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Category: Other Introduction/Purpose: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a rare but potentially lethal complication following orthopaedic foot and ankle surgery. Surgeons continue to debate the types of patients and procedures in which it is appropriate to use chemical thromboprophylaxis. A recent meta-analysis concluded that patients at high risk for VTE after foot and ankle surgery should receive prophylaxis, but there remains a paucity of data to elucidate which demographic or comorbidity variables are most strongly associated with development of VTE. The incidence of VTE after orthopaedic foot and ankle surgery stratified by specific procedure has yet to be examined. The purpose of this study is to report the incidence of and identify risk factors for VTE in a large sample of patients receiving orthopaedic foot and ankle surgery. Methods: In this study, we retrospectively analyzed prospectively-collected data from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) 2006 to 2015 data files. The incidence of VTE was calculated for 30 specific orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeries and for four broad types of foot and ankle surgery. A total of 23,212 patients were identified and grouped by current procedures terminology (CPT) codes. Demographic, comorbidity, and complication variables were analyzed to determine associations with development of VTE. Pearson’s chi-squared test was used to compare categorical variables and Student t test was used to compare continuous variables. P-values of p

Category: Ankle Introduction/Purpose: With increasing implementation of the bundled payment model and meteoric rise in healthcare prices over the past decade, efforts to minimize unnecessary costs are highly warranted. One potential method to do this is by performing foot and ankle surgery on patients either in an appropriate inpatient or outpatient setting. There is evidence suggesting that outpatient orthopaedic foot and ankle surgery for ankle fractures leads to lower risk of 30-day medical morbidities, reoperation, and admissions as compared to inpatient surgeries. The purpose of this study is to compare the inpatient versus outpatient outcomes of patients undergoing elective orthopaedic foot and ankle surgery using a large national database. Methods: Data from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) years 2005-2015 were used in this study. There were 216 CPT codes specific to orthopaedic foot and ankle surgery queried for inclusion in the analysis, 36 of which were identified in the database. CPT codes representing ORIF of ankle fractures were excluded. These codes were manually reviewed by a licensed orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeon to confirm their elective nature, reducing the number of codes to 30. Demographic, comorbidity, and outcome variables were calculated and stratified by inpatient versus outpatient status. Significant differences in these variables were evaluated using ANOVA for continuous variables and Pearson’s Chi-Square for categorical variables. There was a total of 7,672 cases identified. Results: The most common elective inpatient procedures were transmetatarsal amputation (57.9%), total ankle arthroplasty (13.0%), and midtarsal amputation (5.2%). The most common elective outpatient procedures were collateral ligamentous repair (15.8%), transmetatarsal amputation (10.7%), and extensor tendon repair (8.7%). As compared to patients receiving outpatient treatment, patients who received inpatient treatment for elective foot and ankle surgeries were significantly older, male, had lower BMI, and were more likely to smoke. Inpatients were also more likely to receive general anesthesia, have shorter operative times, and have functional limitations (p

Category: Hindfoot Introduction/Purpose: Hindfoot fusion procedures are increasingly being performed in the outpatient setting. However, the cost-effectiveness of hindfoot fusion procedures compared with risk and benefit have not been clearly investigated. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the cost-effectiveness of outpatient versus inpatient hindfoot arthrodesis. Secondary objectives were to compare patient characteristics and short-term complications of patients in each cohort. Methods: This was a retrospective review of all patients who underwent inpatient and outpatient hindfoot fusion procedures at a single institution from 2013-2017. Data collected for each patient included demographic information, operative variables, comorbidities, complications, and any subsequent emergency department visits, readmissions or reoperations. Cost data was collected for each inpatient or outpatient encounter, as well as any subsequent encounters related to the index procedure. Results: Of 151 total hindfoot procedures performed over the study period, 37 were inpatient and 114 were performed in the outpatient setting. There were 3 more readmissions, 22 more ED visits, and 0 more reoperations after outpatient surgery vs inpatient surgery. The average total cost for an outpatient hindfoot fusion procedure was significantly lower than the average total cost for inpatient hindfoot fusion, without a significant increase in complication rate. We are currently in the process of performing the total cost analysis, and will have the completed cost and risk/benefit information within the next two weeks. Conclusion: Outpatient hindfoot fusion surgery may be more cost-effective when compared to inpatient fusion surgery without a significant increase in complications, ED visits, or readmissions.

