Surgical Considerations for Osteoporosis, Osteopenia, and Vitamin D Deficiency in Upper Extremity Surgery.

Fragility fractures as a result of osteoporosis, osteopenia, or vitamin D deficiency are some of the most common injuries encountered in orthopedics and require careful consideration when determining the appropriate management and treatment options. A thorough perioperative evaluation can identify causes of low bone mineral density allowing for initiation of appropriate therapy. Surgical treatment of these fractures can be difficult, and techniques should be employed to ensure stable fixation.

Perioperative Pain Management for Distal Radius Fractures.

Distal radius fractures have a high incidence among both young and elderly patients, and in many instances require operative intervention. When operative intervention is employed, adequate pain management is essential to decrease postoperative complications, such as chronic pain and disability, while minimizing the risk of prolonged opioid use and dependence. Strategies to optimize pain management include regional anesthesia, preoperative dosing of medication, multimodal regimens, long-acting selective opioids at the time of surgery, corticosteroids, and non-pharmacologic therapies.

The Preoperative Cost of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Purpose: Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common condition, with well-defined diagnostic and treatment guidelines. Despite these guidelines, continued variation in care exists, with providers variably using diagnostic tests and nonsurgical treatment modalities prior to surgery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the variation and cost associated with the diagnosis and nonsurgical treatment of patients prior to undergoing carpal tunnel release.

Telehealth Can Be Implemented Across a Musculoskeletal Service Line Without Compromising Patient Satisfaction.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to changes to in-office orthopedic care, with a rapid shift to telemedicine. Institutions' lack of established infrastructure for these types of visits has posed challenges requiring attention to confidentiality, safety, and patient satisfaction. : The aim of this study was to analyze the feasibility of telemedicine in orthopedics during the pandemic and its effect on efficiency and patient satisfaction.

Development, characterization, and applications of multi-material stereolithography bioprinting.

As a 3D bioprinting technique, hydrogel stereolithography has historically been limited in its ability to capture the spatial heterogeneity that permeates mammalian tissues and dictates structure-function relationships. This limitation stems directly from the difficulty of preventing unwanted material mixing when switching between different liquid bioinks. Accordingly, we present the development, characterization, and application of a multi-material stereolithography bioprinter that provides controlled material selection, yields precise regional feature alignment, and minimizes bioink mixing.

Multivascular networks and functional intravascular topologies within biocompatible hydrogels.

Solid organs transport fluids through distinct vascular networks that are biophysically and biochemically entangled, creating complex three-dimensional (3D) transport regimes that have remained difficult to produce and study. We establish intravascular and multivascular design freedoms with photopolymerizable hydrogels by using food dye additives as biocompatible yet potent photoabsorbers for projection stereolithography. We demonstrate monolithic transparent hydrogels, produced in minutes, comprising efficient intravascular 3D fluid mixers and functional bicuspid valves.