June 20, 2020 | Today’s News

Study Reviews Hip Arthroscopy Learning Curve

A systematic review published online in Arthroscopy analyzed the impact of surgeon experience in hip arthroscopy on outcomes. An electronic database search yielded 15 eligible studies for review. Learning curve cutoffs ranged from 20 to 519. More surgeon experience was associated with decreased operative time (75 to 119 minutes versus 45 to 99 minutes), traction time (55 to 127 minutes versus 54 to 112 minutes), complication rates (0.5 to 43.3 percent versus 0.5 to 18.0 percent), revision arthroplasty rates (3.3 to 10.0 percent versus 1.0 to 4.2 percent), and conversion to total hip arthroplasty rates (12.2 to 22.5 percent versus 1.5 to 3.7 percent).

Read the abstract…

Study: Arthroscopic-assisted Versus All-arthroscopic Techniques for Ankle Stabilization

A study published online in Foot & Ankle International compared arthroscopic Broström (AB) versus arthroscopic all-inside ligament repair (AI) to treat chronic lateral ankle instability. Two surgeons treated 39 consecutive patients with AB (n = 20) or AI (n = 19). There were improvements and no significant between-group differences in visual analog scale and American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society hindfoot scores. At final follow-up in the AB group (mean, 19.6 months), eight complications (40 percent) were reported; in the AI group (mean, 20.7 months), one complication (5.3 percent) was reported.

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A study published in the July issue of Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research ® assessed the use of the word “chairman” as opposed to “chair” on orthopaedic surgery websites compared to other specialties’ websites. A total of 714 specialty websites were scanned for use of the term “chairman” on title pages, welcome messages, and faculty profile pages. “Chairman” was used at least once on 60 percent of orthopaedic websites, which was higher compared to pediatrics, internal medicine, and obstetrics and gynecology websites but similar to neurosurgery and general surgery websites. Departments with female chairs were significantly less likely to use the term (14 percent versus 50 percent).

Read the abstract…

The Federal Reserve Board made changes to the Main Street Lending Program that give greater access to nonprofit organizations, including hospitals. Among the changes, the limit on donation-based funding was relaxed, and the financial eligibility criteria was expanded to include nonprofits with varying operating models.

Read the Federal Reserve press release…

HHS’ Office for Civil Rights Issues Guidance on Civil Rights Protections During COVID-19

The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released guidance reminding recipients of federal financial assistance, including local agencies, hospitals, and other healthcare providers, that they must comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and must not discriminate based on race, color, and national origin in HHS-funded COVID-19 programs. Racial minorities including African Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanics have been hit particularly hard during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read the HHS press release…

Read OCR’s bulletin…

AAOS Members Honored with Kappa Delta Awards

This year, Carl Deirmengian, MD, received the Kappa Delta Lanier Award for his role in research that resulted in the first Food and Drug Administration-authorized diagnostic test for periprosthetic joint infection specifically intended for orthopaedics. Meanwhile, Marc Swiontkowski, MD, FAAOS, received AAOS’ Kappa Delta Ann Doner Vaughn Award for his research regarding the “unsolved fracture”—the femoral neck fracture. Finally, Alice Huang, PhD, received the Kappa Delta Young Investigator Award for her work on tendon development, healing, and regeneration. Drs. Deirmengian, Swiontkowski, and Huang’s achievements would normally be recognized at the AAOS Annual Meeting, which became a virtual meeting this year. Their accomplishments were highlighted in the AAOS Now Special Edition.

Read more about Dr. Deirmengian…

Read more about Dr. Swiontkowski…

Read more about Dr. Huang…

Read the AAOS Now Special Edition…

NuVasive Becomes First Industry Sponsor of the American Spine Registry™

NuVasive, Inc., a leader in spine technology innovation, focused on transforming spine surgery with minimally disruptive, procedurally integrated solutions, and the American Spine Registry™ (ASR) have entered into a multiyear sponsorship to improve the future of spine surgery through data-driven outcomes. As a key sponsor for the ASR, NuVasive will contribute to the future development of the registry, granting participants access to national benchmarking data to compare performance across the country and support highly informed decision-making to enable surgeons to provide the highest quality of care.

Read the AAOS press release…