New AAOS guideline addresses distal radial fractures

Randy R. Bindra, MD, FRCS

A common fracture, but research on effective treatments is lacking Fractures of the distal end of the radius account for nearly one in every six fractures that are treated in emergency departments in the United States.

Meetings and Course Listings

Listed below are upcoming continuing medical education (CME) courses and orthopaedic meetings (January 2010 through May 2010). For more information about AAOS-sponsored courses, contact the AAOS customer service department at (800) 626-6726 or visit the CME course section of the AAOS Web site at www.aaos.org/courses For more information about other CME courses or orthopaedic meetings listed, contact the source provided.

The problems with distal radial fractures: A roundtable discussion

Moderated by William B. Cooney III, MD

Dr. Cooney: What does the new evidence-based clinical practice guideline tell you and how will it affect or change your treatment of distal radius fractures? Dr. Gelberman: It tells me that if you are looking for evidence on which to base management of distal radius fractures, you are not going to find many credible studies. Even procedures that we commonly perform aren’t supported by the evidence.

Surgical treatment may be more effective for humeral fractures

Annie Hayashi

Lower rates of nonunions, malunions found Although nonsurgical management has been the longstanding treatment for closed humeral shaft fractures, a study presented at the 2009 annual meeting of the Orthopaedic Trauma Association demonstrated that surgical management significantly reduces the incidence of both nonunions and malunions.

ACR appropriateness criteria now available

New radiology guidelines developed with help of AAOS members AAOS members were instrumental in developing the latest version of the American College of Radiography’s (ACR) Appropriateness Criteria (AC) that was released Sept. 30, 2009. These evidence-based guidelines help physicians and other providers make the most appropriate imaging or treatment decision for a given clinical condition.

Rotator cuff tears can sideline athletes after SLAP repair

Jennie McKee

ASES scores not predictive of level of return to play Many elite overhead athletes can’t compete at their previous level of play after a superior labral anterior posterior (SLAP) tear, said Kevin C. Owsley, MD. “Despite achieving good American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) scores, only 57 percent of elite overhead athletes in our study returned to their pre-injury level of competition at a mean of 3 years after isolated type II SLAP repair,” Dr.

New method for detecting MRSA in trauma patients

Annie Hayashi

New technique three times more effective than culture “Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) screening protocols and control policies for elective surgical patients have decreased the MRSA infection rates up to fivefold nationally,” said John M. Fennessy, MD, at the Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Trauma Association. Based on these positive results, Dr.

Second Look – Clinical News and Views

If you missed these Headline News Now items the first time around, AAOS Now gives you a second chance to review them. Headline News Now—the AAOS thrice-weekly, online update of news of interest to orthopaedic surgeons—brings you the latest on clinical, socioeconomic, and political issues, as well as important announcements from AAOS. Shortage of sleep an issue A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Oct.

Joint Commission updates requirements for Universal Protocol

Dirk H. Alander, MD; David B. Carmack, MD

Since the publication of the Universal Protocol 2009 update, the AAOS leadership and the AAOS Patient Safety Committee have continued a dialogue with the Joint Commission (JC). (See “The Universal Protocol—Can’t love it or leave it!” AAOS Now, September 2009.) As a result, the Protocol was revised twice during 2009, and a new update will be effective as part of the 2010 patient safety goals.

Economy is changing education needs

Mary Ann Porucznik

One orthopaedist’s top 10 reasons for changing medical education Orthopaedic education is changing. Technology, economics, Maintenance of Certification™ (MOC), and practice patterns are forcing changes—not only in what is taught, but also in how it’s taught. At the 2009 Fall Meeting of the Board of Councilors (BOC)/Board of Specialty Societies, BOC Chair-Elect Richard J. Barry, MD, outlined his top 10 reasons for changing the way the AAOS does continuing medical education.

Where do you stand in the AM vs. TT debate?

Jennie McKee

Controversies abound in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Opinions differ on issues such as the most effective type of autograft or allograft to use, whether the single-bundle or double-bundle technique is better, and the optimal timing for surgery.