Today’s Top Story

One Month Countdown to 2023 Orthopaedic Advocacy Week

Are you ready for it? Now is the time to mark your calendar for a virtual opportunity to influence and ignite change for key healthcare policy issues impacting musculoskeletal care. From July 24 to 28, orthopaedic surgeons across the United States are invited to participate in a completely virtual grassroots advocacy effort. Daily activities during Orthopaedic Advocacy Week include sending prewritten letters to Congress, supporting regulatory messages, sharing and amplifying social media, and investing in the Political Action Committee of the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons to strengthen the community’s voice on Capitol Hill. There is power in numbers, and AAOS hopes you will join us next month for #OrthoAdvocacyinAction. Stay tuned for more details.

Learn more about Orthopaedic Advocacy Week…

 
 
 
 
In Other News

Low Serum Albumin Levels Are Associated with Higher Risk of Preoperative DVT in TJA Patients

A study investigating the association between albumin and preoperative deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty (TJA) was published in Clinical and Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis. A total of 2,133 patients were divided into groups based on albumin cut-off value, and then risk factors for DVT were identified using multivariate logistic regression. TJA patients with albumin levels <37.2 g/L had a 1.99-fold increased risk for DVT, and patients with albumin levels of <30 g/L had a 3.25-fold increased risk. Additionally, patients with albumin <30 g/L had the highest risk of requiring perioperative transfusion.

Read the study…

 
 
 
 
Does ACLR Plus Lateral Extraarticular Tenodesis Result in Improved RTS Rates?

Arthroscopy published a randomized controlled trial investigating whether the addition of a lateral extraarticular tenodesis (LET) to ACL reconstruction (ACLR) improved return to sport (RTS) rates in patients aged ≤25 years with an ACL-deficient knee. The main outcomes measured were time to return and level of RTS. Outcomes were evaluated 24 months postoperatively. Overall, 618 patients were included in the study. Graft ruptures were more common in the ACLR group compared with the ACLR plus LET group (11.2 percent versus 4.1 percent); however, the proportion of patients who did not RTS was similar between groups (11 percent and 14 percent, respectively).

Read the abstract…

 
 
 
Study Compares Implant Choice and Outcomes for Displaced Intraarticular Calcaneal Fractures

A retrospective study of 265 fractured calcanei in Foot & Ankle International compared the functional outcomes between screw fixation (SF), plate fixation (PF), and anatomical plate fixation (APF) via the sinus tarsi approach. The APF group had significantly less implant removal surgeries (9.9 percent) compared with those in the SF (22.9 percent) and PF (23.7 percent) groups. Incidence of surgical site infections and functional outcomes were comparable between groups; however, the PF and APF groups had improved correction of Böhler angle over the SF group.

Read the study…

 
 
 
 
Open versus Closed Injuries: Comparison of Outcomes for Pediatric Phalangeal Head and Neck Fractures

According to a retrospective chart review in the Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics of pediatric phalangeal head and neck fractures treated surgically with pin fixation, open injuries (OI) had more concomitant digital injuries and postoperative complications compared with closed injuries undergoing open reduction (COR) and closed injuries treated with closed reduction (CCR). There were 17, 14, and 136 patients in the OI, COR, and CCR groups, respectively. The incidence of osteonecrosis varied among the OI versus COR and OI versus CCR groups, with rates of 71 percent for OI, 7.1 percent for COR, and 1.5 percent for CCR.

Read the study…

 
 
 
AAOS Now

June Issue of AAOS Now Is Now Available Online

AAOS members will soon receive the print edition of the June issue of AAOS Now, but the electronic edition is already available on the AAOS Now website. This month’s issue has a topical focus on sports medicine and also highlights the fundamentals of professionalism in orthopaedic research, the who and why of AAOS’ Patient-reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) Workgroup, recent advances in anatomical shoulder replacement surgeries, and more.

Read more…

 
 
 
Your AAOS

OrthoInfo: Orthopaedic Patient Education at Your Fingertips

OrthoInfo, the Academy’s patient education website, is here to provide your patients with trustworthy, in-depth information covering more than 450 topics—all written, reviewed, and regularly updated by orthopaedic specialists. In addition to printing OrthoInfo content, you can connect to Orthoinfo from your practice website free of charge, include relevant content links in each patient’s after-visit summary for a personalized educational experience. You can also add this QR code to your business cards, email signature, patient handouts, etc., to give patients direct access to the website. Visit the link below to see the full range of content and start sharing it with your patients.

Learn more about OrthoInfo