Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND:We sought to identify differences between total joint arthroplasties (TJAs) performed by adult reconstruction fellowship-trained surgeons (FT) than non-fellowship-trained surgeons (NFT). METHODS:A single-institution database was utilized to identify patients who underwent elective TJA between 2016 and 2019. RESULTS:In total, 16,882 TJAs were identified: 9111 total hip arthroplasties (THAs) and 7771 total knee arthroplasties (TKAs). Patients undergoing THA by FT surgeons were older (63.11 vs 61.84 years, P < .001), more likely to be white, insured by Medicare, and less likely to be active smokers (P < .0001). Both surgical time (90.03 vs 113.1 minutes, P < .0001) and mean length of stay (LOS) (1.85 vs 2.72 days, P < .0001) were significantly shorter for THAs performed by FT surgeons than NFT surgeons. A significantly greater percentage of patients were discharged home after THA by FT surgeons than NFT surgeons (88.7% vs 85.2%, P = .002). FT patients were quicker to mobilize with therapy and required 25% less opioids. TKAs performed by FT surgeons were associated with shorter surgical times (87.4 vs 94.92 minutes, P < .0001), LOS (2.62 vs 2.84 days, P < .0001), and nearly 19% less opioid requirement in the peri-operative period. In addition to higher Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care scores associated with FT surgeons after TKA, a significantly greater percentage of patients were discharged home after TKA by FT surgeons than NFT surgeons (83.97% vs 80.16%, P < .001). CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:For both THA and TKA, patients had significantly shorter surgical times, LOS, and required less opioids when their procedure was performed by FT surgeons compared to NTF surgeons. Patients who had their TJA performed by a FT surgeon achieved higher Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care scores and were discharged home more often than NFT surgeons. In an era of value-based care, more attention should be paid to the patient outcomes and financial implications associated with arthroplasty fellowship training. LEVEL III EVIDENCE/UNASSIGNED:Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND:Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) provides excellent results across a variety of pathologies. As greater focus is placed on the opioid epidemic, we sought to determine if patients presenting for TKA via the Medicaid clinic (Medicaid) differed in terms of their opioid requirements compared to patients presenting via private office clinics (non-Medicaid). METHODS:A single-institution total joint arthroplasty database was utilized to identify patients who underwent elective TKA between January 2016 and May 2019. Medicaid clinic patients were insured by some form of Medicaid, whereas private office patients had commercial or Medicare insurance. Morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) and Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care scores were calculated. RESULTS:A total of 6509 patients were identified: 413 (6.35%) Medicaid and 6096 (93.65%) non-Medicaid. Medicaid patients were younger (63.32 vs 66.21 years, P < .0001), less likely to be of Caucasian race (21.31% vs 56.82%, P < .0001), and more likely to be active smokers (11.14% vs 7.73%, P < .0001). Although surgical time and home discharge rates were similar, Medicaid patients had longer length of stay (2.80 vs 2.46 days, P < .0001). Opioid requirements were higher for Medicaid patients (200.1 vs 132.2 MMEs, P < .0001), paralleling higher pain scores (3.03 vs 2.55, P < .0001). No differences were found in Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care scores (18.47 vs 18.77, P = .1824). CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Medicaid patients tended to be younger, of minority race, and active smokers compared to non-Medicaid patients. Medicaid patients demonstrated worse postoperative pain scores and required 51% greater MMEs immediately following TKA, highlighting the need for preoperative counseling in traditionally at-risk socioeconomic groups. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE/METHODS:III, Retrospective Observational Analysis.

