Risk Factors for ACL Re-tears in Athletes

Female athletes, athletes younger than age 25, and athletes with a graft size less than 8 mm are at increased risk for an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) re-tear after reconstruction, according to study data presented at the 2016 annual meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. "The minimum size required for a successful quadruple hamstring autograft ACL reconstruction remains controversial," the authors write.

High RTP Rates After Shoulder Surgery

Study data presented at the 2016 American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine annual meeting indicate that return to play (RTP) rates are high for intercollegiate football players following shoulder stabilization surgery. Football athletes from seven programs in the Pacific-12, Southeastern Conference, and Atlantic Coast Conference participated in the IRB-approved study.

Study: Preoperative PROMIS Scores Can Predict Outcomes for Foot and Ankle Patients

Terry Stanton

A study that examined how well preoperative patient-reported outcome scores would predict postoperative improvement after foot and ankle surgery found that patients with low preoperative function and high preoperative pain experienced outcomes superior to those with relatively high function and lower pain. The authors of the study, which was the 2016 recipient of the J.

Stopping Biofilms Before They Form

Peter Pollack

Covalent attachment of antibiotics to allograft surfaces could inhibit bacterial colonization and help tumor patients resist infection for a far longer period than most current technologies, according to information from a study conducted by Constantinos Ketonis, MD, PhD, and his colleagues. Dr. Ketonis presented findings from his ongoing work in a scientific paper at the 2016 AAOS Annual Meeting.

The Evolving State of TJA Performance Measures

Kent Jason Lowry, MD; Adolph J. Yates Jr, MD

Performance measures, capturing the quality of care provided by surgeons and hospitals, are an increasingly important reality. Performance measures for total joint arthroplasty (TJA) have been an early focus for Medicare and other payers due to the volume of surgeries, the cost, and the potential for reimbursement through alternative payment models (APMs). The most readily applied APM for TJA is an episode of care bundled payment.

Stimulating Bone Growth

Mark Crawford

In the United States, fractures cost approximately $20 billion annually to treat and are associated with 100 million days of restricted activity. The surgical treatment for many fractures includes bone grafting. However, performing bone graft harvests has been associated with additional morbidity. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been used to treat a variety of musculoskeletal diseases, and researchers are investigating their potential to treat fractures.

Measuring Up: The Performance Measure Development Process

David R. Chandler, MD

Performance measure development progresses through the following five phases, as depicted in Fig. 1: conceptualization specification testing implementation use and continuation of maintenance A link to the flow chart of the full process that AAOS implements for development can be found here. In the first phase of measure development, conceptualization, an idea about healthcare quality improvement is proposed.

Why Measure Systemic Metal Levels in Orthopaedic Patients?

Nadim James Hallab, PhD; Mitchell C. Weiser, MD

The pursuit of longer lasting, wear-resistant designs in modern total hip arthroplasty (THA) has resulted in the introduction of alternative bearing surfaces (such as metal-on-metal [MoM]) and modularity options (such as modular THA necks). Some of these implant designs have had less-than-optimal performance and have also been correlated with elevated levels of systemic metal ions, highlighting the current usefulness of metal ion blood testing.

Bone and Cartilage: Interpreting the Crosstalk

Terry Stanton; Thomas P. Vail, MD; Tamara Alliston, PhD

In electronics, "crosstalk" is the usually undesirable effect of a signal in one channel on another circuit or channel. In orthopaedic research, crosstalk can refer to interactions among tissues, particularly with respect to the onset and development of joint diseases.

The Research Roadmap: Tools and Resources

Kyle Mullen, Ryan Pezold; Jayson Murray

Researchers often seek guidance and tools to ensure that their planned studies can be developed and completed to meet the standards of high-quality clinical research.

AAOS Awarded Research Grant

The AAOS Department of Research, Quality and Scientific Affairs, in collaboration with the Major Extremity Trauma Research Consortium, has been awarded a U.S.