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Introduction:. Private equity (PE) investment in health care has increased more than 250% between 2010 and 2020. This is mirrored by an increasing number of published materials in medical journals. The objective of our study was to identify and characterize trends and key themes seen within publications discussing the topic of PE investment into orthopaedic surgery practices and bias within those publications. Methods:. The inclusion criteria for our study required an article to be published between the years 2003 and June 2024 and to contain the phrase “orthopaedic surgery” or “orthopedics” in addition to “PE” or “PE investment.” Based on these parameters, 15 articles met the criteria for inclusion. Articles were then evaluated to assess various themes related to general views expressed regarding PE firms, reasons for PE attraction to orthopaedics, and most cited positives/negatives of PE investment and potential conflicts of interest with respect to underlying relationships/associations with PE firms at the time of publication. Results:. Of the 15 publications meeting the inclusion criteria, 4 (26.7%) expressed positive views on the topic of PE ownership of orthopaedic practices, while 4 (26.7%) expressed a neutral view and 7 (46.7%) expressed a negative outlook. Four (26.7%) of the articles had authors who were either employed or had ownership in a practice that was purchased by a PE firm. Of these 4 articles, none disclosed this potential conflict of interest. Three of the 4 articles had either a positive or neutral view of PE. The most cited reason for PE attraction to orthopaedics was revenue from ancillary services. The most cited upside of PE transactions was the possibility of benefiting from economies of scale, while the most cited downside was the misalignment of incentives. Conclusion:. The plurality of present studies views PE transactions negatively (46.7%). Our research unveiled 4 studies with undisclosed conflicts of interest (26.7%). In addition, orthopaedic surgeons should be wary of the numerous downsides of PE transactions, such as the misaligned incentives between themselves and PE firms. Clinical relevance:. Independent orthopaedic practices should be critical of the literature when evaluating the merits of potential partnerships with PE firms.

Background: Multimodal analgesia in total hip arthroplasty (THA) provides better pain control, mobility, and reduced side effects compared to monotherapies. Local infiltration analgesia (LIA) and regional nerve blocks (RNBs) are commonly used throughout these protocols. This study aimed to compare these procedures as part of a multimodal analgesia protocol for patients undergoing THA. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of 1100 consecutive elective primary THAs was performed in 996 patients between June 2018 and December 2021. The RNB consisted of a preoperative continuous femoral nerve catheter and single-shot obturator nerve block, and LIA consisted of the intraoperative infiltration of weight-based bupivacaine. Results: A total of 579 (52.6%) patients received RNB, and 521 (47.4%) received LIA. Mean oral morphine equivalents (OMEs) during the first four hours postoperatively were significantly lower for LIA group (p < 0.001). However, the numeric pain rating scale in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) was similar between groups. Patients with LIA had significantly greater first ambulation distance in the PACU (p < 0.001), higher successful same-day discharge rate (p = 0.029), fewer falls (p = 0.041), and less refill OMEs post-discharge (p < 0.001) than RNB. Conclusions: In the setting of similar pain management between groups and better functional outcomes for LIA, the use of minimally invasive procedures like LIA for pain control following THA is favorable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Periprosthetic joint infections (PJI) are among the most morbid complications in total hip arthroplasty (THA). The ideal incubation time, however, for intraoperative cultures for PJI diagnosis remains unclear. As such, the aim of this study was to determine if any differences existed in culture-positive rates and organism detection between five-day and fourteen-day cultures. Methods: This retrospective cohort study consisted of THA cases diagnosed with PJI performed between May 2014 and May 2020 at a single tertiary-care institution. Analyses compared five-day and fourteen-day cultures and carried out a pre-specified subgroup analysis by organism and PJI type. Results: A total of 147 surgeries were performed in 101 patients (57.1% females), of which 65% (n = 98) obtained five-day cultures and 34% (n = 49) obtained fourteen-day cultures. The positive culture rate was 67.3% (n = 99) with Staphylococcus aureus being the most common pathogen identified (n = 41 specimens, 41.4%). The positive culture rate was not significantly different between groups (66.3% five-day, 