Clinical orthopaedics and related research
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Clin. Orthop. Relat. Res. · Jan 2012
Comparative StudyDecreased length of stay after TKA is not associated with increased readmission rates in a national Medicare sample.
There is a trend toward decreasing length of hospital stay (LOS) after TKA although it is unclear whether this trend is detrimental to the overall postoperative course. Such information is important for future decisions related to cost containment. ⋯ The most common causes for readmission were cardiac-related. A reduction in LOS was not associated with an increase in the readmission rate in this sample. Optimization of cardiac status before discharge and routine primary care physician followup may lead to lower readmission rates.
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Clin. Orthop. Relat. Res. · Jan 2012
Comparative StudyImproved accuracy of alignment with patient-specific positioning guides compared with manual instrumentation in TKA.
Coronal malalignment occurs frequently in TKA and may affect implant durability and knee function. Designed to improve alignment accuracy and precision, the patient-specific positioning guide is predicated on restoration of the overall mechanical axis and is a multifaceted new tool in achieving traditional goals of TKA. ⋯ Patient-specific positioning guides can assist in achieving a neutral mechanical axis with reduction in outliers.
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Clin. Orthop. Relat. Res. · Jan 2012
Lateral unicompartmental knee arthroplasty relieves pain and improves function in posttraumatic osteoarthritis.
Posttraumatic arthritis secondary to lateral tibial plateau fracture malunion causes pain and limited function for patients. It is sometimes technically challenging to correct malalignment in these patients with advanced arthritis using osteotomies. Lateral unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) may be an option to treat such patients. ⋯ Despite the limited number of indications and technical considerations, our observations suggest lateral UKA is a reasonable option for treating lateral arthritis secondary to malunited fractures.