Release of fascial compartment boundaries reduces muscle force output.

Most limb muscles operate within a compartment defined by fascial layers that enclose a muscle or groups of muscles within a defined space. These compartments are important clinically, because fluid accumulation can cause ischemia and tissue necrosis if untreated. Little is known, however, about how fascial enclosures influence healthy muscle function. One previous study showed that removing a fascial covering reduced the force output of a muscle under maximal stimulation. We hypothesized that such reduction in force output was due to a change in the muscle length following fasciotomy and that a reduced force output could be explained by the length-tension relationship of muscle. Thus we predicted that the maximum force across a range of lengths would be unchanged following fasciotomy. We measured maximal tetanic force output in a wing muscle in wild turkeys both before and after removal of fascia that enclosed the muscle in a compartment. Our hypothesis was not supported. The length-tension curve of this muscle showed that removal of fascia reduced maximum force output to 72 ± 10% of the prefascial release condition. Thus a reduction in muscle force following fasciotomy was not explained by a change in muscle length. The mechanism underlying reduction in force is unclear, but it suggests that the assumption underlying most isolated muscle experiments, i.e., removal of a muscle from its situation in vivo does not influence its maximal mechanical output, may need reexamining. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Most limb muscles are enclosed within compartments bound by robust fascial sheets. The mechanical significance of the close packing of muscle and fascia is largely unexplored. We used an animal model to show that removal of a fascial covering reduces the maximal force developed during contraction. These results raise questions about the use of isolated muscles to estimate muscle performance and suggest that a muscle's mechanical surrounding influences performance by mechanisms that are not understood.

Etiology and Management of Spinal Deformity in Patients With Parkinson's Disease.

Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) commonly develop severe spinal deformity, including scoliosis, antecollis, camptocormia, and Pisa syndrome. The etiology of PD-associated spinal deformity is not completely understood and in most cases is likely due to multiple interrelated factors, including central dystonia and focal myopathy. Once spinal deformity has occurred, surgery is often the only modality that can correct the condition, although control of the movement disorder through medication and deep brain stimulation may slow progression. Advances in spinal instrumentation and deformity correction techniques have improved the outcomes of PD spinal deformity patients, though complications and revision surgery rates remain high. Surgical intervention is reserved for individuals who are physiologically healthy and whose condition is refractory to nonoperative management and follows similar treatment principles as other causes of neuromuscular scoliosis/kyphosis. Spinal deformity patients with PD are optimally treated by spinal deformity surgeons who are familiar with the unique needs of PD patients, with vigilant preoperative and postoperative treatment of their movement disorder and bone density.

Factors Associated With Physician Loss in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Malpractice Lawsuits.

BACKGROUND: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is among the most common orthopaedic procedures, with its incidence doubling over the past decade. To date, no studies have analyzed litigation after ACL reconstruction. PURPOSE: To characterize the causes of malpractice litigation after ACL reconstruction. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: A retrospective review of malpractice lawsuits after ACL reconstruction was performed using VerdictSearch, a large legal claims database encompassing nearly 180,000 legal cases, from February 1988 to May 2015. Settlement rates and physician loss rates were calculated along with 95% CIs for each complication type, and analysis of variance was used to compare all indemnity payments. RESULTS: Of a total 30 lawsuits, 5 (16.7%) settled out of court. The 3 most common complications leading to litigation were prolonged pain (n = 5, 16.7%), infection (n = 5, 16.7%), and malpositioned graft (n = 5, 16.7%). Of the 25 cases that went to court, 8 (32.0%) ended in favor of the plaintiff (physician loss). Damage to a neurovascular structure resulted in the highest indemnity payment (mean, $2,012,926 ± $1,076,530; P = .021). Lawsuits for which pain or loss of range of motion was the only complication were significantly more likely to end in a physician victory (P = .04) and lower indemnity payments ($87,500 vs $678,715, respectively). Cases that involved a surgical technical error were more likely to result in a physician loss (P = .01), with malpositioned grafts having a significantly higher loss rate than average (75% vs 32%, respectively). CONCLUSION: After ACL reconstruction, physicians are more likely to win malpractice suits if pain or limited range of motion is the only complaint and less likely to win if a surgical error was alleged. These findings may help to set patient expectations and provide adequate guidance during the informed consent process.

