Predictive factors for discharge destination after total hip arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate factors affecting discharge to an inpatient rehabilitation facility or home following total hip arthroplasty, using a clinical pathway in Japan. METHODS: Five hundred hips with osteoarthritis who underwent unilateral total hip arthroplasty at our institution, with no deviation from the pathway, were included in this retrospective study. The variables were examined by univariate analysis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the independent factors that influenced the discharge outcome. RESULTS: Four hundred and thirty-four hips were discharged home directly, and 66 were discharged to an inpatient rehabilitation facility. Patients discharged to an inpatient rehabilitation facility were significantly older, shorter, lighter, and more likely to live alone. Additionally, the preoperative clinical score was significantly lower in the inpatient rehabilitation facility Group for all items. Logistic regression analysis showed a significant association between being discharged to an inpatient rehabilitation facility and higher age [odds ratio 3.87, 95% confidence interval 2.03-7.38, P < 0.001], lower total score in the preoperative Japanese Orthopaedic Association hip score [odds ratio 2.42, 95% confidence interval 1.38-4.23, P = 0.002] and living alone [odds ratio 1.84, 95% confidence interval 1.01-3.35, P = 0.046]. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, age, the preoperative Japanese Orthopaedic Association hip score, and living arrangement impacted the discharge destination after THA.

Challenges and responses of elective orthopaedic surgery during the second wave of COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Elective orthopaedic surgery has been severely curtailed because of coronavirus disease, 2019. There is scant scientific evidence to guide surgeons in assessing the protocols that must be implemented before resuming elective orthopaedic surgery safely after the second wave of the coronavirus disease, 2019. METHODS: A retrospective review of elective orthopaedic surgeries performed between May 15, 2020, and November 20, 2020, was conducted. A screening questionnaire was used, and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 immunoglobulin G and IgM antibodies testing were assessed in all admitted patients. Screening and testing data for coronavirus disease was reviewed for all patients. RESULTS: Of 592 patients tested for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 during the study period, 21 (3.5%) tested positive. There were 2 patients (0.3%) with positive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction tests, 3 (0.5%) with positive IgG and IgM antibodies, 13 (2.2%) with positive IgG antibodies, and 10 (1.7%) with positive IgM antibodies. Among these 21 patients, 20 (95.2%) were asymptomatic. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that most elective orthopaedic surgery patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 are asymptomatic. In the second wave of coronavirus disease, 2019, universal testing of all patients should be strongly considered as an important measure to prevent clusters of in-hospital transmission of the disease.

Total hip arthroplasty via an anterolateral supine approach for obese patients increases the risk of greater trochanteric fracture.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes and early complications of obese patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty for osteoarthritis via an anterolateral approach in the supine position (ALS-THA) and compare these outcome with of a matched control group of non-obese patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-one hips in 28 patients with obesity (BMI ≧ 30 kg/m2) were included in this study. As a control group, 31 hips of 31 patients with a normal weight (BMI between 20 and 25 kg/m2) were matched based on age, sex, and laterality. Clinical evaluations using the Merle d'Aubigne and Postel hip score, radiological evaluations and perioperative complications were compared in two groups. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the groups in the operative time, period of hospitalization, clinical hip score, or cup positioning, although the position of the cup tended to deviate from the optimal safe zone in the obese compared with non-obese group (32.3 and 16.1%, respectively). There was no infection, dislocation, nerve palsy, or life-threatening event in either group. The rate of avulsion fractures of the greater trochanter in the obese group was 3 times higher compared to that in the non-obese group. CONCLUSIONS: As the clinical outcome of ALS-THA for the obese group is not inferior to that for the non-obese group, obesity is not considered to be a contraindication for ALS-THA. However, obesity increases the risk of intraoperative greater trochanteric fracture. Thus, surgeons should be particularly careful when manipulating the femur in this class of patients, who should be informed of this risk.

Feasibility and limitations of the round robin test for assessment of in vitro chondrogenesis evaluation protocol in a tissue-engineered medical product.

Tissue-engineered medical products (TEMPs) should be evaluated before implantation. Therefore, it is indispensable to establish evaluation protocols in regenerative medicine. Whether or not such evaluation protocols are reasonable is generally verified through a 'round robin' test. However, the round robin test for TEMPs intrinsically includes a deficiency, because 'identical' specimens can not be prepared for TEMPs. The aim of the study was to assess the feasibility and limitations of the round robin test for TEMPs by using a prepared evaluation protocol. We adopted tissue-engineered cartilage constructs as delivered specimens and a protocol of measuring sGAG content as an evaluation protocol proposed to ISO TC150/SC7, which is an invasive, but usually applied, method, although non-invasive methods are keenly required in evaluating TEMPs. The results showed that: (a) the coefficient of variation (CV) of the measured sGAG contents in intralaboratory tests was ~5% at most; (b) the CV of sGAG content in the scheme where each participating laboratory measured different constructs was comparable with that in the scheme where each participating laboratory measured one half of a construct along with the organizing laboratory; (c) the CV caused by factors other than the specimen was ~15%, comparable to that in reproducible experiments in biomedical fields. Based on these results, the study concludes that a round robin test for a TEMP could be valuable, under the condition that the delivered TEMPs are sufficiently reproducible so that the CV of the measured values is < 5% in the organizing laboratory.

