preoperative procedures and investigations, guidelines for specific cases such as comatose patients or those with complex fractures, and ceiling of care discussions, and then focuses on the postoperative period, including physiotherapy, rehabilitation goals and medical management.

IPACK block: emerging complementary analgesic technique for total knee arthroplasty / Bloqueo IPACK: Complemento analgésico emergente en artroplastia de rodilla

Abstract Introduction: Pain control in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a determining factor in the patient's rehabilitation process. With conventional peripheral blocking techniques for the posterior compartment, foot drop, and distal motor deficit have been reported. The infiltration between popliteal artery and capsule of the knee (IPACK) block is a promising emerging analgesic technique. Objective: To describe analgesic control, opioid consumption, and mobility of patients scheduled for TKA using IPACK block as adjunct analgesic to the femoral block. Methods: We conducted a prospective observational cohort study over a 6-month period in adults taken to TKA. Sociodemographic and anthropometric characteristics, laterality, postoperative pain, and opioid consumption, patient and surgeon satisfaction (Likert), postoperative nausea and vomiting, and walk in the first 24hours, were evaluated and reported with a descriptive analysis. Results: Twenty-seven patients taken to TKA received an IPACK block. The pain score remained in a mild level during the 48 hours of evaluation. In 73% of the cases, an opioid rescue dose was not required; 81% of the patients managed to walk in the first 24 hours. Conclusion: The IPACK block, combined with femoral block and neuraxial anesthesia, turn out to be an excellent analgesic strategy for TKA, achieving adequate pain management, prompt rehabilitation, and early ambulation of the patient.

Resumen Introducción: El control del dolor en artroplastia total de rodilla (ATR) es determinante en el proceso de rehabilitación del paciente. Con las técnicas convencionales de bloqueo periférico para el compartimiento posterior se ha reportado pie caído y déficit motor distal. Por lo anterior, se decidió evaluar en una cohorte las cualidades analgésicas del bloqueo IPACK como una técnica emergente prometedora. Objetivo: Describir el control analgésico, consumo de opioides y movilidad de pacientes programados para ATR usando bloqueo IPACK como adyuvante analgésico al bloqueo femoral. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio de cohorte prospectivo, en adultos llevados a ATR, durante 6 meses. Se evaluaron las características sociodemográficas, antropométricas, lateralidad, dolor postopera torio y consumo de opioides, satisfacción del paciente y del cirujano, náuseas y vómito postoperatorio, caminata en las primeras 48 h. Se informar los resultados de forma descriptiva. Resultados: En total, 27 pacientes a quienes se les realizó ATR obtuvieron bloqueo IPACK. La puntuación del dolor se mantuvo en una escala leve en un rango de 1-3 durante las 48 horas de seguimiento. En el 73% de los casos no se requirió una dosis de opioide de rescate. El 81% de los pacientes logró caminar en las primeras 24 horas. Conclusión: El IPACK, combinado con el bloqueo femoral y la anestesia neuroaxial, resultan ser una excelente estrategia analgésica para logar un adecuado control del dolor en ATR, pronta rehabilitación y deambulación temprana del paciente.