Category: Ankle Introduction/Purpose: Ankle arthritis is a potentially debilitating disease with approximately 50,000 cases diagnosed annually. Once conservative management fails, surgical options for these patients include total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) and ankle arthrodesis. Younger, more active patients may prefer TAA as it may allow better ankle mobility compared to ankle arthrodesis. TAA has historically been performed in the inpatient setting with a one- to two-night postoperative hospital stay. Outpatient surgeries are gaining popularity due to their cost effectiveness, decreased length of hospital stay, and convenience. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the safety of specific procedures in the outpatient setting compared to the inpatient setting. This study evaluates the complication rates in inpatient vs. outpatient TAA. Methods: Our team conducted a retrospective analysis of data from 591 patients receiving inpatient and outpatient TAA from the NSQIP database. This database contains de-identified patient data and allows retrospective analyses to be performed based on data they have extracted from over 400 hospitals. Demographic information was recorded including age, sex, weight, height, and race. Thirty-day postoperative complication rates were compared between 66 outpatients and 535 inpatients. Frequencies of the following complications were analyzed: wound complications, pneumonia, hematologic complications (pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis), renal failure, stroke, and return to the operating room within 30 days. The inpatient and outpatient groups were compared using chi-squared tests for categorical variables and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests for continuous variables. Results: 591 total patients were identified that underwent TAA. 66 patients (11.1%) were treated as outpatients and 525 (88.8%) as inpatients. Inpatient TAA had a significantly higher mean operation time (161 min vs 148 min) and a significant difference in length of total hospital stay (2.3 days vs 1.1 days). Inpatients had higher rates of superficial incisional surgical site infection (SSI) (0.57% vs 0%), deep SSI (0.19 % vs 0%), organ/space SSI (0.19% vs 0%), pneumonia (0.38% vs 0%), and return to the operating room (0.76% to 0%). However, no significant differences were found in complication rates between inpatient and outpatient groups. There were no occurrences of acute renal failure, wound disruption, pulmonary embolism, stroke, or DVT/thrombophlebitis for inpatients or outpatients. Conclusion: We found no significant difference between inpatient vs. outpatient TAA. Incidental differences we found were that inpatients were significantly more likely to be older in age, diagnosed with diabetes, and inpatients had longer operative times. Our results suggest that inpatients are more likely, but not significantly, to have a higher occurrence of complications and return to the OR. Therefore, this study suggests that outpatient TAA is safe and may be a superior option for the correct patient population. Further investigation is warranted to verify these conclusions.

Category: Trauma Introduction/Purpose: Ankle fractures are commonly treated fractures by orthopaedic surgeons with unique challenges to skin closure due to the lack of subcutaneous support. Metallic staples are a commonly accepted method of skin closure in other specialties, though the use of staples in orthopaedics, and more specifically in foot and ankle surgery, remains a topic of debate. Proponents of staples report several potential advantages to using staples instead of sutures, including reduced closure time, faster and less painful removal, or improved cosmetic appearance. This study aimed to compare outcomes of suture versus staple closure as well as to evaluate the safety of staple closure after open fixation of acute traumatic ankle fractures. Methods: The medical records of 94 patients treated at our institution with open fixation of an acute traumatic ankle fracture by a single surgeon between January 2011 and June 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Demographics, preoperative characteristics, relevant comorbidities, operative characteristics, and postoperative outcomes were compared between patients who received superficial skin closure using staples versus suture techniques. Statistical analysis was performed using chi-squared test and Fisher’s exact test. Results: The staple and suture group patients were demographically similar at baseline. Of the 94 patients included in this study, 10 patients developed local wound related complications postoperatively, including 5 with wound dehiscence, 4 with superficial wound infections, and 1 deep infection . Eight patients required revision surgery due to infection or wound dehiscence. Four patients in the suture group developed superficial wound infections, compared with zero in the staple group. One patient in the staple group developed a deep infection. With the numbers available, no significant differences could be detected in the incidence of postoperative infections, local wound related complications and revision surgeries between two wound closure groups. Conclusion: Our data suggests that there is no statistical difference in outcomes between staple and suture closure after open fixation of acute ankle fractures. Because there was no difference in morbidity with possible benefits of reduced closure time, faster removal, and improved cosmetic appearance, we conclude that staple closure may be a safe alternative to sutures for superficial skin closure. This study adds evidence to a growing body of literature and suggests that staples can be used in some instances, clinical decision making, surgeon preference, and technique proficiency should remain the cornerstone of closure in ankle fracture surgery.

