The “Sandwich Tenodesis”: An Arthroscopic Technic for Combined Soft-Tissue and Bony Fixation of the Long Head of the Biceps

Pathology of the long head of the biceps can contribute to substantial shoulder pain. After nonoperative treatment has failed, either open or arthroscopic tenotomy or tenodesis can be recommended depending on age, occupation, function, and cosmetic preference. While classic tenodesis techniques rely on tendon-to-bone fixation, multiple studies have shown superior healing results for fixation between similar types of tissue, such as tendon-to-tendon. In this technique, we present the “sandwich technique,” performed entirely arthroscopically. A single 4-strand anchor with bioabsorbable screw is used to provide 2 types of fixation. Two strands are first used to lasso-loop the long head of the biceps to the bicipital groove, providing bone-to-tendon fixation. The other strands are then used to anchor rotator interval tissue to the tendon, providing a similar tissue or tendon-to-tendon patch augmentation

Total Shoulder Arthroplasty: Antibiotic Allergies Increase Risk of Postoperative Complications

BACKGROUND: Periprosthetic infections after total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) are associated with devastating complications and prolonged treatment. Patients with identified antibiotic allergy (ABX) may be at increased risk for complications because of suboptimal preincisional prophylaxis. This study aims to quantify the risk of postoperative outcomes and complications for patients undergoing TSA with a history of ABX. METHODS: Retrospective cohort analysis of patient data was conducted using the PearlDiver Patient Records Database. Patients who underwent TSA for osteoarthritis were identified using Current Procedural Terminology and International Classification of Diseases codes and were stratified based on self-reported (1) penicillin, (2) sulfonamide, or (3) other antibiotic allergies. We analyzed patient demographics, comorbidities, 90-day medical complications, and rate of revision at 30 days, 90 days, 1 year, and 2 years. RESULTS: In total, 85,606 patients who underwent TSA for osteoarthritis from 2010 to 2018 were identified, of whom 7,836 (9.15%) had a reported ABX. Univariate analysis found the ABX cohort was younger (67.5 versus 67.7 year; P = 0.042), more often female (67.57% versus 54.79%; P \u3c 0.001), and more likely to have Elixhauser comorbidities than nonallergic control subjects. Multivariate analysis found patients who reported ABX had increased likelihood of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) within 30 days (odds ratio [OR]: 3.129), 1 year (OR: 2.016), and 2 years of surgery (OR: 2.221). Patients with reported ABX had increased likelihood of postoperative anemia (OR: 1.126), blood transfusion (OR: 1.238), and readmission (OR: 1.585) within 90 days of surgery. Patients with penicillin allergy had a greater incidence of revision due to PJI at 30 days (OR: 4.811), 90 days (OR: 2.91), 1 year (OR: 2.105), and 2 years (OR: 2.72). Rates of reported ABX increased from 2010 to 2018 (8.60% to 10.91%; P = 0.001) in patients undergoing TSA. CONCLUSION: Patients undergoing TSA with a history of ABX had a higher risk of readmission, postoperative anemia, blood transfusions, and PJI. These findings support critical assessment and clarification of reported allergies before TSA and possibly the use of preoperative allergy testing. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3 therapeutic study

SLAP repair and bicep tenodesis: a comparison of utilization and revision rates for SLAP tears

HYPOTHESIS: The management of superior labrum anterior to posterior (SLAP) tears typically consists of either repair or biceps tenodesis (BT). While repair is more frequently recommended in younger patients, patients older than 40 years are often treated with BT. The purpose of this study is to determine whether there has been a change in utilization of these procedures over the past decade with respect to patient age as well as compare reoperation rates between the two procedures. METHODS: The Pearldiver database was queried to identify BT and SLAP repairs indicated for SLAP tears performed from 2010 to 2019. The primary outcome was utilization rate, stratified by age. A secondary outcome was 2-year shoulder reoperation rates. Trends were reported in terms of compounded annual growth rate. Outcome analysis was conducted using univariate and multivariable analysis. RESULTS: From 2010 to 2019, SLAP repair was the most common procedure performed for SLAP tears. Regardless of age, BT performed for SLAP tear had a significantly increased utilization rate; whereas, SLAP repair had a significantly decreased utilization rate. SLAP repair was more commonly performed in younger patients compared to BT. Following multivariable analysis, patients who underwent SLAP repair had significantly higher odds (odds ratio (OR): 1.453; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.26-1.68; \u3c .001) of requiring an arthroscopic reoperation within 2 years when compared to those who underwent BT with no significant difference with respect to 2-year open reoperation. CONCLUSION: Although SLAP repair is still more commonly used to treat SLAP tears than BT, especially for younger patients, the utilization of SLAP repair is decreasing while BT is increasing. The increased utilization of BT may be associated with lower rates of shoulder reoperation for problematic SLAP tears

Trends in Utilization and Patient Demographics for Shoulder Instability Procedures from 2010 to 2019

INTRODUCTION: Improved technique and increased surgeon experience has optimized surgical care in patients with recurrent shoulder instability. Several techniques are used for surgical repair of shoulder instability, yet there is limited data on how utilization has changed over the past decade. The aim of this study was to assess trends in the utilization rate and patient demographics (age and gender) from 2010-2019 for four shoulder instability procedures: coracoid transfer/Latarjet procedure (LP), anterior bone block (ABB), open Bankart repair (OBR), and arthroscopic Bankart repair (ABR). METHODS: We identified over 87,00 patients using an all-payer claims database. The utilization rate was defined as the number of cases for a procedure divided by the total number surgical cases for shoulder instability for any given year. Age was divided into three groups: \u3c25, 25-35, \u3e35-years-old. Trends were reported in terms of compounded annual growth rates (CAGR). RESULTS: While ABR was the most common shoulder instability procedure overall (91% utilization rate), LP had the greatest increase in utilization from 2010-2019 (2.0% to 4.5%; CAGR: +9.8%). In comparison, the utilization for ABB increased +4.3% annually while OBR declined -6.9% annually. The utilization of ABR showed minimal change. Notably, LP was performed more frequently on younger patients over time. The percentage of patients \u3c25-years-old who underwent LP increased from 30% to 41% from 2010-2019 (+3.4%). There was a trend toward performing more LP on men versus women (+1.2% vs. -3.5%, P \u3c 0.05), although most cases (68%) were still performed on men. CONCLUSION: ABR continues to account for most shoulder instability procedures. LP had the greatest increase in utilization rate from 2010-2019 and has now surpassed OBR in utilization rate. ABB is also being more frequently performed but only represents a minority of stabilization cases. During the course of the study period, a greater percentage of patients undergoing shoulder instability procedure were male and \u3c25-years-old

Thigh-length compression stockings and DVT after stroke

Controversy exists as to whether neoadjuvant chemotherapy improves survival in patients with invasive bladder cancer, despite randomised controlled trials of more than 3000 patients. We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effect of such treatment on survival in patients with this disease