Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND:The Bundled Payment Care Improvement (BPCI) initiative aims to improve quality of patient care while mitigating cost. How patient age and frailty affect reimbursement after hip and knee total joint arthroplasty (TJA) is not known. This study evaluates if patient age and frailty affect cost of care. METHODS:A retrospective review of prospectively collected data of 1821 patients undergoing TJA at our institution under the BPCI initiative was performed from 2013 to 2016. We recorded demographics for patients and calculated their modified frailty index (mFI). Cost of care was obtained for each patient. Statistical analyses included t-test and analysis of variance to evaluate age and frailty as independent categorical variables. Beta coefficients were utilized to evaluate age as a continuous variable. Multivariate linear regression models evaluated age and frailty's combined contribution to cost. RESULTS:Age was evaluated as a categorical variable, with the median age of our sample population the categorical cutoff. Age ≥72 years and increasing mFI score were associated with statistically significant increased cost. Increasing age demonstrated a statistically significant increase in cost of 0.68% per incremental age increase. Multivariate evaluation of increasing age and mFI revealed a statistically significant increase in cost for mFI score ≥2. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Increasing age and frailty increase cost associated with TJA. The BPCI initiative over-simplifies the cost associated with TJA. Concerningly, this information could deincentivize care to older, higher risk patients. Objective patient-specific and risk-adjusted stratification of BPCI pricing is necessary to be considered as a valid financial model.

BACKGROUND:Alongside advances in total hip arthroplasty (THA), innovations in the treatment of cancer have led to an increasing number of patients living with this devastating disease. Radiation therapy has well-documented clinical effects on bone health, leading to pelvic insufficiency fractures and osteonecrosis of the femoral head. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to report on THA outcomes in this patient population in an effort to determine if a need to change management exists during surgical planning. METHODS:, 2018 was conducted. This resulted in 8 studies in which the primary outcome measures evaluated were rates of aseptic loosening and revision THA. RESULTS:Among 232 hips at a weighted mean follow-up time of 52 months, the aseptic loosening rate was 10% and revision THA rate was 12%. Sub-analysis of 116 THAs with cementless cups demonstrated an aseptic loosening and revision THA rate of 8% and 10%, respectively. CONCLUSION:The findings of the present study indicate that THA recipients who have received radiation therapy to the pelvis before arthroplasty surgery have higher rates of aseptic loosening and revision THA when compared with previously published rates in healthy THA recipients. Additionally, it is possible that female THA recipients who have received pelvic irradiation may be at a higher risk for aseptic loosening and revision THA. Surgeons should counsel patients with a history of pelvic irradiation about their potentially higher risk for these complications. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:Level I, meta-analysis, and systematic review.

Arthrofibrosis is the pathologic stiffening of a joint caused by an exaggerated inflammatory response. As a common complication following total knee arthroplasty (TKA), this benign-appearing connective tissue hyperplasia can cause significant disability among patients because the concomitant knee pain and restricted range of motion severely hinder postoperative rehabilitation, clinical outcomes, and basic activities of daily living. The most effective management for arthrofibrosis in the setting of TKA is prevention, including preoperative patient education programs, aggressive postoperative physical therapy regimens, and anti-inflammatory medications. Operative treatments include manipulation under anesthesia, arthroscopic debridement, and quadricepsplasty.

BACKGROUND:Patients with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) require special surgical considerations for total hip arthroplasty (THA). Despite the difficulties posed by the population's anatomical abnormalities, few large evaluations of postoperative outcomes exist. This study seeks to characterize outcomes following primary THA among patients diagnosed with DDH. METHODS:A retrospective review was conducted at a tertiary care center on all THA patients between June 2011 and March 2018. Inclusion criteria for this study included any patient diagnosed with DDH undergoing primary THA. Baseline information, operative reports, and postoperative outcomes were pulled from the medical record. RESULTS:. Most patients were female (82%). The majority of hips (89%, n = 344) were Crowe type 1, followed by 2 (6.9%, n = 26), 3 (2.6%, n = 10), and 4 (1.3%, n = 5). Most hips were Hartofilakidis Class A (83%, n = 320), followed by Class B (15%, n = 59), then C (1.6%, n = 6). Mean follow-up was 24.8 months. Revision THA was required in 19 (4.9%) cases, with the most common indications being infection (2.1%) and periprosthetic fracture (1.0%). Readmission rates were 1.8% (7 hips) and 2.9% (11 hips) at 30-day and 90-day, respectively. The 30-day and 90-day ED visit rates were 1.3% (5 hips) and 2.1% (8 hips), respectively. No complications were seen following 344 (87%) THAs. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Despite their surgical complexity, DDH patients on average have notably low rates of revision and dislocation. Longer follow-up is needed to better assess outcomes after THA in this complex patient population.

