Iatrogenic open humeral shaft fractures following functional bracing.

INTRODUCTION: The treatment of closed humeral shaft fractures tends to be successful with functional bracing. Treatment failure due to iatrogenic conversion to an open fracture has not been described in the literature. We present a case series of patients that experienced open humeral shaft fractures after initially being treated with functional bracing for closed humeral shaft fractures and describe what factors are associated with this complication. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective case series performed at three level 1 trauma centers across North America. All nonoperatively treated humeral shaft fractures were reviewed from 2001 to 2023. Patients were included if they sustained a humeral shaft fracture, > 18 years old, were initially treated non-operatively with functional bracing which subsequently converted to an open fracture. Eight patients met inclusion criteria. All included patients were eventually treated with irrigation, debridement, and open reduction and internal fixation. Outcomes assessed included mortality rate, time until the fracture converted from closed to open, need for further surgery, and bony union. Descriptive statistics were used in analysis. RESULTS: The eight included patients on average were 65 ± 21.4 years old and had a body mass index (BMI) of 25.6 ± 5.2. Six patients were initially injured due to a fall. Time until the fractures became open on average was 5.2 ± 3.6 weeks. Three patients (37.5%) died within 1.8 ± 0.6 years after initial injury. The average Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score was 4.5 ± 3.4. Three patients (37.5%) had dementia. Common characteristics among this cohort included a history of visual disturbances (50.0%), cerebrovascular accident (50.0%), smoking (50.0%), and alcohol abuse (50.0%). CONCLUSION: Conversion from a closed to open humeral shaft fracture after functional bracing is a potentially devastating complication. Physicians should be especially cognizant of patients with a low BMI, history of falling or visual disturbance, dementia, age ≥ 65, decreased sensorimotor protection, and significant smoking or alcohol history when choosing to use functional bracing as the final treatment modality. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

30-Day Postoperative Complications After Surgical Treatment of Proximal Humerus Fractures: Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty Versus Hemiarthroplasty.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to evaluate risk factors associated with complications after reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) and hemiarthroplasty for the treatment of proximal humerus fractures. METHODS: A retrospective review of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was conducted. Current Procedural Terminology codes were used to identify patients treated for proximal humerus fracture with reverse TSA or hemiarthroplasty between 2005 and 2018. RESULTS: One thousand five hundred sixty-three shoulder arthroplasties were conducted: 436 hemiarthroplasties and 1,127 reverse TSA. The overall complication rate was 15.4% (15.7% reverse TSA; 14.7% hemiarthroplasty) (P = 0.636). Most frequent complications included transfusion 11.1%, unplanned readmission 3.8%, and revision surgery 2.1%. A 1.1% incidence of thromboembolic events was noted. Complications occurred most frequently in patients older than 65 years; male; and patients with anemia, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification III-IV, inpatient procedure, bleeding disorders, duration of surgery >106 minutes, and length of stay >2.5 days. Patients with body mass index >36 kg/m2 had a decreased risk of 30-day postoperative complications. DISCUSSION: There was a 15.4% complication rate in the early postoperative period. In addition, no notable difference was found in complication rates between groups (hemiarthroplasty: 14.7%; reverse TSA 15.7%). Future studies are needed to determine whether there is a difference between these groups in the long-term outcome and survivorship of these implants.

What Postoperative Nutritional Interventions Lead to Better Outcomes in Fragility Hip Fractures? A Systematic Review.

Background: Fragility hip fracture patients are often malnourished. Nutrition supplementation may help, but it is unclear if supplementation is impactful when considering outcomes. A systematic review of literature examining perioperative nutrition status for older adults experiencing a hip fracture was performed. Methods: We searched Medline, CAB Abstracts and Embase (Ovid); Cochrane Library (Wiley); PubMed; Scopus; Global Index Medicus; Web of Science Core Collection; SPORTDiscus (EBSCO); and clinical trial registries ClinicalTrials.gov and WHO ICTRP from inception to April 2021, incorporating terminology related to nutritional interventions, fragility fractures, and postoperative outcomes. Two investigators reviewed citations for inclusion, extracted nutrition intervention criteria, and categorized hip fragility outcomes. Results: Of 1792 citations, 90 articles underwent full-text screening, and 14 articles were included in the final sample. We identified nutritional interventions and 4 outcomes of interest. 8 studies (n = 649) demonstrated a mean difference of .78 days (CI .34-1.21) in length of stay (LOS) between the nutritional intervention and control groups. Rehabilitation ward stays were discussed in 2 studies demonstrating a non-statistically significant difference. 7 studies (n = 341) reported mortality rates; when pooled there was no statistically significant difference. 5 studies showed data for postoperative infections and 4 studies reported on postoperative urinary tract infections. Pooling of data found a statistically significant result (Relative Risk: .49 [.32, .75], P = .001) with low heterogeneity (I2 = 27%). 4 studies reported urinary tract infections (n = 140) in the intervention group and (n = 121) in the control group with a non-statistically significant result. Grip strength was only reported in two studies but pooling of the data was non-statistically significant. Conclusions: This systematic review highlighted the lack of consensus regarding the type of nutrition interventions available and impact on outcomes of interest including mortality, length of stay, infections, and grip strength for fragility hip fractures in older adults.

