Faculty Bibliography
Searched for:
in-biosketch:true
person:gonzag07
Total Results:
71
The impact of socioeconomic factors on outcomes following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction [Meeting Abstract]
Objectives: Socioeconomic factors have been shown to impact patient care in many surgical fields; however, their effects have not been thoroughly evaluated in the context of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) outcomes. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of socioeconomic factors on time to surgery, knee function, and subjective outcomes measures following ACLR.
Method(s): A retrospective query of primary ACLR surgeries at a single institution performed from 2011 to 2015 with minimum twoyear follow-up was conducted. Patient demographics, insurance type, worker's compensation status, surgical variables, IKDC score, and failure were recorded from chart review. Education level and income were obtained via phone interview. Differences between functional outcome were compared between Medicaid and non-Medicaid groups.
Result(s): 268 patients were included in the analysis (43 patients in the Medicaid group and 225 patients in the non-Medicaid group). The Medicaid group demonstrated lower annual income (p<0.01) and a lower level of completed education compared to the non- Medicaid group (p<0.01). Medicaid patients had a greater duration between time of initial knee injury and surgery compared to the non-Medicaid group (11.8 +/- 16.3 months versus 6.1 +/- 16.5 months, p = 0.04). At the time of follow-up, patients in the non- Medicaid group had a significantly greater IKDC score compared to Medicaid patients (82.5 +/- 13.8 versus 75.3 +/- 20.8, p = 0.03).
Conclusion(s): Socioeconomic factors impacted care in the setting of ACL injury. Medicaid insurance patients were seen significantly later after initial injury when compared to non-Medicaid carriers, and had worse outcomes compared to their non-Medicaid peers. Higher annual income brackets had significantly higher clinical outcomes scores at a minimum of two years postoperatively. Education level did not affect outcomes
Method(s): A retrospective query of primary ACLR surgeries at a single institution performed from 2011 to 2015 with minimum twoyear follow-up was conducted. Patient demographics, insurance type, worker's compensation status, surgical variables, IKDC score, and failure were recorded from chart review. Education level and income were obtained via phone interview. Differences between functional outcome were compared between Medicaid and non-Medicaid groups.
Result(s): 268 patients were included in the analysis (43 patients in the Medicaid group and 225 patients in the non-Medicaid group). The Medicaid group demonstrated lower annual income (p<0.01) and a lower level of completed education compared to the non- Medicaid group (p<0.01). Medicaid patients had a greater duration between time of initial knee injury and surgery compared to the non-Medicaid group (11.8 +/- 16.3 months versus 6.1 +/- 16.5 months, p = 0.04). At the time of follow-up, patients in the non- Medicaid group had a significantly greater IKDC score compared to Medicaid patients (82.5 +/- 13.8 versus 75.3 +/- 20.8, p = 0.03).
Conclusion(s): Socioeconomic factors impacted care in the setting of ACL injury. Medicaid insurance patients were seen significantly later after initial injury when compared to non-Medicaid carriers, and had worse outcomes compared to their non-Medicaid peers. Higher annual income brackets had significantly higher clinical outcomes scores at a minimum of two years postoperatively. Education level did not affect outcomes
EMBASE:636526964
ISSN: 2325-9671
CID: 5083322
The COVID lockdown and its effects on soft tissue injuries in Premier League Athletes
BACKGROUND/UNASSIGNED:During the COVID impacted 2020-2021 season of the English soccer league, there was an appreciable number of injuries experienced by players. These injuries, however, have not been quantified against previous seasons to highlight the altered season as a causative factor. METHODS/UNASSIGNED:, with the provided information allowing for the sorting of the data into muscular and ligamentous injuries and skeletal injuries. RESULTS/UNASSIGNED:Overall 226, 260, and 289 muscular and ligamentous injuries were observed across the 2018/2019, 2019/2020, and 2020/2021 seasons, respectively. There were 495Â minutes on average played leading up to first injury in the 2020/2021 season, compared with 521Â minutes in the 2019/2020 season and 536Â minutes in the 2018/2019. There was an average of games played to injury of 5.6 games in the 2020/2021 year, with 6.0 in the 2019/2020 year and 6.1 in the 2018/2019 year. Additionally, there was a significantly shorter time in between games was noted during the COVID-affected season with a mean time of 6.8Â days in-between games played during the 2020-2021 season as compared to the previous years of 9.12 and 7.12Â days. CONCLUSION/UNASSIGNED:Our study found that there were more injuries and a decreased time to first injury observed during the COVID-impacted 2020-2021 season than the two preceding seasons, perhaps demonstrating a link between fixture congestion and athlete injuries as evidenced by the significantly shorter time between games. It is therefore prudent to retain fixture spacing for athlete recovery even against the backdrop of an overall shortened season.
