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Annals of Translational Medicine Feb 2019Soft tissue dysfunction can result from the degeneration of tissues as in the case of degenerative tendinopathy or from the build-up of problematic scar tissue, which... (Review)
Review
Soft tissue dysfunction can result from the degeneration of tissues as in the case of degenerative tendinopathy or from the build-up of problematic scar tissue, which can be the result of several aggravating factors, including overuse injuries, acute or chronic trauma, or as a result of surgery. This dysfunction often results in impaired movement, pain, and swelling of the affected area, which can lead to patient dissatisfaction and a lower quality of life. These soft tissue dysfunctions also have a marked economic impact. Although a number of traditional treatments attempt to address these issues, no optimal treatment choice has emerged. Traditional treatments are not always successful, can be invasive, and can consume many medical resources. A relatively new treatment approach, Astym therapy, is a potentially useful, non-invasive, more cost-effective option. This therapy was developed to address soft-tissue dysfunctions by stimulating the regeneration of soft tissues and the resorption of inappropriate scar tissue/fibrosis. It has been reported to help with the resorption and remodeling of abnormal tissue, thereby leading to improved motion, function and pain relief. The purpose of this analysis was to review the published literature related to Astym therapy on various musculoskeletal disorders. Specifically, we evaluated the effectiveness of this therapeutic method on disorders related to the: (I) knee; (II) upper extremity; (III) hamstring muscles; and (IV) ankle and Achilles tendon injuries.
PubMed: 30963065
DOI: 10.21037/atm.2018.11.49 -
International Wound Journal Aug 2023This systematic review examined peer-reviewed literature published from 2010 to 2020 to investigate the health care system costs, hidden out-of-pocket expenses and... (Review)
Review
This systematic review examined peer-reviewed literature published from 2010 to 2020 to investigate the health care system costs, hidden out-of-pocket expenses and quality of life impact of surgical site infections (SSIs) and to develop an overall summary of the burden they place on patients. SSI can significantly impact patients' treatment experience and quality of life. Understanding patients' SSI-related burden may assist in developing more effective strategies aimed at lessening the effects of SSI in financial and well-being consequences. Peer-reviewed articles on adult populations (over 18 years old) in orthopaedic elective hip and knee surgeries published from 2010 to 2020 were considered. Only publications in English and studies conducted in high-income countries were eligible for inclusion. A search strategy based on the MESH term and the CINAHL terms classification was developed. Five databases (Scopus, EMBASE, CINAHL, Medline, Web of Science) were searched for relevant sources. Reviewers categorised and uploaded identified citations to Covidence and EndNoteX9. Reviewers will assess article titles, abstracts and the full text for compliance with the inclusion criteria. Ongoing discussions between reviewers resolved disagreements at each selection process stage. The final scoping review reported the citation inclusion process and presented search results in a PRISMA flow diagram. Four main themes were extracted from a thematic analysis of included studies (N = 30): Hospital costing (n = 21); Societal perspective of health system costing (n = 2); Patients and societal well-being (n = 6) and Epidemiological database and surveillance (n = 22). This systematic review has synthesised a range of themes associated with the overall incidence and impact of SSI that can inform decision making for policymakers. Further analysis is required to understand the burden on SSI patients.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Adolescent; Surgical Wound Infection; Quality of Life; Orthopedic Procedures; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee; Health Care Costs
PubMed: 36573252
DOI: 10.1111/iwj.14032 -
Journal of Clinical Medicine May 2022This study aimed to systematically review the literature on the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on the orthopedics field by focusing on multiple... (Review)
Review
This study aimed to systematically review the literature on the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on the orthopedics field by focusing on multiple aspects, including orthopedic training and application, performance, work loading, change of practice, research work, and other psychological factors. Published articles were searched using the PubMed database. Articles were selected in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Of 58 studies published between 1 January 2020 and 1 October 2021, 57 peer-reviewed original articles were included. Nearly 90% of students experienced an impact of the pandemic on application. The impact on training stemmed from redeployment rates of 20.9-23.1%. The rate of emergency or outpatient visits decreased from 18% to 58.6%. The rates of all surgeries or emergency surgeries decreased by 15.6-49.4%, while the rates of elective surgeries decreased by 43.5-100%. The rate of work loading ranged from 33% to 66%. Approximately 50-100% of surgeons had a change of practice. A total of 40.5% of orthopedic surgeons experienced mild psychological pressure. Approximately 64% had stopped research participant recruitment. Most of the included studies were conducted in Europe, followed by Asia and North America. It is suggested orthopedic surgeons prepare more sufficient, flexible, and reservable staffing measures, proper preventive strategies and surgical scheduling algorithms, and set up dedicated venues and equipment for routine telemedicine with staff training for virtual teaching or consultations in case of future impacts on orthopedics.