BACKGROUND:The International Statistical Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10), was adopted by the United States on October 1, 2015 and expanded coding from 3800 codes with the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, procedure code system (ICD-9-PCS) to 73,000. The increase in number of codes was designed to create more accurate representations of procedures like revision total hip arthroplasties (rTHAs). However, many worry that the increased complexity leads to more inaccurate coding. The purpose of this study is to determine the accuracy of ICD-10-PCS coding for rTHA and discuss the implications on registry data. METHODS:The rTHA databases at 2 large, academic medical centers were retrospectively reviewed for all rTHAs between October 1, 2015 and July 3, 2019. The laterality and specific revised components were recorded and compared with the ICD-10-PCS codes used for each procedure. The accuracy of ICD-10-PCS codes relative to the surgical record was determined using coding guidelines published by the American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR). RESULTS:Overall, 895 cases were reviewed. Replacement coding was 22% accurate (195 of 895). For removal and replacement coding, accuracy dropped to 17% (152 of 895). All procedures had at least 1 rTHA trigger code that would signify correctly to AJRR that an rTHA occurred. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:In this study, the percent of correctly coded rTHA was low. All rTHA procedures had at least 1 AJRR trigger code; therefore, an rTHA would have been appropriately captured by AJRR. But these inaccuracies should make one pause when using ICD-10-PCS procedural data to try to evaluate specific rTHA details from administrative claims databases and ward against expanding ICD-10-PCS as a means to collect implant survival and registry data.

BACKGROUND:High body mass index (BMI) has long been recognized as a risk factor for postoperative complication among total hip arthroplasty (THA) patients. However, recent studies showed mixed results in the effect of high BMI on surgical outcomes. Our study is to examine the association of preoperative BMI with complication incidence, stratified by age and gender. METHODS:We queried the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Project database to identify patients who underwent elective primary THA between 2012 and 2016. We examined the associations between BMI as a continuous and a categorical variable and risk of 30-day postoperative complication, using 2 multiple polynomial logistic regression models. We also created predictive plots to graphically assess the relationship between BMI and complication by gender and age. RESULTS:). The lowest complication risks occurred in patients with BMI between 35 and 40. Females had higher complication rate than males across all BMI values. This U-shaped relationship was only observed among patients younger than 60 years old, while the associations appear to be inversely linear among patients aged greater than 60 years. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Our results suggest that the current theory of a linear association between BMI and complication risk may not apply to elective primary THA. Strict BMI cutoffs may not minimize risk, especially among patients over 60 years old. Orthopedic surgeons should factor in patient-specific variables of age and gender when determining acceptable surgical risk given a particular BMI value.

BACKGROUND:The direct anterior approach (DAA) in total hip arthroplasty (THA) has gained popularity because of potential decreased postoperative pain and quicker recovery after surgery in comparison to the posterior approach (PA). With a growing focus on patient-reported outcome (PRO) measurements after surgery, we sought to determine if one approach led to better PRO scores as determined by the Forgotten Joint Score-12 (FJS-12) questionnaire. METHODS:A retrospective chart review of primary THAs between September 2016 and September 2019 at a single academic hospital was conducted. Demographic and clinical data in addition to FJS-12 scores were collected. Two groups were created based on THA approach. Frequency rates, means, and standard deviations were used to describe baseline patient characteristics. Differences in demographic data were accounted for using linear regression models. RESULTS:A total of 1469 cases were identified, with 830 using the DAA and 639 the PA. Significant demographic differences were observed between the 2 groups. However, when controlling for this, there were no differences in FJS-12 scores between approaches at 1 and 1.75 years (P = .232 and P = .486, respectively). At 12 weeks, DAA patients had higher satisfaction (59.21 vs 46.8; P = .006). When controlling for surgeon case volume, no differences in FJS-12 were observed at any of the time points (P = .536, P = .452, and P = .967, respectively) CONCLUSION: DAA THA patients trended toward better PRO scores than their PA counterparts. However, when controlling for surgeon case volume, no differences were observed, which suggests that surgeon case volume and experience have an important effect on patient satisfaction and FJS-12 scores.

