The learning curve of a novel seven-axis robot-assisted total hip arthroplasty system: a randomized controlled trial.

BACGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the learning curve of a novel seven-axis robot-assisted total hip arthroplasty (RaTHA) system. METHODS: A total of 59 patients who underwent unilateral total hip arthroplasty at our institution from June 2022 to September 2022 were prospectively included in the study. In this randomized controlled clinical trial, robot-assisted THA (RaTHA) and Conventional THA (CoTHA) were performed using cumulative sum (CUSUM) analysis to evaluate the learning curve of the RaTHA system. The demographic data, preopera1tive clinical data, duration of operation, postoperative Harris Hip Score (HHS), postoperative Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) score, and duration of operation between the learning stage and the proficiency stage of the RaTHA group were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The average duration of operation of the RaTHA group was increased by 34.73 min compared with the CoTHA group (104.26 ± 19.33 vs. 69.53 ± 18.38 min, p < 0.01). The learning curve of the RaTHA system can be divided into learning stage and proficiency stage, and the former consists of the first 13 cases by CUSUM analysis. In the RaTHA group, the duration of operation decreased by 29.75 min in the proficiency stage compared to the learning stage (121.12 ± 12.84 vs.91.37 ± 12.92, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that the surgical team required a learning curve of 13 cases to become proficient using the RaTHA system. The duration of operation, total blood loss, and drainage gradually shortened (decreased) with the learning curve stage, and the differences were statistically significant. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Number: ChiCTR2200061630, Date: 29/06/2022.

Efficacy and safety of two-stage revision for patients with culture-negative versus culture-positive periprosthetic joint infection: a single-center retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: The safety and efficacy of two-stage revision for culture-negative PJI remain controversial. This study analyzed outcomes after two-stage revision in patients with culture-negative and culture-positive periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) during follow-up lasting at least two years. METHODS: Data were retrospectively analysed patients who underwent hip or knee revision arthroplasty from January 2008 to October 2020 at our medical center. The primary outcome was the re-revision rate, while secondary outcomes were the rates of reinfection, readmission, and mortality. Patients with culture-negative or culture-positive PJI were compared in terms of these outcomes, as well as survival time without reinfection or revision surgery, based on Kaplan‒Meier analysis. RESULTS: The final analysis included 87 patients who were followed up for a mean of 72.3 months (range, 24-123 months). The mean age was 58.1 years in the culture-negative group (n = 24) and 59.1 years in the culture-positive group (n = 63). The two groups (culture-negative versus culture-positive) did not differ significantly in rates of re-revision (0.0% vs. 3.2%, p > 0.05), reinfection (4.2% vs. 3.2%, p > 0.05), readmission (8.4% vs. 8.0%, p > 0.05), or mortality (8.3% vs. 7.9%, p > 0.05). They were also similar in survival rates without infection-related complications or revision surgery at 100 months (91.5% in the culture-negative group vs. 87.9% in the culture-positive group; Mantel‒Cox log-rank χ2 = 0.251, p = 0.616). CONCLUSION: The two-stage revision proves to be a well-tolerated and effective procedure in both culture-negative and culture-positive PJI during mid to long-term follow-up.

The use of intraoperative cell salvage in total hip arthroplasty with subtrochanteric shortening osteotomy for the treatment of high hip dislocation: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative cell salvage (ICS) is an important component of blood management in patients undergoing orthopedic surgery. However, the role of ICS is less well defined in total hip arthroplasty (THA) with subtrochanteric shortening osteotomy (SSO) which is a common surgical technique to manage high hip dislocation. This study aimed to determine the effect of ICS during THA with SSO and to identify factors associated with the ability to salvage sufficient collection for reinfusion in patients with high hip dislocation. METHODS: We identified 178 patients who underwent THA with SSO for high hip dislocation between November 2010 and April 2021. The consecutive cohort was analyzed by logistic regression to determine the effect of ICS on postoperative allogeneic blood transfusion (ABT) and to explore the associations between patient demographics, clinical and radiographic characteristics, preoperative laboratory examination, and surgical variables with the ability to generate adequate blood salvage to reinfuse. RESULTS: In the consecutive cohort of 178 patients, cell salvage was reinfused in 107 patients (60.1%) and postoperative allogeneic red blood cell (RBC) transfusion within 3 days of implantation was administrated in 40 patients (22.5%). In multivariate analysis, the reinfusion of ICS (OR (95%CI) 0.17 (0.07-0.47)), center of rotation (COR) height ≥ 60 mm (OR (95%CI) 3.30 (1.21-9.01)), the length of SSO ≥ 30 mm (OR (95%CI) 2.75 (1.05-7.22)) and the use of drainage (OR (95%CI) 2.28 (1.04-5.03)) were identified as independent factors of postoperative allogeneic RBC transfusion. In addition, the following variables were identified as independent factors associated with the ability to generate sufficient blood salvage volume for reinfusion: COR height ≥ 60 mm (OR (95%CI) 3.47 (1.58-7.61)), limb-length discrepancy (LLD) ≥ 25 mm (OR (95%CI) 2.55 (1.15-5.65)) and length of SSO ≥ 30 mm (OR (95%CI) 2.75 (1.33-5.69)). CONCLUSIONS: ICS was efficacious in reducing the exposure rate of postoperative RBC transfusion for high hip dislocation during THA with SSO. In addition, patients with greater COR height, larger LLD, and longer length of SSO were predisposed to generate sufficient collection for reinfusion in THA with SSO.

