Variability in Acetabular Component Position in Patients Undergoing Direct Anterior Approach Total Hip Arthroplasty Who Have Concomitant Spine Pathology.

BACKGROUND: Hip instability following total hip arthroplasty (THA) can be a major cause of revision surgery. Physiological patient position impacts acetabular anteversion and abduction, and influences the functional component positioning. Osteoarthritis of the spine leads to abnormal spinopelvic biomechanics and motion, but there is no consensus on the degree of component variability for THAs performed by anterior approach. Therefore, we sought to present guidelines for changes in acetabular component positioning between supine and standing positions for patients undergoing primary THA by a uniform anterior approach. METHODS: Perioperative patient radiographs of the pelvis and lumbar spine were collected. Images were used to determine acetabular component positioning and degree of coexisting spinal pathology, categorized as a Lane Grade (LG). Final analysis of variance was performed on a sample size of 643 anterior primary THAs. RESULTS: From supine to standing position, as the severity of lumbar pathology increased the change in anteversion also increased (LG:0 = -0.11° ± 4.65°, LG:1 = 2.02° ± 4.09°, LG:2-3 = 5.78° ± 5.72°, P < .001). The mean supine anteversion in patients with absent lumbar pathology was 19.72° ± 5.05° and was lower in patients with worsening lumbar pathology (LG:1 = 18.25° ± 4.81°, LG:2-3 = 16.73° ± 5.28°, P < .001). CONCLUSION: Patients undergoing primary THA by anterior approach with worsening spinal pathology have larger increases in component anteversion when transitioning from supine to standing positions. Consideration should be given to this expected variability when placing the patient's acetabular component.

The Influence of the Sunshine Act on Industry Payments to United States Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Surgeons.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study is to investigate trends in overall payments to orthopaedic sports medicine surgeons reported by the Open Payments Database (OPD) over the 6 full years of available data (2014-2019). METHODS: A retrospective review of industry payments to United States sports medicine trained orthopaedic surgeons from 2014 to 2019 was performed using the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services OPD. Total payments and subtype payments were analyzed for yearly trends. Regional analysis was also performed. The primary outcome was the overall trend in total median payments (defined as the median total payments per surgeon per year), which was assessed via the Jonckheere-Terpstra test. Descriptive statistics include medians with interquartile ranges. P values < .05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: From 2014 to 2019, there were a total of 1,941,772 payments to 12,816 sports medicine orthopaedic surgeons. The median payments to surgeons demonstrated a significant upward trend (P < .001). The total number of payments (r = 0.002; P = .99) did not significantly correlate with changing year. The top 5 compensated surgeons received 45.8% of all industry contributions with a median total payment of $9,210,974.06 (interquartile range: 25,029,951.46). The majority of industry contributions in the top 5 earners were attributed to royalties and licenses (98.7%). Across the study period, 89.4% of the total orthopaedic sports medicine surgeons received a yearly total payment less than $10,000, which made up 8.3% of the total industry payment sum. Those receiving a yearly total payment greater than $500,000 accounted for 0.3% of surgeons but received 53.4% of the sum payments. We found a yearly increasing trend in payments in all regions including the Midwest, South, Northeast, and West (P < .001, P < .001, P < .001, and P = .006). CONCLUSION: Despite the transparency of reporting mandated by the Sunshine Act, orthopaedic sports medicine surgeons have continued to maintain industry relationships with a notable disparity in distribution. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Our analysis suggests continued relationships among sports medicine surgeons and industry. Future research is needed to determine how this impacts medical practice in the United States.

Heterotopic Ossification Following Direct Anterior Total Hip Arthroplasty With and Without Postoperative Analgesic Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatories.

