Smoking Is Not an Independent Risk Factor for Increased Opioid Consumption in Patients Being Treated for Ankle Fractures.

Using narcotics for pain management is an integral part of orthopaedic surgery, especially after traumatic injuries such as ankle fractures. Although narcotics are often necessary for adequate pain control, prolonged duration of opioid treatment is becoming more common, and the detrimental effects of opioid use are well known. To treat this epidemic, we need to better understand the factors that put patients at risk for increased narcotic requirements and potential opioid misuse after orthopaedic injuries. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively compare opioid use among ankle fracture patients in smokers versus nonsmokers to better elucidate whether tobacco use is a risk factor for increased opioid consumption. A retrospective review was conducted for all patients who presented with an ankle fracture (Weber A to C) to any of 8 institutions in a large mid-Atlantic regional hospital system and subsequently underwent surgery between the November 2013 and January 2017. Exclusion criteria included patients age <18 years, a diagnosis of a pilon fracture, polytrauma, history of substance abuse, chronic pain syndromes, and osteoporosis. This yielded a total of 130 patients (96 nonsmokers and 34 smokers). A repeated-measures analysis of variance was conducted to compare opioid consumption between the 2 groups. Model analysis demonstrated no difference between the 2 groups (p = .782). There was no difference in opioid consumption at 1 month (p = .838), 2 months (p = .569), or 3 months (p = .656) between smokers and nonsmokers. Our study revealed no significant difference in opioid consumption among smokers compared with nonsmokers in patients treated for ankle fractures.

Utility of Ottawa Ankle Rules in an Aging Population: Evidence for Addition of an Age Criterion.

The Ottawa ankle rules (OAR) indicate that any patient with the inability to ambulate up to four steps or with tenderness at either malleoli should receive diagnostic imaging for an acute ankle injury. Current trends indicate that health care providers tend to order more images in practice than necessary according to OAR. The purpose of this study is to analyze OAR in geriatric versus nongeriatric patients. Secondarily, we hope to refine these guidelines for ankle imaging in the hopes that health care providers will be comfortable in adhering to these guidelines more strictly. A retrospective chart review was conducted of 491 adult patients with an average (± standard deviation) age of 54.4 ± 21.6 years (range 18 to 96). Applying the current OAR resulted in a sensitivity of 98.2% and a specificity of 58.6% in this entire cohort. The calculated sensitivities were comparable between the nongeriatric and geriatric cohorts, at 98.60% and 97.99%, respectively. The specificities varied between the nongeriatric and geriatric cohorts, at 60.13% and 33.33%. We propose new guidelines that would mandate imaging studies for any patient ≥65 years of age presenting to the emergency department with ankle pain. When applying these proposed guidelines, the sensitivity of the entire study population was found to be improved to 99.0%, whereas the specificity dropped to 56.7%. The slight decrease in specificity was deemed acceptable because these guidelines are meant to be used as a screening tool and because the risk of OAR not correctly identifying ankle fracture (2% of geriatric fractures) was completely mitigated in the geriatric population.

Increased opioid consumption in diabetics with operative ankle fractures: a retrospective case-control study.

INTRODUCTION: Opioids are commonly used for post-operative pain control. It is known that diabetic patients with ankle fractures will experience prolonged healing, higher risk of hardware failure, and an increased risk of infection. However, the opioid requirements amongst this patient cohort have not been previously evaluated. Thus, the purpose of this study is to retrospectively compare opioid utilization amongst ankle fracture patients with and without diabetes mellitus (DM). METHODS: An IRB approval was obtained for the retrospective review of patients who presented with an ankle fracture and underwent surgery between November 2013 and January 2017. A total of 180 patients (144 without DM, 36 with DM) with a mean age of 50 years (± 18 years) were included. Opioid consumption was quantified utilizing a morphine-milliequivalent conversion algorithm. A repeated measures ANOVA was conducted to compare opioid consumption. A two-tailed p value of 0.05 was set as the threshold for statistical significance. RESULTS: Repeated measures ANOVA revealed a statistically significant decrease in total opioid consumption during the 4-month duration (p < 0.001). The model demonstrated a mean difference in opioid consumption of - 214.3 morphine meq between the patients without and with DM (p = 0.022). Post hoc pair-wise comparison revealed less opioid consumption amongst non-diabetic patients at 2 (- 418.5 Meq; p = 0.009), 3 months (- 355.6 Meq; p = 0.021), and 4 months (- 152.6 Meq; p = 0.006) after surgery. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed increased opioid consumption amongst diabetic patients who are treated surgically for ankle fractures. With increasing efforts aimed at reducing opioid administration, orthopaedic surgeons should be aware of higher opioid consumption amongst this patient cohort. Further studies are needed to verify the results of this study.