Dexmedetomidine Prolongs the Analgesic Effects of Periarticular Infiltration Analgesia following Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Prospective, Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Periarticular infiltration analgesia (PIA) is widely administered to relieve postoperative pain following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of prolonging the analgesic duration by adding dexmedetomidine to PIA for pain management after TKA. METHODS: One hundred and sixteen patients were randomly allocated into 3 groups based on PIA regimens including group R (ropivacaine), group E (ropivacaine plus epinephrine), and group D (ropivacaine plus dexmedetomidine). The primary outcomes were postoperative visual analog scale scores, time until the administration of first rescue analgesia, and opioid consumption. The secondary outcomes included postoperative inflammatory biomarkers and functional recovery. The tertiary outcomes were postoperative complications and adverse events. RESULTS: The patients in group D had significantly lower resting visual analog scale scores than those in groups R and E at 6 hours after surgery. Group R showed the higher pain scores at rest and motion than groups D and E 12 hours postoperatively. The use of dexmedetomidine or epinephrine postponed the time until the administration of first rescue analgesia and led to lower opioid consumption in the first 24 hours after TKA. The levels of interleukin-8 and tumor necrosis factor-α in groups D and E were significantly lower than those in group R on postoperative day 3. Furthermore, no significant differences were observed in functional recovery, postoperative complications, or adverse events among the three groups. CONCLUSIONS: Adding dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant to PIA could potentiate and prolong the analgesic effect in the early stage following TKA without increasing the risk of adverse events.

Anterolateral thigh flaps in closing large abdominal wall defect after the resection of mucinous adenocarcinoma: a case report.

BACKGROUND: It is a big challenge to repair a large abdominal wall defect after tumor resection, and en bloc resection with vascularized tissue reconstruction might be an alternative to achieve an improved survival for abdominal wall tumors. CASE PRESENTATION: A 45-year-old woman presented with a 1-year history of persistent abdominal pain of the right lower quadrant and a mass with dermal ulceration. An enhanced computed tomography scan and biopsy of the mass were performed to achieve the definite diagnosis of abdominal mucinous adenocarcinoma. After four courses of "FOLFOX" chemotherapy, the tumor grew to 6 × 5 cm during preoperative examination. Thereafter, we removed the tumor and involved tissues and organs and repaired the sizeable abdominal wall defect used by biological meshes and vascularized anterolateral thigh flaps. The patient suffered green drainage of 450 ml in the abdominal cavity and intestinal anastomotic fistula, for which she readmitted and recovered afterward. CONCLUSIONS: Biological mesh combined with vascularized anterolateral thigh flaps could effectively repair the large abdominal wall defect and restore the biological function of the abdominal wall.

A Novel Molten Salt Mediated Synthesis of Mesoporous Metal Oxides with High Crystallization.

The controlled synthesis of mesoporous metal oxides remains a great challenge because the uncontrolled assembly process and high-temperature crystallization can easily destroy the mesostructure. Herein, we develop a facile, versatile, low-cost, and controllable molten salt assisted assembly strategy to synthesize mesoporous metal oxides (e.g., CeO2, ZrO2, SnO2, Li2TiO3) with high surface area (115-155 m2/g) and uniform mesopore size (3.0 nm). We find this molten salt mediated assembly enables the desolvation of the precursors and forms bare metal ions, enhances their coordination interaction with the surfactant, and promotes their assembly into a mesostructure. Furthermore, the molten salt assisted crystallization process can lower the collision probability of the target metal atom, inhibit its further growth into large crystals, and achieve a well-maintained mesostructure with high crystallization. Furthermore, this method can be expanded to synthesize various structured mesoporous metal oxides, including hollow spheres, nanotubes, and nanosheets by introducing the carbon template. The obtained mesoporous CeO2 microspheres loaded with Cu species exhibit excellent antibacterial performance and superior catalytic activity for the hydrogenation of nitrophenol with high conversion and cycling stability.

Robotic arm-assisted total hip arthroplasty for preoperative planning and intraoperative decision-making.