69.4% fourteen-day, p = 0.852). Fourteen-day cultures had a significantly longer time-to-positive culture (5.0 days) than five-day cultures (3.0 days, p < 0.001), a higher rate of fungi (5.6% vs. 0%), and a lower rate of Gram-negatives (4.5% vs. 18.7%, p = 0.016). Conclusions: Fourteen-day cultures did not increase the positivity rate, had higher rates of slow-growth pathogens, and had a longer time-to-positivization than five-day cultures. Prolonged culture holds may provide more thorough organism detection for PJI without increasing the diagnostic culture yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) is increasingly used in the treatment of displaced proximal humerus fractures (PHFs) with reliable clinical improvement. However, the preferred techniques for humeral stem fixation are varied and may be influenced by patient and injury characteristics, including bone quality and fracture pattern. This systematic review and meta-analysis sought to determine the effect of humeral component cementing and bone grafting on tuberosity healing rates and functional outcomes after RSA for PHFs., Methods: A systematic review was performed per Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane were queried for clinical studies on RSA performed for PHFs that reported on the use of cemented humeral stems and autograft bone. The primary outcome was the rate of greater tuberosity healing between the various techniques. Secondarily, the authors compared clinical outcomes including postoperative external rotation, forward elevation, abduction, Constant score, and the incidence of complications and revision surgery. Outcomes were compared based on the use of an uncemented press-fit stem, a fully cemented stem without bone graft, or a partially cemented stem with humeral head autograft (i.e., black and tan technique)., Results: Forty-eight studies reporting on 1,797 RSAs were included (mean patient age, 75 years; follow-up, 34 months; 81% female). Tuberosity healing was highest in the uncemented cohort, then the black and tan cohort, and lowest in the cemented cohort (80% vs. 70% vs. 61%, p = 0.006). No significant differences in postoperative range of motion, Constant score, complication rates, or revision rates were found., Conclusion: Uncemented fixation with a press-fit stem was associated with superior greater tuberosity healing rates; however, functional outcomes and complications did not differ among techniques., Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence., Competing Interests: Disclosure: The Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest forms are provided with the online version of the article (http://links.lww.com/JBJSREV/B182)., (Copyright © 2024 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Incorporated.)

At present, there is uncertainty regarding the objective and subjective characteristics of competitive applicants for orthopaedic surgery residency (OSR). With the hope of enlightening future applicants and their orthopaedic surgeon mentors on what factors they ought to emphasize to successfully match into an OSR program, we summarized and analyzed the characteristics of OSR applicants between the 2020 and 2023 residency application cycles using data from the Texas Seeking Transparency in Application to Residency (STAR) database and insights from the 2020 National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) program director (PD) Survey. Factors considered in our analysis include standardized examination scores, class quartile, research output, extracurricular activities, and application characteristics, such as number of programs applied to, number of interviews attended, and match outcome. To elucidate the importance of more nonquantifiable metrics, we analyzed 423 subjective comments from OSR applicants found in the STAR database and compared them with relevant findings from the 2020 NRMP PD Survey. Of the 1,094 OSR applicants identified, 926 matched and 168 did not match, yielding a match rate of 84.64%. Matched applicants had markedly higher board examination scores, were more likely to be in the first and second quartiles of their class, had a higher number of honored clerkships, were more likely to have Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) membership, and overall had more research, volunteer, and leadership experiences. Our logistics regression analysis showed that being in the first quartile had the greatest effect on odds of matching, sequentially followed by having a United States Medical Licensing Examination step 2 score above 250, having more leadership opportunities, and finally, more total research output. With respect to nonquantifiable metrics, applicants and PDs alike heavily emphasized performing well on subinternships and having desirable personal attributes such as a strong work ethic, willingness to learn, and understanding the importance of teamwork., (Copyright © 2024 by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.)