PubMed: 35683371
DOI: 10.3390/jcm11112983 -
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders Mar 2016Femoral neck fractures in the elderly make up a large proportion of Orthopaedic surgical admissions each year. Operating on patients with clopidogrel poses a challenge... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Femoral neck fractures in the elderly make up a large proportion of Orthopaedic surgical admissions each year. Operating on patients with clopidogrel poses a challenge because of the risk of bleeding and the difficulty deciding the optimal timing of surgery. The aim of this systematic review is to examine the published evidence to establish a set of guidelines for approaching neck of femur patients who are on clopidogrel.
METHODS
All comparative studies with an intervention group and a control group were considered. Data on patient blood transfusion exposures, units transfused, haemoglobin concentration and drop in haemoglobin were extracted and pooled using the fixed effects model. Heterogeneity of the intervention effect was assessed with the I (2) statistic.
RESULTS
A total of 4219 studies were identified. After removal of duplicates and after exclusion criteria were applied, there were 14 studies to be included. All 14 were case series with controls. There was no significant heterogeneity amongst the studies. Pooled odds ratio for transfusion exposures was 1.24 (95 % confidence interval 0.91 to 1.71) however this was not statistically significant (p = 0.14). No significant mean differences were found for other primary outcome measures.
CONCLUSIONS
On the available evidence, we recommend that these patients can be managed by normal protocols with early surgery. Operating early on patients on clopidogrel is safe and does not appear to confer any clinically significant bleeding risk. As reported in other studies, we believe clopidogrel, if possible, should not be withheld throughout the perioperative period due to increased risk of cardiovascular events associated with stopping clopidogrel. Care should be taken intraoperatively to minimise blood loss due to the increased potential for bleeding.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
This systematic review and meta-analysis has been registered on Research Registry on July 16, 2015. The Review Registry Unique Identifying Number is: reviewregistry61 .
Topics: Blood Loss, Surgical; Chi-Square Distribution; Clopidogrel; Drug Administration Schedule; Femoral Neck Fractures; Fracture Fixation; Humans; Odds Ratio; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; Ticlopidine; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 27005816
DOI: 10.1186/s12891-016-0988-9 -
EFORT Open Reviews May 2019Use the PICO framework to formulate a specific clinical question.Formulate a search strategy.Prospectively register the review protocol.Execute the literature... (Review)
Review
Use the PICO framework to formulate a specific clinical question.Formulate a search strategy.Prospectively register the review protocol.Execute the literature search.Apply eligibility criteria to exclude irrelevant studies.Extract data and appraise each study for risk of bias and external validity.Provide a narrative review.If appropriate data are available, perform a meta-analysis.Report the review findings in the context of the risk of bias assessment, any sensitivity analyses and the analysis of risk of publication bias.Useful resources include the Cochrane Handbook, PROSPERO, GRADE and PRISMA. Cite this article: 2019;4:213-220. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.4.180049.
PubMed: 31191989
DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.4.180049 -
PloS One 2017Non-syndromic clefts lip and/or palate (CL/P) defects may have manifold significant and detrimental consequences for the affected individuals and their family... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Treatment outcomes of pre-surgical infant orthopedics in patients with non-syndromic cleft lip and/or palate: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
BACKGROUND
Non-syndromic clefts lip and/or palate (CL/P) defects may have manifold significant and detrimental consequences for the affected individuals and their family environment. Although the use of pre-surgical infant orthopedics (PSIO) was introduced as a means to improve management and treatment outcomes, there still remains a controversy.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effectiveness of PSIO in patients with non-syndromic CL/P and evaluate the quality of the available evidence.
