Aims. Periprosthetic fungal infections are rare and account for 1–2% of all periprosthetic joint infections (PJI). This study aims at presenting treatment details, clinical and microbiological results in a large single centre cohort. Methods. We retrospectively identified 29 patients (9 total knee replacements (TKA) and 20 total hip replacements (THA) treated for a fungal infection between 2007 and 2019. Microbiological findings, patient demographics and complications were analysed. Statistical analysis was performed using descriptive statistics; non-parametric analysis were performed using the Mann-Whitney U-Test. Infection-free survival was determined using Kaplan-Meier analysis and differences in survival were analysed using the log-rank test. The p value was set at p<0.05 with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) provided. Results. 28% (8/29) suffered from reinfection. The reinfection-free survival probability was 65% (95% CI 45–85) after a median follow- up period of 28 months (IQR 6 – 39). With the numbers we had, we were not able to detect a difference between THA and TKA re-infections (p=0.517). Four patients underwent amputation, 3 patients had a definitive girdlestone hip and eight patients died after a median of 5 months after first-stage surgery (IQR 1–7). All patients treated had positive synovial fluid or tissue cultures for Candida species. In 22 /29 patients C. albicans, in 3 patients C. parapsilosis, in 2 patients C. glabrata and in 1 patient each C. famata, C. dubliniensis and C. gulliermondii. Polymicrobial bacterial infection was found in 86% of patients with staphylococci in 20 patients, E. coli in 2 patients, vancomycin-resistant enterococci, pseudomonas, acinetobacter and achromobacter species in 1 patient each. When investigating risk factors for reinfection, with the numbers we had we were not able to find a significant difference for patients with polymicrobial infection (p=0.974), azole-resistant Candida (p=0.491), tobacco users (p=0.175), or diabetics (p=0.54). Furthermore, median age (73 vs. 72, p=0.756) and Charlson comorbidity score (6 (interquartile range (IQR) 4–8) vs. 8 (IQR 5–10), p=0.184) were not different between the groups while on the other hand there was a trend for a higher body mass index in patients with reinfection (34 (IQR 31–38) vs. 28 (IQR 25–33), p=0.075). Conclusions. Fungal PJI is associated with poor reinfection free survival, frequent revisions, and high mortality. All infections were caused by Candida spp. in which azole-resistance most be considered when planning treatment. While polymicrobial infection complicated treatment there was no difference in survival. A higher BMI and comorbidity score might be associated with higher risk for reinfections

Population-based studies from the United States have reported that sarcoma patients living in rural areas or belonging to lower socioeconomic classes experience worse overall survival; however, the evidence is not clear for universal healthcare systems where financial resources should theoretically not affect access to standard of care. The purpose of this study was to determine the survival outcomes of soft-tissue sarcoma (STS) patients treated in Ontario, Canada over 23 years and determine if the patient's geographic location or income quintile are associated with survival. We performed a population-based cohort study using linked administrative databases of patients diagnosed with STS between 1993 – 2015. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate 2, 5, 10, 15 and 20-year survival stratified by age, stage and location of tumor. We estimated survival outcomes based on the patient's geographic location and income quintile. The Log-Rank test was used to detect significant differences between groups. If groups were significantly different, a Cox proportional hazards model was used to test for interaction effects with other patient variables. We identified 8,896 patients with biopsy-confirmed STS during the 23-year study period. Overall survival following STS diagnosis was 70% at 2 years, 59% at 5 years, 50% at 10 years, 43% at 15 years, and 38% at 20 years. Living in a rural location (p=0.0028) and belonging to the lowest income quintile (p<0.0001) were independently associated with lower overall survival following STS diagnosis. These findings were robust to tests of interaction with each other, age, gender, location of tumor and stage of disease. This population-based cohort study of 8,896 STS patients treated in Ontario, Canada over 23 years reveals that patients living in a rural area and belonging to the lowest income quintile are at risk for decreased survival following STS diagnosis. We extend previous STS survival reporting by providing 15 and 20-year survival outcomes stratified by age, stage, and tumor location

