Knee News

Prescription monitoring program data, “a vital tool to help combat the potential harms associated with prescription opioid misuse,” were underutilized by health care professionals, researchers wrote in Pain Medicine.

Use of an artificial neural network model identified Charlson comorbidity index and smoking status as the strongest predictors of surgical site infection after total joint arthroplasty, according to results.

Editor’s note: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth use exploded in 2020 as an integral patient communication modality for many health care systems. Telehealth not only provides the ability for virtual communication between provider and patient, but also may be used to remotely manage a patient’s physical therapy needs. This blog reviews the use of telehealth for postoperative joint arthroplasty rehabilitation.

Long-term results showed computer-assisted surgery used in 1,048 patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty was associated with average alignment of 1.52° varus and Kaplan-Meier survivorship of 98.34%, a presenter said.

Among patients with radiographic knee osteoarthritis, NSAID use was associated with an increased loss of medial minimum joint space width compared with other medications, according to data published in Rheumatology.

High-intensity strength training failed to significantly reduce knee pain, or knee joint compressive forces, at 18 months when compared to low-intensity regimens or attention control in patients with osteoarthritis, according to data.

Eliminating periprosthetic joint infection as a disease process is a “dream,” a presenter at the Orthopaedic Research Society Annual Meeting said, noting the orthopedic community will produce novel innovations that can improve patient care.

Morbidity and mortality among patients who underwent elective total hip and knee arthroplasty was significantly greater during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with the same time period the year before the pandemic, study results showed.

Use of a prediction model with 10 clinical factors may identify patients undergoing total knee replacement who may be at high risk for future adverse outcomes from persistent opioid use and dependence, according to published results.

A collaborative care model that utilizes buprenorphine-waivered physicians and community pharmacists was associated with high rates of opioid use disorder treatment retention and adherence, results of a pilot study showed.