Spine
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Systematic review. ⋯ Subgroup analyses performed in NSLBP trials have been severely underpowered, are only able to provide exploratory or insufficient findings, and have rather poor quality of reporting. Using current approaches, few definitive trials of subgrouping in back pain are very likely to be performed. There is a need to develop new approaches to subgroup identification in back pain research.
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Systematic review and meta-analysis. ⋯ There is evidence of short-term efficacy (moderate for pain and small for function) of opioids to treat CLBP compared with placebo. The effectiveness and safety of long-term opioid therapy for treatment of CLBP remains unproven.
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Intraoperative vancomycin use in spinal surgery: single institution experience and microbial trends.
Retrospective case series. ⋯ Prophylactic intraoperative vancomycin use in the wound bed in spinal surgery may increase the incidence of gram-negative or polymicrobial spinal infections. The use of intraoperative vancomycin may correlate with postoperative seromas, due to the high incidence of nonpositive cultures. Large, randomized, prospective trials are needed to demonstrate causation and dose-response relationship.
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Retrospective review of prospectively collected data. ⋯ For Lenke 1 and 2 curve patterns, improved percent correction of major coronal curve was noted in the high-screw density cohort. Although statistical significance was reached, it is unclear whether screw density resulted in clinically significant differences in patient-reported outcomes.
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Retrospective cohort. ⋯ We could not demonstrate that the training of new (or newly promoted) residents is associated with an increase in the adverse events of spine surgery. Safeguards that have been put in place to ensure patient safety during this training period seem to be effective. Although adverse events were more common among cases with resident involvement than among cases without resident involvement, our data suggest that this association is more likely a product of the riskier population of cases in which residents participate than of the resident involvement itself.