HSS journal : the musculoskeletal journal of Hospital for Special Surgery
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Traditionally, blood transfusions in the perioperative setting are used to maintain adequate delivery of nutrients and oxygen to organs. However, the effect of blood administration on tissue oxygenation in the perioperative setting remains poorly understood. ⋯ We detected a statistically significant increase in SmO2 during the course of a single unit blood transfusion compared to baseline. However, there was no evidence of a correlation between longitudinal SmO2 and SpHb measurements.
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Rigid screw rod techniques for cervical stabilization are widely used in adults. The benefits of rigid internal fixation include increased fusion rates, improvements in deformity correction, and diminished immobilization requirements. Applications of these techniques in children are challenging due to size constraints and the pathologic conditions encountered which require instrumented cervical fusions. Preparation as well as thorough understanding of the anatomy and surgical techniques is paramount to surgical safety in pediatric patients. ⋯ Modern posterior cervical instrumentation techniques can be safely applied to the majority of pediatric patients who require an instrumented posterior cervical fusion. Patient safety revolves around thorough preoperative imaging tests, understanding of upper cervical anatomy, and meticulous surgical technique. Modern instrumentation leads to an improvement in fusion rates and a diminishment in immobilization requirements.
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Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is widely accepted as a predictably excellent procedure. On the other hand, adjacent level pathology following ACDF is a well-known phenomenon which undercuts surgical outcome. However, the extent to which ACDF accelerates this phenomenon in the naturally degenerating cervical spine is still to be understood. ⋯ Available data suggests that iatrogenic factors play a significant role in adjacent segment pathology following ACDF.
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Cervical spondylosis is now recognised as the leading cause of myelopathy and spinal cord dysfunction worldwide. Chronic spinal cord compression results in chronic inflammation, cellular apoptosis, and microvacular insufficiency, which are thought to the biologic basis for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). ⋯ Multilevel CSM may be safely and effectively treated using a posterior approach, either by laminoplasty or with a laminectomy and fusion technique.
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The increasing demand for total knee arthroplasty (TKR) and the initiatives to reduce health care spending have put the responsibility for efficient care on hospitals and providers. Multidisciplinary care pathways have been shown to shorten length of stay and result in improved short-term outcomes. However, common problems such as post-op nausea, orthostasis, and quad weakness remain, while reliance on discharge to rehabilitation facilities may also prolong hospital stay. ⋯ Our findings suggest that replacing PCEA and FNB with intra-articular analgesia with a SNB allows for improved early recovery following TKR. That, combined with pre-op discharge planning and initiation of an intensive home PT program, reduced average length of stay.