Outcomes After Revision Fixation With Cement Augmentation for Failed Intertrochanteric Fracture Fixation in Older Adult Patients.

Introduction: Intertrochanteric (IT) fractures that fail fixation are traditionally treated with arthroplasty, introducing significant risk of morbidity and mortality in frail older adult patients. Revision fixation with cement augmentation is a relatively novel technique that has been reported in several small scale international studies. Here we report a clinical series of 22 patients that underwent revision fixation with cement augmentation for IT fracture fixation failure. Methods: This retrospective case series identified all patients that underwent revision intramedullary nailing from 2018 to 2021 at two institutions within a large metropolitan healthcare system. Demographics, injury characteristics, Charlson Comorbidity Index score, and surgical characteristics were extracted from the electronic medical record. Outcomes were extracted from the electronic medical record and included radiographic findings, pain, functional outcomes, complications, and mortality. Results: Average follow-up after revision surgery was 15.2 ± 10.6 months. Twenty patients (90.9%) reported improved pain and achieved union or progressive healing after surgery. Most of these patients regained some degree of independent ambulation (19 patients, 86.4%), with only 5 patients (22.7%) requiring increased assistance for their activities of daily living (ADLs). One-year mortality was 13.6% (3 patients). Of the 5 patients (22.7%) that experienced complications, 2 patients (9.1%) required revision hemiarthroplasty for subsequent fixation failure. The other 3 patients did well when complications resolved. Conclusions: Revision fixation with cement augmentation can be an effective, safe, cost-effective alternative to arthroplasty for the management of cases involving non-infected failed IT fracture fixation with implant cut-out or cut-through limited to the femoral head in older adult patients that have appropriate acetabular bone stock.

Early Outcomes After Surgical Management of Geriatric Patella Fractures.

OBJECTIVES: To report the incidence and risk factors for prolonged hospitalization, discharge to a facility, and postoperative complications in geriatric patients who underwent surgery for patella fracture. DESIGN: Retrospective database review. SETTING: The American College of Surgeons-National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) collects data from 600 hospitals across the United States. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: NSQIP patients over 65 years of age with patella fractures. INTERVENTION: Surgical fixation of patella fracture including extensor mechanism repair. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Prolonged hospitalization, discharge to a facility, and 30-day post-operative complications. RESULTS: 1721 patients were included in the study. The average age was 74.9 years. 358 (20.8%) patients were male. 122 (7.1%) patients had a length of stay greater than 7 days. Factors associated with prolonged length of stay include pre-existing renal failure, need for emergent surgery, and time to surgery greater than 24 hours from admission. 640 patients (37.2%) of patients were discharged to a facility after surgery. Discharge to facility was associated with age >77 years, obesity, anemia, thrombocytopenia, pre-operative SIRS, and CCI > 0.5. Admission from home decreased the odds of discharge to a facility. The most common postoperative complications in this population were unplanned readmission (3.4%), unplanned reoperation (2.7%), surgical site infection (1.1%), mortality (1.0%), venous thromboembolism (0.8%), and wound dehiscence (0.2%). Complication rates increased with anemia and ASA class IV-V. CONCLUSIONS: Geriatric patients undergoing operative intervention for patella fractures are at high risk for prolonged hospitalization, discharge to facility, unplanned readmission or reoperation, and surgical site complications in the first 30 days following surgery. This study highlights modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors associated with adverse events. Early recognition of these factors can allow for close monitoring and multidisciplinary intervention in the perioperative period to improve outcomes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic level III.

Osteonecrosis of the Hip in Hematologic Disease: A Review of Conditions and Treatment Options.

Osteonecrosis of the hip can lead to advanced arthritis in typically young patients. Hematologic disorders comprise one group of potential causes. These include sickle cell anemia, hemophilia, aplastic anemia, thalassemia, and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Depending on the stage of disease, treatment options include non-operative management, joint-preserving procedures (percutaneous drilling, core decompression, and vascularized or non-vascularized bone grafting), and joint arthroplasty (resurfacing arthroplasty and THA). Numerous small studies have investigated the efficacy of these options in patients who have specific hematologic disorders. Therefore, this report provides a comprehensive review of the osteonecrosis treatment options and results across the spectrum of patients who have various hematologic disorders.