Introduction. Innovations in surgical robotics and navigation have significantly improved implant placement accuracy in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, many comparative studies have not been shown to substantially improve revision rates or other clinical outcome scores. We conducted a simulation study based on the reported distribution of patient-specific characteristics and estimated potential effect of coronal plane alignment (CPA) on risk of revision to evaluate the hypothesis that most published study designs in this area have been too underpowered to detect improvements in revision rates. Methods. To model previously reported studies, we generated a series of simulated TKA patient populations, assigning each patient a set of patient-specific factors (age at index surgery, BMI, and sex (Fig.1a)), as well as one surgeon-controlled factor (CPA) (Fig.1b) based on registry data and published literature. We modelled the survival probability for an individual patient at time t as a Gaussian function (exp[-(t/(k∗τ. max. )). 2. ]), where τ. max. (99.5 years) is selected to ensure the mean survival probability of the patient population matched 92% at 15 years. The value of k was adjusted for simulated patients within a range of 0 to 1 as a function of their patient and surgeon-specific factors (Fig.2). To evaluate power associated with a study design, we ran a Monte Carlo simulation generating 10,000 simulated populations of ten different cohort sizes. We divided the patient population into two groups: one group was assigned CPAs governed by the precision of a navigated/robotic approach (σ=1.5°), and the other CPAs governed by the precision of a conventional approach (σ=3°). We then simulated the time to failure for each patient, computed the corresponding Kaplan-Meier survival curves, and applied a Log-Rank test to each study to test for statistical difference. From the 10,000 simulations associated with each cohort size, we determined the percentage of simulated studies that found a statistically significant difference at each time point. Results. Figure 3 shows a contour plot illustrating the probability that a survival analysis with a specific study design would find statistical significance between the conventional and navigated/robotic patient groups. Entries from recently published literature are overlaid for context. No studies achieved statistical significance (p<0.05). Discussion. The effectiveness of navigated/robotic surgery is one of the most controversial debates in orthopedic surgery. The results from this simulation suggest that most revision studies aiming to settle this debate are likely significantly underpowered, falling below the normal 80% threshold. Limitations of this analysis include using only a single surgeon-controlled variable in the survival simulation, and only a single precision for the navigated/robotic approaches. Further studies will include more implant-related risk factors and a wider range of precisions for navigated/robotic procedures. Based on this simulation, it appears the effect size afforded by navigated/robotic surgeries on revision rates in TKA surgery is too small to recommend broad application, especially since adoption could involve added costs and unforeseen risks associated with novelty. Clinically, it may be beneficial to examine the use of robotics/navigation on high-risk patients, where studies are likely to have higher power due to larger effect sizes. For any figures or tables, please contact the authors directly

Aims. The aim of this study was to characterize the relationship between pre- and postoperative opioid use among patients undergoing common elective orthopaedic procedures. Patients and Methods. Pre- and postoperative opioid use were studied among patients from a national insurance database undergoing seven common orthopaedic procedures using univariate log-rank tests and multivariate Cox proportional hazards analyses. Results. A total of 98 769 patients were included; 35 701 patients were opioid-naïve, 11 621 used opioids continuously for six months before surgery, and 4558 used opioids continuously for at least six months but did not obtain any prescriptions in the three months before surgery. Among opioid-naïve patients, between 0.76% and 4.53% used opioids chronically postoperatively. Among chronic preoperative users, between 42% and 62% ceased chronic opioids postoperatively. A three-month opioid-free period preoperatively led to a rate of cessation of chronic opioid use between 82% and 93%, as compared with between 31% and 50% with continuous preoperative use (p < 0.001 for significant changes in opioid use before and after surgery in each procedure). Between 5.6 and 20.0 preoperative chronic users ceased chronic use for every new chronic opioid user. Risk factors for chronic postoperative use included chronic preoperative opioid use (odds ratio (OR) 4.84 to 39.75; p < 0.0001) and depression (OR 1.14 to 1.55; p < 0.05 except total hip arthroplasty). With a three-month opioid-free period before surgery, chronic preoperative opioids elevated the risk of chronic opioid use only mildly, if at all (OR 0.47 to 1.75; p < 0.05 for total shoulder arthroplasty, rotator cuff repair, and carpal tunnel release). Conclusion. Chronic preoperative opioid use increases the risk of chronic postoperative use, but an opioid-free period before surgery decreases this risk compared with continuous preoperative use. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2019;101-B:1570–1577

