A patient-centered composite endpoint weighting technique for orthopaedic trauma research.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to address the current limitations of the use of composite endpoints in orthopaedic trauma research by quantifying the relative importance of clinical outcomes common to orthopaedic trauma patients and use those values to develop a patient-centered composite endpoint weighting technique. METHODS: A Best-Worst Scaling choice experiment was administered to 396 adult surgically-treated fracture patients. Respondents were presented with ten choice sets, each consisting of three out of ten plausible clinical outcomes. Hierarchical Bayesian modeling was used to determine the utilities associated with the outcomes. RESULTS: Death was the outcome of greatest importance (mean utility = - 8.91), followed by above knee amputation (- 7.66), below knee amputation (- 6.97), severe pain (- 5.90), deep surgical site infection (SSI) (- 5.69), bone healing complications (- 5.20), and moderate pain (- 4.59). Mild pain (- 3.30) and superficial SSI (- 3.29), on the other hand, were the outcomes of least importance to respondents. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that patients' relative importance towards clinical outcomes followed a logical gradient, with distinct and quantifiable preferences for each possible component outcome. These findings were incorporated into a novel composite endpoint weighting technique.

Can a Computer-based Force Feedback Hip Fracture Skills Simulator Improve Clinical Task Performance? A Cadaveric Validation Study.

BACKGROUND: This cadaveric study seeks to determine whether skills acquired on the simulator translate to improved performance of the clinical task. We hypothesized that completion of simulator training modules would improve performance of percutaneous hip pinning. METHODS: Eighteen right-handed medical students from two academic institutions were randomized: trained (n = 9) and untrained (n = 9). The trained group completed nine simulator-based modules of increasing difficulty, designed to teach techniques of placing wires in an inverted triangle construct in a valgus-impacted femoral neck fracture. The untrained group had a brief simulator introduction but did not complete the modules. Both groups received a hip fracture lecture, an explanation and pictorial reference of an inverted triangle construct, and instruction on using the wire driver. Participants then placed three 3.2 mm guidewires in cadaveric hips in an inverted triangle construct under fluoroscopy. Wire placement was evaluated with CT at 0.5 mm sections. RESULTS: The trained group significantly outperformed the untrained group in most parameters (P ≤ 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that a force feedback simulation platform with simulated fluoroscopic imaging using an established, increasingly difficult series of motor skills training modules has potential to improve clinical performance and might offer an important adjunct to traditional orthopaedic training.

The socioeconomic impact of orthopaedic trauma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The overall objective of this study was to determine the patient-level socioeconomic impact resulting from orthopaedic trauma in the available literature. The MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus databases were searched in December 2019. Studies were eligible for inclusion if more than 75% of the study population sustained an appendicular fracture due to an acute trauma, the mean age was 18 through 65 years, and the study included a socioeconomic outcome, defined as a measure of income, employment status, or educational status. Two independent reviewers performed data extraction and quality assessment. Pooled estimates of the socioeconomic outcome measures were calculated using random-effects models with inverse variance weighting. Two-hundred-five studies met the eligibility criteria. These studies utilized five different socioeconomic outcomes, including return to work (n = 119), absenteeism days from work (n = 104), productivity loss (n = 11), income loss (n = 11), and new unemployment (n = 10). Pooled estimates for return to work remained relatively consistent across the 6-, 12-, and 24-month timepoint estimates of 58.7%, 67.7%, and 60.9%, respectively. The pooled estimate for mean days absent from work was 102.3 days (95% CI: 94.8-109.8). Thirteen-percent had lost employment at one-year post-injury (95% CI: 4.8-30.7). Tremendous heterogeneity (I2>89%) was observed for all pooled socioeconomic outcomes. These results suggest that orthopaedic injury can have a substantial impact on the patient's socioeconomic well-being, which may negatively affect a person's psychological wellbeing and happiness. However, socioeconomic recovery following injury can be very nuanced, and using only a single socioeconomic outcome yields inherent bias. Informative and accurate socioeconomic outcome assessment requires a multifaceted approach and further standardization.

