Rotator Cuff Treatments Pay Off

Mary Ann Porucznik

Shoulder pain associated with an injury to the rotator cuff affects millions of people in the United States and leads to millions of patient visits to physicians. The functional limitations due to these injuries may result in reduced earning for individuals as well as lost productivity and increased costs to society. Two trends contribute to increasing concerns about the appropriate treatment for rotator cuff disease.

Robotic Surgery in Arthroplasty

Karthikeyan E. Ponnusamy, MD; S. Raymond Golish, MD, PhD

Robotic assistance is a relatively new technology for unicompartmental (UKA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA), as well as for certain aspects of total hip arthroplasty (THA). Currently, two systems have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are commercially available in the United States—RIO® (MAKO Surgical, now owned by Stryker Corp.) and ROBODOC® (Curexo Technology).

Bequest Funds Stem-Cell Research

Amy Kile

Twenty years after placing a rod in Mr. John (Jack) Mayes’ broken humerus, Bruce T. Henderson, MD, learned he was the heir of a large sum of money with one stipulation: It had to be used in support of orthopaedic research. Dr. Henderson immediately thought of the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF). “I briefly talked about some of the research supported by OREF with Mr. Mayes before he died. I told him, ‘Here’s the organization to work with.

Moving from Bench to Bedside

Amber Blake

Every innovation in orthopaedics starts with an idea, a way to improve musculoskeletal patient care. Bringing that idea to fruition is a long and often complex road that requires researchers and clinicians to answer the questions “Is it safe?” and “Is it effective?” Completing a clinical research trial is a necessary step to getting a new idea into clinical practice. However, planning and conducting a successful trial can be confusing at best.

Safety First

Calin S. Moucha, MD

More than one-third of Americans aged 20 years or older are classified as obese, defined as having a body mass index greater than 30 kg/m2, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Moreover, many orthopaedic patients, especially arthroplasty patients, fall into this category. Obesity is a known risk factor for postoperative infections after numerous orthopaedic procedures.

Putting Evidence-based Guidelines into Practice

Maureen Leahy

Embracing evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) in orthopaedics isn’t easy—in part due to the fact that the evidence for many treatments isn’t strong. But the surgeons at Resurgens Orthopaedics in Atlanta have found a way to use the CPGs prepared by the AAOS in their ongoing efforts to improve the quality of patient care. Douglas W. Lundy, MD   AAOS Now: What factors influenced Resurgens to take this approach to the Academy’s CPGs? Dr.

POSNA Puts Quality, Safety, Value in Action

James J. McCarthy, MD

As orthopaedists, we strive daily to decrease complications, provide the highest quality patient care, and improve the value of the services we offer. Although every practice and every hospital expends considerable effort on achieving these goals, many operate in isolation, unaware of what worked well in a similar practice or hospital across the state or across the nation.

Medication Safety: An AAOS Priority

Dana McClure-Thomas, Paul Zemaitis; David C. Ring, MD

Safety issues with prescription medication—including the epidemic of opioid misuse and abuse, overprescribed antibiotics, and medication errors—have garnered significant media attention lately.

Prescription Painkillers and Sex

Jennifer K. Wozniczka, MD

Prescription painkillers, often opioids, are commonly prescribed in orthopaedics. New data demonstrate an increase in both the amount of narcotics prescribed and the complications associated with prescription painkillers. In fact, deaths from prescription opioid overdoses in the United States exceed the deaths from heroin and cocaine combined. According to recent (2010) data from the U.S.