Quality of ChatGPT Responses to Frequently Asked Questions in Carpal Tunnel Release Surgery.

Background: Although demonstrating remarkable promise in other fields, the impact of artificial intelligence (including ChatGPT in hand surgery and medical practice) remains largely undetermined. In this study, we asked ChatGPT frequently asked patient-focused questions surgeons may receive in clinic from patients who have carpel tunnel syndrome (CTS) and evaluated the quality of its output. Methods: Using ChatGPT, we asked 10 frequently asked questions that hand surgeons may receive in the clinic before carpel tunnel release (CTR) surgery. Included questions were generated from the authors' own experiences regarding conservative and operative treatment of CTS. Results: Responses from the following 10 questions were included: (1) What is CTS and what are its signs and symptoms? (2) What are the nonsurgical options for CTS? (3) Should I get surgery for CTS? (4) What is a CTR and how is it preformed? (5) What are the differences between open and endoscopic CTR? (6) What are the risks associated with CTR and how frequently do they occur? (7) Does CTR cure CTS? (8) How much improvement in my symptoms can I expect after CTR? (9) How long is the recovery after CTR? (10) Can CTS recur after surgery? Conclusions: Overall, the chatbot provided accurate and comprehensive information in response to most common and nuanced questions regarding CTS and CTR surgery, all in a way that would be easily understood by many patients. Importantly, the chatbot did not provide patient-specific advice and consistently advocated for consultation with a healthcare provider.

Association of Pharmacologic Treatment of Depression/Anxiety With Initial Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in Patients With Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis.

INTRODUCTION: Depression and anxiety are common comorbidities that may exacerbate osteoarthritis (OA)-related pain. We aim to evaluate the effect of pharmacologic treatment of depression/anxiety on hip and knee patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). METHODS: A multi-institutional PROMs database was queried for patients with depression or anxiety and hip or knee OA who completed a PROMs questionnaire at an initial orthopaedic visit between January 2015 and March 2023. Data on demographics, comorbidities, and duration of pharmacologic treatment of depression/anxiety were obtained. Patients were stratified into three cohorts based on treatment duration. PROMs were compared across cohorts. RESULTS: Two thousand nine hundred sixty patients who completed PROMs at their initial orthopaedic visit had both OA and depression/anxiety. One hundred thirty-four (4.5%) received pharmacologic treatment of depression/anxiety for < 1 year, versus 196 (6.6%) for more than 1 year. In unadjusted analyses, patients with pharmacologic treatment had significantly lower Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS)-Physical (39.8 [IQR 34.9, 44.9] vs 42.3 [37.4, 47.7], P < 0.001) and PROMIS-Mental (43.5 [36.3, 50.8] vs 48.3 [41.1, 53.3], P < 0.001) scores than those without treatment. After adjusting for demographics and comorbidities, only differences in PROMIS-Mental scores remained statistically significant, with pharmacologic treatment associated with lower scores (ß = -2.26, 95% CI, [-3.29, -1.24], P < 0.001). On secondary analysis including duration of pharmacologic treatment, < 1 year of treatment was associated with significantly lower PROMIS-Mental scores than those not treated (ß = -4.20, 95% CI [-5.77, -2.62], P < 0.001) while scores of patients with more than 1 year of treatment did not differ significantly from those without treatment. CONCLUSION: :Our results indicate that pharmacologic treatment of depression/anxiety is associated with improved psychological health but not with improved physical symptoms related to OA. We observed a nonsignificant trend that patients with depression/anxiety who warrant pharmacologic treatment tend to have worse physical symptoms than those who do not; however, unadjusted analyses suggest this is a complex relationship beyond the isolated effect of pharmacologic treatment.

Racial and Ethnic Minority Patients Have Increased Complication Risks When Undergoing Surgery While Not Meeting Clinical Guidelines.

BACKGROUND: Clinical guidelines for performing total joint arthroplasty (TJA) have not been uniformly adopted in practice because research has suggested that they may foster inequities in surgical access, potentially disadvantaging minority sociodemographic groups. The aim of this study was to assess whether undergoing TJA without meeting clinical guidelines affects complication risk and leads to disparities in postoperative outcomes. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study evaluated the records of 11,611 adult patients who underwent primary TJA from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2020, at an academic hospital network. Based on self-reported race and ethnicity, 89.5% of patients were White, 3.5% were Black, 2.9% were Hispanic, 1.3% were Asian, and 2.8% were classified as other. Patients met institutional guidelines for undergoing TJA if they had a hemoglobin A1c of <8.0% and a body mass index of <40 kg/m 2 and were not currently smoking. A logistic regression model was utilized to identify factors associated with complications, and a mixed-effects model was utilized to identify factors associated with not meeting guidelines for undergoing TJA. RESULTS: During the study period, 11% (1,274) of the 11,611 adults who underwent primary TJA did not meet clinical guidelines. Compared with the group who met guidelines, the group who did not had higher proportions of Black patients (3.2% versus 6.0%; p < 0.001) and Hispanic patients (2.7% versus 4.6%; p < 0.001). An increased risk of not meeting guidelines at the time of surgery was demonstrated among Black patients (odds ratio [OR], 1.60 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.22 to 2.10]; p = 0.001) and patients insured by Medicaid (OR, 1.75 [95% CI, 1.26 to 2.44]; p = 0.001) or Medicare (OR, 1.22 [95% CI, 1.06 to 1.41]; p = 0.007). Patients who did not meet guidelines had a higher risk of reoperation than those who met guidelines (7.7% [98] versus 5.9% [615]; p = 0.017), including a higher risk of infection-related reoperation (3.1% [40] versus 1.4% [147]; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We found that patients who underwent TJA despite not meeting institutional preoperative criteria had a higher risk of postoperative complications. These patients were more likely to be from racial and ethnic minority groups, to have a lower socioeconomic status, and to have Medicare or Medicaid insurance. These findings underscore the need for surgery-related shared decision-making that is informed by evidence-based guidelines in order to reduce complication burden. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic Level III . See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

