Publications by authors named "John-Erik Bell"

Article Synopsis
  • Fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS) uses fluorescent reporters to help identify essential anatomical structures during surgical procedures, aiming to improve surgical outcomes.
  • While FGS has revolutionized many surgical fields, its adoption in orthopaedic surgery has been slower, despite its potential benefits for diagnosing diseases and assessing tissue healing.
  • The review discusses existing and future applications of FGS in orthopaedics, highlights challenges to its implementation, and suggests possible solutions to overcome these obstacles.
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Background: Open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of proximal humerus fractures in elderly individuals (age >70) carries a relatively high short-term complication and reoperation rate but is generally durable once healed. Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) for fractures may be associated with superior short-term quality of life but carries the lifelong liabilities of joint replacement. The tradeoff between short and long-term risks, coupled with disparities in quality of life and cost, makes this clinical decision amenable to cost-effectiveness analysis.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how new surgical techniques, particularly arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, spread across different regions in the U.S. between 2006 and 2014, focusing on the geographic and temporal variations in their adoption.
  • Researchers analyzed data from the Medicare population by dividing the U.S. into 306 hospital referral regions and comparing the rates of arthroscopic versus open rotator cuff repairs.
  • Findings revealed significant regional differences in the adoption of arthroscopic techniques, indicating that some areas embraced the new method sooner than others, and the spread was influenced by various regional factors.
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Background: Traditional clinical shoulder range-of-motion (ROM) measurement methods (ie, goniometry) have limitations assessing ROM in total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) patients. Inertial measurement units (IMUs) are superior; however, further work is needed using IMUs to longitudinally assess shoulder ROM before TSA and throughout post-TSA rehabilitation. Accordingly, the study aims were to prospectively capture shoulder elevation in TSA patients and to compare the results with healthy controls.

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Article Synopsis
  • - There is significant regional variation in the rates of rotator cuff repair (RCR) in the United States, with an eight-fold difference between areas in 2014, despite only a modest overall increase in procedures from 2010 to 2014.
  • - The study analyzed data from 306 hospital referral regions and found that regions with more orthopedic surgeons and higher usage of other orthopedic surgeries experienced greater RCR rates.
  • - Interestingly, areas with a higher number of resident physicians saw lower RCR utilization, indicating that academic presence might not correlate with higher surgical rates, highlighting a complex relationship in regional healthcare practices.
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Background: Patient-reported outcome measures enable quantitative and patient-centric assessment of orthopedic interventions; however, increased use of these forms has an associated burden for patients and practices. We examined the utility of a computerized adaptive testing (CAT) method to reduce the number of questions on the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) instrument.

Methods: A previously developed ASES CAT system was applied to the responses of 2763 patients who underwent shoulder evaluation and treatment and had answered all questions on the full ASES instrument.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to analyze patterns and duration of opioid use among older adults with common fractures, focusing on hip, distal radius, and proximal humerus fractures, and exploring regional differences.
  • Using a population-based cohort of Medicare beneficiaries who had not used opioids prior to their fractures, the research tracked active opioid prescriptions for up to 12 months post-injury.
  • Results showed that hip fracture patients had the highest opioid use at one year, and surgical treatment of wrist and shoulder fractures led to increased opioid use compared to non-surgical management, with notable differences in prescription rates across states.
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Current shoulder clinical range of motion (ROM) assessments (e.g., goniometric ROM) may not adequately represent shoulder function beyond controlled clinical settings.

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Background: Recent literature has shown that acute reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) yields good outcomes in the treatment of displaced proximal humeral fractures, and there have also been recent studies showing that delayed RTSA can be successfully used for sequelae of proximal humeral fractures such as nonunion and malunion. The use of meta-analysis affords the opportunity to formally compare the outcomes of acute RTSA for fracture and delayed RTSA for fracture sequelae.

Methods: We searched the MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases.