The purposes of this study were to review retrospectively the 25-year survival of cemented and cementless THA for hip dysplasia and to compare the effect of fixation methods on the long-term survival in patients with DDH. We retrospectively reviewed all patients with OA secondary to hip dysplasia treated with a cemented Bioceram hip system between 1981 and 1987, and a cementless cancellous metal Lübeck hip system between 1987 and 1991. The studied subjects were 76 hips of cemented THA (Group-C) and 57 hips of cementless THA (Group-UC). Both hip implants had a 28-mm alumina head on polyethylene articulation. The mean age at operation was 50.5 years (range, 36–60 years) in Group-C and 50.0 years (range, 29–60 years) in Group-UC. The survival at 25 years regarding any revision as the endpoint was 46% in Group-C and 76% in Group-UC. These difference was significant using Log-rank test (P=0.008). The cup survival at 25 years was 47% in Group-C and 83% in Group-UC (P= 0.0003). The stem survivals at 25 years were 95% in Group-C and 92% in Group-UC. (P= 0.416). Cementless THA in patients with DDH showed a higher survival rate at 25 years than cemented THA because of the excellent survival of the acetabular component without cement. We conclude that cementless THA with the cancellous metal Lübeck hip system led to better longevity at 25 years than cemented THA with the Bioceram in patients with OA secondary to DDH

Aim. Pubic osteomyelitis (PO) is one of less frequent Bone and Joint Infections forms (BJI). Its management is still poorly codified as far as nosological framework is still unclear in medical literature. We aim to describe PO epidemiology and to look for factors associated with management failure. Method. We performed a retrospective cohort study, carried out in two Reference Centres, including patients with PO in 2010–2016. Treatment failure was defined by: (i) persistence of clinical signs despite treatment; (ii) clinical relapse with same microorganisms; (iii) infection recurrence with one or more different microorganism(s);. (iv) new signs of infection (abscess, sinus tract) in same area, without recourse to get microbiological documentation. Factors associated with management failure were determined by univariate Cox analysis (hazard ratio [HR] and 95% confidence interval calculation). Kaplan-Meier curve were compared between groups by log-rank test. Results. Twenty-five patients were included over thirteen years (median age 67 years; 19 men, median ASA score 3). Six (24 %) had a PO from haematogenous origin. Those were all monomicrobial infection, due to S.aureus, mostly identified in young patients without comorbidities, especially in athletes. No surgery was required if no abcess or bone sequestrum were found. Nineteen patients (76 %) had a post-operative chronic PO (developed from 1 month to 11 years after a pelvic surgery); 15 of them had history of pelvic cancer (60%); 12 received radiotherapy at the site of infection (48 %). Infection was polymicrobial in 68 % of cases, including 32 % of cases with multidrug-resistant pathogens. A clinical success was recorded in only 14 patients (56%). Treatment failure was always noticed in chronic post-operative forms. Potential risk factors associated with failure management were: pelvic cancer history (HR 3.8; p=0,089); pelvic radiotherapy history (HR 2.9; p=0.122); clinical sinus tract (HR 5.1; p=0,011); infection with multidrug-resistant bacteria (HR 2.8; p=0,116), and polymicrobial infection (HR 70.5; p=0,090). Conclusions. Our study highlights predominant chronic complex post-operative forms of PO. They are mostly plurimicrobial, sometimes associated with multi-drug resistance, occurring in fragile patients with pelvic cancer. It frequently leads to complex antibiotherapy, with important risk of relapse. Aggressive surgical procedure with large bone resection is frequently required in patients who underwent pelvic radiotherapy