Category: Midfoot/Forefoot Introduction/Purpose: Advanced-stage arthritis of the first metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ), or “Hallux Rigidus” (HR) is a common forefoot pathology. When surgery is indicated, arthroplasty is an alternative to arthrodesis, which aims to preserve MTPJ dorsiflexion. Since it is unclear whether total-toe or hemi-toe devices are preferred implants in MTPJ arthroplasty, we completed a systematic review of the literature and did a meta analysis to test which type of implants clinically outperform in hallux rigidus. Methods: A systematic review of MTPJ arthroplasty was performed using Pubmed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, and Cochrane library for the years 2000 to 2017. Data was extracted from articles containing both preoperative and postoperative endpoints for either hemi or total MTPJ arthroplasty cases. To be eligible for inclusion, studies must have had a mean follow-up window of at least 24 months and standard deviation of outcome. Total eleven studies were included for review, seven studies with hemi replacement and six studies with total arthroplasty. Pooled mean values were calculated, and a forest plot was created comparing pre-and post-operative American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Score (AOFAS), visual analogue scale (VAS), and range of motion (ROM) results for both hemi-toe and total-toe arthroplasty. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS. Results: Mean postoperative AOFAS scores in patients undergoing hemiarthroplasty improved by 50.7 points (95%CI: 48.5, 52.8), which was higher than the mean postoperative AOFAS improvement of 40.6 points (95%CI: 38.5, 42.8) seen in total-toe patients. Mean postoperative VAS improvement in hemiarthroplasty was 6.05 points (95%CI: 5.92, 6.18), which was comparable to the mean VAS improvement of 6.29 points (95%CI: 6.02, 6.55) seen in total arthroplasty. Mean postoperative MTPJ ROM improved by 43.0 degrees (95%CI: 39.3, 46.6) in hemi-toe patients, which exceeded the mean ROM improvement of 32.5 degrees (95%CI: 29.9, 35.1) found in total-toe cases. A meta-analysis of the data revealed non-significant statistical trends for AOFAS and ROM in favor of hemiarthroplasty. Conclusion: Hemi-surface implants in MTPJ arthroplasty may improve postoperative AOFAS and ROM results to a greater extent than total-toe devices. High-quality randomized controlled studies are needed to confirm long-term surgical outcomes in these patients.

