Incidence of Infection and Inhospital Mortality in Patients With Chronic Renal Failure After Total Joint Arthroplasty.

Background: Patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) may require total joint arthroplasty (TJA) to treat degenerative joint disease, fractures, osteonecrosis, or amyloid arthropathy. There have been conflicting results, however, regarding outcomes of TJA in patients with chronic renal disease. The aim of this case-controlled study was to determine the outcome of TJA in patients with CRF, with particular interest in the incidence of infections and inhospital mortality.

Knee Arthroplasty After Subchondroplasty: Early Results, Complications, and Technical Challenges.

Background: Calcium phosphate bone substitutes (CPBS) are commonly used to augment and repair bone voids and defects after fractures around the knee joint. The purpose of this study was to determine whether prior arthroscopic application of a CPBS, for repair of magnetic resonance imaging-identified subchondral fractures associated with osteoarthritis (procedure referred to as subchondroplasty) adversely affected the performance and/or outcome of subsequent knee arthroplasty.

Methods: Twenty-two patients who had arthroscopic repair of a periarticular fracture combined with use of a CPBS who later had knee arthroplasty were identified.

Modular Polyethylene Inserts for Total Knee Arthroplasty: Can Surgeons Detect 1-mm Thickness Increments?

Background: Some manufacturers have introduced polyethylene (PE) inserts in 1-mm increment thickness options to allow for finer adjustments in total knee arthroplasty kinematics.

Methods: Two surgeons with extensive experience performed 88 total knee arthroplasties using implants with 1-mm PE inserts. After trial components were inserted and the optimal PE thickness was selected, the insert was removed and a trial insert size was randomly chosen from opaque envelopes (1-mm smaller, same size, and 1-mm larger).

The Effect of Implementing a Multimodal Approach on the Rates of Periprosthetic Joint Infection After Total Joint Arthroplasty.

Introduction: We examined the efficacy of implementing a multimodal program aimed at reducing the incidence of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) after total joint arthroplasty (TJA) in a mid-size community hospital.

Methods: An infection reduction committee (IRC) was formed at our hospital in November 2010. The IRC consisted of two orthopaedic surgeons, an infectious disease specialist, an internist with extensive experience in perioperative medical management of TJA patients, an anesthesiologist, the hospital infection control nurse, and two additional nurses.

Serum Metal Ion Levels Following Total Hip Arthroplasty With Modular Dual Mobility Components.

Dual mobility acetabular components can reduce the incidence of total hip arthroplasty (THA) instability. Modular dual mobility (MDM) components facilitate acetabular component implantation. However, corrosion can occur at modular junctions.