Reported Litigation Associated With Primary Hip and Knee Arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: Greater than 75% of arthroplasty surgeons report having been the subject of a malpractice lawsuit. Despite this, few studies have analyzed the causes of litigation following total joint arthroplasty in the United States. METHODS: This study is a retrospective analysis of malpractice lawsuits following total hip and knee arthroplasty using VerdictSearch, a database encompassing legal cases compiled from February 1988 to May 2015. Complications leading to litigation were categorized and assessed for patient, surgeon, and lawsuit factors. All monetary awards were reflected for inflation. RESULTS: A total of 213 lawsuits were analyzed (119 total hip and 94 total knee arthroplasty cases). Overall, 15.0% of cases ended in settlement and 29.6% ended in a verdict in favor of the plaintiff (physician loss). The average payment for cases lost in court ($1,929,822 ± $3,679,572) was significantly larger than cases that ended in settlement ($555,347 ± $822,098) (P = .006). The most common complication following hip arthroplasty was "nerve injury" (29 cases, settlement rate: 10.3%, physician loss rate: 53.9%, and average payment: $1,089,825). The most common complication following knee arthroplasty was "pain or weakness" (17 cases, settlement rate: 5.9%, physician loss rate: 6.3%, and average payment: $451,867). Technical complications were the most likely complications to result in a physician loss (P = .019). CONCLUSION: While complications like "pain and weakness" are less likely to result in favorable litigation for patients, the presence of an objective technical complication or nerve injury was associated with an increased risk of a physician loss and a higher payment.

Malpractice litigation following spine surgery.

OBJECTIVE Adverse events related to spine surgery sometimes lead to litigation. Few studies have evaluated the association between spine surgical complications and medical malpractice proceedings, outcomes, and awards. The aim of this study was to identify the most frequent causes of alleged malpractice in spine surgery and to gain insight into patient demographic and clinical characteristics associated with medical negligence litigation. METHODS A search for "spine surgery" spanning February 1988 to May 2015 was conducted utilizing the medicolegal research service VerdictSearch (ALM Media Properties, LLC). Demographic data for the plaintiff and defendant in addition to clinical data for the procedure and legal outcomes were examined. Spinal cord injury, anoxic/hypoxic brain injury, and death were classified as catastrophic complications; all other complications were classified as noncatastrophic. Both chi-square and t-tests were used to evaluate the effect of these variables on case outcomes and awards granted. RESULTS A total of 569 legal cases were examined; 335 cases were excluded due to irrelevance or insufficient information. Of the 234 cases included in this investigation, 54.2% (127 cases) resulted in a defendant ruling, 26.1% (61) in a plaintiff ruling, and 19.6% (46) in a settlement. The awards granted for plaintiff rulings ranged from $134,000 to $38,323,196 (mean $4,045,205 ± $6,804,647). Awards for settlements ranged from $125,000 to $9,000,000 (mean $1,930,278 ± $2,113,593), which was significantly less than plaintiff rulings (p = 0.022). Compared with cases without a delay in diagnosis of the complication, the cases with a diagnostic delay were more likely to result in a plaintiff verdict or settlement (42.9% vs 72.7%, p = 0.007) than a defense verdict, and were more likely to settle out of court (17.5% vs 40.9%, p = 0.008). Similarly, compared with cases without a delay in treatment of the complication, those with a therapeutic delay were more likely to result in a plaintiff verdict or settlement (43.7% vs 68.4%, p = 0.03) than a defense verdict, and were more likely to settle out of court (18.1% vs 36.8%, p = 0.04). Overall, 28% of cases (66/234) involved catastrophic complications. Physicians were more likely to lose cases (plaintiff verdict or settlement) with catastrophic complications (66.7% vs 37.5%, p < 0.001). In cases with a plaintiff ruling, catastrophic complications resulted in significantly larger mean awards than noncatastrophic complications ($6.1M vs $2.9M, p = 0.04). The medical specialty of the provider and the age or sex of the patient were not associated with the case outcome or award granted (p > 0.05). The average time to a decision for defendant verdicts was 5.1 years; for plaintiff rulings, 5.0 years; and for settlements, 3.4 years. CONCLUSIONS Delays in the diagnosis and the treatment of a surgical complication predict legal case outcomes favoring the plaintiff. Catastrophic complications are linked to large sums awarded to the plaintiff and are predictive of rulings against the physician. For physician defendants, the costs of settlements are significantly less than those of losing in court. Although this study provides potentially valuable data from a large series of postoperative litigation cases, it may not provide a true representation of all jurisdictions, each of which has variable malpractice laws and medicolegal environments.

Assessment of malpractice claims due to spinal epidural abscess.