Category: Midfoot/Forefoot Introduction/Purpose: Hallux rigidus is a painful arthritis of the first metatarsophalangeal joint that causes progressive loss of mobility. Treatment options include activity modifications, analgesics, corticosteroids, and surgery. Arthrodesis of the MTP joint is considered the gold standard treatment for hallux rigidus, but it is often reserved for advanced. Interposition arthroplasty uses a spacer taken from an autograft, allograft, or synthetic material. For patients with severe arthritic diseases who would like to preserve MTP joint function, interposition arthroplasty may be a viable option. The purpose of this systematic review is to investigate patient outcomes after undergoing interposition arthroplasty of the MTP joint. The objectives are to determine if this technique is practical for patients who would prefer to avoid arthrodesis, and to systematically analyze post-operative improvement. Methods: The systematic review was performed following PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analyses) guidelines. Medline, pubmed, Embase, and Cohrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDRS) were searched for publications from 2000 to 2017. Duplicates were then removed, and titles and abstracts were reviewed to confirm the relevance f the study. Studies were included if they reported results of first MTP joint interposition arthroplasty in one of the well-known scoring systems: AOFAS, FFI, or SF-36. Studies also were also required to have a 12 month follow up. Systematic review and data extraction were performed on all selected studies. Means were recorded and placed in tables for all variables including scoring results and complication rates. A linear regression model comparing the change in preoperative to postoperative AOFAS scores between the autogenous versus allogenous interposition materials was performed. Results: Database searches produced 574 articles for review. 15 of these were included in the systematic review. Mean AOFAS score was improved from 41.35 preoperatively to 83.17 postoperatively. Mean pain, function, and alignment scores improved from preoperative values of 14.9, 24.9, and 10 to postoperative values of 33.3, 35.8, and 14.5. Mean dorsiflexion increased from 21.27 degrees (5-30) to 42.03 degrees (25-71). Mean ROM improved from 21.06 to 46.43 degrees. Eighty-seven percent of patients were satisfied to highly satisfied with their surgery and would choose surgery again. Joint space increased by 0.8 mm to 2.5 mm. The most common complications included metatarsalgia (13.9%), loss of ground contact (9.7%), osteonecrosis (5.4%), great toe weakness (4.8%), hypoesthesia (4.2%), decreased push off power (4.2%), and callous formation (4.2%). Conclusion: The management of hallux rigidus remains heavily debated. This systematic review of the current literature suggests that interposition arthroplasty is a viable short and intermediate term treatment for hallux rigidus in terms of patient satisfaction, pain scores, and AOFAS scores. Further studies with greater sample sizes, more uniform methods, and longer follow-up times are needed to further support the superiority of interposition arthroplasty.

Category: Other Introduction/Purpose: Surgical site infections (SSI) are infections of the incision site, organ, or space at or near the surgical incision within 30 days of the procedure or within 90 days for prosthetic implants. Being the most common nosocomial infection, SSI’s are a burden to the healthcare system as they increase costs, duration of stay, antimicrobial resistance, morbidity, and mortality. While there is limited evidence in the orthopaedic literature suggesting that the incidence of SSI increases during the summer months, this association has not been examined in the setting of foot and ankle surgery. The purpose of this study was to determine whether seasonal variation plays a role in developing SSI’s after orthopaedic foot and ankle surgery. Methods: Data from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) years 2011-2015 were used in this study. The pooled and individual incidences of superficial incisional SSI, deep SSI, and organ space SSI were calculated and stratified by quarter of admission. The quarters of admission represent the various seasons (1=winter, 2=spring, 3=summer, 4=fall). Differences in the incidence of SSI as well as various demographic, comorbidity, and complication variables were evaluated using ANOVA for continuous variables and Pearson’s Chi-Square for categorical variables. Results: A total of 17,939 patients were identified. After pooling the superficial, deep, and organ space infections, the overall SSI rate was highest in the summer months (July-September, 3rd quarter) at 2.68% as compared to 2.20%, 2.33%, and 2.14% in the other respective quarters (p=0.338). There was a total of 218 cases of superficial incisional SSI. The summer months had the highest incidence of superficial SSI at 1.38% compared to 1.14%, 1.13%, and 1.21% for 1st, 2nd, and 4th quarters, respectively (p=0.677). There were 145 cases of deep incisional SSI. The third quarter again had the highest rate at 1.02% compared to 0.72%, 0.93%, and 0.60% for 1st, 2nd, and 4th quarter respectively (p=0.105). Conclusion: Our results show that superficial incisional SSI, deep incisional SSI, and open wound infections have increased likelihood during the summer months in the setting of orthopaedic foot and ankle surgery. Some studies have associated the increased temperature and humidity during the summer months with increased rates of infections and our results show similar trends. Additional evidence with larger sample sizes is needed to determine which specific procedures are at highest risk of infection during the summer months.

