Rheumatoid Hand and Wrist Surgery: Soft Tissue Principles and Management of Digital Pathology Since the advent of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs for rheumatoid arthritis, orthopedic surgeons see fewer patients in the office who require hand surgery. However, a significant number of patients still seek surgical intervention to improve pain and function. These patients often present with isolated soft tissue pathologies, but even bone and joint pathology require meticulous soft tissue handling in this cohort. This review highlights the principles and techniques relevant to the management of soft tissue deformity in rheumatoid hand and wrist surgery, as exposure in training and practice continues to decrease.

Posttraumatic Avascular Necrosis After Proximal Femur, Proximal Humerus, Talar Neck, and Scaphoid Fractures Posttraumatic avascular necrosis (AVN) is osteonecrosis from vascular disruption, commonly encountered after fractures of the femoral neck, proximal humerus, talar neck, and scaphoid. These locations have a tenuous vascular supply; the diagnosis, risk factors, natural history, and treatment are reviewed. Fracture nonunion only correlates with AVN in the scaphoid. In the femoral head, the risk is increased for displaced fractures, but the time to surgery and open versus closed treatment do not seem to influence the risk. Patients with collapse are frequently symptomatic, and total hip arthroplasty is the most reliable treatment. In the humeral head, certain fracture patterns correlate with avascularity at the time of injury, but most do not go on to develop AVN due to head revascularization. Additionally, newer surgical approaches and improved construct stability appear to lessen the risk of AVN. The likelihood of AVN of the talar body rises with increased severity of talar injury. The development of AVN corresponds with a worse prognosis and increases the likelihood of secondary procedures. In proximal pole scaphoid fractures, delays in diagnosis and treatment elevate the risk of AVN, which is often seen in cases of nonunion. The need for vascularized versus nonvascularized bone grafting when repairing scaphoid nonunions with AVN remains unclear.

Periprosthetic Infections of the Shoulder: Diagnosis and Management The use of shoulder arthroplasty is continuing to expand. Periprosthetic joint infection of the shoulder is a devastating complication occurring in approximately 1% of cases. The most common organisms responsible for the infection are Cutibacterium acnes (formerly Propionibacterium acnes) (∼39%) and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (∼29%). Evaluation of patients includes history and physical examination, serologic testing, imaging, possible joint aspiration, and tissue culture. Diagnosing infections caused by lower virulence organisms (eg, C acnes) poses a challenge to the surgeon because traditional diagnostic tests (erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, and joint aspiration) have a low sensitivity due to the lack of an inflammatory response. Periprosthetic joint infections of the shoulder due to Staphylococcus aureus and other highly virulent organisms are often easy to diagnose and are usually treated with two-stage revisions. However, for infections with C acnes and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, single- and two-stage revision surgeries have shown similar ability to clear the infection. Unexpected positive cultures for C acnes during revision surgery are not uncommon; the proper management is still under investigation and remains a challenge.

Advances in the Rehabilitation of the Spinal Cord–Injured Patient: The Orthopaedic Surgeons' Perspective Acute traumatic spinal cord injury is a devastating condition affecting 17,700 new patients per year in the United States alone. Typically, orthopaedic surgeons focus on managing the acute surgical aspects of care (eg, surgical spinal decompression and stabilization). However, in the care of these patients, being familiar with how to prognosticate neurologic recovery and manage secondary complications is extremely important. In addition, as an integral part of the multidisciplinary care team, the surgeon should have an awareness of contemporary rehabilitation approaches to maximize function and facilitate reintegration into the community. The purpose of this review article is to provide a surgeon's perspective on these aspects of spinal cord injury care.

Surgical Management of Patellofemoral Instability in the Skeletally Immature Patient No abstract available

Reply to Letter to the Editor: Surgical Management of Patellofemoral Instability in the Skeletally Immature Patient No abstract available

Underrepresented Minority Applicants Are Competitive for Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Programs, but Enter Residency at Lower Rates Introduction: Orthopaedic surgery residency programs have the lowest representation of ethnic/racial minorities compared with other specialties. This study compared orthopaedic residency enrollment rates and academic metrics of applicants and matriculated residents by race/ethnicity. Methods: Data on applicants from US medical schools for orthopaedic residency and residents were analyzed from 2005 to 2014 and compared between race/ethnic groups (White, Asian, Black, Hispanic, and Other). Results: Minority applicants comprised 29% of applicants and 25% of enrolled candidates. Sixty-one percent of minority applicants were accepted into an orthopaedic residency versus 73% of White applicants (P < 0.0001). White and Asian applicants and residents had higher USMLE Step 1. White applicants and matriculated candidates had higher Step 2 Clinical Knowledge scores and higher odds of Alpha Omega Alpha membership compared with Black, Hispanic, and Other groups. Publication counts were similar in all applicant groups, although Hispanic residents had significantly more publications. Black applicants had more volunteer experiences. Conclusions: In orthopaedic surgery residency, minority applicants enrolled at a lower rate than White and Asian applicants. The emphasis on USMLE test scores and Alpha Omega Alpha membership may contribute to the lower enrollment rate of minority applicants. Other factors such as conscious or unconscious bias, which may contribute, were not evaluated in this study.