SEARCH METHODS
Search without restrictions, together with hand searching, until May 2016.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomized clinical trials investigating the effects of pre-surgical infant orthopedic appliances.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Following study retrieval and selection, data extraction and individual study risk of bias assessment using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool took place. The overall quality of the available evidence was assessed with the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach.
RESULTS
Finally 20 papers (3 unique trials) were identified, involving a total of 118 patients with unilateral complete CL/P and 16 with cleft of the soft and at least two thirds of the hard palate. Eight publications were considered as being of low, four of unclear and eight of high risk of bias. In general, the investigated appliances did not present significant effects when compared to each other or to no treatment in terms of feeding and general body growth, facial esthetics, cephalometric variables, maxillary dentoalveolar variables and dental arch relationships, speech and language evaluation, caregiver-reported outcomes, economic evaluation, as well as, adverse effects and problems. Overall, the quality of the available evidence was considered low.
CONCLUSIONS
The aforementioned findings could provide initial guidance in the clinical setting. However, given the multitude of parameters, which may have affected the results, good practice would suggest further research, in order to reach more robust relevant recommendations for management decisions in individual cases.
Topics: Cleft Lip; Cleft Palate; Humans; Infant; Orthopedic Procedures; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 28742129
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181768 -
Cureus Apr 2022Pycnodysostosis (PYCD) is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder of the bone which leads to stereotypical abnormalities consisting of, but not limited to,... (Review)
Review
Pycnodysostosis (PYCD) is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder of the bone which leads to stereotypical abnormalities consisting of, but not limited to, sclerotic and fragile bone, shortened distal phalanges, and obtuse mandibular angle. Current literature describes the otolaryngological manifestations and treatment of this disorder; however, the treatment of orthopedic fractures in PYCD patients is seldom described and remains a controversial topic. We aim to systematically review the current evidence regarding the optimal treatment of PYCD patients with fractures. We performed a literature search using PubMed, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases. Elig-ibility criteria consisted of English-language literature of PYCD patients undergoing treatment for orthopedic surgery fractures. Non-English papers or literature focused on maxillofacial manifestations/treatment were excluded. The database search resulted in the identification of 500 articles. After removing duplicates and enforcing our inclusion criteria, 29 case reports/series (40 patients) were included. The average age was 31.25 (-±18.2) years, with 57.5% of patients being female. Overall, 62.5% of patients had consanguineous parents. Additionally, 86.2% reported a history of previous fractures while 47.5% reported a spontaneous or minor trauma fracture, with most fractures occurring in the femur (60.0%) and tibia (40.0%). Radiographic features consisted of densification in the femur 45.0% (18/40), tibia 37.5% (15/40), and spine 25.0% (10/40). Overall, 84.2% of patients were treated with surgical management consisting of internal plate fixation (IPF) (48.3%), intramedullary fixation (20.7%), and Ilizarov external fixation (IEF) (13.8%). Overall, the refracture rate was 25.0% and was lowest in intramedullary fixation (0/6), compared to IPF (3/14) and IEF (3/4). Average time until refracture was 40.6 months (3-132 months). Long-term follow-up is recommended in patients with PYCD due to the propensity for fractures/refractures. While this study provides the groundwork for the treatment of PYCD patients, further research with higher-evidence studies should be conducted to establish the optimal orthopedic treatment of this disorder.
PubMed: 35602818
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.24275 -
Journal of Foot and Ankle Research Sep 2023Surgical resection of Morton's neuroma includes dorsal and plantar approaches. However, there is no consensus on the choice of approach in clinic. The purpose of this... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Surgical resection of Morton's neuroma includes dorsal and plantar approaches. However, there is no consensus on the choice of approach in clinic. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the surgical results of dorsal and plantar approaches.
METHODS
The literatures of PubMed, Cochrane library, Embase and Web of Science were searched on April 26th, 2023. A systematic review was performed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. The data were extracted after screening the literature and evaluating the quality of the methodology included in the study. The RevMan5.4 software was used to analyze and calculate the OR value and 95% confidence interval.
