Faculty Bibliography

INTRODUCTION/UNASSIGNED:Galeazzi fractures are fractures of the radial shaft accompanied by distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ) instability. They usually occur due to a mechanical fall or direct trauma to the wrist or forearm. Management of this serious injury varies from non-operative treatment with closed reduction and splinting to operative fixation using an external fixator (ex-fix) or open reduction internal fixation with plate and screws. CASE REPORT/UNASSIGNED:We present a 76-year-old female who presented with a right distal radius fracture after a ground-level fall. Due to fracture displacement after initial conservative management, she was placed in an external fixator for stabilization. After removal of the ex-fix, she sustained a midshaft radius fracture with DRUJ malalignment, consistent with a "Galeazzi-like" fracture. CONCLUSION/UNASSIGNED:"Galeazzi-like" fractures with associated DRUJ malalignment can occur from previous external fixator pin sites and are adequately treated with standard operative fixation.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE:The primary goal of this study was to determine the anatomic relationship between the clavicle and the apical lung segment. The secondary goal was to determine the incidence of pneumothorax (PTX) in patients who underwent clavicle ORIF to analyze the utility of postoperative chest radiographs. METHODS:Six hundred thirty-one patients with a midshaft clavicle fracture who underwent superior plating at a single institution were identified. Forty-two patients had a CT scan of the chest. Three points on the uninjured clavicle were defined: 2 cm from the medial end of the clavicle, the mid-point of the clavicle, and 2 cm from the lateral end of the clavicle. At each point, the distance from both the inferior cortex and the superior cortex of the clavicle to the apical lung segment was measured. All 631 patients who underwent Open Reduction and Internal Fixation had a postoperative chest radiograph to evaluate implant placement, restoration of clavicular length, and presence of PTX. RESULTS:From the lateral end of the clavicle, the mean distance of the lung was 60.0 ± 14.9 mm (20.1 to 96.1 mm) from the inferior cortex of the clavicle. At the mid-point, the mean distance of the lung was 32.3 ± 7.2 mm (20.4 to 45.5 mm) from the inferior cortex of the clavicle. At the medial end, the mean distance of the lung was 18.0 ± 5.5 mm (8.1 to 28.9 mm) from the inferior cortex of the clavicle. A review of postoperative radiographs for all 631 patients revealed none (0%) with a postoperative iatrogenic PTX. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:The risk of injury is minimal in all three zones. Postoperative chest radiographs after clavicle fracture repair to rule out PTX are unnecessary.

BACKGROUND:The surgical approach used for arthroplasty in the setting of hip fracture has traditionally been decided based on surgeon preference. This study analyzed the ef-fect of the surgical approach on hospital quality measures, complications, and mortality in patients treated with hip arthroplasty for fracture fixation. METHODS:A cohort of consecutive acute hip fracture pa-tients who were 60 years of age or older and who underwent hemiarthroplasty (HA) or total hip arthroplasty (THA) at one academic medical center between January 2014 and January 2018 was included. Patient demographics, length of stay (LOS), surgery details, complications, ambulation at dis-charge, discharge location, readmission, and mortality were recorded. Two cohorts were included based on the surgical approach: the anterior-based cohort included the direct an-terior and anterolateral approaches and the posterior-based cohort included direct lateral and posterior approaches. RESULTS:Two hundred five patients were included: 146 underwent HA (81 anterior-based and 65 posterior-based) and 79 underwent THA (37 anterior-based and 42 posterior-based). The mean age of the HA and THA cohorts was 84.1 ± 7.5 and 73.7 ± 8.0 years, respectively. There was no dif-ference in LOS, time to surgery, or surgical time between the two cohorts for HA and THA. There were no differences in perioperative complications, including dislocation, ob-served based on surgical approach. No difference was found between readmission rates and mortality. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:In this cohort of hip fracture arthroplasty patients, there was no difference observed in hospital quality measures, readmission, or mortality in patients based on sur-gical approach. These results are in contrast with literature in elective arthroplasty patients supporting the use of an anterior approach for potential improved short-term outcomes.