Introduction & Objective. Labral refixation has established as a standard in open or arthroscopic treatment for femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). The rationale for this refixation is to maintain the important suction seal in the hip. To date, only few short-term results are available which indicate a superior result in FAI hips with labral refixation compared to labral resection. Scientific evidence of a beneficial effect of labral refixation in the long-term follow-up is lacking. Aim of this study was to evaluate if labral refixation can improve the cumulative 10-year survivorship in hips undergoing surgical hip dislocation for FAI compared to labral resection. Methods. We performed a retrospective comparative study of 59 patients treated with surgical hip dislocation for symptomatic FAI between December 1998 and January 2003. We analyzed two matched groups: The ‘resection’ group consisted of 25 hips that were treated consistently by excision of the damaged labrum. The ‘refixation’ group consisted of 34 hips that were treated with labral reattachment. Correction of the osseous deformity (rim trimming/femoral osteochondroplasty) did not differ between the two groups. We then evaluated the clinical (Merle d'Aubigné score) and radiographical results (according to Tönnis) at a follow-up of ten years. We calculated a cumulative Kaplan-Meier survivorship curve with the following factors as endpoints: conversion to total hip arthroplasty (THA), radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis progression, or a poor clinical result (defined as Merle d'Aubigné score of less than 15). The two curves were compared using the Log-rank test. Results. Hips with labral refixation had a significantly higher survivorship (78%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 64–92%) at ten years compared to labral resection (46%, 95% CI 26–66, p=0.008). 7 (20.6%) patients in the refixation group reached an endpoint: 2 with THA; 5 with a poor clinical result, and 5 with progression of OA. 15 (60.0%) patients in the resection group reached an endpoint: 3 with THA; 12 with a poor clinical result, and 4 with progression of OA. Conclusion. This is the first study proving that labral refixation leads to significantly better results in patients 10 years after open surgical hip dislocation for FAI. It seems advisable to preserve the labrum in this patient population whenever possible

High grade sarcoma present a systemic metastatic progression in approximaly 50% of cases. The effectiveness of palliative chemotherapy as a treatment of systemic metastases is still controversed. The main objectif of this study is to assess disease progression and survival of patients diagnosed with metastatic soft tissue sarcomas treated with palliative chemotherapy, analyse chemotherapy treatment patterns and response to different lines of treatment. Retrospective chart review of 75 patients treated with palliative chemotherapy for metastatic soft tissue sarcomas between 2003 and 2013 at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital. Data for control group of 40 patients with metastatic soft tissue sarcomas not treated with chemotherapy was collected retrospectively. Collected data include demographic data, overall survival, time free survival, type of chemotherapy treatment, surgical treatment and adverse reaction to palliative chemotherapy. Overall survival was analysed with Kaplan-Meier test. Categorial variable were compared with Log-Rank test. Seventy-five patients (37% female; mean age 50.4 years) received minimally one line of chemotherapy for their metastatic sarcomas. The regimens most commonly used in first-line were doxorubicin (48%) and doxorubicin combined with ifosfamide (21.3%). Favorable response was achieved by 38.7% in first-line and 27.9% in second-line therapy. Median overall survival with chemotherapy treatments was more than two times overall survival without treatments. Median overall survival was 19 months with chemotherapy treatments and 7 months without chemotherapy (p<0.0001). There was no statistically significant difference between survivals for treated and untreated patients with chemotherapy when analysed in term of the histological subtype, age and monotherapy versus combined treatment. Event-free survival was statistically longer during the first year for the group of patients treated with combined chemotherapy (p=0.0125). Results have shown a significantly improved overall survival in all histological groups, resulting in an OS of 19 vs 7 months for the chemotherpy and non chemotherapy group respectively. Nevertheless, patients with favorable response to chemotherapy have poor outcomes. Additional treatment options are needed

