Orthopedics Editor's Note In this study, researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC Los Angeles, find that patients having simultaneous bilateral total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) are at increased risk of several types of complications, compared with patients having unilateral TKAs. A total of 21,044 patients having simultaneous bilateral TKAs…
Editor's Note This multi-center study led by Humana Inc, Louisville, Kentucky, finds that a bundled payment program offered by a Medicare Advantage insurer for lower extremity joint replacements was associated with reduced spending without changes in quality. A total of 23,034 lower extremity joint replacement surgical episodes (6,355 bundled, 16,679…
Editor's Note This study from Baptist Health-Fort Smith, Arkansas, finds that the low-energy consumption ventilation system specified for in US operating rooms produces different zones of sterile protection from airborne microbe carrying particles (MCP) during total joint arthroplasties. The predominant source of MCPs are from personnel in the OR—an average…
Editor's Note In a June 5 letter to healthcare providers, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it is aware of US healthcare facilities and providers experiencing supply constraints of nonsterile, single-use pneumatic tourniquet cuffs. The cuffs are used in elective limb surgeries and in emergency and trauma settings. During…
Editor's Note This Japanese study, for the first time, examined kinematics and kinetics of the hip joint during driver golf swings of patients who had a total hip arthroplasty (THA) and finds that the swings do not contribute excessive force to the implant. The researchers recruited 10 primary THA patients…
Editor's Note This study from the University of Florida Health, Gainesville, examines the complications, cost-utility, and value of a dedicated trauma-endovascular hybrid OR. A total of 292 trauma patients, who underwent immediate operative intervention at a Level I trauma center (106 before construction of a hybrid OR and 186 after…
Editor's Note This study from the Mayo Clinic finds that perioperative COVID-19 precautions did not significantly reduce the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs). The analysis included 29,904 patients who had colorectal, hysterectomy, hip, and knee prosthesis procedures at the Mayo Clinic’s multicenter institution between January 1, 2018 and December…
Editor's Note This update to the 2014 "Strategies to Prevent Surgical Site Infections in Acute Care Hospitals" recommends that antibiotics be discontinued after a patient’s incision has been closed in the OR, even if drains are present. The expert panel members writing the update add that continuing antibiotics after closure…
Editor's Note This study, published in The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, analyzes 68 closed claims cases on wrong-site surgery from 2013 to 2020. The services most frequently responsible for these cases were: Orthopedics (35.3%) Neurosurgery (22.1%) Urology (8.8%). The most common types of procedures involving wrong-site…
Editor's Note The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), on April 10, announced the release of updated standards for its 3-year Advanced Orthopaedic Certification program, which will take effect July 1, 2023. The updated Certification Handbook for Advanced Orthopaedics, v42, introduces new terminology and standards architecture plus a revised…
