Scrolling to Success: Leveraging Social Media to Highlight Wellness Culture in Orthopedic Surgery Residency Programs.

Background Burnout, characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment, profoundly affects interprofessional collaboration. Despite rising burnout rates, there is a paucity of research regarding the use of social media to support wellness culture, particularly among orthopedic surgery residents. Methods A list of all US orthopedic surgery residency programs was compiled through the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and associated social media accounts were identified.

Dealing with the loss of a resident: An analysis of burnout rates in a reduced complement training program.

Background: Residents in all fields of medicine experience high levels of burnout and less job-related satisfaction due to the stress experienced during training. Reduced complement residency classes often experience increased workloads due to the need to compensate for the fewer number of classmates.

Objective: The goal of this study was to examine whether residency classes of reduced size experience higher levels of burnout.

Analysis of Unmatched Orthopaedic Residency Applicants: Options After the Match.

Background: Orthopaedic surgery is one of the most competitive specialties, resulting in many applicants going unmatched. Many unmatched applicants pursue a preliminary internship or research fellowship, but whether these activities make them more successful in subsequent match cycles has not been studied.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of activities during the intervening period on match success in a subsequent cycle.

Does Residency Selection Criteria Predict Performance in Orthopaedic Surgery Residency?

Background: More than 1000 candidates applied for orthopaedic residency positions in 2014, and the competition is intense; approximately one-third of the candidates failed to secure a position in the match. However, the criteria used in the selection process often are subjective and studies have differed in terms of which criteria predict either objective measures or subjective ratings of resident performance by faculty.

Questions/purposes: Do preresidency selection factors serve as predictors of success in residency? Specifically, we asked which preresidency selection factors are associated or correlated with (1) objective measures of resident knowledge and performance; and (2) subjective ratings by faculty.

Use of cross-leg flap for wound complications resulting from open pilon fracture.

Pilon fractures and associated soft-tissue complications present treatment challenges for orthopedic surgeons. Open fractures may require additional soft-tissue coverage. When local soft tissues do not allow for viable coverage, a cross-leg flap is available as a salvage procedure with successful outcomes.

An analysis of 2 fusion methods for the treatment of osteomyelitis following fractures about the ankle.

Background: In the setting of chronic osteomyelitis following fractures about the ankle, reconstruction through bony arthrodesis may be used as a reconstructive alternative to amputation. During these cases, surgeons often avoid using internal fixation in an attempt to avoid reinfection or premature hardware failure. In this retrospective review, we analyzed the outcomes of chronic osteomyelitic patients who had an arthrodesis of the ankle using either internal or external fixation, focusing on salvage rates, infection clearance, union rates, and functional outcomes.

Critical review of patient education materials from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

We performed an expanded readability analysis to determine if the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, AAOS, had sufficiently improved its patient education materials since they were originally studied in 2007. In March 2013, we downloaded patient education materials from the AAOS patient information website, Your Orthopaedic Connection. Using 10 different readability formulas, we found that the mean grade level of patient education materials on the website is 8.

Subaquatic reaming during arthrodesis of the first metatarsophalangeal joint to prevent thermal necrosis of bone.

When performing fusions of the first metatarsophalangeal joint, it has been hypothesized that the use of a cup and cone reamer may cause thermal necrosis, leading to potential nonunion. The friction created by the reamer spinning against the bone has been shown to cause elevations of temperatures capable of causing thermal necrosis. Failing to cool the bony-reamer interface, or doing so inadequately with a bulb syringe, increases the patient's odds of experiencing a nonunion.

Displacement of the sustentacular fragment in intra-articular calcaneal fractures.

Background: The sustentacular fragment in displaced intra-articular calcaneal fractures has historically been portrayed as a "constant fragment," bound to the talus by the interosseous and deltoid ligament complex. Operative treatment typically occurs through a lateral approach, with the remaining calcaneus being reconstructed back to the sustentaculum. We hypothesized that the sustentacular fragment in displaced intra-articular calcaneal fractures does not maintain its relationship to the talus.

Financial debt of orthopedic residents.

Many orthopedic residents accrue considerable debt by residency graduation. These debts for graduating medical students continue to increase due to the yearly increase of medical school tuition. The purpose of this study was to examine the causes of financial debt, as well the effects of debt on orthopedic residents.

Prospective, randomized, multi-center feasibility trial of rhPDGF-BB versus autologous bone graft in a foot and ankle fusion model.

Background: The increased morbidity and surgical time associated with harvesting autologous bone graft (ABG) have encouraged surgeons to develop synthetic orthobiologic alternatives. The recombinant form of platelet-derived growth factor (rhPDGF-BB), an angiogenic, mitogenic, and chemotactic cytokine, has been shown to significantly enhance bone formation in human periodontal osseous defects when combined with a tricalcium phosphate carrier (β-TCP). The purpose of this prospective, controlled, randomized, multi-center feasibility clinical trial was to compare the safety and efficacy of this biosynthetic bone graft substitute (Augment™ Bone Graft) to ABG during ankle and hindfoot fusion.

Bone and wound healing in the diabetic patient.

Impaired soft tissue regeneration and delayed osseous healing are known complications associated with diabetes mellitus with regard to orthopedic surgery, making the management and treatment of diabetic patients undergoing foot and ankle surgery more complex and difficult. At the moment several options are available to address the known issues that complicate the clinical outcomes in these high-risk patients. Using a multifaceted approach, with close attention to intraoperative and perioperative considerations including modification of surgical technique to supplement fixation, local application of orthobiologics, tight glycemic control, administration of supplementary oxygen, and biophysical stimulation via low-intensity pulsed ultrasound and electrical bone stimulation, the impediments associated with diabetic healing can potentially be overcome, to yield improved clinical results for diabetic patients after acute or elective foot and ankle surgery.

Nonoperative treatment of adult acquired flat foot with the Arizona brace.

Nonoperative treatment of posterior tibial tendon dysfunction can be successful with the Arizona AFO brace, particularly when treatment is initiated in the early stages of the disease. This mandates that the orthopedist has a high index of suspicion when evaluating patients to make an accurate diagnosis. Although there is a role for surgical management of acquired flat feet, a well-fitted, custom-molded leather and polypropylene orthosis can be effective at relieving symptoms and either obviating or delaying any surgical intervention.

Pseudo os trigonum sign: missed posteromedial talar facet fracture.

Background: Posteromedial talar facet fracture (PMTFF) is a rare injury, sparsely reported in the literature. This article proposes that PMTFF is often left undiagnosed by orthopaedic surgeons and suggests the routine application of advanced radiographic studies (i.e.