Complete Genome Sequences of Mycobacterium smegmatis Phages MelsMeow, Yorick, Virgeve, and Mikro.

Mycobacterium phages Mikro, Yorick, Virgeve, and MelsMeow were isolated from soil in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Mikro is a myovirus with a comparatively large genome of 157,166 bp. The remainder are siphoviruses with genome lengths ranging from 59,227 bp to 68,563 bp. All phages were isolated on Mycobacterium smegmatis.

Total femoral allograft with simultaneous revision total hip and knee arthroplasty: 18 year follow-up.

Massive allograft can be a useful option in revision total joint arthroplasty for treatment of significant bone loss. In rare cases, revision hip and knee arthroplasty procedures can be performed simultaneously using massive allograft-prosthetic composites. We present an 18 year follow up of a patient who received a simultaneous revision hip and knee total femoral allograft and discuss recent literature as it relates to this case.

Transfusion cost savings with tranexamic acid in primary total knee arthroplasty from 2009 to 2012.

Tranexamic acid (TXA) has proven to be very advantageous to the total knee arthroplasty (TKA) population. With TXA, the need for allogeneic blood transfusion is reduced and thus hospital costs are reduced. In our hospital system, before TXA was used, facility cost was an estimated $84.90/TKA for blood transfusion and required 0.13 man-hours/TKA (transfusion rate 6.5%); after incorporating intravenous TXA, cost was $82.59/TKA for blood transfusion and TXA medication and 0.007 man-hours/TKA (transfusion rate 0.3%). There were no transfusions when TXA was applied topically, and the facility cost was $39.14/TKA and no employee hours consumed. Topical TXA has the potential to significantly reduce blood transfusions and decrease hospital man-hours/TKA as well as achieve larger cost saving.

Does tranexamic acid reduce blood transfusion cost for primary total hip arthroplasty? A case-control study.

Peri-operative tranexamic acid (TXA) significantly reduces the need for allogeneic blood transfusion in total hip arthroplasty (THA) and thus hospital costs are reduced. Before employing TXA in primary THA at our institution, facility costs were $286.90/THA for blood transfusion and required 0.45 man-hours/THA (transfusion rate 19.87%). After incorporating TXA, the cost for intravenous application was $123.38/THA for blood transfusion and TXA medication and 0.07 man-hours/THA (transfusion rate 4.39%) and the cost for topical application was $132.41/THA for blood transfusion and TXA and 0.14 man-hours/THA (transfusion rate 12.86%). TXA has the potential to reduce the facility cost per THA and the man-hours/THA from blood transfusions.