Smokeless Tobacco Use is Associated with Worse Outcomes Following Open Tibia Fracture.

Background: Smoking is a known risk factor for complications after open tibia fractures, but it is unclear if smokeless tobacco confers a similar risk. Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the rates of postoperative complications after surgical fixation of open tibia fractures in smokeless tobacco users as compared to matched tobacco naïve controls. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the national PearlDiver database. For patients who had a unilateral open tibia fracture, smokeless tobacco users (n=121) and tobacco-naïve controls (n=242) were matched at a 1:2 ratio. Rates of bone complications within 1 year were compared using multivariable logistic regression. Results: Compared to controls, the smokeless tobacco user cohort demonstrated significantly higher rates of nonunion (OR: 3.42, 95% CI: 1.05 - 11.12), infection / inflammatory reaction of implant (OR: 12.45, 95% CI: 2.67 - 58.93), and osteomyelitis of the leg (OR: 6.15, 95% CI: 1.90 - 19.93) within 1 year of open tibia fracture. Compared to the most recent population figures, smokeless tobacco use was significantly under-reported in both males and females. Conclusions: Smokeless tobacco use confers an increased risk of fracture nonunion, infection or inflammatory response to implant, and osteomyelitis of the leg in patients with open tibia fractures. Surgeons should consider this risk when counseling patients and deciding on treatment plans for patients with tibia fractures.

The Jarring Reality: Adolescent and Pediatric Gunshot Trauma on the Rise in a Major Urban Institution.

INTRODUCTION: Firearms are the leading cause of death in the pediatric population, and the incidence of firearm injury is on the rise in the United States. The purpose of this study was to examine the incidence of pediatric gunshot wounds (GSWs) in New Orleans from 2012 to 2023 and evaluate factors that contribute to mortality. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of pediatric GSWs was conducted using the trauma database at a Level I trauma center in New Orleans, Louisiana. All patients aged 0 to 18 years with a GSW between January 1, 2012, and January 1, 2023, were evaluated. Demographic data, Injury Severity Score (ISS), hospital length of stay (LOS), discharge disposition, intent of injury, mortality, firearm type, orthopaedic injuries, and related surgical procedures were extracted from the database. Linear regression was used to assess the trend of GSWs over time, and logistic regression was used to identify variables that predicted mortality. Statistical significance was defined as α = 0.05. Geographic information system (GIS) mapping was conducted using the ZIP code location of injury to identify geographic areas with the greatest number of GSWs. RESULTS: A significant increasing trend was observed in the number of pediatric GSWs when adjusted for changes in population ( P = 0.014), and the number of GSWs increased 43.2% over the duration of the study. Higher ISS, shorter length of stay, and self-inflicted intent of injury were notable predictors of mortality. Three hundred fifty-four patients (31.4%) had at least one orthopaedic injury, and of the survivors, 365 patients (35.6%) required at least one surgical procedure in the operating room during their admission. DISCUSSION: The number of GSWs in the pediatric population in New Orleans presenting at a large level 1 trauma center demonstrated a statistically significant increasing trend over the past 11 years. ISS and self-inflicted intent were predictive of mortality within this pediatric patient population.

Adult Reconstruction Surgeons Manage Patients With Higher Medical Complexities and Still Achieve Comparable Outcomes to Sports Medicine Surgeons Following Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Background: Orthopaedic surgeons who are fellowship-trained in adult reconstruction (AR) specialize specifically in total joint arthroplasty, including total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, TKA procedures are not only performed by AR surgeons. The purpose of this study was to compare the patient demographics and postoperative outcomes of patients who had a TKA procedure performed by an AR surgeon vs a sports medicine (SM) surgeon. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using a national insurance database. Patients who underwent a primary elective TKA procedure by an AR surgeon (n = 56,570) and an SM surgeon (n = 72,888) were identified. Patient demographics, rates of joint complications within 2 years, and medical complications within 90 days postoperatively were compared using multivariable logistic regression. Results: Compared to the cohort of patients undergoing TKA by SM surgeons, the patient cohort of AR surgeons had a higher mean Elixhauser comorbidity index (4.2 vs 4.0, P < .001), and had significantly higher rates of several comorbidities. Within 90 days, patients of AR surgeons demonstrated significantly lower rates of acute kidney injury and transfusions. When compared to patients of SM surgeons, patients of AR surgeons demonstrated significantly lower rate of manipulation under anesthesia or lysis of adhesions within 2 years. Rates of all other joint-related complications were statistically comparable between the 2 cohorts. Conclusions: As a cohort, AR surgeons perform TKA on a higher-risk cohort of patients compared to sports medicine surgeons. Despite the higher-risk patient population, outcomes of TKA by AR surgeons appear equivalent compared to their SM colleagues.

