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Ankle osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating condition that arises as a result of trauma or injury to the ankle and often progresses to chronic pain and loss of function that may require surgical intervention. Total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) has emerged as a means of operative treatment for end-stage ankle OA. Increased hospital length of stay (LOS) is a common adverse postoperative outcome that increases both the complications and cost of care associated with arthroplasty procedures. The purpose of this study was to employ four machine learning (ML) algorithms to predict LOS in patients undergoing TAA using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database. The ACS-NSQIP database was queried to identify adult patients undergoing elective TAA from 2008 to 2018. Four supervised ML classification algorithms were utilized and tasked with predicting increased hospital length of stay (LOS). Among these variables, female sex, ASA Class III, preoperative sodium, preoperative hematocrit, diabetes, preoperative creatinine, other arthritis, BMI, preoperative WBC, and Hispanic ethnicity carried the highest importance across predictions generated by 4 independent ML algorithms. Predictions generated by these algorithms were made with an average AUC of 0.7257, as well as an average accuracy of 73.98% and an average sensitivity and specificity of 48.47% and 79.38%, respectively. These findings may be useful for guiding decision-making within the perioperative period and may serve to identify patients at increased risk for a prolonged LOS., (Copyright © 2024 the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. All rights reserved.)

The purpose of this study was to report on the use of image analysis technology to enhance accuracy of intra-operative imaging and evaluation of periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) correction. This was a retrospective study reporting on the first 25 cases of PAO performed with the use of an image analysis tool. This technology was used intra-operatively to assess the position of the supine coronal image in comparison to pre-operative standing images using a ratio of pelvic tilt (PT). Intra-operative PT, Tönnis angle, lateral center-edge angle (LCEA) and anterior wall index were compared to post-operative images. Post-operative radiographic parameters in the study group were compared with a control group of PAO cases performed prior to the implementation of the new software. The image analysis software was able to obtain intra-operative supine imaging that was equivalent to pre-operative standing imaging. When comparing the PAOs performed with the use of the software versus those without, the study group trended toward being more likely within the surgeon's defined target range of radiographic values, which was statistically significant for LCEA. This tool can be used to assure the surgeon that the intra-operative image being used for surgical decision-making is representative of the functional radiograph. PAOs performed with the use of this technology showed enhanced accuracy of surgical correction for the parameters within our defined target ranges. This may increase the ability of the surgeon to place the acetabular fragment more precisely within his or her goal parameters for acetabular reorientation correction., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press.)

Background: There are few large database studies on national trends in regional anesthesia for various arthroscopic shoulder procedures and the effect of nerve blocks on the postoperative rate of opioid prescription filling., Hypothesis: The use of regional nerve block will decrease the rate of opioid prescription filling after various shoulder arthroscopic procedures. Also, the postoperative pattern of opioid prescription filling will be affected by the preoperative opioid prescription-filling history., Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3., Methods: Patient data from Humana, a large national private insurer, were queried via PearlDiver software, and a retrospective review was conducted from 2007 through 2015. Patients undergoing arthroscopic shoulder procedures were identified through Current Procedural Terminology codes. Nerve blocks were identified by relevant codes for single-shot and indwelling catheter blocks. The blocked and unblocked cases were age and sex matched to compare the pain medication prescription-filling pattern. Postoperative opioid trends (up to 6 months) were compared by regression analysis., Results: We identified 82,561 cases, of which 54,578 (66.1%) included a peripheral nerve block. Of the patients who received a block, 508 underwent diagnostic shoulder arthroscopy; 2449 had labral repair; 4746 had subacromial decompression procedure; and 12,616 underwent rotator cuff repair. The percentage of patients undergoing a nerve block increased linearly over the 9-year study period ( R 2 = 0.77; P = .002). After matching across the 2 cohorts, there was an identical trend in opioid prescription filling between blocked and unblocked cases ( P = .95). When subdivided by procedure, there was no difference in the trends between blocked and unblocked cases ( P = .52 for diagnostic arthroscopies; P = .24 for labral procedures; P = .34 for rotator cuff repairs). However, when preoperative opioid users were isolated, postoperative opioid prescription filling was found to be less common in the first 2 weeks after surgery when a nerve block was given versus not given ( P = .34 for rotator cuff repairs). However, when preoperative opioid users were isolated, postoperative opioid prescription filling was found to be less common in the first 2 weeks after surgery when a nerve block was given versus not given ( P < .001)., Conclusion: An increasing percentage of shoulder arthroscopies are being performed with regional nerve blocks. However, there was no difference in patterns of filled postoperative opioid prescriptions between blocked and unblocked cases, except for the subgroup of patients who had filled an opioid prescription within 1 to 3 months prior to shoulder arthroscopy. Future research should focus on recording the amount of prescribed opioids consumed in national databases to reinforce our strategy against the opioid epidemic., Competing Interests: One or more of the authors has declared the following potential conflict of interest or source of interest: H.P.K. has received educational support from Arthrex. S.C.G. has received educational support from Arthrex, consulting fees from Smith & Nephew, and nonconsulting fees from Arthrex. G.F.H. has received educational support from Arthrex and Micromed, consulting fees and nonconsulting fees from Arthrex, and honoraria from Fidia Pharma. A.E.W. has received educational support from Arthrex and Smith & Nephew, nonconsulting fees from Arthrex, and hospitality payments from Stryker. AOSSM checks author disclosures against the Open Payments Database (OPD). AOSSM has not conducted an independent investigation on the OPD and disclaims any liability or responsibility relating thereto., (© The Author(s) 2020.)

