Letter to the Editor: «Suprapatellar tibial nailing, why have we changed?»

Tibia suprapatelar; Fracturas tibiales; Abordaje infrapatelarSuprapatellar tibial; Tibial fractures; Infrapatellar approachTíbia suprapatel·lar; Fractures tibials; Abordatge infrapatela

Open reduction and polyaxial plating for stemmed knee periprosthetic fractures: A case series

Introduction: Stemmed total knee arthroplasty (STKA) periprosthetic fractures (PPFs) are an emerging problem affecting frail patients. Their surgical fixation is challenging, due to intramedullary involvement and poor bone stock. Polyaxial locking plating has yielded good results in implant-related femur fractures. We hypothesized that this treatment would provide similar results for STKA PPFs. Methods: Retrospective analysis of consecutive patients with a femoral PPF or inter-implant fracture around a knee revision stem who had undergone open reduction and periprosthetic-specific polyaxial plate fixation. Results: We found 14 cases of mean age 85.4 years. Cerclages were used in 80% of cases. Fixation of a mean 8.6 cortices around the revision stem was achieved, with an overall screw density of 1:2 or 1:3. Four patients lost their ability to walk, while four experienced postoperative local complications. Bone healing was achieved in all except one who died during hospitalization. The 13 remaining survived the first year of follow-up. Conclusion: STKA PPFs are an emerging and challenging problem affecting frail patients. Treatment using polyaxial locking plates provides stable fixation allowing early mobilization despite high complication rates

Implementing stakeholder engagement to explore alternative models of consent: An example from the PREP-IT trials

Introduction: Cluster randomized crossover trials are often faced with a dilemma when selecting an optimal model of consent, as the traditional model of obtaining informed consent from participant's before initiating any trial related activities may not be suitable. We describe our experience of engaging patient advisors to identify an optimal model of consent for the PREP-IT trials. This paper also examines surrogate measures of success for the selected model of consent. Methods: The PREP-IT program consists of two multi-center cluster randomized crossover trials that engaged patient advisors to determine an optimal model of consent. Patient advisors and stakeholders met regularly and reached consensus on decisions related to the trial design including the model for consent. Patient advisors provided valuable insight on how key decisions on trial design and conduct would be received by participants and the impact these decisions will have. Results: Patient advisors, together with stakeholders, reviewed the pros and cons and the requirements for the traditional model of consent, deferred consent, and waiver of consent. Collectively, they agreed upon a deferred consent model, in which patients may be approached for consent after their fracture surgery and prior to data collection. The consent rate in PREP-IT is 80.7%, and 0.67% of participants have withdrawn consent for participation. Discussion: Involvement of patient advisors in the development of an optimal model of consent has been successful. Engagement of patient advisors is recommended for other large trials where the traditional model of consent may not be optimal