Accountable Operating Room Teams.

With Medicare reimbursement diminishing and the aging population consuming more health care, hospitals continue to push for reforms to improve the efficiency of health care delivery, decrease consumption, and elevate the quality of care. Operating rooms command a large share of hospital resources but are also major revenue generators. Surgical care has evolved to become more efficient and accountable.

Prevalence of Bacterial Contamination of Casting Material in a Pediatric Population.

Surgical site infection is a relatively common and devastating complication following pediatric orthopedic surgery. Many infections have been determined to be the result of settled airborne particles on surgical equipment and the sterile field. Fiberglass casts are commonly used orthopedic fixation devices before and after surgery; however, fiberglass casting material is expelled during the removal process and represents an uninvestigated area for the possibility of cast saw dust as a source of airborne bacterial contamination in an operating room setting.

Biomechanical strength comparison of pedicle screw augmentation using poly-dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (P-DCPD) and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) cements.

Study Design: A basic science, hypothesis-driven experimental study of the biomechanics of two bone cements in their ability to augment pedicle screws in bone foam.

Objective: The purpose of our study was to compare the pullout and torque resistance of conventional pedicle screws (CPS) augmented with either polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) or poly-dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (P-DCPD) cement in polyurethane foam blocks mimicking osteoporotic bone. P-DCPD cement has attractive safety characteristics such as non-exothermic curing and drug-eluting capacity.

Review article: Patient characteristics that act as risk factors for intraoperative complications in hip, knee, and shoulder arthroplasties.

The number of annual THA's, TKA's, and TSA's is set to increase significantly by the year 2030, making it imperative to understand the risks for negative outcomes in these procedures. While research has studied the patient risk factors for perioperative and postoperative complications, there has been relatively little research for intraoperative complications. After a thorough literature review, the most supported finding was that patients with a BMI >30 had significantly more intraoperative blood loss than those with a BMI <30.

Analgesia Use in Children with Acute Long Bone Fractures in the Pediatric Emergency Department.

Background: Practice variation exists in pain management of children with long bone fractures (LBFs).

Objective: The objectives of this study were to describe current pain management in children with LBFs and the factors associated with the undertreatment of pain.

Methods: We retrospectively studied children (aged 0-18 years) with a diagnosis of LBF in a pediatric emergency department (PED) from November 2015 through August 2016.