Introduction. Failure of acetabular components has been reported to lead to large bone defects, which determine outcome and management after revision total hip arthroplasty (THA). Although Kerboull-type (KT) plate (KYOCERA Medical Corporation, Kyoto, Japan) has been used for compensating large bone loss, few studies have identified the critical risk factors for failure of revision THA using a KT plate. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between survival rates for radiological loosening and the results according to bone defect or type of graft. Patients and methods. This study included patients underwent revision THA for aseptic loosening using cemented acetabular components with a KT plate between 2000 and 2012. Bone defects were filled with beta Tricalcium phosphate (TCP) granules between 2000 and 2003 and with Hydroxyapatite (HA) block between 2003 and 2009. Since 2009, we have used femoral head balk allografts. Hip function was evaluated by using the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) activity. Acetabular defects were classified according to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) classification. The postoperative and final follow-up radiographs were compared to assess migration of the implant. Kaplan–Meier method for cumulative probabilities of radiographic failure rate, and the comparison of survivorship curves for various subgroups using the log-rank test were also evaluated. Logistic regression was performed to examine the association of such clinical factors as the age at the time of operation, body mass index, JOA score, UCLA activity score, and AAOS classification with radiographic failure. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs were calculated. Multivariate analysis was performed to adjust for potential confounders by clinical factors. Values of p < 0.05 were considered significant. Results. The patient background is shown in Table 1. The JOA score at the final follow-up increased significantly (p < 0.001). Radiographic failure was evaluated for revision THA with beta-TCP, HA, and bulk allografts. These survival rates are shown in Table 2 and the rate in the AAOS type IV group was significantly lower than that in the type III group (p = 0.033). The survival curves were significantly different between beta -TCP group and bulk allograft group (p = 0.036) (Table 3). Multivariate analysis showed that AAOS type IV defect was found to be a risk factor for radiographic failure (radiographic failure: OR: 15.5, 95% CI: 1.4–175.4, p = 0.032). Discussion. Our results of survival rate are similar to those reported by previous studies. However, by comparing the survival rates between beta-TCP group and bulk allograft group, beta-TCP is not suitable for bone graft reconstruction of acetabular bone defects with a KT plate. We also found that AAOS type IV to be a risk factor for failure of revision THA. Therefore, bone defect size is the critical risk factor for failure of revision THA using a KT plate. New devices and techniques for KT plates are needed to improve the treatment of pelvic discontinuity

Purpose. The optimal sequencing of radiotherapy (RT) with surgery in soft-tissue sarcomas (STS) remains undefined. We assessed the impact of RT sequencing on overall survival (OS), cause-specific survival (CSS), local failure, and distant failure. Methods. A retrospective analysis was conducted using the National Oncology Database, a proprietary database of aggregated tumour registries owned by Impac. (r). Medical Systems (Sunnyvale, CA). Eligible sites were soft tissues of the head/neck, thorax, abdomen, pelvis, extremities, trunk, and peritoneum. Only patients with known stage and grade were included. Prognostic factors were identified with multivariate analysis (MVA) using the Cox proportional hazards model. Survival was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and compared for statistical significance (p< 0.05) using the log-rank test. Results. A total of 821 patients met the inclusion criteria. The median follow-up time for living patients was 62 months. The 5-year CSS was 69%. MVA identified the following independent predictors for CSS (p< 0.01): age, stage, grade, histology, surgery, RT sequence, and tumour size. CSS was significantly improved with pre-op RT versus post-op RT [hazard ratio (HR) 0.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.51-0.94, p< 0.05], with a 5-year CSS of 81% and 73%, respectively (log-rank, p< 0.01). Pre-op RT improved CSS in patients with lower extremity tumours, leiomyosarcoma, and synovial sarcoma (p< 0.05). OS was not significantly improved with pre-op RT. Pre-op RT also resulted in significantly reduced local and distant relapse rates than post-op RT. Adverse prognostic factors were balanced between both groups. Conclusion. Pre-operative RT has a significant benefit in reducing cancer-specific mortality compared to post-operative RT in STS