INTRODUCTION/UNASSIGNED:Osteonecrosis (ON) of the humeral head is defined as "avascular" when the death of bone is due to a disrupted blood supply. It is a known complication following proximal humeral fractures and can lead to poor long-term outcomes and even additional revision surgeries. CASE REPORT/UNASSIGNED:Patient AP developed symptomatic ON, 3 years following repair of a 4-part valgus impacted proximal humerus fracture. The point of interest in this case is the length of time from injury at which she developed symptomatic ON. Following surgical repair, she was seen at standard intervals, 6 weeks, 3-, 6-, and 12- month follow-ups and demonstrated an excellent recovery. By the 1 year follow-up appointment, she had obtained a range of motion in her left shoulder of 170° forward elevation and 60° in external rotation. At this point, she was able to discontinue physical therapy and was radiographically and clinically healed. However, 2 years after, she began experiencing sudden onset of pain with shoulder ROM and progressive limitation. She was diagnosed with an ON of her proximal humerus. The patient was prescribed a 3-month course of corticosteroid, 3 months following her operation for a gynecological-related issue. However, with strong progress being made 9 months after this prescription, and problems occurring over 2 years after taking the medication, it is unclear whether the ON was related to her fracture pattern or developed as a result of the corticosteroid usage or a combination of the 2 due to a "double hit." CONCLUSION/UNASSIGNED:This case review points out the potential need for continued monitoring even after radiographic and clinical healing is achieved in these injuries.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE:The purpose was to compare perioperative outcomes of patients who underwent general or regional anesthesia for intramedullary (IM) nailing of tibial shaft fractures (TSFs). METHODS:Retrospective chart review was performed on a consecutive series of low-energy TSF patients who presented to a single academic medical center and a level 1 trauma center who underwent operative repair with a reamed IM nail. Collected information included demographics, injury information, anesthesia type (general or regional i.e. peripheral nerve block), intra-operative opiate consumption (converted to morphine milliequivalents [MME], and post-operative pain visual-analog scale [VAS] pain scores. Patients were divided into 3 groups based on the type of anesthesia received and univariate analysis was performed to compare the 3 groups. RESULTS:Seventy-six patients were included, with an average age of 44.47±16.0 years. There were 38 (50 %) who were administered general anesthesia and 38 (50 %) who were administered regional anesthesia in the form of a peripheral nerve block. There were no differences between the groups with respect to demographics, medical co-morbidities, rate of open fractures or AO/OTA fracture classification. Regional anesthesia patients received less intra-operative MME than general anesthesia patients (17.57±10.6, 28.96±13.8, p < 0.001). Patients who received regional anesthesia also spent less time in the operating room, received less MME on post-operative day 1, and ambulated further on post-operative day 1, however none of these differences were statistically significant. There were no cases of missed post-operative compartment syndrome or complications related to the administration of the peripheral nerve block. CONCLUSIONS:Regional anesthesia in TSF surgery received less intra-operative opioid requirements, without any untoward effects. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE/METHODS:Therapeutic Level III.

OBJECTIVES/OBJECTIVE:The goal of this trial was to determine whether coronal plane angulation affects functional and clinical outcomes after the fixation of distal femur fractures. DESIGN/METHODS:Multicenter, randomized controlled trial SETTING: 20 academic trauma centers PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: 156 patients with distal femur fractures were enrolled. 123 patients were followed 12 months. There was clinical outcome data available for 105 patients at 3 months, 95 patients at 6 months and 81 patients at one year. INTERVENTION/METHODS:Lateral locked plating or retrograde intramedullary nailing MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Radiographic alignment, functional scoring including SMFA, Bother Index, and EQ-5D. Clinical scoring of walking ability, need for ambulatory support and ability to manage stairs. RESULTS:At 3 months, there was no difference between groups (varus, neutral or valgus) with respect to any of the clinical functional outcome scores measured. At 6 months, compared to those with neutral alignment, patients with varus angulation had a worse Stair Climbing score (4.33 vs. 2.91, p = 0.05). At 12 months, the average patient with neutral or valgus alignment needed less ambulatory support than the average patient in varus. Walking distance ability was no different between the groups at any time point. With respect to the validated patient-based outcome scores, we found no statistical difference in in the SMFA, Bother, or EQ-5D between patients with valgus or varus mal-alignment and those with neutral alignment at any time point (p > 0.05). Regardless of coronal angulation, the SMFA trended towards lower (improved) scores over time, while EQ-5D scores for patients with varus angulation did not improve over time. CONCLUSIONS:Valgus angulation and neutral angulation may be better tolerated in terms of clinical outcomes like stair climbing and need for ambulatory support than varus angulation, though patient reported outcome measures like the SMFA, Bother Index and EQ-5D show no statistical significance. Most patients with distal femur fractures tend to improve during the first year after injury but many remain significantly affected at 12 months post injury.

BACKGROUND:Periprosthetic femoral fractures (PFF) carry significant morbidity following arthroplasty for femoral neck fracture (FNF). This study assessed fracture complications following arthroplasty for FNF and the effect of cement fixation of the femoral component on intraoperative and post-operative PFF. METHODS:Between February 2014 and September 2021, 740 patients with a FNF who underwent arthroplasty were analyzed for demographics, surgical management, use of cement for fixation of the femoral component, and subsequent PFF. Variables were compared with Mann-Whitney or Chi-square as appropriate. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess independent risk factors associated with intraoperative or post-operative PFF. RESULTS:There were 163 THAs (41% cemented) and 577 HAs (95% cemented). There were 28 PFFs (3.8%): 18 post-operative and 10 intraoperative. Fewer post-operative PFFs occurred with cemented stems (1.63% vs. 6.30%, p = 0.002). Mean time from surgery to presentation with post-operative PFF was 14 months (0-45 months). Mean follow-up time was 10.3 months (range: 0-75.7 months). In multivariate regression, use of cement and THA was independently associated with decreased post-operative PFF (cement: OR 0.112, 95% CI 0.036-0.352, p < 0.001 and THA: OR 0.249, 95% CI 0.064-0.961, p = 0.044). More intraoperative fractures occurred during THA (3.68% vs. 0.69%, p = 0.004) and non-cemented procedures (5.51% vs. 0.49%, p < 0.001). In multivariate regression, use of cement was protective against intraoperative fracture (OR 0.100, CI 0.017-0.571, p = 0.010). CONCLUSIONS:In patients with a FNF treated with arthroplasty, cementing the femoral component is associated with a lower risk of intraoperative and post-operative PFF. Choice of procedure may be based on patient factors and surgeon preference.

