Background: Occupational injuries and hazards have gained increased attention in the surgical community in general and in the orthopedic literature specifically. The aim of this study was to assess prevalence and characteristics of musculoskeletal disorders among orthopedic trauma surgeons and the impact of these injuries on the surgeons' practices. Methods:We sent a modified version of the physical discomfort survey to surgeon members of the Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA) via email. Data were collected and descriptive statistics were analyzed.Results: A total of 86 surgeons completed the survey during the period of data collection; 84.9% were men, more than half were 45 years or older and 40.6% were in practice for 10 years or more. More than 66% of respondents reported a musculoskeletal disorder that was related to work; the most common was low back pain (29.3%). The number of body regions involved and disorders diagnosed was associated with increasing age and number of years in practice (p = 0.033). Time off work owing to these disorders was associated with working in a private setting (p = 0.045) and working in more than 1 institute (p = 0.009). Conclusion:To our knowledge, our study is the first to report a high percentage of orthopedic trauma surgeons sustaining occupational injuries some time in their careers. The high cost of management and rehabilitation of these injuries in addition to the related number of missed work days indicate the need for increased awareness and implementation of preventive measures.

IntroductionForceful and repetitive maneuvers constitute the majority of pediatric orthopedic surgical tasks, thus subjecting surgeons to the risk of musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries during their years in practice. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence, characteristics and impact of MSK disorders among pediatric orthopedic surgeons.MethodsA modified version of the physical discomfort survey was sent to surgeons who were members of the Pediatric Orthopedic Society of North America (POSNA) via e-mail. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance, and Fisher’s exact test. p values of <0.05 were considered statistically significant.ResultsOf the 402 respondents, 67 % reported that they had sustained a work-related MSK injury, of which the most common diagnoses were low back pain (28.6 %) and lateral elbow epicondylitis (15.4 %). Among those which reported an injury, 26 % required surgical treatment and 31 % needed time off work as a direct result of their injury. The number of work-related injuries incurred by a surgeon increased significantly with increasing age (p < 0.001), working in a non-academic institute (p < 0.05), working in more than one institute (p < 0.05), and being in active practice for >21 years (p < 0.05). The need to undergo treatment or take time off due to the injury was associated with increased number of injuries (p < 0.001). In addition, surgeons were more likely to require time off work when they were >56 years of age (p < 0.001), had been in practice for >21 years (p < 0.001), required surgical management of their disorder (p < 0.001), and had experienced an exacerbation of a previous disorder (p < 0.001).Discussion and conclusionThis study is the first of its kind to assess MSK injuries sustained by pediatric orthopedic surgeons. The high incidence of these disorders may place a financial and psychological burden on these surgeons and thus the healthcare system. These results should shed a light on awareness and the need for further studies to prevent and help decrease the incidence of these disorders not only in orthopedic surgeons but also in the surgical population in general.

No abstract

Distraction osteogenesis (DO) is a commonly used technique in multiple orthopedic sub-specialties, including trauma, oncology and pediatrics. This technique aims to produce new bone formation in the distraction gap in a controlled manner. The issue with this technique has been the high risk of complications, one of which is poor regenerate formation during the distraction process. Although several factors (including patient and operative factors) and techniques (including surgical, mechanical and pharmacological) have been described to ensure successful regenerate formation during the process of DO, these factors are sometimes difficult to control clinically. Our aim from this review is to highlight the different factors that affect DO, modalities to assess the regenerate and review treatment options for poor regenerate in the distraction gap. In addition, we propose a management protocol derived from the available literature that can be used to facilitate the management of inadequate regenerate formation.

MSSA remains the most frequently isolated pathogen in children with primary pyogenic infection of the spine, but K. kingae should be considered as an important pathogen in children aged between six months and four years. Therefore, an empirical protocol for antibiotic treatment should be used, with consideration being made for the triphasic age distribution and specific bacteriological aetiology. In the near future, the results of polymerase chain reaction assay on throat swabs may allow the indirect identification of K. kingae spondylodiscitis in young children and thus aid early treatment. However, these preliminary results require validation by other prospective multicentre studies. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2018;100-B:542-8.