Although there are several reports of excellent long-term survival after cemented total hip arthroplasty (THA), cemented acetabular components are prone to become loose when compared with femoral components. On the other hand, the survival of cementless acetabular components has been reported to be equal or better than cemented ones and the use of cementless acetabular components is increasing. However, most of the reports on survival after THA are for patients with primary hip osteoarthritis (OA) and there is no report of 20-year survival of cementless THA for patients with hip dysplasia. It is supposed to be more difficult to fix cementless acetabular components for OA secondary to hip dysplasia than primary OA. The purposes of this study were to review retrospectively the 20-year survival of cemented and cementless THA for hip dysplasia and to compare the effect of fixation methods on the long-term survival for patients with hip dysplasia. We retrospectively reviewed all patients with OA secondary to hip dysplasia treated with a cemented Bioceram hip system between 1981 and 1987, and a cementless cancellous metal Lübeck hip system between 1987 and 1991. We excluded patients aged more than 60 years, males, and Crowe 4 hips. The studied subjects were 70 hips of cemented THA (Group-C) and 57 hips of cementless THA (Group-UC). Both hip implants had a 28-mm alumina head on polyethylene articulation. The mean age at operation was 50.5 years (range, 36–60 years) in Group-C and 50.0 years (range, 29–60 years) in Group-UC. The mean BMI was 23.2 kg/m. 2. in Group-C (range, 17.3–29.3 kg/m. 2. ) and 22.9 kg/m. 2. in Group-UC (range, 18.8–28.0 kg/m. 2. ). There were no significant differences in age and BMI between the two groups. The average follow-up period was 18.0 years in Group-C and 18.4 years in Group-UC. In Group-C, revision was performed in 33 hips due to aseptic cup loosening (30 hips), stem loosening (one hip), and loosening of both components (two hips). In Group-UC, revision was performed in 10 hips due to stem fracture secondary to distal fixation (4 hips), cup loosening (three hips), polyethylene breakage (two hips), and extensive osteolysis around the stem (one hip). The survival at 20 years regarding any revision as the endpoint was 51% in Group-C and 84% in Group-UC. This difference was significant using Log-rank test (P=0.006). The cup survival at 20 years was 54% in Group-C and 92% in Group-UC. This difference was also significant (P = 0.0003). The stem survival at 20 years was 95% in Group-C and 92% in Group-UC. This difference was not significant (P = 0.4826). Cementless THA showed a higher survival rate at 20 years for hip dysplasia than cemented THA because of the excellent survival of the acetabular component without cement. We conclude that cementless THA with the cancellous metal Lübeck hip system led to better longevity at 20 years than cemented THA with the Bioceram for patients with OA secondary to hip dysplasia

Aims

COVID-19 represents one of the greatest global healthcare challenges in a generation. Orthopaedic departments within the UK have shifted care to manage trauma in ways that minimize exposure to COVID-19. As the incidence of COVID-19 decreases, we explore the impact and risk factors of COVID-19 on patient outcomes within our department.

Over a 13-year period we studied all patients who underwent major hip and knee surgery and were diagnosed with objectively confirmed symptomatic venous thromboembolism, either deep venous thrombosis or non-fatal pulmonary embolism, within six months after surgery. Low-molecular-weight heparin had been given while the patients were in hospital.

There were 5607 patients. The cumulative incidence of symptomatic venous thromboembolism was 2.7% (150 of 5607), of which 1.1% had developed pulmonary embolism, 1.5% had deep venous thrombosis and 0.6% had both. Patients presented with deep venous thrombosis at a median of 24 days and pulmonary embolism at 17 days after surgery for hip fracture. After total hip replacement, deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism occurred at a median of 21 and 34 days respectively. After total knee replacement, the median time to the presentation of deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism was 20 and 12 days respectively. The cumulative risk of venous thromboembolism lasted for up to three months after hip surgery and for one month after total knee replacement. Venous thromboembolism was diagnosed after discharge from hospital in 70% of patients who developed this complication.

Despite hospital-based thromboprophylaxis, most cases of clinical venous thromboembolism occur after discharge and at different times according to the operation performed.