IMPACT-Global Hip Fracture Audit: Nosocomial infection, risk prediction and prognostication, minimum reporting standards and global collaborative audit. Lessons from an international multicentre study of 7,090 patients conducted in 14 nations during the COVID-19 pandemic

AIMS: This international study aimed to assess: 1) the prevalence of preoperative and postoperative COVID-19 among patients with hip fracture, 2) the effect on 30-day mortality, and 3) clinical factors associated with the infection and with mortality in COVID-19-positive patients. METHODS: A multicentre collaboration among 112 centres in 14 countries collected data on all patients presenting with a hip fracture between 1(st) March-31(st) May 2020. Demographics, residence, place of injury, presentation blood tests, Nottingham Hip Fracture Score, time to surgery, management, ASA grade, length of stay, COVID-19 and 30-day mortality status were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 7090 patients were included, with a mean age of 82.2 (range 50-104) years and 4959 (70%) being female. Of 651 (9.2%) patients diagnosed with COVID-19, 225 (34.6%) were positive at presentation and 426 (65.4%) became positive postoperatively. Positive COVID-19 status was independently associated with male sex (odds ratio (OR) 1.38, p=0.001), residential care (OR 2.15, p<0.001), inpatient fall (OR 2.23, p=0.003), cancer (OR 0.63, p=0.009), ASA grade 4-5 (OR 1.59, p=0.008; OR 8.28, p<0.001), and longer admission (OR 1.06 for each increasing day, p<0.001). Patients with COVID-19 at any time had a significantly lower chance of 30-day survival versus those without COVID-19 (72.7% versus 92.6%, p<0.001). COVID-19 was independently associated with an increased 30-day mortality risk (hazard ratio (HR) 2.83, p<0.001). Increasing age (HR 1.03, p=0.028), male sex (HR 2.35, p<0.001), renal disease (HR 1.53, p=0.017), and pulmonary disease (HR 1.45, p=0.039) were independently associated with a higher 30-day mortality risk in patients with COVID-19 when adjusting for confounders. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of COVID-19 in hip fracture patients during the first wave of the pandemic was 9%, and was independently associated with a three-fold increased 30-day mortality risk. Among COVID-19-positive patients, those who were older, male, with renal or pulmonary disease had a significantly higher mortality risk

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P &lt; 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Virtual fracture clinics: be vigilant for the ligamentous elbow injury

Abstract The Covid-19 pandemic encouraged remote healthcare and led to dependency on virtual fracture clinics (VFC). VFC are orthopaedic consultant-led clinics where cases are reviewed virtually following referral by emergency department clinicians. Success is contingent on a comprehensive initial history and examination. This pathway has high patient satisfaction rates and cost-saving benefits. However, clinicians must be vigilant for high-energy mechanisms or examination findings suggestive of greater underlying injury. In this case, VFC missed a rare ipsilateral annular ligament injury in a 15-year old with an undisplaced radial neck fracture, following a fall from a horse. This led to radial head dislocation and delayed surgical repair. Untreated, radial head dislocations lead to pain and reduced range of movement. Despite the rarity of this injury pattern, face-to-face orthopaedic examination would have raised concern for significant ligamentous injury. A high-energy mechanism of injury mandates face-to-face senior orthopaedic review to avoid missing serious concomitant injury.</jats:p

Dual mobility in primary total hip arthroplasty: current concepts

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is one of the most successful surgical procedures – reducing pain and providing functional improvement. However, THA instability is a disabling condition and remains the most common indication for revision THA. To combat the risk of instability, the concept of dual mobility (DM) was developed. This article provides a comprehensive review of DM in the literature. Widespread use of first-generation DM was limited due to concern regarding wear of the polyethylene head and the unique complication of intraprosthetic dislocation (IPD). Implant modifications using highly cross-linked, durable polyethylene and a smooth, cylindrical femoral neck have all but eliminated IPD in contemporary DM. In multiple studies, DM demonstrates statistically significant reductions in dislocation rates comparative to standard bearing primary THA. These results have been particular promising in high-risk patient populations and femoral neck fractures – where low dislocation rates and improved functional outcomes are a recurrent theme. From an economic perspective, DM is equally exciting – with lower accrued costs and higher accrued utility comparative to standard bearing THA. Longer-term clinical evidence and higher-quality prospective comparative studies are required to strengthen current research. Dual mobility may well represent the future gold standard for THA in high-risk patient populations and femoral neck fractures, but due diligence of long-term performance is needed before recommendations for widespread use can be justified. Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2019;4:640-646. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.4.180089 </jats:p

Virtual fracture clinics: be vigilant for the ligamentous elbow injury.

The Covid-19 pandemic encouraged remote healthcare and led to dependency on virtual fracture clinics (VFC). VFC are orthopaedic consultant-led clinics where cases are reviewed virtually following referral by emergency department clinicians. Success is contingent on a comprehensive initial history and examination. This pathway has high patient satisfaction rates and cost-saving benefits. However, clinicians must be vigilant for high-energy mechanisms or examination findings suggestive of greater underlying injury. In this case, VFC missed a rare ipsilateral annular ligament injury in a 15-year old with an undisplaced radial neck fracture, following a fall from a horse. This led to radial head dislocation and delayed surgical repair. Untreated, radial head dislocations lead to pain and reduced range of movement. Despite the rarity of this injury pattern, face-to-face orthopaedic examination would have raised concern for significant ligamentous injury. A high-energy mechanism of injury mandates face-to-face senior orthopaedic review to avoid missing serious concomitant injury