Lower Extremity Trauma is Associated With an Increased Rate of New Mental Disorder Diagnosis and Suicide Attempt.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the risk of developing a new mental disorder diagnosis within 2 years of lower extremity fracture. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: National insurance claims database. PATIENT SELECTION CRITERIA: Patients between 18 and 65 years with lower extremity, pelvis, and acetabular fractures without prior mental disorders as defined using International Classification of Diseases, 9th and 10th revision diagnosis codes were included. Mental disorders evaluated included alcohol use disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, drug use disorder, panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and suicide attempt. OUTCOME MEASURES AND COMPARISONS: The individual lower extremity fracture cohorts were matched 1:4 with nonfracture controls. The specific groups of interest were pelvis fractures, acetabulum fractures, proximal femur fractures, femoral shaft fractures, distal femur fractures, patella fractures, tibia plateau fractures, tibia shaft fractures, ankle fractures, pilon fractures, calcaneus fractures, and Lisfranc fractures. Rates of mental disorders after primary lower extremity fractures within 2 years were compared using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Overall, the 263,988 patient-fracture group was 57.2% female with an average age of 46.6 years. Compared with controls with no fracture, patients who sustained pelvis, acetabulum, proximal femur, femoral shaft, distal femur, patella, tibia plateau, tibia shaft, pilon, calcaneus, or Lisfranc fracture had a statistically significantly increased risk of being diagnosed with a queried mental disorder within 2 years of fracture. When comparing all fracture patients by location, those suffering from fractures proximal to the knee joint, including pelvis fractures [OR: 1.51, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.39-1.64] and proximal femur fractures [odds ratio (OR): 1.36, 95% CI: 1.26-1.47], demonstrated greater risk of developing any of the queried mental disorders compared with fractures distal to the knee, including ankle fractures (OR: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.95-1.03) and pilon fractures (OR: 1.05, 95% CI: 0.81-1.36). When comparing specific fracture patients with patients without fracture by mental disorder, patients demonstrated an increased risk of suicide attempt following fracture of the pelvis, acetabulum, femoral shaft, distal femur, and calcaneus, as well as patients sustaining a Lisfranc fracture. CONCLUSIONS: There is an increased risk of being diagnosed with a new mental disorder following lower extremity trauma in patients without prior mental disorder diagnosis compared with matched individuals without a lower extremity fracture. Among the fractures studied, those that were more proximal, such as pelvis and proximal femur fractures, carried greater risk compared with more distal fracture sites, including ankle and pilon fractures. Patients who experienced certain lower extremity fractures had a significantly higher rate of suicide attempt compared with patients without fracture. Physicians should consider increased mental health screening and potential referral for mental health evaluation for patients following lower extremity trauma. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Biologics in rotator cuff repair.

Rotator cuff tears are common in middle-aged and elderly patients. Despite advances in the surgical repair of rotator cuff tears, the rates of recurrent tear remain high. This may be due to the complexity of the tendons of the rotator cuff, which contributes to an inherently hostile healing environment. During the past 20 years, there has been an increased interest in the use of biologics to complement the healing environment in the shoulder, in order to improve rotator cuff healing and reduce the rate of recurrent tears. The aim of this review is to provide a summary of the current evidence for the use of forms of biological augmentation when repairing rotator cuff tears.

Association of Smokeless Tobacco and Complications Following Ankle and Hindfoot Arthrodesis.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to (1) evaluate the rates of postoperative complications following ankle or hindfoot arthrodesis among current smokeless tobacco users and people who smoke compared to matched controls, and (2) compare rates of postoperative complications in current smokeless tobacco users vs people who smoke tobacco cigarettes. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using a large national database. For patients who underwent ankle or hindfoot arthrodesis, smokeless tobacco users (n = 131) and people who smoke (n = 1948) were matched 1:4 with controls, and smokeless tobacco users (n = 131) were matched 1:4 with people who smoke tobacco cigarettes (n = 524). Orthopaedic complications within 90 days, 1 year, and 2 years were compared using multivariable logistic regressions. RESULTS: Within 90 days of ankle or hindfoot arthrodesis, smokeless tobacco users demonstrated significantly higher rates of hardware removal (odds ratio [OR] 5.01, 95% CI 1.65-15.20), wound disruption or dehiscence (OR 3.00, 95% CI 1.21-7.44), and pooled complications (16.0% vs 5.9%, OR 2.84, 95% CI 1.50-5.38) compared with tobacco-naïve controls. The rates of hardware removal, wound disruption and dehiscence, and pooled complications remained significant in the smokeless tobacco cohort at 1 and 2 years. At 2 years following ankle or hindfoot arthrodesis, smokeless tobacco users additionally demonstrated significantly higher rates of infection (OR 6.08, 95% CI 1.15-32.05) and nonunion (OR 2.35, 95% CI 1.31-4.20) compared with tobacco-naïve controls. Within 90 days of ankle or hindfoot arthrodesis, smokeless tobacco users demonstrated significantly lower rates of malunion or nonunion than patients who smoke tobacco cigarettes (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.12-0.97), whereas all other complications were not significantly different. CONCLUSION: Smokeless tobacco use is associated with higher rates of complications following ankle or hindfoot arthrodesis compared with tobacco-naïve controls, and physicians should screen for smokeless tobacco use specifically and encourage cessation before operating electively. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, retrospective cohort study.

Incontinence Is an Independent Risk Factor for Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty.

Background: Urinary incontinence has been linked to worse postoperative pain, decreased physical function, and reduced quality of life in patients following total joint arthroplasty. The purpose of this study was to analyze whether incontinence is associated with increased postoperative medical and joint complications following primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using a national insurance database. Thirty-two thousand eight hundred eleven patients with incontinence who underwent primary THA were identified and matched 1:4 with 129,073 patients without incontinence. Ninety-one thousand nine hundred thirty-five patients with incontinence who underwent primary TKA were matched 1:4 with 367,285 patients without incontinence. Medical and joint complication rates at 90 days and 2 years, respectively, were then compared for patient cohorts using multivariable logistic regressions. Results: Patients who underwent primary THA with incontinence had statistically higher rates of dislocation, periprosthetic fracture, aseptic revisions, and overall joint complications compared to controls. Patients who underwent primary TKA with incontinence had higher rates of mechanical failure, aseptic revision, and all-cause revision compared to controls. Conclusions: This study demonstrated an association between patients with incontinence and higher rates of dislocation, periprosthetic fractures, aseptic revisions, and overall joint complications following primary THA compared to controls. Patients with incontinence experience higher rates of mechanical failure, aseptic revision, and all-cause revision following TKA compared to controls. As such, perioperative management of urinary incontinence may help mitigate the risk of postoperative complications.