BACKGROUND: Heterotopic ossification (HO) can result in poorer clinical outcomes following total hip arthroplasty (THA). Multiple modes of intervention have been evaluated for HO prevention, including the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories. Additionally, multimodal pain management strategies including celecoxib have become more prominent. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the influence of celecoxib as part of postoperative analgesia on the risk of developing HO following the direct anterior approach (DA) for THA. METHODS: A retrospective query identified primary DA THAs performed by a single surgeon between 2013 and 2020. Patients were grouped according to those who received 3 weeks celecoxib upon discharge, and those who did not. Radiographs were used to categorize patients according to the Brooker classification system for HO. Preoperative and 2-week, 6-week, 3-month, and 1-year postoperative X-rays were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 688 DA THAs were included, demonstrating a 9.6% (n = 66) incidence of HO with Brooker classification: 1: 5.7% (n = 39); 2: 2.6% (n = 18); 3: 1.2% (n = 8); and 4: 0.1% (n = 1). Patients who did not receive celecoxib had a 14.3% (52/364) rate of HO following THA (odds ratio 4.53, P < .001) vs only 4.3% (14/324) in the celecoxib group (odds ratio 0.22, P < .001). Overall, 9 patients (1.3%) went on to develop significant HO (Booker 3 or greater): 8 (2.2%) in the control group and 1 (0.3%) in the celecoxib group (P < .001). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest a significant reduction in the formation of HO following DA THA when using postoperative analgesic celecoxib as part of a multimodal pain protocol. Future prospective randomized studies are needed to identify ideal dosage, duration, and formulation to reduce the risk of HO while optimizing multimodal pain management.

Recent Trends in Concomitant Meniscal Procedures During Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: The chondroprotective effect and secondary stabilizing role of the meniscus has been well-established. Meniscal preservation during anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) has been advocated in the literature and supported by advancements in surgical techniques. PURPOSE: To examine the recent trends in concomitant partial meniscectomy and meniscal repair procedures with ACLR. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiological study. METHODS: Patients who underwent arthroscopic meniscectomy (Current Procedural Terminology [CPT] codes 29880, 29881), meniscal repair (CPT codes 29882, 29883), and ACLR (CPT code 29888) between 2010 and 2018 were identified using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. We calculated the proportion of patients who underwent each surgery type, stratified by year and by patient age and body mass index (BMI) groups. The Cochran-Armitage test for trend was used to analyze yearly proportions of concomitant meniscal surgery types. RESULTS: During the 9-year study period, 22,760 patients underwent either isolated ACLR (n = 10,562) or ACLR with concomitant meniscal surgery (either meniscectomy [n = 8931] or meniscal repair [n = 3267]). There was a gradual decrease in the proportion of meniscectomies (from 80.8% of concomitant procedures in 2010 to 63.8% in 2018), while the proportion of meniscal repairs almost doubled (from 19.2% in 2010 to 36.2% in 2018) (trend, P < .001). ACLR with meniscal repair increased in patients aged 35 to 44 years and 45 to 54 years (trend, P = .027) between 2010 and 2018; at the same time, the proportion of normal weight patients decreased by 17.7%, the proportion of overweight patients increased by 13.2%, and increases were seen in BMI groups corresponding to obesity classes 1 to 3 (trend, P < .001). In 2010, the average BMI of patients undergoing ACLR with meniscectomy versus meniscal repair differed by 2 (P = .004), but by 2018 the difference was nonsignificant (28.83 ± 5.80 vs 28.53 ± 5.73; P = .113). CONCLUSION: Between 2010 and 2018, there was an upward trend in the proportion of meniscal repairs performed during ACLR, with notable increases in the proportion of repairs being performed on older, overweight, and obese patients.

Social Media Use Among Foot and Ankle Orthopedic Surgeons.