OBJECTIVES/OBJECTIVE:To quantify the rate of union and time to clinical and radiographic healing in Zone 2 proximal fifth metatarsal (MT) fractures and compare these outcomes between Zone 2 fractures treated operatively and nonoperatively. DESIGN/UNASSIGNED:Retrospective cohort study. SETTING/UNASSIGNED:Academic Level I Trauma Center. PATIENT SELECTION CRITERIA/UNASSIGNED:Patients with fifth MT fractures who presented between December 2012 and April 2022 and confirmed to have Zone 2 fractures (defined as fractures entering the proximal 4-5 MT articulation on the oblique radiographic view) were included in the study analysis in either the operative or nonoperative cohort. OUTCOME MEASURES AND COMPARISONS/UNASSIGNED:Nonunion, time to clinical healing by, and time to radiographic healing between operative and nonoperative treatment. RESULTS:Among the 499 included patients, 475 patients (95.2%) were initially treated nonoperatively and 24 patients (4.8%) were treated operatively. Both groups were similar in demographics. There was no difference in the proportion of patients with nonunions between groups (6.1% in the nonoperative group vs. 3.8% in the operative group, P = 1.000). In addition, there was no statistically significant difference between groups with respect to the time to clinical healing (9.9 ± 8.3 weeks for the nonoperative group vs. 15.4 ± 15.0 weeks for the operative group, P = 0.117) or the time to radiographic healing (18.7 ± 12 weeks for the nonoperative group vs. 18.5 ± 16.6 weeks for the operative group, P = 0.970). CONCLUSIONS:Zone 2 fifth MT base fractures were successfully treated with nonoperative management. There was no evidence in this study that operative treatment leads to significantly faster clinical or radiographic healing. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE/METHODS:Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

OBJECTIVES/OBJECTIVE:To evaluate whether retention of antibiotic cement delivery devices after resolution of orthopaedic infection is associated with recurrence. DESIGN/UNASSIGNED:Retrospective cohort. SETTING/UNASSIGNED:Academic medical center. PATIENT SELECTION CRITERIA/UNASSIGNED:Patients with a fracture definitively treated with internal fixation that went on to unite and develop a confirmed fracture-related infection or osteomyelitis after a remote fracture surgery and had implantation of antibiotic-impregnated cement for infection management. OUTCOME MEASURES AND COMPARISONS/UNASSIGNED:Patients were divided into whom the antibiotic implants were retained (Retained Cohort) and whom the antibiotic implants were removed (Removed Cohort). Outcome measures included clinical infection resolution, infection recurrence, time to resolution of infection signs, symptoms and laboratory values, reoperation and readmission rates, and need for soft tissue coverage (local flap vs. free tissue transfer) because of recurrence. RESULTS:Of 98 patients treated for fracture-related infection in united fractures or osteomyelitis after a remote fracture surgery, 39 (39.8%) underwent implantation of antibiotic-impregnated cement delivery devices: 21 (21.4%) beads, 7 (7.1%) rods, and 11 (11.2%) blocks. Twenty patients (51.3%) comprised the Retained Cohort and 19 patients (48.7%) comprised the Removed Cohort. There were few differences in demographics ([American Society of Anesthesiology Score, P = 0.026] and [diabetes, P = 0.047]), infection location, and pathogenic profiles. The cohorts demonstrated no difference in eventual resolution of infection (100% in the Retained Cohort, 95% in the Removed Cohort, P = 0.487) and experienced similar time to clinical infection resolution, based on signs, symptoms, and laboratory values ( P = 0.360). There was no difference in incidence of subsequent infection recurrence after clinical infection resolution (1 recurrence Retained vs. 2 recurrences Removed, P = 0.605) for those considered "cured." Compared with the Retained Cohort, the Removed Cohort underwent more reoperations (0.40 vs. 1.84 reoperations, P < 0.001) and admissions after implantation ( P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS:Retention of antibiotic-impregnated cement delivery devices in patients with orthopaedic infection after fractured bones that have healed was not associated with infection recurrence. Additional surgical intervention with the sole purpose of removing antibiotic delivery devices may not be warranted. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE/METHODS:Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.