Category: Other Introduction/Purpose: The tourniquet is commonly used in orthopedic surgeries on the upper and lower extremities to reduce blood loss, improve visualization, and expedite the surgical procedure. However, tourniquets have been associated with multiple local and systemic complications, including postoperative pain. Guidelines vary regarding ideal tourniquet pressure and duration, while the practice of fixed, high tourniquet pressures remains common. The relationship between tourniquet pressure, duration, and postoperative pain has been studied in various orthopaedic procedures, but these relationships remain unknown in foot and ankle surgery. The purpose of this study was to assess for correlation between excessive tourniquet pressure and duration and the increased incidence of tourniquet pain in foot and ankle surgery patients. Methods: Retrospective chart review was performed for 132 adult patients who underwent foot and ankle surgery with concomitant use of intraoperative tourniquet at a single institution between August and December of 2015. Patients with history of daily opioid use of 30 or more morphine oral equivalents for greater than 30 days, patients who underwent foot and ankle surgery without regional nerve block, patients deemed to have failed regional nerve block, and patients who underwent foot and ankle surgery without tourniquet use were excluded. Patient’s baseline systolic blood pressure, tourniquet pressure and duration, tourniquet deflation time, tourniquet reinflation pressure and duration, intraoperative blood pressure and heart rate changes, intra-operative opioid consumption, PACU pain scores, PACU opioid consumption, and PACU length of stay were collected. Statistical correlation between tourniquet pressure and duration and postoperative pain scores, pain location, narcotic use, and length of stay in PACU was assessed using linear regression in SPSS. Results: Average age of patients was 47.6 years (Range: 16 - 79). Tourniquet pressure was 280 mmHg in 90.6% of patients (Range: 250-300 mmHg). Only 3.8% percent of patients had tourniquet pressures 100-150 mmHg above systolic blood pressure. Mean tourniquet time was 106.2 ± 40.1 min. Tourniquet time showed significant positive correlation with morphine equivalents used in the perioperative period (N = 121; r = 0.406; p < 0.001). Long tourniquet times (= 90 minutes) were associated with greater intraoperative opioid use than short tourniquet times (= 90 minutes) (19 mg ± 22 mg vs. 5 mg ± 11.6 mg; p

Category: Midfoot/Forefoot Introduction/Purpose: Morton’s Neuroma is a benign enlargement of the second or third common digital branch of the medial plantar nerve. This causes a compressive neuropathy of the distal medial plantar nerve. When conservative management fails, surgery becomes the treatment of choice via either a dorsal or plantar approach to the nerve. When using a dorsal approach for a Morton Neurectomy, neuroma commonly recurs due to insufficiently resection of the medial plantar nerve. It is unclear how far the nerve can be resected and which type of retractor provides superior visualization to allow greater resection. The present cadaveric study investigates how proximally the nerve can be resected and examines both the Laminar spreader and Galpie retractor to determine which instrument facilitates maximal proximal resection of the nerve. Methods: This study involved 12 fresh-frozen below-knee cadaver specimens that underwent a dorsal approach to the medial plantar nerve with proximal resection of the nerve in both the 2nd and 3rd intermetatarsal spaces as is performed during a Morton Neurectomy. The senior surgeon made a 3 cm incision just proximal to the 2nd and 3rd webspaces, and used blunt dissection to the level of the transverse intermetatarsal ligament. The transverse intermetatarsal ligament was then transected, and either a Laminar spreader or Galpie retractor was used to improve visualization of the intermetatarsal space. The medial plantar nerve was then identified and transected, and the lengths of the distal segment of the cut nerves were measured and recorded. These values were then compared based on the retractor employed. Results: In the 2nd intermetatarsal space, the Laminar spreader allowed the nerve to be dissected an average of 2.42 cm proximal to the distal end of the 3rd metatarsal (head)compared to 1.93 cm by the Galpie retractor. Thus, use of the Laminar spreader rather than the Galpie retractor resulted in greater resection of the nerve, although this was not significant. In the 3rd intermetatarsal space, the Laminar spreader allowed the nerve to be dissected an average of 2.14 cm proximal to the distal end of the 3rd metatarsal, while the Galpie retractor allowed 1.48 cm. Thus, use of the Laminar spreader in the 3rd intermetatarsal space resulted in greater excision of the nerve than the Galpie retractor, although this was not significant. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that use of the Laminar spreader during dorsal approach to a Morton Neuroma results in superior proximal resection of the medial plantar nerve when compared to use of the Galpie retractor, thereby decreasing the risk of recurrent Morton Neuroma. Further evaluation of the available retractors is needed to support the superiority of the laminar spreader compared to the Galpie retractor.