BACKGROUND: Digital media is an effective tool to enhance brand recognition and is currently referenced by more than 40% of orthopedic patients when selecting a physician. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of social media among foot and ankle (F&A) orthopedic surgeons, and the impact of that social media presence on scores of a physician-rated website (PRW). METHODS: Randomly selected F&A orthopedic surgeons from all major geographical locations across the United States were identified using the AAOS.org website. Internet searches were then performed using the physician's name and the respective social media platform. A comprehensive social media use index (SMI) was created for each surgeon using a scoring system based on social media platform use. The use of individual platforms and SMI was compared to the F&A surgeon's Healthgrades scores. Descriptive statistics, unpaired Student t tests, and linear regression were used to assess the effect of social media on the PRW scores. RESULTS: A total of 123 board-certified F&A orthopedic surgeons were included in our study demonstrating varying social media use: Facebook (48.8%), Twitter (15.4%), YouTube (23.6%), LinkedIn (47.9%), personal website (24.4%), group website (52.9%), and Instagram (0%). The mean SMI was 2.4 ± 1.6 (range 0-7). Surgeons who used a Facebook page were older, whereas those using a group website were younger (P < .05). F&A orthopedic surgeons with a YouTube page had statistically higher Healthgrades scores compared to those without (P < .05). CONCLUSION: F&A orthopedic surgeons underused social media platforms in their clinical practice. Among all the platforms studied, a YouTube page was the most impactful social media platform on Healthgrades scores for F&A orthopedic surgeons. Given these findings, we recommend that physicians closely monitor their digital identity and maintain a diverse social media presence including a YouTube page to promote their clinical practice. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

COVID-19 and Orthopaedics: Recovery After the Pandemic Surge.

The novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has placed an immense strain on health care systems and orthopedic surgeons across the world. To limit the spread, federal and state governments mandated the cancellation of all nonurgent surgical cases to address surging hospital admissions and manage workforce and resource reallocation. During the pandemic surge, thousands of surgical cancellations have been required. We outline our experience through the onset and advance of the surge, detail our incident response and discuss the transition toward recovery. Level of Evidence: Level V.

Risk factors for hospital admission in patients undergoing outpatient anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A national database study.

INTRODUCTION: Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstructions (ACLR) are routinely performed in an outpatient setting with low 90-day readmission rates (2.3%); however, admissions rates in the immediate perioperative period have been previously reported as high as 13.1%. Despite the surprisingly high number of patients requiring immediate perioperative admission, there has been a lack of recent literature specifically examining the associated risk factors for admission. METHODS: Using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database, a query for patients who underwent ACLR from 2011 through 2018 was performed using Current Procedural Terminology codes. The following concomitant procedures were included: meniscectomy, meniscal repair, diagnostic arthroscopy, loose body removal, synovectomy, chondroplasty, abrasion chondroplasty, drilling for osteochondritis dissecans. Demographics including age, sex, race, body mass index (BMI) and comorbidities were collected. Perioperative factors collected were anesthesia type and operative times. Patient demographic and perioperative data were compared using Fisher's exact test and Pearson's chi-square test. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of independent risk factors for postoperative admission. Holm-Bonferroni method yielded adjusted p-value thresholds for significance. RESULTS: Of the 20,819 patients undergoing ACLR with and without concomitant procedures, 3.8% of patients were admitted to the hospital in the immediate postoperative period. Following multivariate regression analysis, increased odds of admission were demonstrated with the use of regional anesthesia alone (OR = 2.77, 95%CI: 2.22-3.44; p < 0.001), increasing concurrent procedures (Table 1), and obesity classes II (OR = 1.62, 95%CI: 1.26-2.10; p < 0.001) and III (OR = 1.81, 95%CI: 1.33-2.47; p < 0.001). Subsequent subgroup analysis of the isolated ACLR procedures (N = 9,423) demonstrated a 3.3% postoperative admission rate. Multivariate regressions demonstrated increased odds of admission with regional anesthesia use only (OR = 2.62, 95%CI: 1.90-3.60; p < 0.001), obesity class II (OR = 2.22, 95%CI: 1.51-3.26; p < 0.001), and increasing minutes of operative time (OR = 1.01, 95%CI: 1.01-1.01; p < 0.001). Table 2 demonstrates increasing rates and odds of admission with increasing operative time in hours. CONCLUSION: Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstructions are routinely performed in an outpatient setting; nevertheless, a subset of ACLR patients is admitted postoperatively. We found an increased risk of admission with the use of regional anesthesia alone, increasing concurrent procedures and obesity classes II and III. A further understanding of patient risk factors for those undergoing ACLR allows orthopedic surgeons to better develop a preoperative plan and discuss patient expectations, which will lead to more efficient resource allocation and improved patient satisfaction.