PMID: 34511046
ISSN: 2326-3660
CID: 5067202
High Return to Sport in Patients Over 45 Years of Age Undergoing Osteochondral Allograft Transplantation for Isolated Chondral Defects in the Knee
OBJECTIVE/UNASSIGNED:The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of osteochondral allograft (OCA) in patients older than 45 years of age, particularly with respect to return to sport. DESIGN/UNASSIGNED:A retrospective review was performed to evaluate patients greater than 45 who underwent an OCA for a symptomatic osteochondral defect of the knee between June 2011 and January 2019. RESULTS/UNASSIGNED:< 0.01). Furthermore, the mean Visual Analogue Scale while playing sport was 3.4 ± 3.2, and the mean Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score was 77.5 ± 12.7 at final follow-up. Overall, 11 patients (78.6%) were able to return to their desired sport. No clinical failures were identified during the follow-up period. CONCLUSION/UNASSIGNED:In our series of patients 45 years and older who were treated with OCA for focal osteochondral injuries of the knee, we found a significant improvement in clinical outcome scores at a midterm follow-up of 37 months with no revision OCA procedures or conversion to any form of knee arthroplasty. In addition, a high percentage of patients were able to return to their preferred level of athletic activity.
PMID: 34521255
ISSN: 1947-6043
CID: 5012312
Performance and Return to Sport after Injury in Professional Mixed Martial Arts
BACKGROUND/UNASSIGNED:Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is an increasingly popular combat sport incorporating striking and grappling that results in a high incidence of injuries. OBJECTIVES/UNASSIGNED:The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of injuries on the return to sport and post-injury performance of professional MMA athletes. We hypothesize that increased age is associated with lower probability of return to sport and diminished post-injury performance. METHODS/UNASSIGNED:Publicly available data (obtained from ESPN.com/MMA, UFC.com, Rotowire.com/MMA) from professional MMA fighters who resigned from fight cards due to injury from 2012 to 2014 were analyzed. Injury history, match history and outcomes, and duration of time to return to professional fighting were recorded and compared to a cohort consisting of uninjured opponents. RESULTS/UNASSIGNED:454 fighters were included in the analysis. The mean age at the time of injury was 30.0+/-3.9 years. 94.4% of injured athletes were able to return to professional MMA, and athletes required a mean duration of 6.8+/-6.7 months between injury and their next professional fight (range 0.3-58 months). There was no significant difference in winning percentage in the post-injury period between the injured group and the uninjured group (p=0.691). Increased age at the time of injury was associated with the odds of being able to return to professional fighting after injury (OR=0.822, p=0.001). CONCLUSION/UNASSIGNED:In this analysis of publicly available injury data on MMA fighters, there was a high rate of return to professional sport and no evidence of an associated decline in performance following major injury requiring withdrawal from a fight card. Older age at the time of injury was associated with decreased odds of being able to return to professional fighting. With increasing popularity of combat sports, sport-specific prognostic information will help guide and treat specific injuries associated with MMA participation.
