Thermal Generation in Spinal Surgery: Does Rate of Irrigation Matter During Anterior Cervical Discectomy?

BACKGROUND: High-speed rotational burring is considered the mainstay of modern spinal decompression surgery. However, high-energy burrs generate significant heat due to the friction between the bone and the rotating burr. This study determines the effects of automated irrigation rate on burr tip temperatures either with a serrated steel burr or diamond-coated burr during anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). METHODS: This is an observational study of the routine practice of a single surgeon for 20 patients aged 18 years or older undergoing elective single- or multilevel ACDF. Various continuous irrigation rates of 0, 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0 cc/min were used. Forward-looking infrared thermography was used to measure the burr tip temperatures. The Midas Rex Legend EHS (Medtronic, PLC, Minneapolis, MN) stylus high-speed surgical drill was used with 3-mm burrs (diamond-coated and carbide-serrated steel) paired to the Medtronic Integrated Power Console set at 60,000 rpm. RESULTS: The 0.5-cc/min irrigation rate kept the maximum burr temperatures below 45°C (P < .001). With no irrigation (0 cc/min), the steel burrs reached a maximum of 141°C, and the diamond-coated burrs reached 177°C, which was the only significant difference related to the burr materials (P = 0.0354). With irrigation rates of 0.5 cc/min and above, the maximum recorded temperature for steel burrs was 40.6°C, and the maximum temperature for diamond-coated burrs was 38.9°C. Irrigation rates greater than 0.5 cc/min yielded little additional benefit. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the importance of adequate irrigation during high-speed burr drilling. Continuous irrigation is recommended even as low as 0.5 cc/min. It is good operative practice to reduce the risk of heat transmission to surrounding tissues, especially considering the proximity of cervical spinal nerve roots during uncoforaminal decompression.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice of institutional dental professionals regarding management of patients taking oral antithrombotic medications.

OBJECTIVES: Nowadays, there is an increasing number of patients prescribed regular antithrombotics. With these long-term medications, complications like postoperative bleeding are extremely important. Despite available guidelines on this issue, disparities in approach have been noticed. The current study aimed to explore the knowledge, attitude, and practice of dental professionals associated with a dental school in Saudi Arabia regarding the management of patients with oral antithrombotic medications. METHOD AND MATERIALS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on institutional-based dental professionals in Saudi Arabia. Fifty-six subjects, including 12 interns, 20 demonstrators, and 24 faculty members were included in the study. A modified semistructured questionnaire comprising 20 questions was used to gather respondents' knowledge, attitude, and practice related to oral antithrombotic medications. The chi-square test was applied for computing inferential statistics. Spearman correlation coefficient was performed for significant variables. RESULTS: The faculty members had comparable knowledge (P = .010) as well as practice (P = .001) levels, and significantly outscored the other two groups. The interns displayed a significantly higher knowledge score over the demonstrators, whereas the reverse scenario was seen for practice scores. Interestingly, participants were frequently found to be significantly overestimating the bleeding risk for procedures falling into the "no risk" category. A significantly positive correlation regarding the professional level could be shown in all domains. CONCLUSION: Professionals need to regularly update about novel anticoagulants, and should strictly comply with the established practice guidelines, thus improving the quality, safety, and value of dental health care.

Breaking Bad: A Comparative Descriptive Analysis of Periprosthetic Fractures Around Cemented and Uncemented Femoral Stems.

BACKGROUND: Periprosthetic fractures are most commonly classified according to the Vancouver classification system and more recently the Unified Classification System. The aim of this study is to provide a descriptive analysis of fracture patterns in femoral periprosthetic fractures (PPFs) by femoral stem fixation. METHODS: A retrospective observational study of all femoral PPFs over a 10-year period at our institution was conducted. Presenting radiographs were examined to assess the fracture pattern. RESULTS: Over the 10-year period, 138 femoral PPFs that underwent operative treatment were examined. Mean age of patients was 78 years with 45.7% male and median American Society of Anaesthesiologists grade 3. The femoral stem fixation was cemented in 83 patients and uncemented in 55 patients. Uncemented femoral stems most commonly caused a simple oblique fracture pattern (69.1%) with a more comminuted pattern seen in cemented fixation (59%). CONCLUSION: Fracture patterns differ according to femoral stem fixation. A simple "sickle-like" oblique fracture pattern was more commonly seen in uncemented stems while cemented tapered stems resulted in a comminuted "axe splitting" pattern.