The Journal of arthroplasty
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Comparative Study
Periprosthetic femoral fracture--a biomechanical comparison between Vancouver type B1 and B2 fixation methods.
Current clinical data suggest a higher failure rate for internal fixation in Vancouver type B1 periprosthetic femoral fracture (PFF) fixations compared to long stem revision in B2 fractures. The aim of this study was to compare the biomechanical performance of several fixations in the aforementioned fractures. ⋯ In case of B2 fractures, long stem revision and bypassing the fracture gap by two femoral diameters are recommended. Considering the risk of single plate failure, long stem revision could be considered in all comminuted B1 and B2 fractures.
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Despite advances in surgical techniques and instrumentation, optimal cup positioning in total hip arthroplasty (THA) is challenging with a limited accuracy. We evaluated whether a learning curve exists for the optimal cup positioning, using the LC-CUSUM test (Learning curve cumulative summation test). We evaluated the first 100 consecutive THA performed by two surgeons, who had a year of fellowship training in the same teaching hospital. ⋯ There was no significant difference of numbers of outlier between two surgeons (P = 0.079). Both surgeons completed the learning curve of optimal cup positioning before 50 procedures, and maintained competence. A substantial learning period is necessary in the optimal positioning of an acetabular cup.
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Given institutional pressures to reduce hospital length of stay (LOS) we hypothesized that "failure to cope" would be a significant factor for readmission following total joint arthroplasty (TJA). A retrospective review of 4288 TJA patients was conducted to determine readmission rates and reasons for readmit within 30 days of discharge. Ninety-five patients (2.2%; 95% CI: 1.8%-2.7%) were readmitted. ⋯ Of readmits 5.3% (5/95) were readmitted for failure to cope, representing 0.1% of the sample. In multivariate analysis, increased age was a significant predictor of readmission (OR = 0.974, 95% CI 0.952-0.997). Contrary to our hypothesis failure to cope was not a leading diagnosis for readmission; concerns remain that early discharge may however correlate with increased readmit rates.
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The purpose of this study was to assess the incidence of the diagnosis of depression and determine the impact of this diagnosis on early postoperative outcomes following total joint arthroplasty (TJA). Multivariate analysis of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database was used to compare the association of depression with inhospital morbidity, mortality, length of stay, and hospital charges following TJA. The rate of diagnosis of depression in the arthroplasty population was 10.0%. ⋯ Depression was associated with a greater risk of post-operative psychosis (OR = 1.74), anemia (OR = 1.14), infection (OR = 1.33), and pulmonary embolism (OR 1.20), and a lower risk of cardiac (OR = 0.93) and gastrointestinal complications (OR = 0.80). Depression was not associated with in-hospital mortality. Depression appears to impact early postoperative morbidity after TJA, a finding which is important for patient counseling and risk adjustment.
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The role of total hip arthroplasty (THA) for fracture in octogenarians remains unclear. Over a two-year period, 354 patients aged > 80 years were admitted with a displaced intracapsular hip fracture. Using defined clinical guidelines, 38 patients underwent THA with a median age of 84 years, mean follow-up of 20 months. ⋯ There were no dislocations or periprosthetic fractures and patient survival was 97% at 30 days and 87% at one year. There was one revision for deep infection. This study demonstrates that THA for selected octogenarians can be performed safely, allows the majority of patients to return to independent living and has a low complication rate.