Orthopaedic Residency Compensation and Cost of Living: Are Orthopaedic Residents Financially Strained?

Introduction: Medical education imposes a financial burden on trainees. Given that cost-of-living varies across geographical regions, understanding its relationship with resident compensation can inform about the finances of residents. We investigated: (1) How does compensation for orthopaedic surgery residents vary across regions? (2) How does compensation for orthopaedic surgery residents vary with respect to cost of living? (3) What is the extent of surplus income for residents after accounting for hours worked? (4) What are the predictors of annual income for orthopaedic residents?

Material And Methods: Using the American Medical Association FREIDA database, we collected weekly work hours, location, program type, moonlight allowance, and geographic region for 190 nonmilitary orthopaedic programs.

Erector Spinae Plane Block with Liposomal Bupivacaine for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Surgery: No Patient Controlled Analgesia Needed.

Study Design: Retrospective Controlled Cohort.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of intraoperative liposomal bupivacaine (LB) via Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB) on postoperative adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients with and without patient-controlled analgesia (PCA).

Summary Of Background Data: Pain control after posterior spinal fusion (PSF) for AIS includes opioids and other modalities.

Use of a Standardized Perioperative Care Path for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Leads to Decreased Complications and Readmissions.

Study Design: Retrospective review of patients ages 10-18 who underwent posterior fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) at a single institution from 2014 to 2019.

Objective: The aim was to evaluate a standardized Care Path to determine its effects on perioperative outcomes in patients undergoing spinal fusion for AIS.

Summary Of Background Data: AIS is the most common pediatric spinal deformity and thousands of posterior fusions are performed annually.

Liposomal Bupivacaine Is Both Safe and Effective in Controlling Postoperative Pain After Spinal Surgery in Children: A Controlled Cohort Study.

Study Design: Retrospective comparative cohort study.

Objective: To evaluate: (1) pain relief efficacy; (2) opioid consumption; (3) length of stay (LOS); (4) discharge disposition (DD); and (5) safety and adverse effects of liposomal bupivacaine (LB) in pediatric patients who underwent spinal deformity correction.

Summary Of Background Data: LB is a long-acting, locally injectable anesthetic.