Xenograft scaffold full-wrap reinforcement of Krackow achilles tendon repair.

Standard 4-strand repair of Achilles tendon tears is effective, but additional strength may be desirable in patients who are compromised or those with reruptures. Use of a xenograft scaffold has not been investigated biomechanically in Achilles tendon repair. This study compared stiffness, gap formation, and ultimate load to failure with Krackow repair vs Krackow repair augmented with xenograft scaffold in 6 matched pairs of fresh-frozen human lower extremities. The Achilles tendon was transected 4 cm above the calcaneal insertion. Specimens were randomized to receive standard Krackow repair or Krackow repair augmented with a porcine xenograft scaffold. The graft was wrapped around the repaired tendon, sutured to itself with 2-0 FiberWire (Arthrex, Naples, Florida), and attached to the tendon distally and proximally and then medially and laterally. Specimens were loaded for 200 cycles between 5 and 30 N. Load to 5-mm gapping and load to ultimate failure were measured. Xenograft scaffold augmentation of standard Krakow Achilles tendon repair was significantly stronger and stiffer than standard Krackow repair in a biomechanical model immediately after repair (39.0±8.8 vs 24.4±4.6 N/mm; P=.01). The augmented repair group had significantly higher load to ultimate failure than did the Krackow group (862.7±174.0 vs 479.5±65.5 N; P<.01). Biological factors remain to be investigated, but this augmentation method could provide additional strength in patients who are compromised or those with reruptures.

Biological and environmental contributions to adaptive behavior in fragile X syndrome.

Fragile X syndrome is the most common cause of inherited developmental disability. The purpose of the present study is to understand how both biological and environmental influences affect the development of adaptive behavior in children with fragile X. In-home assessments were conducted on 120 children (80 boys and 40 girls) with the fragile X full mutation and their unaffected siblings (58 boys and 62 girls). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were utilized. Independent variables included biological or demographic variables specific to the child (age, gender, full-scale IQ, and FMRP percentage), as well as factors specific to his/her environment (household income, home environment, maternal psychopathology, and effectiveness of educational/therapeutic services). Results of these analyses showed that for both boys with fragile X and the control sibling group, adaptive behavior was predicted by IQ, age, gender, and home environment. For girls with fragile X, adaptive behavior was most strongly associated with IQ. Adaptive behavior was not significantly associated with FMRP in boys or girls with fragile X. By examining the relative influences of biological and environmental factors on adaptive behavior in children with fragile X, we begin to lay the foundation for the development of more specific treatment studies in children with this disorder.

Genetic and environmental influences on the cognitive outcomes of children with fragile X syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To measure the genetic and environmental factors influencing the cognitive outcomes in children with fragile X, a common genetic disorder causing cognitive impairments. METHOD: In-home evaluations were conducted on 120 children (80 boys and 40 girls) with the fragile X full mutation and their unaffected siblings. RESULTS: Multiple regression analyses show that the cognitive outcomes for girls with fragile X are most strongly predicted by the mean IQ of their parents, with a small proportion of the variance accounted for by the quality of their home environment. FMR1 protein (FMRP) was associated with girls' levels of distractibility. Mean parental IQ was associated only with boys' Performance IQs, while FMRP was associated with boys' Full Scale IQs. The quality of boys' home environments accounted for more of the variance in their cognitive outcomes than it did for affected girls. CONCLUSIONS: Both biological/genetic factors and environmental factors are significant predictors of IQ in children with fragile X syndrome; however, the influence of specific factors differs between girls and boys. These findings lay the foundation for further investigation into biological and environmental interventions.