BACKGROUND Work-related injuries have gained recent attention, especially in the orthopaedic literature. As upper extremity orthopaedic surgical tasks require repetitive and constant maneuvers, these surgeons can be at increased risk of acquiring work-related musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders during their years in practice. AIM To assess the prevalence, characteristics and impact of MSK disorders among upper extremity orthopaedic surgeons. METHODS A modified version of the physical discomfort survey was sent to surgeons who were members of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons and the Canadian shoulder and elbow society via e-mail. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance, and Fisher's exact test. P values of < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS Of the 142 respondents, 90.8% were males and the majority were younger than 55 years old (65.5%). A work-related MSK injury was reported by 89.4% of respondents, of which the most common diagnoses were low back pain (26.1%) and lateral elbow epicondylitis (18.3%). Among those that reported an injury, 82.7% required treatment and 26% required time off work as a direct result of their injury. The need to undergo treatment due to the injury was associated with increased number of injuries ( P < 0.01). Moreover, surgeons were more likely to require time off work when they had been in practice for > 21 years ( P < 0.05). CONCLUSION A high proportion of surgeons in our survey reported MSK injuries, with more than one quarter of surgeons reported requiring time off work due to an MSK injury. The high incidence of these disorders may place a financial and psychological burden on surgeons and affect their ability to provide patient care. Awareness of operative ergonomics, irrespective of surgical specialty may help to decrease or possibly prevent the occurrence of these disorders.

Background Sclerostin is a secreted glycoprotein that inhibits the intracellular Wnt signaling pathway, which, when inactivated, stimulates bone formation. This has been seen in fracture studies, which have shown larger and stronger calluses with accelerated fracture healing in sclerostin knockout and sclerostin antibody injection models. However, the effects of these two mechanisms have not been compared in the context of fracture healing. Questions/purposes We sought to determine the degree to which sclerostin inhibition (Scl-Ab injection) and complete sclerostin depletion inhibit fracture healing in a mouse model as evaluated by (1) morphometric trabecular bone measures at the fracture site, and (2) fracture site structural strength. Methods Ten-week-old male sclerostin knockout (n = 20) and wild type (n = 40) mice underwent insertion of a tibial intramedullary pin after which a midshaft tibial osteotomy was performed. The mice were divided in three groups: sclerostin knockout (n = 20), wild type with sclerostin antibody injection (intravenous dose of 100 mg/kg weekly) (n = 20), and wild type with saline injection (n = 20). The mice for each group where subdivided and euthanized at 14, 21, 28, and 35 days after surgery, at which time the fractured tibias were assessed with microCT (to assess morphometric trabecular bone measures: bone volume to total volume (BV/TV), trabecular thickness, trabecular number, and structural model index at the fracture site. Biomechanical testing in the form of three-point bending also was done to assess fracture site structural strength. A difference greater than 3.7% in our primary outcome (BV/

Study Design Systematic review. Objective Determine whether closed suction wound drains decrease the incidence of postoperative complications compared with no drain use in patients undergoing spine surgery for lumbar degenerative conditions. Methods Electronic databases and reference lists of key articles were searched up through January 22, 2015, to identify studies comparing the use of closed suction wound drains with no drains in spine surgery for lumbar degenerative conditions. Outcomes assessed included the cumulative incidence of epidural hematoma, superficial and deep wound infection, and postoperative blood transfusion. The overall strength of evidence across studies was based on precepts outlined by the Grades of Recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation Working Group. Results Five heterogeneous studies, three randomized controlled trials, and two cohort studies form the evidence basis for this report. There was no difference in the incidence of hematoma, superficial wound infection, or deep infection in patients with compared with patients without closed suction wound drains after lumbar surgery. The upper bounds of the 95% confidence interval for hematoma ranged from 1.1 to 16.7%; for superficial infection, 1.0 to 7.3%; and for deep infection, 1.0 to 7.1%. One observational study reported a 3.5-fold increase in the risk of blood transfusion in patients with a drain. The overall strength of evidence for these findings is considered low or insufficient. Conclusions Conclusions from this systematic review are limited by the quality of included studies that assessed the use of closed suction wound drains in lumbar spine surgeries for degenerative conditions. We believe that spine surgeons should not routinely rely on closed suction wound drains in lumbar spine surgery until a higher level of evidence becomes available to support its use.