Study Examines Medicare Hospital Costs for Spinal Fusion

Terry Stanton

A study seeking to identify cost drivers among Medicare beneficiaries (MBs) undergoing one- or two-level lumbar spinal fusion (1-2-LLSF) identified 22 demographic factors, comorbid conditions, and fusion approaches that increased costs during hospital stays by more than 5 percent. The study, presented at the North American Spine Society Annual Meeting by Kevin J. McGuire, MD, MS, of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., considered all U.S.

Skeletal Metastases Synopsis Demonstrates Suggested Decision Making for Surgeons

Shervin V. Oskouei, MD; Anna Greenwood, MD

According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 1.7 million Americans were diagnosed with cancer in the United States in 2018 and more than 15.5 million Americans were alive on Jan. 1, 2016, with a current or previous cancer diagnosis. Between 10 percent and 30 percent of patients with cancer will experience a pathologic fracture associated with metastatic disease.

Physiatry in a Orthopaedic Practice Can Be A Win-win for Surgeons and Patients

David Schiff, MD

Twenty years ago, when I was offered the opportunity to join the Peachtree Orthopedics Clinic (POC) in Atlanta, I was honored to be recruited by one of the area’s premier orthopaedic practices. The leaders of POC recognized the need for my services as a nonsurgical specialist. As it turns out, I was the group’s first full-time physiatrist. In 1998, most orthopaedic practices had surgeons who were generalists and only a smattering of subspecialists. POC was different.

Psychological Factors Can Drastically Impact Recovery from Traumatic Injuries

Mark J. Kirschner, PhD, ABPP

On May 2, 2018, the South Central Regional SWAT team in Connecticut responded to a situation involving a barricaded subject. As the officers approached the home, the suspect set off an explosion in the garage that sent several team members hurtling 30 to 40 feet in the air. Nine officers sustained injuries, including concussions, leg and knee injuries, broken bones, and burns. To date, several of the officers remain out of work, months after the incident, secondary to their orthopaedic injuries.

AAOS Resident Assembly’s Survey Examines Domestic and International Training Trends

Andrew R. Jensen, MD, MBE; Musiliu Odunola, MB, MPH; Faseeh Shahab, MD; Nicholas Bonazza, MD; Christian Carrwik, MD; Verena Schreiber-Frank, MD; Kevin J. Cronin, MD

Worldwide, orthopaedic educators are tasked with training the next generation of surgeons for their local communities. Every country has different norms and standards for providing this education; however, there is surprisingly little discourse amongst international orthopaedic educators regarding the best ways of teaching their trainees.

Second Look – Clinical

Length of TKA surgery and infection—Primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients with longer operative times may be more likely to develop prosthetic joint infections (PJIs) and surgical site infections (SSIs), according to a study published in The Journal of Arthroplasty (online). Researchers evaluated 11,849 primary TKAs performed between Jan. 1, 2014, and Dec. 31, 2017, with a mean two-year follow-up. Procedures exceeding 121 minutes were classified as long cases.

Disposal of Unused Opioid Medications: Aligning Patient Needs and Provider Expectations

T.K. Miller, MD; Malek Bouzaher, BS, MS; Susan Giampalmo, BS; Joseph T. Moskal, MD

Through the support of a grant from AAOS to the Virginia Orthopaedic Society (VOS), Carilion Clinic Orthopaedics and the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine completed an investigational study of the beliefs, perceptions, and practices regarding opioid medication disposal among orthopaedic patients and providers in southwestern Virginia, which is commonly considered the area west of Roanoke, Va.