Evaluation of a 30-day-mortality risk calculator for patients undergoing surgical fixation of fragility hip fractures.

INTRODUCTION: Hip fractures often occur in medically complex patients and can be associated with high perioperative mortality. Mortality risk assessment tools that are specific to hip fracture patients have not been extensively studied. The objective of this study is to evaluate a recently published 30-day mortality risk calculator (Hip Fracture Estimator of Mortality Amsterdam [HEMA]) in a group of patients treated at a university health system. MATERIALS & METHODS: 625 patients treated surgically for hip fractures between 2015 and 2020 at our institution were retrospectively reviewed. Patients younger than age 65, periprosthetic fractures, revision procedures, and fractures treated non-operatively were excluded. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine significant relationships between variables and 30-day mortality after surgery. Additional patient-specific risk factors not included in the original risk calculator were also evaluated. RESULTS: The observed 30-day mortality was 5.6%. HEMA score was significantly associated with 30-mortality, though our cohort had significantly lower mortality rates in high-risk patients than expected based on the HEMA tool. In analyzing patient characteristics not included in HEMA score, history of dementia and elevated troponin were significantly associated with 30-day mortality. DISCUSSION: The HEMA score reliably stratifies risk for 30-day mortality after hip fracture, though overestimates mortality in high-risk patients treated at a tertiary care center with a multidisciplinary team. The HEMA score may be enhanced by considering additional variables, including troponin level and history of dementia. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

Editorial Commentary: Fluoroscopy Is Seldom Required During Knee Posterolateral Reconstruction.

Identifying the structures of the lateral knee is critical during knee posterolateral corner reconstruction. Several methods exist that can help estimate the femoral insertions of these structures on lateral radiographs. However, it is important to recognize the limitations of these methods and that anatomic visualization is often more practical and more accurate. Until percutaneous or more minimally invasive techniques become standardized, intraoperative fluoroscopy is seldom needed or used for posterolateral corner reconstruction, whereas radiographic analysis of lateral knee structures could be of benefit in cases of failed reconstruction to assess tunnel placement.

Etiology of Shoulder Arthritis in Young Patients.

The manifestation of glenohumeral arthritis in the young adult is a devastating occurrence that can be difficult to manage. This review details the many underlying etiologies including genetic causes, congenital abnormalities, glenohumeral instability, posttraumatic lesions, postcapsulorraphy arthropathy, osteonecrosis, intraarticular pain pump postoperative use, radiofrequency/thermal capsulorraphy treatments, septic arthritis/infection, and inflammatory arthropathies. Although each of these potential causes have been well-studied, their contributions to the development of glenohumeral arthritis in the young person has not been described extensively.

Shoulder Rotator Cuff Pathology: Common Problems and Solutions.

Rotator cuff repair is an increasingly common orthopedic procedure. As with any surgical procedure, the complications can be potentially devastating when they do happen to occur. This review attempts to summarize the most frequently encountered complications, including retear, failure to heal, stiffness, missed concomitant pathology, and infection. Also included are several cases that outline the diagnosis and management of these complications.

Patient-related risk factors for infection following knee arthroscopy: An analysis of over 700,000 patients from two large databases.

BACKGROUND: To determine patient-related risk factors for infection following knee arthroscopy using two large databases. METHODS: A private-payer (PP) and Medicare national insurance database were queried for patients undergoing simple knee arthroscopy procedures from 2005 to 2015. Patients undergoing concomitant open or complex procedures with grafts were excluded. Postoperative infection within 90days was assessed using ICD-9 and CPT codes. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was utilized to evaluate patient-related risk factors for postoperative infection. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for each risk factor, with P <0.05 considered statistically significant. RESULTS: One hundred thousand three hundred ninety nine patients from the PP database and 629,842 patients from the Medicare database met all inclusion and exclusion criteria. In the PP database, there were 250 patients with documented infections (0.25%); the incidence of infection was similar in the Medicare database (1755 patients, 0.28%). There were numerous patient-related comorbidities and demographics independently associated with a significantly increased risk of postoperative infection that were similar across the PP and Medicare patient populations, respectively, including younger age (OR=1.27, 1.43), morbid obesity (OR=1.26, 1.74), tobacco use (OR=1.34, 1.48), inflammatory arthritis (OR=1.61, 1.60), chronic kidney disease (OR=1.65, 1.14), hemodialysis (OR=1.93, 1.36), depression (OR=2.02, 1.73), and a hypercoagulable disorder (OR=2.76, 1.58). CONCLUSION: The present study identified numerous patient-related risk factors independently associated with an increased risk of infection following knee arthroscopy in PP and Medicare-aged patients.