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Objectives: We sought to compare range of motion, clinical outcome scores, and complications after reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) and hemiarthroplasty (HA) in geriatric patients with acute proximal humerus fractures.

Data Sources: We searched MEDLINE (1946-2017), EMBASE (1947-2017), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (1898-2017) and ClinicalTrials.gov in October 2017.

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Background: Clinical practice guidelines recommend fall risk assessment and intervention for older adults who sustain a fall-related injury to prevent future injury and mobility decline.

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe how often Medicare beneficiaries with upper extremity fracture receive evaluation and treatment for fall risk.

Design: Observational cohort.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Patients with fragility fractures are at a higher risk for future fractures, and changing prescription medications may help lower this risk.
  • - The study analyzed medication usage among 168,133 Medicare beneficiaries who experienced fractures, focusing on drug prescriptions before and after the fracture incident.
  • - Findings indicate that the majority of the fracture patients were elderly, predominantly white women, and hospitalization rates varied significantly depending on the type of fracture sustained.
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One of the most prevalent phenomena associated with reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (rTSA) is scapular notching. Current methods examine only the damage to the scapula and no methods are available for quantifying the total wear volume of the polyethylene humeral bearing. Quantifying the polyethylene material loss may provide insight into the mechanism for scapular notching and into the particle dose delivered to the patient.

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Background: Modularity in shoulder arthroplasty provides surgical flexibility and facilitates less-complex revision surgery. Modular designs must fit in the glenohumeral joint space, necessitating minimal thickness and careful material selection. The potential for fatigue fracture is higher, and fatigue fracture has been experienced by patients.

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Orthopedic extremity surgery presents a unique set of restraints and difficulties relative to other surgical specialties. Among these is the positioning of heavy limbs in sometimes awkward positions for long periods of time. Ideal positioning of an extremity allows accurate and precise surgery to occur at otherwise difficult to access joints and proximal bones and soft tissues.

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Functionally limiting heterotopic ossification about the shoulder represents an uncommon clinical entity, which has been most commonly reported as a consequence of prolonged immobilization in intensive care unit patients. Severe cases may result in complete glenohumeral ankylosis, with resultant upper extremity motion through the scapulothoracic joint, and significant functional consequences. We report the case of a 72-year-old male with spontaneous glenohumeral ankylosis who suffered a humeral shaft fracture with resultant painless nonunion.

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Background: Displaced proximal humeral fractures have traditionally been treated with hemiarthroplasty in older adults, but sometimes hemiarthroplasty results in poor functional outcomes due to rotator cuff deficiency. Reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) can offer potentially improved outcomes in these situations. We assessed the functional outcomes of older adults treated with RSA for proximal humeral fractures compared with hemiarthroplasty.

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Objectives: To assess uptake of postfracture care guidelines in community-dwelling Medicare recipients with fractures.

Design: Retrospective observational cohort study.

Setting: Claims-based study using U.

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Background: Interest in double-row techniques for arthroscopic rotator cuff repair has increased over the last several years, presumably because of a combination of literature demonstrating superior biomechanical characteristics and recent improvements in instrumentation and technique. As a result of the increasing focus on value-based health-care delivery, orthopaedic surgeons must understand the cost implications of this practice. The purpose of this study was to examine the cost-effectiveness of double-row arthroscopic rotator cuff repair compared with traditional single-row repair.

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Background: Hemiarthroplasty (humeral head replacement [HHR]) and reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) are surgical options for cuff tear arthropathy (CTA). RSA may provide better pain relief and functional outcomes, but it costs more and may have a higher complication rate. The goal of this study was to compare the cost-effectiveness of these two treatments and to use sensitivity analysis to determine the drivers of the model.

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Purpose: Throughout the United States, the lack of orthopaedic on-call coverage at many institutions has been described as a "crisis." This study sought to understand how emergency department (ED) physicians perceive their orthopaedic on-call coverage. Specifically, the study looked at availability of orthopaedic coverage, adequacy of coverage, and reasons for patient transfers.

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