Radio-sensitization of the murine osteosarcoma cell line LM8 with parthenolide, a natural inhibitor of NF-κB.

Nuclear factor (NF)-κB has been shown to be associated with cancer resistance to radiotherapy (RT), and is constitutively active in the murine osteosarcoma cell line, LM8. Parthenolide has been reported to show antitumor activity through inhibition of the NF-κB pathway. In this study, we investigated the radio-sensitizing activity of parthenolide. We established Luc-LM8, a stable transfectant reporter construct of NF-κB transcriptional activity into LM8. Luc-LM8 maintained the malignancy observed with LM8. In vitro, Luc-LM8 cells were cultured with or without parthenolide treatment, irradiated, and subjected to cell viability and apoptosis assays. In vivo, to investigate whether parthenolide enhances radio-sensitivity of tumors, a tumor growth assay was conducted. Parthenolide enhanced the growth inhibitory effect of RT and induced the apoptosis of Luc-LM8 cells with RT in vitro. The in vivo tumor growth was significantly suppressed in the mice treated with parthenolide and RT. The present study suggests that parthenolide sensitizes Luc-LM8 cells to irradiation. Thus, parthenolide is a potential candidate for use as a potent radio-sensitizing drug for use in cancer RT.

A comparative assessment of synthetic ceramic bone substitutes with different composition and microstructure in rabbit femoral condyle model.

Various bone substitutes with improved biocompatibility have been developed. Because these products vary in composition and microstructure, it is difficult to understand each feature and make an appropriate selection. Three recently developed highly porous ceramic bone substitutes were evaluated, including two made of hydroxyapatite with different structures (Apaceram-AX: 85%-porosity with micropores, NEOBONE: 75%-porosity without micropores) and one composed of beta-tricalcium phosphate (OSferion: 75%-porosity with micropores) in a rabbit model. Apaceram-AX showed gradual degradation, while NEOBONE remaining intact. OSferion was almost completely degraded at 24 weeks. Numerous osteoclasts were detected in materials with micropores, whether Apaceram-AX or OSferion, but not in NEOBONE. These differences of biodegradability seemed to be related to the presence of micropores. The compressive strength of OSferion increased for several weeks and decreased at a level of cancellous bone. The strength of NEOBONE gradually increased and remained at the highest level among three. The strength of Apaceram-AX increased two to three times that of cancellous bone. Surprisingly, the strength of all materials declined during the initial 1 week, suggesting that great care should be taken in the early period after implantation. These findings may help surgeons to select an appropriate porous substitute based on understanding of their features.

Synthetic alginate is a carrier of OP-1 for bone induction.

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) can induce bone formation in vivo when combined with appropriate carriers. Several materials, including animal collagens and synthetic polymers, have been evaluated as carriers for BMPs. We examined alginate, an approved biomaterial for human use, as a carrier for BMP-7. In a mouse model of ectopic bone formation, the following four carriers for recombinant human OP-1 (BMP-7) were tested: alginate crosslinked by divalent cations (DC alginate), alginate crosslinked by covalent bonds (CB alginate), Type I atelocollagen, and poly-D,L-lactic acid-polyethyleneglycol block copolymer (PLA-PEG). Discs of carrier materials (5-mm diameter) containing OP-1 (3-30 microg) were implanted beneath the fascia of the back muscles in six mice per group. These discs were recovered 3 weeks after implantation and subjected to radiographic and histologic studies. Ectopic bone formation occurred in a dose-dependent manner after the implantation of DC alginate, atelocollagen, and PLA-PEG, but occurred only at the highest dose implanted with CB alginate. Bone formation with DC alginate/OP-1 composites was equivalent to that with atelocollagen/OP-1 composites. Our data suggest DC alginate, a material free of animal products that is already approved by the FDA and other authorities, is a safe and potent carrier for OP-1. This carrier may also be applicable to various other situations in the orthopaedic field.

Acute adrenal crisis after orthopedic surgery for pathologic fracture.

BACKGROUND: Adrenal crisis after surgical procedure is a rare but potentially catastrophic life-threatening event. Its manifestations, such as hypotension, tachycardia, hypoxia, and fever mimic the other more common postoperative complications. Clinical outcome is dependent upon early recognition of the condition and proper management with exogenous steroid administration. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a 75-year-old man who presented with shock immediately after surgery for a femoral fracture from lung cancer metastasis. Anemia and severe hyponatremia were detected. Despite adequate fluid resuscitation, nonspecific symptoms including hypotension, tachycardia, hypoxia, fever and confusion occurred. Emergent CT revealed enlarged bilateral adrenal glands. Under the diagnosis of adrenal crisis due to metastatic infiltration of adrenal glands, the patient was treated with appropriate steroid replacement resulting in rapid improvement and recovery. CONCLUSION: We describe a case of adrenal crisis caused by the lack of adrenal reserve based on metastatic involvement and surgical stress, the first published case of adrenal crisis after surgery for a pathologic fracture from lung cancer metastasis. Surgeons treating pathologic fractures should be aware of this complication and familiar with its appropriate therapy because of increasing opportunity to care patients with metastatic bone tumors due to recent advances in cancer treatment.