BACKGROUND:Advancements in the management of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) now permit HIV-positive patients to have longer life spans, increasing their cumulative risk of developing an advanced degenerative joint disease, necessitating total hip arthroplasty (THA). The purpose of this study was to provide an extended follow-up on a previously published study on a cohort of HIV-positive THA recipients in an effort to confirm the safety and longevity of THA in this population. METHODS:This study is a follow-up on a previous study comprised of 41 hips in 31 HIV-positive THA recipients. At this follow-up, 5 patients from the original cohort required contralateral THA. Postoperative complications were recorded up to the patient's last follow-up date. A survivorship analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method with revision THA as the end point. RESULTS:Since the last report, 2 additional hips were revised (one for aseptic loosening and one for a periprosthetic fracture), and 5 patients underwent contralateral THA. This resulted in a total of 5 (13.8%) hips requiring revision THA at the latest follow-up. The mean follow-up interval for the original cohort and for the contralateral 5 hips was 78.9 ± 50.2 months and 54.6 ± 45.3 months, respectively. Kaplan-Meier survivorship analysis with revision THA for any reason as the end point demonstrated survivorship of 93% (2 years), 90% (5 years), and 81% (10 and 14 years) after primary THA, respectively. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Our study suggests that it is possible to achieve a low incidence of postoperative infection in HIV-positive THA recipients. In addition, our study demonstrates that non-hemophiliac HIV-positive patients have comparable revision rates to previously published reports on HIV-negative patients of similar age, underscoring the clinical efficacy of highly active antiretroviral therapy.

Oxinium is an alternative bearing surface designed to emulate the superior wear and scratch properties of ceramic femoral heads in total hip arthroplasty while minimizing the risk for brittle fracturing. However, recent studies have indicated that hip dislocation following total hip arthroplasty may be a risk factor for catastrophic failure of the femoral head. Here, we report on a novel case of a catastrophic Oxinium head and polyethylene liner failure in the absence of previous hip dislocation or trauma and review the probable failure mechanism. This report underscores the need to be vigilant about proper acetabular cup and liner seating, particularly in the setting of Oxinium femoral head use. In the event of Oxinium head failure, metallosis may compromise stabilizing soft tissues including the abductors. Dual-mobility articulation, which was successful in this case, is one option to consider when the risk for chronic redislocation is elevated.

BACKGROUND:Patients with chronic hepatitis C (HCV) have had extremely high complication rates after total hip arthroplasty (THA). We sought to compare perioperative complication rates between untreated and treated HCV in THA patients and to compare these rates between patients treated with 2 different therapies (interferon vs direct antiviral agents). METHODS:A multicenter retrospective database query was used to identify patients diagnosed with HCV who underwent THA between 2006 and 2016. All patients (n = 105) identified were included and divided into 2 groups: untreated (n = 63) and treated (n = 42) HCV; treated patients were further subdivided into those receiving interferon (n = 16) or direct antiviral agent therapies (n = 26). Comparisons between the treated and untreated groups were made with respect to demographic data, comorbidities, preoperative viral load, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score, and all surgical and medical complications; a subgroup analysis of the treated patients was also performed. Separate independent t-tests or Mann-Whitney U tests were conducted for continuous variables. Categorical variables were compared using the chi-squared test of independence. RESULTS:A greater number of untreated patients were human immunodeficiency virus infected (P = .01), while a reduced number of treated patients were either former or current smokers (P = .004). The untreated group had greater surgical complication rates (25.4% vs 4.8%; P = .007), with a higher rate of periprosthetic joint infection (14.3% vs 0%, P = .01). For treated patients, no differences were observed between treatment types for postsurgical complications. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Treatment for HCV prior to THA appears to be associated to fewer postoperative complications, primarily periprosthetic joint infection. Although further investigation is warranted, strong consideration should be given to treating patients for HCV prior to elective THA.

Vascular complications in revision total hip arthroplasty may occur in cases where the components of the hip implant migrate through the acetabular wall, through the iliopectineal line of the pelvis, and into the pelvic cavity. This migration may lead to substantial intrapelvic vascular compromise, drastically increasing the surgical complexity and potential risk for morbidity and mortality in these surgical cases. Here, we present a case of a 78-year-old woman with significant acetabular protrusio, which resulted in intraoperative compromise of the external iliac artery with rapid extravasation. As a result of prudent preoperative planning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and precautionary measures, significant patient morbidity and mortality was averted.