January 5, 2022 | Today’s News

Fellows and Residents Are Encouraged to Apply for Volunteer Opportunities with AAOS Now

The AAOS Now Editorial Board is currently recruiting for several member-at-large positions and one resident-at-large member. Fellows who are sports, trauma, total joint, or hand specialists are especially encouraged to apply, but the position is open to all specialties. For the resident position, PGY2 and PGY3 applicants are encouraged, but applicants from all years are welcome. The Editorial Board provides editorial direction for AAOS Now, which is the official news magazine of AAOS and the No. 1 nonpeer-reviewed orthopaedics publication. It also oversees Headline News Now and the AAOS Now Daily Edition. The deadline to submit applications is Jan 28.

Learn more and submit applications… (member login required)

Randomized Study: Virtual Reality Is an Effective Training Tool in UKA

A randomized controlled trial study published in the Journal of the AAOS ® reported that a virtual reality (VR) training module led to comparable surgical competence compared to traditional guides for instruction on performing a complex unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA). Twenty-two orthopaedic surgery trainees were randomized to instruction with the VR module or an illustrated technique guide. Mean surgical times and Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills scores were comparable between groups. Seventy-seven percent rated the VR module as useful for residents and 86.4 percent would use the module for case preparation.

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In a study of Asian patients, published online in The Journal of Arthroplasty, revision total hip arthroplasty (THA) with a modified modular proximal stem led to significant functional improvements at eight years postoperatively, though the researchers noted trunnionosis occurred with this implant. The S-ROM-A stem, modified for Asian patients, was used in 126 THAs. Eleven intraoperative and 5 postoperative femoral fractures occurred. Other complications included dislocation (4 percent), infection (2.4 percent) and trunnionosis (1.6 percent). At last follow-up, 99 percent of hips achieved bone ingrowth fixation and 1 percent achieved fibrous stable status.

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A retrospective multicenter study, published online in The Bone & Joint Journal, found a low incidence of culture-negative periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs) and reported that, in these patients, antibiotic treatment may be withheld if there are no histological signs of infection. The researchers analyzed 1,553 acute and 1,556 chronic PJIs with two years of follow-up. Overall, 4.7 percent of chronic PJIs were culture-negative, of which 51 percent were treated with antibiotics. No recurrent infections occurred in patients without antibiotic treatment. Revision surgery rates were similar regardless of antibiotic use. No acute PJIs were culture-negative.

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Ultrasound-guided localization of the radial nerve prior to surgical treatment of extra-articular distal humeral shaft fractures was associated with significantly reduced operative time, radial nerve exposure time, and intraoperative bleeding, according to a retrospective study published online in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. Twenty-eight patients who underwent preoperative localization were compared with 28 controls. The localization group had reduced operative time (113.25 versus 135.9 minutes), radial nerve exposure time (20.8 versus 32.5 minutes), and intraoperative bleeding volume (246.8 versus. 335.5 ml) compared with controls. Iatrogenic radial nerve palsy rates, fracture union time, and Mayo Elbow Performance Scores were comparable between groups.

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have opened the data submission period for Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)–eligible clinicians who participated in the Quality Payment Program (QPP) during performance year 2021. Using the QPP website, physicians can submit 2021 performance year data or review data reported on their behalf by a third party. Submissions are open until 8 p.m. ET on March 31. For physicians in a small practice (15 or fewer clinicians) who may need help from the CMS Small, Underserved, and Rural Support (SURS) technical assistance organizations to submit data, the deadline for reaching out to these organizations is Feb. 15.

Visit the QPP website…

From the Ashes, the Phoenix Rises

As 2021 came to a close, AAOS Now Editor-in-Chief Robert M. Orfaly, MD, MBA, FAAOS, reflected on a difficult year that brought new challenges, as well as opportunities for reinvention and improvement. “It is my New Year wish for all that we enter 2022 with renewed hope and determination, particularly given our unique role in addressing the musculoskeletal health of our community,” Dr. Orfaly wrote.

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