RESULTS
A total of 7 randomized controlled trials and comparative studies were published, of which only 5 were included. There were 158 feet via plantar approach (plantar group, PG) and 189 via dorsal approach (dorsal group, DG). There was no significant difference between PG and DG in overall adverse events, sensory problems, incision infection and deep vein thrombosis (p > 0.05). In terms of scar problems, PG showed more than DG (OR, 2.90[95%CI, 1.40 to 5.98]; p = 0.004). Other outcome indicators such as visual analogue scale (VAS) scores and American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) scores were difficult to be included in the comparison.
CONCLUSIONS
Based on the relatively low quality and small amount of available evidence, the meta-analysis conducted produces a hypothesis that the frequency of adverse events in surgical treatment of Morton's neuroma, dorsal approach and plantar approach may be the same, but the types are different. More high-level evidence is needed to further verify this hypothesis.
Topics: Humans; Morton Neuroma; Consensus; Lower Extremity; Orthopedics; Software
PubMed: 37674248
DOI: 10.1186/s13047-023-00660-w -
Bone & Joint Open Nov 2020Due to the overwhelming demand for trauma services, resulting from increasing emergency department attendances over the past decade, virtual fracture clinics (VFCs) have... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Due to the overwhelming demand for trauma services, resulting from increasing emergency department attendances over the past decade, virtual fracture clinics (VFCs) have become the fashion to keep up with the demand and help comply with the BOA Standards for Trauma and Orthopaedics (BOAST) guidelines. In this article, we perform a systematic review asking, "How useful are VFCs?", and what injuries and conditions can be treated safely and effectively, to help decrease patient face to face consultations. Our primary outcomes were patient satisfaction, clinical efficiency and cost analysis, and clinical outcomes.
METHODS
We performed a systematic literature search of all papers pertaining to VFCs, using the search engines PubMed, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Database, according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) checklist. Searches were carried out and screened by two authors, with final study eligibility confirmed by the senior author.
RESULTS
In total, 21 records were relevant to our research question. Six orthopaedic injuries were identified as suitable for VFC review, with a further four discussed in detail. A reduction of face to face appointments of up to 50% was reported with greater compliance to BOAST guidelines (46.4%) and cost saving (up to £212,000).
CONCLUSIONS
This systematic review demonstrates that the VFC model can help deliver a safe, more cost-effective, and more efficient arm of the trauma service to patients.Cite this article: 2020;1-11:683-690.
PubMed: 33263108
DOI: 10.1302/2633-1462.111.BJO-2020-0107.R1 -
Journal of Orthopaedics Dec 2016E-learning is the use of internet-based resources in education. In the field of surgical education, this definition includes the use of virtual patient cases, digital... (Review)
Review
E-learning is the use of internet-based resources in education. In the field of surgical education, this definition includes the use of virtual patient cases, digital modeling, online tutorials, as well as video recordings of surgical procedures and lectures. In recent years, e-learning has increasingly been considered a viable alternative to traditional teaching within a number of surgical fields. Here we present (1) a systematic review of literature assessing the efficacy of e-learning modules for orthopedic education and (2) a discussion of their relevance. A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library was conducted according to the guidelines defined in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement (PRISMA). The search yielded a total of 255 non-duplicate citations that were screened using predetermined inclusion/exclusion criteria. A total of 9 full text articles met inclusion criteria, which included the use of an objective outcome measure to evaluate an orthopedic e-learning module. Six studies assessed knowledge using a multiple-choice test and 4 assessed skills using a clinical exam. All studies showed positive score improvement pre- to post-intervention, and a majority showed greater score improvement than standard teaching methods in both knowledge (4/6 studies) and clinical skills (3/4 studies). E-learning represents an effective supplement or even alternative to standard teaching techniques within orthopedic education for both medical students and residents. Future work should focus on validating specific e-learning programs using standardized outcome measures and assessing long-term knowledge retention using e-learning platforms.
PubMed: 27688638
DOI: 10.1016/j.jor.2016.09.004