Delay Spells Difficulties for Children with SL Injuries

According to the results of a study presented during the 2016 annual meeting of the American Association for Hand Surgery, early diagnosis and surgical treatment of scapholunate (SL) ligament injuries in patients younger than 18 years results in better outcomes, compared to patients who underwent surgery a year or more after the injury. SL injuries may result from a fall or a sudden load on the wrist. They are not uncommon in athletes, but are rarely diagnosed in pediatric patients.

Decline in HACs Associated with Cost Savings and Fewer Deaths

Julie B. Samora, MD, PhD, MPH; David B. Bumpass, MD

All too often, patients enter a hospital with one condition and acquire others during treatment. These hospital-acquired conditions (HACs), as defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), are common and costly medical complications that could reasonably have been prevented through the application of evidence-based guidelines.

Soft Tissues and PRP: An Uneven Record

Robert L. Parisien, MD; David P. Trofa, MD; Jesse Dashe, MD; Scott F.M. Duncan, MD, MPH, MBA

Proponents of platelet-rich plasma (PRP)—an autologous blood derivative that isolates high concentrations of platelets and is rich in multiple growth factors and cytokines—have touted its use in the treatment of multiple orthopaedic ailments, from fracture healing to tendinopathy. But a closer look at the evidence supporting the use of PRP in soft-tissue injuries shows a more nuanced role for this popular biologic.

Edward M. Wojtys, MD, and James A. Ashton-Miller, PhD, Receive Kappa Delta Lanier Award

Terry Stanton

As a former linebacker for the University of Michigan football team, Edward M. Wojtys, MD, was drawn to the challenge of understanding and preventing knee injuries. For work spanning three decades of research into the neuromuscular function of the knee, mechanisms of ACL injury, and in vivo efforts to develop a cell-engineered anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) replacement, Dr. Wojtys and James A. Ashton-Miller, PhD, are the recipients of the 2016 Kappa Delta Elizabeth Winston Lanier Award.

Unmasking the "Two Faces" of Osteoprogenitor Cells

Jennie McKee

Drugs currently used to prevent bone loss—such as bisphosphonates and denosumab—are costly and may cause serious complications, raising socioeconomic and clinical questions about their long-term use, according to the Robert E. Carroll and Jane Chace Carroll Laboratories Professor at Columbia University. Through Dr.

Assessment Program Improves Surgical Safety

Michael S. Pinzur, MD

In 1998, AAOS initiated an innovative patient safety program called Sign Your Site to help prevent wrong site surgery. The program expanded the focus of surgical patient safety from a retrospective evaluation of adverse events to a proactive implementation of safety processes intended to prevent them. Lessons learned from aviation safety demonstrate that use of proactive initiatives such as surgical checklists can improve safety.