Knee arthroscopy and VTE: What are the risks?

Peter Pollack

Large study examines factors that may increase the risk of DVT and PE “Knee arthroscopy is the most commonly performed orthopaedic procedure in the United States,” explained Diane L. Dahm, MD, at the annual meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. “However, data on the risk of symptomatic venous thromboembolic events (VTEs), including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), are limited, and most published studies include relatively small numbers.”

Residency training programs need to add business education

James M. Saucedo, MD, MBA; Lalit Puri, MD, MBA

Survey shows support among residents As the delivery of health care becomes increasingly complex, physicians are expected not only to adapt to declining reimbursements and rising costs, but to maintain leadership roles as well. Unfortunately, physicians rarely, if ever, receive formal instruction in business principles as part of their medical training, even though they see, on a daily basis, the effects of policy on individual patients.

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.

How one hospital achieved surgical checklist compliance

John M. Purvis, MD

An interview with pediatric orthopaedic surgeon, James R. Kasser, MD As surgeon-in-chief at Children’s Hospital Boston, James R. Kasser, MD, has championed the use of safe surgery checklists for years. Recently, he spoke with AAOS Now editorial board member John M. Purvis, MD, about his efforts to make safe surgery checklists “standard operating procedure” at Children’s Hospital Boston. AAOS Now: Dr. Kasser, when did you institute the use of checklists for surgical cases? Dr.

Meetings and Course Listings

Listed below are upcoming continuing medical education (CME) courses and orthopaedic meetings (mid-September through November). 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.

AAOS approves disaster preparedness plan

Christopher T. Born, MD; David Teuscher, MD; Lynne Dowling

Education, credentialing process established Earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, a tsunami in Japan, and a tornado in Missouri—these natural disasters result in multiple orthopaedic injuries. And when such disasters occur, AAOS members are always more than willing to help. The 2010 Haitian earthquake, for example, triggered an unparalleled response from AAOS members. More than 500 fellows traveled to the devastated island as volunteers.

Bupivacaine effective for pain management of closed pediatric elbow fractures

Mary Ann Porucznik

Patients with supracondylar humerus fractures have less pain, narcotic use “Supracondylar humerus fractures are the most common type of pediatric elbow fracture,” noted Gaia Georgopoulos, MD, of the Musculoskeletal Research Center at Children’s Hospital Denver. “Despite the frequency of this injury and surgical treatment, however, minimal attention has been paid to postoperative pain management.” Dr.

Poor pitching technique may result in elbow, shoulder pain

Mary Ann Porucznik

Study finds technique may be a factor among young athletes “Approximately half of all young pitchers will experience elbow and shoulder pain over the course of a season,” reported Cynthia R. LaBella, MD, at the 2011 annual meeting of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America. Although a number of factors have been associated with pain (Table 1), most prevention efforts have focused on limiting pitch count and pitch types. Dr.

Hip arthroscopy: Update, advances, and future applications

Dean K. Matsuda, MD

Hip arthroscopy is arguably the most rapidly growing field in orthopaedic surgery Supportive evidence is growing for hip arthroscopy, a procedure once held in low regard by many orthopaedic surgeons and considered by some as a challenging procedure without an indication. According to one source, the number of hip arthroscopies performed will double by 2013. This year, CPT codes were officially introduced for arthroscopic acetabuloplasty, femoroplasty, and labral repair.

Targeting the medical student

Peter Pollack

Internship program aims to increase diversity in orthopaedics Census data prove it: the United States is becoming more diverse. According to 2010 census data, more than half of the growth in the total U.S. population between 2000 and 2010 was due to the increase in the Hispanic population. The proportion of individuals who identified themselves as “non-Hispanic White alone” declined from 69 percent to 64 percent.

CRM in military and civilian settings

Dirk H. Alander, MD; Robert Brooks, MD, PhD, MBA; David B. Carmack, MD; Col. Joseph Legan, MD

Lessons from aviation applied to the operating room The aviation cockpit model of crew resource management (CRM) can be applied to the operating room (OR) as a tool for improving communication and preventing medical error. This system uses the resources of the participating individuals to promote excellence in patient outcomes and safety, to increase productivity, and to improve patient, staff, and surgeon satisfaction.

OMeGA’s first CCI grant cycle a success

Rhonda Taira

Recipients of OMeGA Medical Grants Association’s first Core Competency Innovation (CCI) grants presented posters detailing their projects during the Council of Orthopaedic Residency Directors member meeting in June at the 2011 American Orthopaedic Association annual meeting in Boston.

What’s your Diagnosis?

In this feature, AAOS Now publishes a series of images, challenging readers to diagnose the condition depicted. The images for this month’s challenge were submitted by Valerae O. Lewis, MD, who provided the following information: The patient is a 57-year-old man, who complained of pain when sitting. The pain was localized to the sacral region and radiated to the left hip. He also noted pain in the left lower extremity.