Not All Garden-I and II Femoral Neck Fractures in the Elderly Should Be Fixed: Effect of Posterior Tilt on Rates of Subsequent Arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: Internal fixation is currently the standard of care for Garden-I and II femoral neck fractures in elderly patients. However, there may be a degree of posterior tilt (measured on preoperative lateral radiograph) above which failure is likely, and primary arthroplasty would be preferred. The purpose of this analysis was to determine the association between posterior tilt and the risk of subsequent arthroplasty following internal fixation of Garden-I and II femoral neck fractures in elderly patients. METHODS: This study is a preplanned secondary analysis of data collected in the FAITH (Fixation using Alternative Implants for the Treatment of Hip fractures) trial, an international, multicenter, randomized controlled trial comparing the sliding hip screw with cannulated screws in the treatment of femoral neck fractures in patients ≥50 years old. For each patient who sustained a Garden-I or II femoral neck fracture and had an adequate preoperative lateral radiograph, the amount of posterior tilt was categorized as <20° or ≥20°. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to assess the association between posterior tilt and subsequent arthroplasty during the 2-year follow-up period, controlling for potential confounders. RESULTS: Of the 555 patients in the study sample, 67 (12.1%) had posterior tilt ≥20° and 488 (87.9%) had posterior tilt <20°. Overall, 73 (13.2%) of 555 patients underwent subsequent arthroplasty in the 24-month follow-up period. In the multivariable analysis, patients with posterior tilt ≥20° had a significantly higher risk of subsequent arthroplasty compared with those with posterior tilt <20° (22.4% [15 of 67] compared with 11.9% [58 of 488]; hazard ratio, 2.22; 95% confidence interval, 1.24 to 4.00; p = 0.008). The other factor associated with subsequent arthroplasty was age ≥80 years (p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: In this analysis of patients with Garden-I and II femoral neck fractures, posterior tilt ≥20° was associated with a significantly increased risk of subsequent arthroplasty. Primary arthroplasty may be considered for Garden-I and II femoral neck fractures with posterior tilt ≥20°, especially among older patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Incidence of Knee Pain Beyond 1 Year: Suprapatellar Versus Infrapatellar Approach for Intramedullary Nailing of the Tibia.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the magnitude of knee pain between the suprapatellar (SP) and infrapatellar (IP) approach for tibial nailing in patients who are more than 1 year after injury. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Academic Level I trauma center. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: All tibia fracture patients 18-80 years of age treated with an intramedullary tibial nail during a 5-year period were retrospectively reviewed for inclusion. The surgical approach was determined by surgeon preference, with 3 of the 9 surgeons routinely using the SP approach. The primary outcome was knee pain during kneeling, with secondary assessments comparing knee pain during resting, walking, and the past 24 hours. INTERVENTION: Intramedullary nailing of a tibia fracture with either the SP or IP approach. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Knee pain assessed with the Numeric Rating Scale between 0 and 10. A difference of >1.0 was considered to be clinically meaningful. RESULTS: The study group consisted of 262 patients (SP, n = 91; IP, n = 171) with a mean age of 41.4 years (SD = 16.6). The median follow-up was 3.8 years (range: 1.5-7.0). No difference in knee pain during kneeling was detected between the surgical approaches (IP: 3.9, SP 3.8; P = 0.90; mean difference: -0.06, 95% confidence interval, -1 to 0.9). Similarly, no differences were detected in average knee pain scores at rest (IP: 2.0, SP: 2.0; P = 1.00), walking (IP: 2.7, SP 3.0; P = 0.51), or the last 24 hours (IP: 2.6, SP 2.9; P = 0.45). CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to a study conducted by Sun et al, in which there was a statistical difference in knee pain between the SP and IP surgical approaches, we did not detect any statistical or clinical differences in knee pain between the SP and IP surgical approaches among patients with greater than 12 months of follow-up. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Does an Implant Usage Report Card Impact Orthopaedic Trauma Implant Stewardship?

OBJECTIVES: As hospitals seek to control variable expenses, orthopaedic surgeons have come under scrutiny because of relatively high implant costs. We aimed to determine whether feedback to surgeons regarding implant costs results in changes in implant selection. METHODS: This study was undertaken at a statewide trauma referral center and included 6 fellowship-trained orthopaedic trauma surgeons. A previously implemented implant stewardship program at our institution using a "red-yellow-green" (RYG) implant selection tool classifies 7 commonly used trauma implant constructs based on cost and categorizes each implant as red (used for patient-specific requirements, most expensive), yellow (midrange), and green (preferred vendor, least expensive). The constructs included were femoral intramedullary nail, tibial intramedullary nail, long and short cephalomedullary nails, distal femoral plate, proximal tibial plate, and lower-limb external fixator. Baseline implant usage from the previous year was obtained and provided to each surgeon. Each surgeon received a monthly feedback report containing individual implant utilization and overall ranking. RESULTS: The overall RYG score increased from 68.7 to 79.1 of 100 (P < 0.001). Three of the 7 implants (tibial and femoral nails and lower-limb external fixation) had significant increases in their RYG scores; implant selections for the other 4 implants were not significantly altered. A decrease of 1.8% (95% confidence interval, 0.4-3.2, P = 0.01) was noted in overall implant costs over the study period. CONCLUSION: Our intervention resulted in changes in surgeons' implant selections and cost savings. However, surgeons were unwilling to change certain implants despite their being more expensive.