Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty: A PearlDiver study evaluating complications rates, opioid use and utilization in the Medicare population

A grant from the One-University Open Access Fund at the University of Kansas was used to defray the author's publication fees in this Open Access journal. The Open Access Fund, administered by librarians from the KU, KU Law, and KUMC libraries, is made possible by contributions from the offices of KU Provost, KU Vice Chancellor for Research & Graduate Studies, and KUMC Vice Chancellor for Research. For more information about the Open Access Fund, please see http://library.kumc.edu/authors-fund.xml.Purpose Despite increased utilization of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) for unicompartmental knee osteoarthritis, outcomes in Medicare patients are not well-reported. The purpose of this study is to analyze practice patterns and outcome differences between UKA and TKA in the Medicare population. It is hypothesized that UKA utilization will have increased over the course of the study period and that UKA will be associated with reduced opioid use and lower complication rates compared to TKA. Methods Using PearlDiver, the Humana Claims dataset and the Medicare Standard Analytic File (SAF) were analyzed. Patients who underwent UKA and TKA were identified by CPT codes. Postoperative complications were identified by ICD-9/ICD-10 codes. Opioid use was analyzed by the number of days patients were prescribed opioids postoperatively. Survivorship was defined as conversion to TKA. Results In the Humana dataset, 7,808 UKA and 150,680 TKA patients were identified. 8-year survivorship was 87.7% (95% CI [0.861,0.894]). Postoperative opioid use was significantly higher after TKA (186.1 days) compared to UKA (144.7 days) (p  80 years old and lowest in patients < 70 years old. In both datasets, postoperative complication rates were higher in TKA patients compared to UKA patients in nearly all categories. Conclusions UKA represents an increasingly utilized treatment for osteoarthritis in the Medicare population and may be comparatively advantageous to TKA due to reduced opioid use and complication rates after surgery

Giant fornix syndrome: a case series.

PURPOSE: To describe the demographics, characteristics, and treatment of giant fornix syndrome, a rare cause of chronic purulent conjunctivitis in the elderly. METHODS: Retrospective chart review of five patients with giant fornix syndrome evaluated by the Cornea Service, Oculoplastics and Orbital Surgery Service and the Department of Pathology at the Wills Eye Institute. RESULTS: The median age of the 5 female patients was 75 years (mean 80, range 70-95). The median duration of eye symptoms before presentation was 2 years (mean 2.4, range 1-4). Before referral, the chronic conjunctivitis was treated with topical antibiotics in all 5 cases and with additional dacryocystorhinostomy in one case. The right eye was affected in 2 cases, and the left eye was affected in the other 3 cases. Floppy eyelids were present in 2 cases. The superior fornix was involved in 4 cases, and the inferior fornix was involved in one case. Pseudomembranes and superficial punctate keratitis (SPK) were seen in 3 cases. Diagnosis of giant fornix syndrome was made in all 5 cases. Conjunctival culture grew methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and S. aureus in singular cases. Case 1 was treated with topical moxifloxacin, Case 2 was treated with topical vancomycin and repair of the upper eyelid, Case 3 was treated with topical besifloxacin, and Case 4 was treated with dacryocystorhinostomy and topical vancomycin. Case 5 was treated with reconstruction of the left upper eyelid. The median duration of follow up was 4 months (mean 21.6, range 1-84). CONCLUSIONS: Giant fornix syndrome can lead to chronic relapsing conjunctivitis in the elderly. Deep conjunctival fornices in affected patients can be a site for prolonged sequestration of bacteria causing recurrent infections. Removing the infected debris from the superior fornix and reconstruction of the upper eyelid may prevent the recurrent chronic persistent infection