PMID: 34236932
ISSN: 2326-3660
CID: 4933402
The Effect of Specialization and Level of Competition on Injury in Elite Male Ice Hockey Players
Objective: Young players experience pressure to focus on ice hockey at the exclusion of other sports in order to improve chances of success. Early specialization in other sports has been associated with increased injury without the benefit of improved success. The objective of the current study was to investigate whether earlier specialization results in increased injury without higher rates of career success. This study also aimed to compare rates of injury in athletes at various levels of competition.Methods: An original survey was issued to men's ice hockey players at the juniorA, collegiate, and professional levels. The survey consisted of 34 questions on various demographic, specialization, and injury variables. All participants were >18 years of age.Results: The survey was completed by 101 athletes. The mean age at specialization was 13 (±4) overall and 14 (±3), 13 (±4), and 11(±4) for professional, collegiate, and junior players, respectively. There was no difference in age at specialization between each group and professional players did not specialize earlier than the remainder of the cohort as a whole (p>0.05). There was no significant correlation between age at specialization and total injuries (p>0.05). There was no difference in concussions causing missed play time between groups (p>0.05) but professional players had more overall concussions and underwent more surgeries due to hockey related injuries (p=0.01).Conclusions: Specializing exclusively in ice hockey earlier in life was not associated with playing professionally. Both collegiate and professional players do not tend to specialize prior to age 12. Age at specialization was not associated with overall number of injuries. Professional players with longer careers appear to sustain more concussions and undergo more surgery.
PMID: 33840376
ISSN: 2326-3660
CID: 4845602
The Use and Acceptance of Telemedicine in Orthopedic Surgery During the COVID-19 Pandemic
PMID: 32931363
ISSN: 1556-3669
CID: 4592902
Characterizing Sport Specialization Patterns in Professional Women's Ice Hockey Players
BACKGROUND:Early year-round training in a single sport has been associated with high rates of overuse injuries. Despite this increasingly well-known risk of early sport specialization, many young athletes elect to specialize in a single sport due to the perception that this practice gives them the best chance of attaining elite athletic status. However, early specialization in women's ice hockey has not previously been shown to be reliably associated with attainment of elite levels of performance. We hypothesized that professional women's ice hockey players specialize in mid-adolescence, at an age comparable to their male counterparts. METHODS:An anonymous survey was given to members of two National Women's Hockey League teams. The athletes were asked how many years they have been playing hockey, at what age they began playing only hockey on a year-round basis, how many sports they played in addition to hockey, and if they felt that playing multiple sports while growing up positively affected their hockey careers. RESULTS:Fifty-four players completed the survey. The players reported playing hockey for an average of 19.4 ± 3.4 years. They began specializing in ice hockey at an average of 16.1 ± 3.3 years of age, 2 years later than previously reported in male NHL and NCAA athletes. Before specializing in hockey, players played an average of 3.5 ± 1.4 other sports. Ninetyone percent of players reported feeling as though playing other sports positively affected their hockey career.
PMID: 34081885
ISSN: 2328-5273
CID: 4891882
Bone-Patellar Tendon-Bone Autograft Thickness Is a Risk Factor for Graft Failure. A Case-Control Analysis
BACKGROUND:Graft failure following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) is a devastating complication. Risk factors such as patient characteristics and tunnel positions are well described. The relationship between graft dimension and failure rates has been investigated mainly in soft tissue grafts. Less studied are the effects of patella tendon (PT) dimensions on the risk of graft failure following patella tendon autograft (PTA) reconstructions. PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE:The purpose of the current study was to investigate if patellar tendon thickness measured on preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) predicts failure after ACLR using PTA. METHODS:This was an institutional review board approved, single-center, retrospective case-control study comparing patients' preoperative patellar tendon thickness between July 2005 and January 2017. Sixteen patients (mean age 21.2 ± 5.0 years) with PTA failure requiring revision surgery were identified and compared to 34 control patients who had undergone primary ACLR with PTA without failure with a minimum of 2-years follow-up. Patients with failure were matched at approximately 1:2 based on age, sex, height, weight, associated meniscus injury, and associated meniscal surgery. Patellar tendon dimensions were measured at the inferior pole of the patella (IPP), tibial tubercle insertion (TT), and longitudinal midpoint (MP) on preoperative axial and sagittal cut MRIs. Interclass correlation coefficeint (ICC) and Bland-Altman analyses were evaluated to determine inter-observer reliability. The two cohorts were compared using independent samples t-tests and analysis of variance. RESULTS:All ACLR failures occurred after a non-contact, pivot type injury. There were no significant differences in age, sex, height, weight, meniscal injury, or meniscal surgery between the two groups. Mean time between primary ACLR and revision was 2.6 ± 2.6 years and mean follow-up time was 3.1 ± 1.0 years in the control group. Patellar tendon length and width were not significantly different between the two groups. The average thickness at both the inferior pole and longitudinal midpoint was significantly higher in the failure group compared to controls (IPP: 5.04 ± 1.1 mm versus 4.33 ± 0.7 mm, p = 0.01; MP: 4.60 ± 0.7 mm versus 4.22 ± 0.5 mm, p = 0.03). Additionally, ICC was high across all measurements, with all values > 0.978. Similarly, all values demonstrated bias of less than ± 0.05. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Patella tendon autograft anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction failures had significantly thicker patellar tendons at the inferior pole and longitudinal midpoint of the patella tendon.