What Is the Most Effective Treatment for Periprosthetic Joint Infection After Total Joint Arthroplasty in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis?: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a risk factor for periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) after total joint arthroplasty (TJA). The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review comparing the failure rates of debridement, antibiotics, and implant retention (DAIR), one-stage exchange arthroplasty/revision (OSR), and 2-stage exchange arthroplasty/revision (TSR) for RA patients with PJI and identify risk factors in the RA population associated with increased treatment failure rate. METHODS: PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and Ovid Embase databases were screened with the terms "rheumatoid arthritis," "total joint arthroplasty," "prosthetic joint infection," and "treatment for PJI" on August 29, 2021. Four hundred ninety-one studies were screened, of which 86 were evaluated. The primary outcome evaluated was failure of surgical treatment for PJI. RESULTS: Ten retrospective cohort studies were included after full-text screening, yielding 401 patients with RA. Additional demographic and PJI management data were obtained for 149 patients. Patients with RA who underwent TSR demonstrated a lower failure rate (26.8%) than both DAIR (60.1%) and OSR (39.2%) (χ2 = 37.463, p < 0.00001). Patients with RA who underwent DAIR had a 2.27 (95% CI, 1.66-3.10) times higher risk of experiencing treatment failure than those who underwent TSR. Among risk factors, there was a significant difference in the C-reactive protein of patients who did vs. did not experience treatment failure (p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: TSR has a higher rate of success in the management of PJI patients with RA compared with DAIR and OSR. The complete removal of the infected prosthesis and delayed reimplantation may lower the treatment failure rate. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Age, Sex, and Education Level Predict Telehealth Engagement in Total Joint Arthroplasty Patients.

Background: Racial and other demographic predictors of total joint arthroplasty (TJA) telehealth engagement since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic remain unclear. The purpose of the current study was to elucidate this relationship. Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional study on 732 primary TJA patients was conducted within a single hospital system from March 2020-December 2021 (during the pandemic). Patients were excluded if their race or education level could not be determined. Patient demographics (age, sex, body mass index, language) and TJA information were obtained. The number of telehealth visits and telehealth engagement were assessed. Engagement (yes/no) and engagement frequency across all demographics and each measure of telehealth (telemedicine, patient-reported outcome measurements [PROMs], and electronic patient portal [EPP] messaging) were analyzed using multivariate logistic and linear regression, respectively. Results: Our results demonstrated that non-White race was not a significant predictor of binomial engagement or engagement frequency across all telehealth measures. Older age was a negative predictor of binomial engagement and engagement frequency with telemedicine and EPPs. Male sex was shown to be a negative predictor of binomial engagement with EPPs as well as PROM engagement frequency. Educational attainment of less than a college degree was a negative predictor of binomial engagement and engagement frequency with PROMs and EPPs. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that older age, male sex, and lower education level were negative predictors of various measures of telehealth engagement. Non-White race was not a significant predictor. This data informs providers on how to improve access to virtual orthopaedic care.

Total Joint Arthroplasty Utilization After Orthopaedic Surgery Referral: Identifying Disparities Along the Care Pathway.

BACKGROUND: Although racial and ethnic disparities in total joint arthroplasty (TJA) have been thoroughly described, only a few studies have sought to determine exactly where along the care pathway these disparities are perpetuated. The purpose of this study was to investigate disparities in TJA utilization occurring after patients who had diagnosed hip or knee osteoarthritis were referred to a group of orthopaedic providers within an integrated academic institution. METHODS: A retrospective, multi-institutional study evaluating patients with diagnosed hip or knee osteoarthritis was conducted between 2015 and 2019. Information pertaining to patient demographics, timing of clinic visits, and subsequent surgical intervention was collected. Utilization rates and time to surgery from the initial clinic visit were calculated by race, and logistic regressions were performed to control for various demographic as well as health related variables. RESULTS: White patients diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis were significantly more likely to receive total knee arthroplasty (TKA) than Black and Hispanic patients, even after adjusting for various demographic variables (Black patients: odds ratio [OR] = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.55-0.72, P = .002; Hispanic patients: OR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.57-0.83, P = .039). Similar disparities were found among patients diagnosed with hip osteoarthritis who underwent total hip arthroplasty (THA; Black patients: OR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.60-0.89, P = <.001; Hispanic patients: OR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.53-0.98, P <.001). There were no differences in time to surgery between races (P > .05 for all). CONCLUSION: In this study, racial and ethnic disparities in TJA utilization were found to exist even after referral to an orthopaedic surgeon, highlighting a critical point along the care pathway during which inequalities in TJA care can emerge. Similar time to surgery between White, Black, and Hispanic patients suggest that these disparities in TJA utilization may largely be perpetuated before surgical planning while patients are deciding whether to undergo surgery. Further studies are needed to better elucidate which patient and provider-specific factors may be preventing these patients from pursuing surgery during this part of the care pathway. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.