Today’s Top Story
Study: Greater risk of complication after second hip fracture.
Data published in the March issue of the Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma suggest that patients who sustain a second hip fracture on the contralateral side may be at increased risk of complication compared to their first hip fracture. The authors reviewed data from a single center on 71 patients who underwent a hip fracture surgery and a subsequent contralateral hip fracture surgery. They found that, after the second hip fracture surgery, 23 patients had one or more complications, compared with just 13 patients who had complications after the first hip fracture surgery. The authors noted that 46 percent of second hip fractures occurred within 2 years after the first hip fracture. Nearly twice as many patients were discharged to an institutional care facility after the second fracture as after the first fracture (72 percent vs 38 percent). Read the abstract…

Other News

Study: Men who smoke may be at increased risk of low BMD and vertebral fracture.
According to a study published online in the journal Annals of the American Thoracic Society, male smokers may be at increased risk of low bone mineral density (BMD) and vertebral fractures. The research team determined volumetric BMD and severity of lung disease for 3,321 current and ex-smokers participating in the COPDGene study. They found that overall, male smokers had a small but significantly greater risk of low volumetric BMD and more fractures compared to female smokers. Low volumetric BMD was present in 58 percent of all participants, and was more frequent among patients with increasingly severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Overall, 37 percent of participants sustained vertebral fractures, and such fractures were associated with lower volumetric BMD at each COPD severity classification stage. After adjustment for steroid use, age, pack years, current smoking, and exacerbations, the research team noted that COPD and specifically emphysema were associated with both low volumetric BMD and vertebral fractures. Read more…
Read the abstract…

Can a brace and PT serve as an alternative to amputation for some trauma patients?
An article in the Baltimore Sun profiles an orthopaedic brace and physical therapy (PT) program that some say could serve as an alternative to amputation for certain trauma patients. The brace incorporates struts to absorb the impact from motion and send the energy back to the limb. The program is currently targeted at military personnel, but the technology may eventually expand to civilian use. Read more…

Patient Safety Awareness Week features free webcast on clinician/patient engagement.
The National Patient Safety Foundation has declared March 8 to 14 to be Patient Safety Awareness Week. The purpose of the event is to emphasize the importance of the relationship between clinicians and patients and their families. As part of Patient Safety Awareness Week, the foundation is offering a complimentary webcast, Patients and Families as Partners: United in Safety, to take place Thursday, March 12, at 1 p.m. ET. Read more…
Register for the webcast…
AAOS offers a resource page with links to patient safety information. Read more…
OrthoInfo has a patient safety resource page for patients. Read more…

California.
According to the California Medical Association, houses in the California State Legislature are considering a pair of bills that would, if enacted, put reimbursement for the state’s Medicaid system on a par with Medicare. The measure would restore a 10 percent cut mandated in 2011 to Medi-Cal reimbursement rates and increase payment rates for inpatient hospital services and most outpatient services. Supporters of the legislation say the move is necessary to improve access to health care for the state’s economically disadvantaged citizens. Read more…

Idaho.
Modern Healthcare reports that, in the wake of a recent court ruling ordering a hospital system to undo a 2012 deal in which it acquired a large medical practice, the court will not require the hospital system to do so until a decision has been made about the next steps in the case. Attorneys for the hospital system had argued that forcing it to divest the group immediately would rob it of the right to ask for a rehearing en banc (before a full panel of the court). Read more…(registration may be required)

New York.
According to AMA Wire, a lawsuit currently before the New York Court of Appeals could hold implications for physician duty of care limits. At issue is a case in which a patient was treated in the emergency department and given several medications, including an opioid. While driving after being discharged, the patient allegedly became unconscious and crashed into a bus. The bus driver filed a medical liability claim alleging the physician’s duty of care extends to third parties who might be potentially at risk. Although a lower court found the bus driver’s claims were insufficient, he has appealed. Read more…

Call for volunteers: Evaluation Committees.
Several positions are currently open on AAOS Evaluation Committees. Members of evaluation committees write questions for the self-assessment examinations. The following openings are available:

  • Anatomy-Imaging (two members—hand and wrist; two members—tumors; March 31 deadline)
  • Hip, Knee & Adult Reconstruction (four members; April 3)
  • Shoulder & Elbow (one member; March 31)

Applicants for these positions must be active fellows, emeritus fellows, or candidate member applicant for fellowship with a practice emphasis in the relevant area. Learn more and submit your application…(member login required)