Intraoperative Practice Variability in Total Knee Arthroplasty

BackgroundConsiderable practice variability exists among orthopedic surgeons performing total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The purpose of this study is to understand what TKA surgical and perioperative techniques are standard among high-volume academic knee arthroplasty surgeons.MethodsA written survey with 59 questions regarding management preferences in TKA was distributed by the 2018 John N. Insall Traveling Fellows to all arthroplasty-trained attending physicians at 13 medical centers, with 45 responses recorded.ResultsSurveyed surgeons performed unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (88%) and bilateral TKA (87%). Most surveyed surgeons rarely or never performed outpatient primary TKA (71%). Conventional alignment guides and cemented implants were used by 80% of respondents. Most surgeons used posterior-stabilized implants (67%), followed by cruciate-retaining (20%), ultracongruent (20%), and medial congruent or medial pivot designs (17.8%). Surveyed surgeons frequently or always resurfaced the patella (73%), used a tourniquet for the entire case (73%), and used tranexamic acid for all TKAs (91%). The most common locations for intra-articular anesthetic injection were the arthrotomy (91%), the periosteum (84%), and the medial posterior capsule (82%). Saline (62%) and dilute iodine (47%) were the most common irrigation fluids. The arthrotomy was most commonly closed with running barbed suture (60%) followed by interrupted vicryl (40%). Skin closure was predominantly with running monocryl (60%) followed by staples (29%). Anticoagulation for TKA was primarily aspirin 81 mg BID (60%).ConclusionThere was considerable variability among surgeons polled although a strong preference for more conventional and less developmental techniques prevailed.     

化瘀汤治疗脑卒中疗效观察及对神经功能缺损康复的影响

目的:观察化瘀汤治疗脑卒中临床疗效及其对患者神经能缺损康复的影响。方法:将风痰瘀阻型缺血性脑卒中80例随机分为2组,每组40例;对照组采用西医常规治疗,观察组在对照组的基础上加用化瘀汤治疗,2组疗程均为21天;观察比较2组临床疗效、美国国立卫生研究院卒中量表(NIHSS)评分、Fugl-Meyer评分、中医证候积分。结果:总有效率观察组为95.0%,对照组为80.0%,2组比较,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。治疗后,2组患者NIHSS评分较治疗前明显下降(P<0.05),Fugl-Meyer评分明显升高(P<0.05);且观察组两项评分改善较对照组更显著(P<0.05)。治疗后,2组中医主症、次症积分均较治疗前明显降低(P<0.05),且观察组两项积分均明显低于对照组(P<0.05)。治疗后,2组患者SS-QOL评分均较治疗前明显升高(P<0.05),且观察组SS-QOL评分明显高于对照组(P<0.05)。结论:在西医常规治疗的基础上,加用化瘀汤治疗风痰瘀阻型缺血型脑卒中患者,能显著改善患者神经功能、肢体运动功能及生活质量,缓解临床症状,疗效优于单纯西医治疗。     

Intravenous Thrombolysis Is Safe and Effective for the Cryptogenic Stroke in China: Data From the Thrombolysis Implementation and Monitor of Acute Ischemic Stroke in China (TIMS-China)

Background

The intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) therapy is safe and efficient during the treatment of acute ischemic stroke. Nonetheless, the different outcomes among various stroke subgroups have limited data with regard to the safety and efficacy of cryptogenic stroke (CS). The present study compared the safety and efficacy when IVT with rt-PA was used for the treatment of CS and the other stroke subtypes.

Recipient hypertonic saline infusion prevents cardiac allograft dysfunction

Objective

Hypertonic saline (HTS) has potent immune and vascular effects. We assessed recipient pretreatment with HTS on allograft function in a porcine model of heart transplantation and hypothesized that HTS infusion would limit endothelial and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction following transplantation.

Inter-rater reliability of the Swedish modified version of the Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke Patients (SwePASS) in the acute phase after stroke

Background: Before implementation of the new scale, the Swedish modified version of the Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke Patients (SwePASS), to clinical practice, it is fundamental to analyze its measurement properties.Objective: To examine the inter-rater reliability of the SwePASS in the acute phase after stroke.

Methods: Day 3 to day 7 after admission to a stroke unit, 64 persons with stroke were assessed twice, using the SwePASS, by two physiotherapists. Inter-rater reliability was determined using percentage-agreement and the rank-invariant method: relative position, relative concentration, and relative rank variance.

Results: The raters showed a percentage agreement of ≥75% in the assessments using the SwePASS. For 9 of the 12 items, the percentage agreement was >80%. For 8 of the 12 items, there was a statistically significant change in position, revealed in relative position values between 0.08 and 0.15. Three items had statistically significant positive relative concentration values between ?0.11 and 0.10. Except for a statistically significant negligible relative variance value of 0.01 for the items 1 and 8, there was no relative variance.

Conclusions: The SwePASS shows an acceptable inter-rater reliability, albeit with potential for improvement. The reliability can be improved by a consensus how to interpret the scale between the raters prior to implementation in the clinic.     

Determinants of Regional Variation in Health Expenditures in Germany

Health care expenditure in Germany shows clear regional differences. Such geographic variations are often seen as an indicator for inefficiency. With its homogeneous health care system, low co‐payments and uniform prices, Germany is a particularly suited example to analyse regional variations. We use data for the year 2011 on expenditure, utilization of health services and state of health in Germany's statutory health insurance system. This data, which originate from a variety of administrative sources and cover about 90% of the population, are enriched with a wealth of socio‐economic variables, data on pollutants, prices and individual preferences. State of health and demography explains 55% of the differences as measured by the standard deviation while all control variables account for a total of 72% of the differences at county level. With other measures of variation, we can account for an even greater proportion. A higher proportion of variation than usually supposed can thus be explained. Whilst this study cannot quantify inefficiencies, our results contradict the thesis that regional variations reflect inefficiency. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.