Background: No consensus exists for the management of closed tibia fractures in the adolescent population., Methods: The Kids' Inpatient Database was used to extract data on patients aged 10 to 18 years with closed diaphyseal tibia fractures. The frequency of closed reduction and internal fixation (IF) was calculated, and the temporal trends were evaluated., Results: Between 1997 and 2012, the rate of IF for closed tibia fractures in the adolescent population increased by 29.8%. The rate of increase in IF between patients aged 10 to 12 years, 13 to 15 years, and 16 to 18 years was not statistically different (P = 0.092). Analysis of hospital variables demonstrated that large hospitals were more likely to perform IF compared with small- and medium-sized hospitals (P < 0.001). A significant difference exists between the IF and closed reduction groups in the length of hospital stay (3.85 ± 0.07 versus 2.44 ± 0.07; P < 0.001) and cost ($37,400 ± $890 versus $15,300 ± $670; P < 0.001)., Discussion: The results of this study show a shift in the management of closed tibia shaft fractures in the adolescent population admitted to the hospital, with an absolute rate increase of 29.8% in patients aged 10 to 18 years over a 15-year period., Level of Evidence: Level III. A retrospective, comparative study.

Purpose: To report the trends in arthroscopic partial meniscectomy (APM) for degenerative meniscal tears in a large private insurance database among patients older than 50 years., Methods: The Humana database between 2007 and 2015 was queried for this study. Patients meeting the inclusion criteria with degenerative meniscal tears who underwent APMs were identified by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes, followed by Current Procedural Terminology codes. A linear regression analysis was performed with a significance level set at F < 0.05., Results: A total of 21,759 APMs were performed between 2007 and 2015 in patients older than 50 years. Normalized data for total yearly enrollment showed a significant increase in APMs performed from 2007 to 2010 (R 2  = 0.986, P = .007). The average percentage increase per year from 2007 to 2010 was 18.59%. However, there was a significant decrease in APMs performed from 2010 to 2015 (R 2  = 0.748, P = .026). The average percentage decrease per year from 2010 to 2015 was 7.74%. The percentage decrease overall from 2010 to 2015 was 71.68%. No difference in statistical significance was found when age was broken into 5-year age intervals. We found a significant difference in APM based on region (P < .001)., Conclusions: The rate of APMs in patients older than 50 years increased from 2007 until 2010. Since 2010, the rate of APMs in patients older than 50 years has significantly decreased. These trends are likely multifactorial. Regardless of cause, it appears that the orthopaedic surgery community is performing fewer APMs in this patient population., Level of Evidence: Level III, retrospective database epidemiological study., (Copyright © 2019 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To determine whether shoulder injections prior to rotator cuff repair (RCR) are associated with deleterious surgical outcomes., Methods: Two large national insurance databases were used to identify a total of 22,156 patients who received ipsilateral shoulder injections prior to RCR. They were age, sex, obesity, smoking status, and comorbidity matched to a control group of patients who underwent RCR without prior injections. The 2 groups were compared regarding RCR revision rates., Results: Patients who received injections prior to RCR were more likely to undergo RCR revision than matched controls (odds ratio [OR], 1.52; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.38-1.68; P < .0001). Patients who received injections closer to the time of index RCR were more likely to undergo revision (P < .0001). Patients who received a single injection prior to RCR had a higher likelihood of revision (OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.10-1.43; P = .001). Patients who received 2 or more injections prior to RCR had a greater than 2-fold odds of revision (combined OR, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.82-2.47; P < .0001) versus the control group., Conclusions: This study strongly suggests a correlation between preoperative shoulder injections and revision RCR. There is also a frequency dependence and time dependence to this finding, with more frequent injections and with administration of injections closer to the time of surgery both independently associated with higher revision RCR rates. Presently, on the basis of this retrospective database study, orthopaedic surgeons should exercise due caution regarding shoulder injections in patients whom they are considering to be surgical candidates for RCR., Level of Evidence: Level III, therapeutic study., (Copyright © 2019 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)