Biomechanical Study Supports Early Weight Bearing After Ankle Fracture Fixation

Terry Stanton

A biomechanical analysis of a cadaveric model of early weight bearing in unstable ankle fractures following open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) found no occurrence of significant fracture displacement, hardware failure, or new fracture. The authors of the study, presented by of the University of Southern California, at the 2016 Specialty Day Meeting of the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society in Orlando, Fla.

The Relationship Between Tibia-Femur Length Ratio and OA

Maureen Leahy

Results of a study presented at the 2016 AAOS Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla., revealed that a tibia-femur (T/F) length ratio greater than 0.80 was a significant predictor of osteoarthritis (OA) in the hip and knee. According to Raymond W. Liu, MD, who presented the research findings, this can be important information for orthopaedic surgeons who perform limb-lengthening procedures.

Treating Septic Arthritis, Knee Instability after ACL Reconstruction

Peter Pollack

Septic arthritis is a rare complication that can occur after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, with incidence rates estimated to be between 0.14 percent and 1.8 percent of cases. However, the consequences can be devastating, affecting functional outcomes through instability, laxity, chondrolysis, and stiffness.

Massive Rotator Cuff Tears Improve with Partial Repair

Peter Pollack

Arthroscopic partial rotator cuff repair may benefit patients with large and massive rotator cuff tears, according to data presented at the annual meeting of the Arthroscopy Association of North America by Stephen C. Weber, MD. Although the results may not approach those of complete arthroscopic repair, the researchers argue that the technique represents a reasonable, low-morbidity, low-cost salvage option for rotator cuff tears that may not be completely repairable.

Second Look – Clinical News and Views

Data from a study published in The Journal of Hand Surgery (online) suggest high satisfaction for patients with Dupuytren disease who are treated with collagenase clostridium histolyticum (CCH) injection. The research team conducted a cross-sectional study of 213 patients who had been treated for Dupuytren disease with CCH. They found that 73 percent of patients were very satisfied or satisfied, and 21 percent were dissatisfied.

Allograft Tissue Irradiation for ACL Reconstruction: Where Does Sterility Meet Stability?

Jesse Dashe, MD; Robert L. Parisien, MD; Emily J. Curry, BA; Asheesh Bedi, MD; Xinning Li, MD

Each year, approximately 200,000 anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures occur among patients in the United States. In general, two graft options—autograft and allograft—are available for ACL reconstruction, with much debate regarding the functional outcomes of each graft type. Graft failure rates are a major concern, with higher failure rates reported for allograft tissue compared to autograft in younger and high-demand athletic patient populations.

Bone Health Lifetime Challenges

Andrew D. Bunta, MD; Joseph M. Lane, MD

In the previous two installments of our Bone Health Lifetime Challenge series on issues surrounding bone mass accrual and osteoporosis in older adult fragility fracture patients, we addressed, in part one, nutrition, supplementation, and activity, and in part two, diagnosis and treatment. Here in part three, we discuss two potential adverse reactions to antiresorptive agents. Most commonly, these have been reported in studies of long-term bisphosphonate (BP) use.

Treating Severe Open Tibial Fractures

Terry Stanton

The use of circular hexapod devices was found to provide a safe, minimally invasive surgical alternative method to open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) in patients with severe open tibial fractures, achieving high bony union rates and excellent limb salvage results, according to research presented in a scientific poster at the 2016 AAOS Annual Meeting. The study, led by Dr.

Optimizing Patient Safety while Transferring Information

Andrew Grose, MD

Patient safety relies, to a significant extent, on healthcare providers' ability to exchange critical information about patients effectively and to properly manage handoffs from one provider to another. Fortunately, a few simple rules for exchanging important patient information have been shown to dramatically increase the likelihood of success.

Questions to Ask About Demineralized Bone Matrix

Adam I. Edelstein, MD; Ivan Cheng, MD

Demineralized bone matrix (DBM) is composed of collagenous and noncollagenous extracellular matrix components that have been extracted from allogeneic cadaver bone. The presence of growth factors such as bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) in the graft gives rise to osteoinductive properties; in some DBM products, graft particularity and three-dimensional structure provide osteoconductivity.