AIMS: This article aimed to explore the efficacy of robotic arm-assisted total hip arthroplasty (THA) in improving preoperative planning and intraoperative decision-making. METHODS: In this single-center, prospective, randomized clinical controlled trial, 60 patients were randomly divided into two groups: conventional THA (cTHA) and robotic arm-assisted THA (rTHA). The rTHA underwent procedures using a robot-assisted surgical system, which generated three-dimensional models to determine the most appropriate prosthesis size and position. The standard process of replacement was executed in cTHA planned preoperatively via X-ray by experienced surgeons. Differences between predicted and actual prosthetic size, prosthetic position, and leg length were evaluated. RESULTS: Sixty patients were included in the study, but one patient was not allocated due to anemia. No significant preoperative baseline data difference was found between the two groups. The actual versus predicted implantation size of both groups revealed that 27/30 (90.0%) in the rTHA group and 25/29 (86.2%) in the cTHA group experienced complete coincidence. The coincidence rate for the femoral stem was higher in the rTHA group (83.3%) than that in the cTHA group (62.7%). Between the actual and predicted rTHA, the difference in anteversion/inclination degree (< 6°) was largely dispersed, while cTHA was more evenly distributed in degree (< 9°). The differences in leg length between the surgical side and contralateral side showed a significant deviation when comparing the two groups (P = 0.003), with 0.281 (- 4.17 to 3.32) mm in rTHA and 3.79 (1.45-6.42) mm in cTHA. CONCLUSION: Robotic arm-assisted total hip arthroplasty can be valuable for preoperative planning and intraoperative decision-making.

Total hip arthroplasty for failed internal fixation of femoral neck fracture: a retrospective study with 2-14 years' follow-up of 345 patients.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to analyze mid- to long-term outcomes of total hip arthroplasty (THA) following failed internal fixation of femoral neck fracture. METHODS: This study retrospectively analyzed 345 patients with femoral neck fracture who underwent THA after failure of internal fixation at our hospital between January, 2003 and December, 2019. Patients older than 55 years (n = 175) and patients no older than 55 years (n = 170) were compared in terms of complications and survival rates during follow-up, which lasted a mean of 6 years. RESULTS: The two age groups showed similarly low incidence of complications and similarly long periods of survival without revision surgery. Only three younger patients and two older patients underwent revision surgery during follow-up. The two groups showed similarly high survival rates at the end of follow-up (> 93%). Younger patients showed significantly bettter Harris hip score at last follow-up (90.2 vs. 88.1 points, p < 0.001) without clinically significant difference, but they required THA significantly earlier after internal fixation (4.4 vs. 6.8 years, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: THA after failed internal fixation of femoral neck fracture is a well tolerated and effective procedure in older and younger patients.

Perioperative safety and efficacy of robot-assisted total hip arthroplasty in ERAS-managed patients: a pilot study.

AIMS: Robot-assisted total hip arthroplasty (rTHA) boasts superior accuracy in implant placement, but there is a lack of effective assessment in perioperative management in the context of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS). This study aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety of rTHA versus conventional total hip arthroplasty (cTHA) in ERAS-managed patients. METHODS: In this prospective trial, a total of 60 eligible patients aged between 18 and 80 years were randomly divided into two groups to undergo either rTHA or cTHA. The primary outcomes included blood loss parameters. Secondary outcomes were the duration of the operation, surgical time, WOMAC pain score, WOMAC stiffness score, WOMAC physical function score, Harris score, and postoperative complications. RESULTS: The study cohort analyzed 59 eligible participants, 30 of whom underwent rTHA and 29 of whom underwent cTHA. Analysis could not be conducted for one patient due to severe anemia. Notably, the cTHA group had a significantly shorter surgical time than the rTHA group (69.49 ± 18.97 vs. 104.20 ± 19.63 min, P < 0.001). No significant differences were observed between the rTHA and cTHA groups for blood loss parameters, including total blood loss (1280.30 ± 404.01 vs. 1094.86 ± 494.39 ml, P = 0.137) and drainage volume (154.35 ± 121.50 vs. 159.13 ± 135.04 ml, P = 0.900), as well as intraoperative blood loss (126.67 ± 38.80 vs. 118.52 ± 60.68 ml, P = 0.544) and hidden blood loss (982.43 ± 438.83 vs. 784.00 ± 580.96 ml, P = 0.206). Only one patient in the cTHA group required allogeneic blood transfusion. At 3 months postoperatively, both groups showed improvements in WOMAC pain score, WOMAC stiffness score, WOMAC physical function score, and Harris score, with no significant differences found between the two groups. Few complications were reported in both groups without significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the longer surgical time, rTHA did not negatively affect blood loss, pain, or functional recovery or lead to an increased risk of complications in ERAS-managed patients, suggesting that rTHA can be safely and effectively incorporated into an ERAS program for primary THA.