Hand/Wrist News

SAN FRANCISCO — At the American Society for Surgery of the Hand Annual Meeting, Sonu Jain, MD, discussed a study that looked at reimbursement rates for common hand surgery procedures before and after the Affordable Care Act (ACA). There was almost an 8% decrease in the proportion of patients who were uninsured after the ACA was implemented.

SAN FRANCISCO — At the American Society for Surgery of the Hand Annual Meeting, Asif Ilyas, MD, discussed ways in which physicians can manage the opioid crisis specifically for patients who underwent carpal tunnel release. He said formal preoperative counseling was associated with decreased opioid consumption in patients after surgery.

The orthopedic joint replacement register for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man published a report that demonstrated a significant increase in joint replacement procedures.

SAN FRANCISCO — At the American Society for Surgery of the Hand Annual Meeting, Jennifer Moriatis Wolf, MD, discussed a study that evaluated a single corticosteroid injection for radial tunnel syndrome.

SAN FRANCISCO — Results presented at the American Society for Surgery of the Hand Annual Meeting showed older patients experienced an increase in incidental triangular fibrocartilage complex signal abnormalities.

SAN FRANCISCO — Pediatric patients with congenital hand syndactyly had a similar quality of life as unaffected individuals, according to results presented at the American Society for Surgery of the Hand Annual Meeting.

SAN FRANCISCO — Although there are various methods of fixation available for four-corner fusion of the wrist, results presented here showed inconsistent functional outcomes, union rates and complication rates among these methods.

SAN FRANCISCO — Use of fluoroscopy may be unnecessary when performing initial closed reduction of distal radius fractures, according to results presented at the American Society for Surgery of the Hand Annual Meeting.

SAN FRANCISCO — Patient-reported outcomes measurements system upper extremity instruments proved to be an appropriate and efficient outcome measurement among patients undergoing carpal tunnel release compared with the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire and the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire, according to results presented here.

SAN FRANCISCO — Physician guidelines and patient handouts helped to significantly reduce the number of prescription opioid pills while maintaining high patient satisfaction and a low refill rate, according to results presented at the American Society for Surgery of the Hand Annual Meeting.