Today’s Top Story
Study: Patients may be at increased risk of fracture following TKA.
Preliminary findings from a study conducted in Sweden and presented at the World Congress on Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases suggest that patients who undergo total knee arthroplasty (TKA) may be at increased risk for hip and vertebral fracture in the following decade. The research team reviewed medical records from the entire Swedish population born between 1902 and 1952. At 10-year follow-up after TKA, they found that risk of hip fracture increased 4 percent and risk of vertebral fracture increased 19 percent compared to members of the general population who did not undergo TKA. Risk of fracture was also increased for TKA patients compared to the 10-year period prior to undergoing TKA.
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Other News
Study: ACP treatment linked to improvements in pain and function for patients with knee OA.
Data from a small study published in the April issue of The American Journal of Sports Medicine suggest that treatment with autologous conditioned plasma (ACP) may reduce pain and improve function for patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). The authors conducted a randomized, controlled trial of 30 patients with knee OA who received three weekly injections of either ACP (n = 15) or saline placebo (n = 15). They found that Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scores significantly improved from baseline in the treatment group compared to the control group. At 12-month follow-up, patients in the ACP cohort saw a 78 percent improvement in WOMAC score from baseline, compared to a 7 percent improvement in the placebo cohort. There were no adverse events associated with ACP administration.
Read the abstract…
Study: Risk of second major osteoporotic fracture may be highest immediately after first.
According to research conducted in Iceland and presented at the World Congress on Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases, patients who experience a major osteoporotic fracture may be at greatest risk of a second major osteoporotic fracture immediately following the first fracture. The researchers reviewed data on 118,872 participants in the Reykjavik Study. They found that 5,039 patients experienced at least one major osteoporotic fracture, and of those, 1,919 experienced a second. The researchers found that risk of a second fracture remained elevated compared to the general population, but decreased over time, and was highest immediately after the first fracture.
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Study: Use of calcium or vitamin D not linked to increased risk of heart or cardiovascular disease.
A study conducted in the United Kingdom and presented at the World Congress on Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases finds no link between use of calcium supplements or vitamin D and heart disease or cardiovascular events. The research team drew data from the UK Biobank—a study of 502,663 men and women aged 40 to 69 years. Overall, 34,890 individuals (6.94 percent) reported taking calcium supplements, 20,004 individuals (3.98 percent) reported taking vitamin D supplements, and 10,406 individuals (2.1 percent) reported taking both. The researchers found no associations between the use of calcium supplements or vitamin D and increased hospital admissions related to ischaemic heart disease, any cardiovascular event, or death following admission for either category.
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Citing opioid concerns, group asks for alterations to HCAHPS Survey.
In a letter to the acting administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, a number of healthcare experts have asked the agency to remove three questions regarding pain control from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) Survey. “Setting unrealistic expectations for pain relief can lead to dissatisfaction with care even when best efforts have been made to resolve pain,” the signatories state. “Aggressive management of pain should not be equated with quality healthcare as it can result in unhelpful and unsafe treatment, the endpoint of which is often the inappropriate provision of opioids.”
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Read the letter (PDF)…
California.
The California Medical Association reports that a software upgrade recently conducted by Anthem Blue Cross resulted in a zero allowance for some provider claims. According to the insurer, approximately 130,000 claims were affected. The error was resolved on Thursday, March 24. The company states that all impacted claims will automatically be reprocessed within 90-120 days, and physicians do not need to resubmit claims or file appeals.
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AAOS seeks comments for Management of Periprosthetic Joint Infection of the Hip and Knee CPG.
AAOS is conducting a survey regarding an upcoming Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) on the management of periprosthetic joint infection of the hip and knee. The purpose of the survey is to collect clinician topic suggestions for the CPG, which is in the early stages of development. Aggregated suggestions from the survey will be anonymously presented to the guideline workgroup.
Take the survey…
Call for volunteers: FDA Network of Experts program.
AAOS seeks to nominate candidates who are interested in sharing their expertise regarding current awareness and use of labeling by healthcare practitioners to participate in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Network of Experts program. The information obtained will help the FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health better understand user perspectives. 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, and a completed “conflict of interest” form. Please contact Kyle Shah to obtain a copy of the conflict of interest form. All supporting materials must be submitted by Friday, April 22, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. CT, to Kyle Shah at: shah@aaos.org.
Learn more and submit your application…(member login required)