Corneal Outcomes Following Cataract Surgery Using Ophthalmic Viscosurgical Devices Composed of Chondroitin Sulfate-Hyaluronic Acid: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Ophthalmic viscosurgical devices (OVDs) are commonly used during cataract surgery to protect the corneal endothelium. A systematic literature review and meta-analysis were conducted to assess the clinical evidence of OVDs composed of chondroitin sulfate-hyaluronic acid (CS-HA) versus other OVDs in maintaining endothelial cell density (ECD) and corneal thickness (CT). Methods: MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched from 2000 to 2020. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs, N ≥ 20 per group) comparing an OVD containing CS-HA (ie, VISCOAT®, DuoVisc® or DisCoVisc®) to any other OVD were included. The identified comparators were limited to the OVDs found in the literature, which included those composed of HA-only or hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC). Outcomes of focus included changes in ECD (baseline to 3 months) and CT (baseline to 24 hours). Meta-analyses were performed using R software, to assess mean differences (MD) in ECD and CT change between CS-HA OVDs and HA-only or HPMC OVDs. Results: A total of 966 abstracts were screened, and data were extracted from 12 RCTs. Meta-analyses using a random-effects model revealed significantly lower percent (%) decrease in ECD for CS-HA OVDs compared to both HA-only (MD: −4.10%; 95% CI: −5.81 to −2.40; p \u3c 0.0001; 9 studies) and HPMC (MD: −6.47%; 95% CI: −10.41 to −2.52; p = 0.001; 2 studies) products. Similarly, % CT increase was significantly lower with CS-HA than with HA-only OVDs (MD: −3.22%; 95% CI: −6.24% to −0.20%; p = 0.04; 4 studies). However, there were no significant differences when comparing % CT change between CS-HA and HPMC OVDs (MD: 2.65%; 95% CI: −0.43% to 0.95%; p = 0.4; 2 studies). Conclusion: CS-HA OVDs lead to less postoperative loss of endothelial cells and may better protect corneal endothelium during cataract surgery, relative to other OVDs. Future randomized studies may be needed to solidify these findings

The Boston keratoprosthesis in 2 patients with autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy.

PURPOSE: To report the results of Boston keratoprosthesis in patients with autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED). CASE REPORTS: Case 1 is a 36-year-old woman with APECED and ocular history of corneal ulcers in both eyes who presented with severe dry eyes. Her ocular examination showed diffuse corneal vascularization and stromal scarring in the left eye. She underwent Boston type 1 keratoprosthesis, cataract extraction, and sulcus intraocular lens implant in the left eye to improve visual acuity. Case 2 is a 49-year-old man with possible APECED and ocular history of phlyctenular keratitis, recurrent corneal erosions, and scarring presented with dense corneal vascularization and scarring in both eyes. He underwent a Boston type 1 keratoprosthesis, clear lens extraction, and posterior chamber intraocular lens implant in the right eye. RESULTS: The surgeries were uneventful. On postoperative day 1, visual acuity of 20/40 was achieved in both patients and it remained stable during the 2-year follow-up period. There were no postoperative complications seen in either patient. CONCLUSIONS: APECED is a rare disorder, which can be associated with bilateral keratitis or diffuse corneal vascularization in addition to systemic findings and ectodermal signs. The Boston type 1 keratoprosthesis is a promising treatment option to improve visual acuity in patients with APECED with corneal involvement

Economic Impact Analysis of Custom Pak® on Cataract and Vitreoretinal Surgery in the United States

PURPOSE: Implicit costs of surgical preparation and materials management for cataract/anterior segment and retinal/posterior segment procedures are often unquantified. Use of ophthalmological surgical procedure packs is common in these surgeries; however, there is little in the literature demonstrating their time and cost impacts. Understanding the costs and potential benefits of surgical pack procedure use is important for administrators in purchasing decision-making. The objective of this study is to estimate the economic impact of Alcon Custom Pak METHODS: We conducted a study in 2019 among US hospitals and ASCs using an online survey and a surgery timing exercise. Surgical technicians and supply chain managers were surveyed regarding current cataract and retina surgery practices including OR, materials management, and accounting tasks. Surgical technicians timed cataract and retina surgeries, recording activity timestamps and surgical supply use from Alcon Custom Pak and other sources. Using the survey and timing exercise inputs and literature and government sources, we developed a budget impact model (BIM) to quantify hidden costs of time and labor spent across the entire surgery supply life cycle. RESULTS: Representing a geographical mix of 99 facilities, surgical technicians (56 cataract/46 retina) and supply chain managers (23 cataract/24 retina) provided data for their institutions. Technicians timed 290 cataract and 250 retina surgeries. In the BIM, increasing baseline Custom Pak utilization to 100% of surgeries while also sourcing all relevant supplies from Custom Pak results in annual cost savings ranging from $92,273 to$217,675 across procedure type and setting, allowing for between 75 (retina ASC) and 266 (cataract hospital) potential additional procedures per facility/year. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that increasing Custom Pak usage can potentially save time, reduce hidden costs, and increase throughput

Cool Multiphase Plasma in Hot Environments

Cool plasmas embedded in a larger, much hotter medium are ubiquitous in different astrophysical systems such as solar & stellar coronae, the CGM, ISM and ICM media. These cross-disciplinary possibilities call for a high-resolution multi-wavelength imaging and spectroscopic solar instrument able to capture the multithermal, dynamic and pervasive nature of the multiphase plasma in the solar corona