PMID: 34081882
ISSN: 2328-5273
CID: 4891852
Patient Satisfaction Is Equivalent Using Telemedicine Versus Office-Based Follow-up After Arthroscopic Meniscal Surgery: A Prospective, Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND:Telemedicine has increasingly been considered as a viable alternative to traditional office-based health care, including postoperative follow-up visits. The purpose of the present study was to determine if patient satisfaction with overall care is equivalent for telemedicine follow-up (i.e., synchronous face-to-face video) and office-based follow-up after arthroscopic meniscectomy and repair. METHODS:Patients were prospectively enrolled from August 1, 2019, to March 1, 2020. Patients were included who were ≥18 years old, consented to isolated arthroscopic meniscal repair or meniscectomy, and were able to properly utilize telemedicine software on a computer, tablet, or smartphone with a built-in camera. Patient demographic data, including complication events and postoperative satisfaction data, were recorded and analyzed for significance. RESULTS:One hundred and fifty patients were enrolled in the study, of whom 122 (81.3%) were included in the final analysis. There were no significant differences between groups in terms of patient demographics or satisfaction scores. Patient satisfaction with overall care was equivalent based on the results of two 1-sided t-test analysis for equivalence (9.77 ± 0.60 in the office-based group versus 9.79 ± 0.53 in the telemedicine group; p < 0.001). When patients were asked to indicate their preferred follow-up type with the options listed as the type they received versus an alternative, 58 patients (84.1%) in the office-based group preferred their received type of follow-up, whereas 42 (79.2%) in the telemedicine group preferred their received follow-up (p = 0.493). There were no significant differences between groups in terms of complications (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS:The present study showed that patient satisfaction with overall care is equivalent between telemedicine and office-based follow-up in the immediate postoperative period following an arthroscopic meniscal surgical procedure, and should be considered a reasonable alternative to the traditional in-office modality. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE/METHODS:Therapeutic Level I. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
PMID: 33720907
ISSN: 1535-1386
CID: 4817442
Institutional Reductions in Opioid Prescribing Following Hip Arthroscopy Do Not Change Patient Satisfaction Scores
Purpose/UNASSIGNED:To investigate what effect decreased opioid prescribing following hip arthroscopy had on Press-Ganey satisfaction survey scores. Methods/UNASSIGNED:A retrospective review of prospectively collected data was conducted on patients who underwent primary hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement between October 2014 and October 2019. Inclusion criteria consisted of complete Press-Ganey survey information, no history of trauma, fracture, connective tissue disease, developmental hip dysplasia, autoimmune disease, or previous hip arthroscopy. Groups were separated based on date of surgery relative to implementation of an institutional opioid reduction policy that occurred in October 2018. Prescriptions were converted to milligram morphine equivalents (MME) for direct comparison between different opioids. Results/UNASSIGNED:> .05). Conclusions/UNASSIGNED:A reduction in opioids prescribed after a hip arthroscopy is not associated with any statistically significant difference in patient satisfaction with pain management, as measured by the Press-Ganey survey. Level of Evidence/UNASSIGNED:Level III, retrospective comparative study.
PMCID:8129453
PMID: 34027456
ISSN: 2666-061x
CID: 4887522
