Radiation Exposure to the Eye with Mini C-arm Use During Hand Surgery

Introduction: Fluoroscopic radiation exposure is a potential occupational health risk to the Hand Surgeon, given operator proximity and the relative lack of eye shielding. The association of eye radiation exposure and the early development of cataracts have been previously reported. Mini C-arm fluoroscopy is commonly utilized during routine Hand Surgery. At present, the amount of radiation exposure to the eye, associated with the routine use of mini C-arm fluoroscopy, is unknown, thus warranting further investigation. The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that eye radiation exposure, sustained during routine mini C-arm use, does not exceed that of previously reported critical radiation dosages to the eye

An Evaluation of Ultrasound-Guided Regional Block Anesthesia in Outpatient Hand Surgery

Introduction: The utilization of ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve blocks in orthopedic surgery has increased in popularity as the anesthesia of choice for the management of perioperative pain. Peripheral nerve blockade has been shown to increase overall surgical efficiency, improve patient satisfaction, reduce postoperative narcotic use, and decrease the duration of facility admissions, while increasing overall cost-effectiveness. To date, scant literature exists regarding the safety and efficacy of ultrasound-guided supraclavicular blocks used in common hand surgery procedures, and the rate of neurologic and vascular complications remains unknown. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness and complication rate of supraclavicular nerve blocks in hand surgery. Methods: With institutional review board approval, 713 cases of outpatient upper extremity surgery, performed by three board certified orthopedic hand surgeons at a single ambulatory surgery center over a consecutive period of 2 years, were retrospectively reviewed. Adverse outcomes related to regional blocks were identified through reviewing the electronic medical record of the immediate 24-hour postoperative telephone call and the first postoperative visit note within two weeks of surgery. Results: 20 patients (2.8%) reported an excessively long block and 1 patient reported inadequate pain control in the PACU (0.1%), but no clinically significant pulmonary or neurovascular complications were identified. Conclusion: Ultrasound-guided supraclavicular block was associated with a high success rate and low complication rate. This technique as described may be safe for outpatients, although larger numbers of subjects will be required to make this statement with certainty

Trigger Finger Release Performed Wide Awake: Prospective Comparison of Local Anesthetics

Introduction: Trigger fi­nger (TF) is one of the most common conditions treated by hand surgeons with a lifetime risk up to 10% in patients with diabetes. If conservative management fails, surgical treatment is undertaken, with or without sedation and a tourniquet, via a small incision to release the A1 pulley. A number of local anesthetics are readily available including Lidocaine, Ropivacaine and Marcaine as well as encapsulated formulations thereof such as Exparel. Since it’s approval in 2011, there have been numerous reports of successfully achieving prolonged pain relief with locally injected Exparel after various procedures, but to the best of our knowledge there have been no reports of its use in ambulatory hand surgery. In this study we prospectively evaluated the efficacy of Lidocaine, Marcaine, or bupivacaine with post-operative Exparel in controlling pain, opioid usage, and adverse reactions following TF surgery

Comparison of migration behavior between single and dual lag screw implants for intertrochanteric fracture fixation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Lag screw cut-out failure following fixation of unstable intertrochanteric fractures in osteoporotic bone remains an unsolved challenge. This study tested if resistance to cut-out failure can be improved by using a dual lag screw implant in place of a single lag screw implant. Migration behavior and cut-out resistance of a single and a dual lag screw implant were comparatively evaluated in surrogate specimens using an established laboratory model of hip screw cut-out failure.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Five dual lag screw implants (Endovis, Citieffe) and five single lag screw implants (DHS, Synthes) were tested in the Hip Implant Performance Simulator (HIPS) of the Legacy Biomechanics Laboratory. This model simulated osteoporotic bone, an unstable fracture, and biaxial rocking motion representative of hip loading during normal gait. All constructs were loaded up to 20,000 cycles of 1.45 kN peak magnitude under biaxial rocking motion. The migration kinematics was continuously monitored with 6-degrees of freedom motion tracking system and the number of cycles to implant cut-out was recorded.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The dual lag screw implant exhibited significantly less migration and sustained more loading cycles in comparison to the DHS single lag screw. All DHS constructs failed before 20,000 cycles, on average at 6,638 ± 2,837 cycles either by cut-out or permanent screw bending. At failure, DHS constructs exhibited 10.8 ± 2.3° varus collapse and 15.5 ± 9.5° rotation around the lag screw axis. Four out of five dual screws constructs sustained 20,000 loading cycles. One dual screw specimens sustained cut-out by medial migration of the distal screw after 10,054 cycles. At test end, varus collapse and neck rotation in dual screws implants advanced to 3.7 ± 1.7° and 1.6 ± 1.0°, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The single and double lag screw implants demonstrated a significantly different migration resistance in surrogate specimens under gait loading simulation with the HIPS model. In this model, the double screw construct provided significantly greater resistance against varus collapse and neck rotation in comparison to a standard DHS lag screw implant.</p

Sparsentan in patients with IgA nephropathy: a prespecified interim analysis from a randomised, double-blind, active-controlled clinical trial

Background: Sparsentan is a novel, non-immunosuppressive, single-molecule, dual endothelin and angiotensin receptor antagonist being examined in an ongoing phase 3 trial in adults with IgA nephropathy. We report the prespecified interim analysis of the primary proteinuria efficacy endpoint, and safety. Methods: PROTECT is an international, randomised, double-blind, active-controlled study, being conducted in 134 clinical practice sites in 18 countries. The study examines sparsentan versus irbesartan in adults (aged ≥18 years) with biopsy-proven IgA nephropathy and proteinuria of 1·0 g/day or higher despite maximised renin-angiotensin system inhibitor treatment for at least 12 weeks. Participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive sparsentan 400 mg once daily or irbesartan 300 mg once daily, stratified by estimated glomerular filtration rate at screening (30 to 1·75 g/day). The primary efficacy endpoint was change from baseline to week 36 in urine protein-creatinine ratio based on a 24-h urine sample, assessed using mixed model repeated measures. Treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were safety endpoints. All endpoints were examined in all participants who received at least one dose of randomised treatment. The study is ongoing and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03762850. Findings: Between Dec 20, 2018, and May 26, 2021, 404 participants were randomly assigned to sparsentan (n=202) or irbesartan (n=202) and received treatment. At week 36, the geometric least squares mean percent change from baseline in urine protein-creatinine ratio was statistically significantly greater in the sparsentan group (-49·8%) than the irbesartan group (-15·1%), resulting in a between-group relative reduction of 41% (least squares mean ratio=0·59; 95% CI 0·51-0·69; p<0·0001). TEAEs with sparsentan were similar to irbesartan. There were no cases of severe oedema, heart failure, hepatotoxicity, or oedema-related discontinuations. Bodyweight changes from baseline were not different between the sparsentan and irbesartan groups. Interpretation: Once-daily treatment with sparsentan produced meaningful reduction in proteinuria compared with irbesartan in adults with IgA nephropathy. Safety of sparsentan was similar to irbesartan. Future analyses after completion of the 2-year double-blind period will show whether these beneficial effects translate into a long-term nephroprotective potential of sparsentan. Funding: Travere Therapeutics