OBJECTIVE Spinal epidural abscesses (SEAs) can be difficult to diagnose and may result in neurological compromise or even death. Delays in diagnosis or treatment may worsen the prognosis. While SEA presents a high risk for litigation, little is known about the medicolegal ramifications of this condition. An enhanced understanding of potential legal implications is important for practicing spine surgeons, emergency medicine physicians, and internists. METHODS The VerdictSearch database, a large legal-claims database, was queried for "epidural abscess"-related legal cases. Demographic and clinical data were examined for all claims; any irrelevant cases or cases with incomplete information were excluded. The effects of age of the plaintiff, sex of the plaintiff, presence of a known infection, resulting paraplegia or quadriplegia, delay in diagnosis, and delay in treatment on the proportion of plaintiff rulings and size of payments were assessed. RESULTS In total, 56 cases met the inclusion criteria. Of the 56 cases, 17 (30.4%) were settled, 22 (39.3%) resulted in a defendant ruling, and 17 (30.4%) resulted in a plaintiff ruling. The mean award for plaintiff rulings was $5,277,468 ± $6,348,462 (range $185,000-$19,792,000), which was significantly larger than the mean award for cases that were settled out of court, $1,914,265 ± $1,313,322 (range $100,000-$4,500,000) (p < 0.05). The mean age of the plaintiffs was 47.0 ± 14.4 years; 23 (41.1%) of the plaintiffs were female and 33 (58.9%) were male. The proportion of plaintiff verdicts and size of monetary awards were not affected by age or sex (p > 0.49). The presence of a previously known infection was also not associated with the proportion of plaintiff verdicts or indemnity payments (p > 0.29). In contrast, juries were more likely to rule in favor of plaintiffs who became paraplegic or quadriplegic (p = 0.03) compared with plaintiffs who suffered pain or isolated weakness. Monetary awards for paraplegic or quadriplegic patients were also significantly higher (p = 0.003). Plaintiffs were more likely to win if there was a delay in diagnosis (p = 0.04) or delay in treatment (p = 0.006), although there was no difference in monetary awards (p > 0.57). Internists were the most commonly sued physician (named in 13 suits [23.2%]), followed by emergency medicine physicians (named in 8 [14.3%]), and orthopedic surgeons (named in 3 [5.4%]). CONCLUSIONS This investigation is the largest examination of legal claims due to spinal epidural abscess to date. The proportion of plaintiff verdicts was significantly higher in cases in which the patient became paraplegic or quadriplegic and in cases in which there was delay in diagnosis or treatment. Additionally, paralysis is linked to large sums awarded to the plaintiff. Nonsurgeon physicians, who are often responsible for initial diagnosis, were more likely to be sued than were surgeons.

Advances in Spinal Interbody Cages.

Since the late 1980s, spinal interbody cages (ICs) have been used to aid bone fusion in a variety of spinal disorders. Utilized to restore intervertebral height, enable bone graft containment for arthrodesis, and restore anterior column biomechanical stability, ICs have since evolved to become a highly successful means of achieving fusion, being associated with less postoperative pain, shorter hospital stay, fewer complications and higher rates of fusion when than bone graft only spinal fusion. IC design and materials have changed considerably over the past two decades. The threaded titanium-alloy cylindrical screw cages, typically filled with autologous bone graft, of the mid-1990s achieved greater fusion rates than bone grafts and non-threaded cages. Threaded screw cages, however, were soon found to be less stable in extension and flexion; additionally, they had a high incidence of cage subsidence. As of the early 2000s, non-threaded box-shaped titanium or polyether ether ketone IC designs have become increasingly more common. This modern design continues to achieve greater cage stability in flexion, axial rotation and bending. However, cage stability and subsidence, bone fusion rates and surgical complications still require optimization. Thus, this review provides an update of recent research findings relevant to ICs over the past 3 years, highlighting trends in optimization of cage design, materials, alternatives to bone grafts, and coatings that may enhance fusion.

Antimicrobial technology in orthopedic and spinal implants.

Infections can hinder orthopedic implant function and retention. Current implant-based antimicrobial strategies largely utilize coating-based approaches in order to reduce biofilm formation and bacterial adhesion. Several emerging antimicrobial technologies that integrate a multidisciplinary combination of drug delivery systems, material science, immunology, and polymer chemistry are in development and early clinical use. This review outlines orthopedic implant antimicrobial technology, its current applications and supporting evidence, and clinically promising future directions.