Morbid Obesity Is Associated With an Increased Risk of Wound Complications and Infection After Lower Extremity Soft-tissue Sarcoma Resection Background: Obesity is associated with wound complications after lower extremity surgery. Excision of soft-tissue sarcomas is urgent, and unlike the elective surgery, obesity cannot be modified preoperatively. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of obesity on treatment outcome. Methods: Six hundred fifty-three patients (343 men; mean age, 56 ± 18 years) with a lower extremity soft-tissue sarcoma were reviewed. The mean body mass index (BMI) was 27.1 ± 5.7 kg/m2, with 189 obese patients (29%) having a BMI of ≥30 kg/m2 and 27 morbidly obese patients (4%) having a BMI of ≥40 kg/m2. Complications and functional and oncologic outcomes were compared between groups. Results: Two hundred eighty-five patients (40%) sustained a postoperative complication, most commonly a dehiscence (n = 175; 24%) and infection (n = 147; 21%). On multivariate analysis, morbid obesity was associated with wound complications (P = 0.002) and infection (P = 0.01). Morbid obesity was not associated with local tumor recurrence (P = 0.56). No difference was found in the mean Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (P = 0.11) or Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (P = 0.41) scores between the groups. Discussion: Morbid obesity was associated with postoperative wound complications and infection. However, after surgery, obese patients can expect no difference in oncologic outcome, with an excellent functional result.

An Increasing Rate of Surgical Management of Closed Tibia Fractures in an Adolescent Population: A National Database Study Background: No consensus exists for the management of closed tibia fractures in the adolescent population. Methods: The Kids' Inpatient Database was used to extract data on patients aged 10 to 18 years with closed diaphyseal tibia fractures. The frequency of closed reduction and internal fixation (IF) was calculated, and the temporal trends were evaluated. Results: Between 1997 and 2012, the rate of IF for closed tibia fractures in the adolescent population increased by 29.8%. The rate of increase in IF between patients aged 10 to 12 years, 13 to 15 years, and 16 to 18 years was not statistically different (P = 0.092). Analysis of hospital variables demonstrated that large hospitals were more likely to perform IF compared with small- and medium-sized hospitals (P < 0.001). A significant difference exists between the IF and closed reduction groups in the length of hospital stay (3.85 ± 0.07 versus 2.44 ± 0.07; P < 0.001) and cost ($37,400 ± $890 versus $15,300 ± $670; P < 0.001). Discussion: The results of this study show a shift in the management of closed tibia shaft fractures in the adolescent population admitted to the hospital, with an absolute rate increase of 29.8% in patients aged 10 to 18 years over a 15-year period. Level of Evidence: Level III. A retrospective, comparative study

Safe Zones for Anterior Acetabular Retractor Placement in Direct Anterior Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Cadaveric Study Introduction: There is paucity of literature evaluating anterior acetabular retractor proximity to the femoral nerve and external iliac vessels during total hip arthroplasty through the direct anterior approach. In this cadaveric study, we evaluated three retractor locations to identify optimal positioning of anterior retractors. Methods: A direct anterior approach was performed in 22 hips of 15 cadavers. Anterior acetabular retractors were placed over the anterior acetabular wall in-line with the femoral neck (12-o'clock or middle position). The anterior neurovascular structures were identified through the ilioinguinal approach. Retractors were reinserted at 10-o'clock (right hip; superior) and 2-o'clock (right hip; inferior) locations marked using K-wires. Horizontal and vertical distances from retractor tip positions to neurovascular structures were measured with a digital caliper. Results: Retractor tips moved significantly from lateral to the femoral nerve when placed in the superior position (mean, 2.8 mm) to medial to the femoral nerve in the middle (mean, −2.3 mm) and inferior (mean, −4.8 mm) locations. Retractor tips moved significantly medial toward the external iliac artery when retractors were moved from superior (mean, 15.3 mm) to inferior (mean, 6.6 mm) positions placing the retractor tip closer to the vessels. Conclusion: As retractor placements moved inferior, retractor tips moved medial to neurovascular structures. Inferior retractor positioning placed the femoral nerve and external iliac artery at the risk of injury during the initial retractor placement or adjustment. Retractors should be placed in a relative safe zone superior to the 12-o'clock position to avoid damage to neurovascular structures. Level of Evidence: IV