October 20, 2017 | Today’s News

Study: XLPE liners linked to increased THA implant survival compared to UHMWPE

According to a study published in the Oct. 18, 2017, issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, use of highly cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) liners may be associated with greater implant survival rates compared to conventional bearing surfaces for total hip arthroplasty (THA) patients. The authors conducted a prospective, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial of 91 patients who received implants with either conventional ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) bearing surfaces or an XLPE liner. At 10-year follow-up, they found that 3-dimensional wear rates were significantly lower in the XLPE cohort compared to the UHMWPE cohort. In addition, prevalence of osteolysis and revision rates were also significantly lower in the XLPE group compared to the UHMWPE. They noted no significant difference in the clinical scores across cohorts.

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Study: Biofilms may remain on orthopaedic implant material after flash autoclave

Data from a study published online in the Journal of Orthopaedic Research suggest that use of a flash autoclave may not remove the presence of biofilms from titanium surfaces. The researchers grew monomicrobial and polymicrobial biofilms on the surface of orthopaedic-relevant titanium materials and exposed them to flash autoclave settings of varying times and temperatures. The authors found that when the sterilization and control temperatures of an autoclave were the same, biofilms could survive a short duration of flash autoclaving. Although higher temperature and increased duration rendered biofilms nonviable, none of the autoclave settings demonstrated the ability to disperse the presence of biofilms from surfaces.

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The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) recently announced the availability of the IOF Compendium of Osteoporosis. The compendium is available in five languages and is intended to be periodically updated. It was developed to serve as an authoritative reference document for all key stakeholders in the field of musculoskeletal health. To that end, it provides an overview of osteoporosis pathophysiology, risk factors, prevention, and management and also summarizes current research into epidemiology, mortality, health expenditure, and access to and reimbursement for osteoporosis diagnosis and treatment. IOF projects that, by 2025, the annual incidence of fragility fractures in the United States may exceed 3 million cases, at a cost of $25 billion.

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A report released by medical liability insurer The Doctors Company examines potential liability risks associated with the use of electronic health records (EHRs). The insurer reviewed information on closed claims from its own database and noted two in which EHRs were a factor from 2007 through 2010. However, from 2011 through December 2016, 161 claims listed EHRs as a factor. The report lists a number of specific factors that increased in claims over time, including:

• Record fragmentation
• Lack of systems integration
• Failure to ensure EHR security
• User error (not including data entry)

Breaking down EHR-related liability claims by specialty, the authors also note an increase over time in both orthopaedics and emergency medicine.

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Findings from a study published online in the American Journal of Public Health suggest that observed increases in concussion rates among younger athletes may be linked to increased identification and reporting. Members of the research team reviewed information on 8,043 concussions (88.7 percent new, 11.3 percent recurrent) from the High School Reporting Injury Online database. From 2005 to 2016, they found that the average annual concussion rate was 39.8 per 100,000 athlete exposures. They observed that enactment of youth sports traumatic brain injury (TBI) laws was associated with significantly increased trends of reported new and recurrent concussions. The researchers note that rates of recurrent concussion showed a significant decline 2.6 years after laws went into effect.

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Ohio

The Ohio Hospital Association (OHA) recently released a progress report on a statewide initiative to reduce the incidence of sepsis on hospitals. Among other things, the OHA Statewide Sepsis Mortality Reduction Initiative makes use of two key strategies: improving early recognition of sepsis and implementing early, appropriate intervention. Since implementation in June 2015, the program has been associated with a 13.4 percent reduction in overall sepsis mortality and an estimated 1,486 lives saved. The eventual goal is to reduce sepsis mortality in the state by 30 percent by end of 2018.

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Call for volunteers: HHS Advisory Committee on Minority Health

AAOS seeks to nominate members to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Advisory Committee on Minority Health. The committee provides advice to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health on improving the health of racial and ethnic minority groups and on the development of goals and specific program activities designed to improve the health status and outcomes of racial and ethnic minorities. Applicants for this position must be active fellows, candidate members, candidate members osteopathic, candidate member applicants for fellowship, or candidate member applicants for fellowship osteopathic. In addition, all applicants must provide the following: an online AAOS CAP application, a current curriculum vitae (not exceeding 10 pages), a summary of the nominee’s experience and qualifications, and a letter of interest highlighting his or her expertise in the subject area. All supporting materials must be submitted to Kyle Trivedi by Dec. 14, 2017, at 11:59 p.m. CT, at:

trivedi@aaos.org

Learn more and submit your application… (member login required)

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