Ringing the bell on concussion management

Peter Pollack

“Concussion is a significant issue,” said Claude T. Moorman III, MD. “We’ve learned that it is a more significant issue than some of us previously thought.”

Was rhBMP-2 research tainted?

Terry Stanton

Orthopaedic surgeons took notice in late June when two members of the Senate Finance Committee sent a letter to Medtronic, Inc. (Minneapolis), maker of the recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) product Infuse. Sens. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) expressed concern about media reports that researchers conducting clinical trials on the product who had financial ties to Medtronic failed to report adverse events, including sterility in men and potentially harmful bone growth.

Obese patients do well with TAR

Terry Stanton

A Swiss study of obese patients who underwent total ankle replacement (TAR) found that survivorship of prosthesis components at midterm follow-up was comparable to results obtained in nonobese patients. The investigators also observed that approximately 12 percent of the patients had lost weight 1 year after surgery.

Resident investigators put themselves to the test

CAPT Dana C. Covey, MD, USN

A report on the OREF/ORS Southwest Region Resident Research Symposia On May 25, 2011, the third annual Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF)/Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS) Southwest Region Resident Research Symposium was held in San Diego. The event showcased resident researchers from training programs in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada.

Sex-related differences in concussion symptoms among high-school athletes

Elizabeth Arendt, MD; Margot Putukian, MD, FACSM

Incidence and definition An estimated 3 million sports-related concussions occur annually in the United States. After motor vehicle accidents, sports are the second leading cause of traumatic brain injury among people age 15 to 24 years. A concussion is defined as “a complex pathophysiological process affecting the brain, induced by traumatic biomechanical forces.” Usually, a short-lived neurologic impairment that spontaneously resolves follows a concussion.