BACKGROUND:We sought to determine if immediate postsurgical pain, opioid use, and clinical function differed between unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA). METHODS:A single-institution database was utilized to identify patients who underwent elective total joint arthroplasty between 2016 and 2019. RESULTS:In total, 6616 patients were identified: 98.20% TKA (6497) and 1.80% (119) UKA. UKA patients were younger, had lower body mass index, and more often male than the TKA cohort. Aggregate opioid consumption (75.94 morphine milligram equivalents vs 136.5 morphine milligram equivalents; P < .001) along with the first 24-hour and 48-hour usage was significantly less for UKA as compared to TKA. Similarly, pain scores (1.98 vs 2.58; P < .001) were lower for UKA while Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care mobilization scores were higher (21.02 vs 18.76; P < .001). UKA patients were able to be discharged home on the day of surgery 37% of the time as compared to 2.45% of TKA patients (P < .0001). Notably, when comparing UKA and TKA patients who were discharged home on the day of surgery, no differences regarding pain scores, opioid utilization, or mobilization were observed. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:UKA patients are younger, have lower body mass index and American Society of Anesthesiologists scores, and more often male than TKA patients. UKA patients had significantly shorter length of stay than TKA patients and were discharged home more often than TKA patients, on both the day of surgery and following hospital admission. Most notably, UKA patients reported lower pain scores and were found to require 45% lower opioid medication in the immediate postsurgical period than TKA patients. Surprisingly, UKA and TKA patients discharged on the day of surgery did not differ in terms of pain scores, opioid utilization, or mobilization, suggesting that our rapid rehabilitation UKA protocols can be successfully translated to outpatient TKAs with similar outcomes. LEVEL III EVIDENCE/UNASSIGNED:Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective/UNASSIGNED:The purpose of this study was to investigate whether immediate or delayed tailored DAIR treatment based on microbial species is the optimal treatment for acute post-operative periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). Methods/UNASSIGNED:A multicenter retrospective study was conducted to identify patients who underwent debridement, antibiotics, and implant retention (DAIR) for PJI. Decision analysis modeling was employed to determine the treatment strategy that yielded the greatest patient outcome. Results/UNASSIGNED:316 patients who underwent DAIR for PJI were identified. Conclusion/UNASSIGNED:The decision analysis model determined that the optimal treatment strategy is to perform an immediate DAIR to achieve the greatest QALY outcomes in TKA and THA patients with acute PJI.

Background/UNASSIGNED:There is a scarcity of studies investigating narcotic use after revision total knee arthroplasty (TKA). We compared immediate postsurgical narcotic consumption after revision TKA and primary TKA. Methods/UNASSIGNED:A single-institution database was used to identify patients who underwent revision TKA or primary TKA between 2016 and 2019. Morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) were calculated to discern narcotic usage, and pain visual analog score was also used. Results/UNASSIGNED:< .0001), as well as for the 24- to 48-hour time period. The visual analog pain scores were also higher for the revision TKA group. Conclusion/UNASSIGNED:The revision TKA group had a higher opioid requirement, most significant during the first 24 hours postoperatively, and expressed more pain in the acute postoperative period.

Dual mobility constructs have become an increasingly popular option for primary and revision total hip arthroplasty. Two monoblock implants and three modular implants are available for use in the United States. Although short- and mid-term outcome data have been positive overall for these systems, each construct has unique features that the orthopaedic surgeon might consider when selecting the appropriate implant for his or her patient. In this review article, we discuss the design specifications and published literature for each dual mobility system and organize this information into a concise resource that can be easily referenced during preoperative planning.

As the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, we as health care professionals thrive to continue to help our patients, and as orthopedic surgeons, this goal is ever more challenging. As part of a major academic tertiary medical center in New York City, the orthopedic department at New York University (NYU) Langone Health has evolved and adapted to meet the challenges of the COVID pandemic. In our report, we will detail the different aspects and actions taken by NYU Langone Health as well as NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital and the orthopedic department in particular. Among the steps taken, the department has reconfigured its staff's assignments to help both with the institution's efforts and our patients' needs from reassigning operating room nurses to medical COVID floors to having attending surgeons cover urgent care locations. We have reorganized our residency and fellowship rotations and assignments as well as adapting our educational programs to online learning. While constantly evolving to meet the institution's and our patient demands, our leadership starts planning for the return to a new "normal".