Natalie Ann Glass

Purpose: Operative management of proximal humerus fractures with glenohumeral dislocation is often delayed until a shoulder specialist is available. This study aims to assess whether time from presentation to operative intervention impacts incidence of neurologic injury in the preoperative waiting period. Methods: Retrospective review was performed for patients undergoing operative management of a proximal humerus fracture dislocation at a level 1 trauma center. Patient charts were reviewed for patient factors, injury characteristics, neurologic status, and postoperative complications. Statistical analysis comparing patients undergoing operative intervention ≤ 5 and > 5 days from injury was performed (α ≤ 0.05). Results: Of 52 proximal humerus fracture dislocations, 14% had a neurologic deficit at presentation, and 1.9% had a change in neurologic status prior to operative intervention. 32 injuries (61.5%) underwent operative intervention ≤ 5 days from presentation and 20 (38.5%) > 5 days. There was no difference in neurologic deficit at time of presentation (18.8% vs. 10.0%, p =.077), incidence of preoperative neurologic exam change (0% vs. 5.0%, p =.38), or residual neurologic deficit at final follow-up (9.4% vs. 5.0%, p = 1.0) for the ≤ 5 or > 5 day cohorts, respectively. Conclusion: Through this exploratory retrospective study, no differences were identified for rates of neurologic injury development in the preoperative waiting period between patients undergoing operative intervention ≤ 5 days or > 5 days from presentation for proximal humerus fractures with glenohumeral dislocation, however, this is limited by only 1 patient experiencing a preoperative neurologic change in the > 5 days group. Given the rarity of neurologic injury in the preoperative waiting period and low power of this study, future larger prospective studies are needed to better define the impact of waiting for operative intervention for these injuries. Level of Evidence: Level IV Case Series.

Background: Treatment of compressive neuropathies in diabetic patients remains controversial, with variable functional outcomes reported. This study is aimed at establishing a rat model of diabetic nerve compression that is suitable for investigations of diabetic nerve recovery after surgical decompression. Methods: Twenty male Zucker diabetic fatty obese (diabetic) and 20 lean (nondiabetic) rats underwent surgery to compress the sciatic nerve using a polymer sleeve or sham surgery. Six weeks later, decompression surgery or second sham surgery was performed. Nerve conduction velocities (NCV) and nociception via von Frey filaments (vF) were monitored weekly. Histological measures of nerve structure were compared between groups after 6 weeks of compression and 6 weeks after surgical decompression. Results: Both diabetic and nondiabetic compressed nerves had significant reductions in NCV immediately postoperatively ( p < 0.001) and progressive reductions in vF threshold during the compression period ( p ≤ 0.002). After decompression, vF threshold and NCV increased; however, nerve function did not return to baseline or sham control values in either compressed group. Six weeks of compression significantly reduced axon size ( p < 0.001) and myelin thickness ( p = 0.014) in nondiabetic nerves but minimally changed the histological appearance of diabetic nerves. Decompression of nondiabetic nerves increased axon numbers ( p = 0.005) but did not affect myelin thickness. In diabetic nerves, decompression also increased axon numbers, whereas myelin thickness decreased ( p = 0.022) to levels similar to nondiabetic nerves. Conclusions: The histological response of nondiabetic nerves to compression and decompression was more pronounced than the functional response. Diabetic nerves showed a similar reaction to nondiabetic nerves but at a slower rate.

Background: Intra-articular injections of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) have been shown to reduce joint pain in many patients with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis (OA) (PRP responders). However, for unclear reasons, 20% to 30% of patients experience little to no improvement in symptoms (PRP nonresponders). Understanding the mechanisms underlying PRP's action is crucial to address this limitation. In vitro and animal studies suggest that the benefits of PRP in knee OA are partly attributable to exosomes secreted by platelets and other cells. Purpose/Hypothesis: This study aimed to (1) determine the effects of intra-articular PRP injections in patients with symptomatic knee OA on pain and physical function, and (2) evaluate whether PRP exosome concentration and size were associated with therapeutic efficacy. Responsiveness to PRP therapy in patients with knee OA may be related to exosome concentration and size. Study Design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A total of 60 patients seeking nonsurgical treatment of symptomatic mild to moderate knee OA—Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grades 1 to 3—were prospectively enrolled in the study. Baseline descriptive and health data were collected, including patient-reported pain and functional outcomes at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks after injection. PRP responders were defined as patients with ≥20% reduction in the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) of joint pain at 12 weeks after treatment. Exosome size and concentration and platelet concentration were measured in each sample. Logistic regression was used to explore relationships between responder status and patient factors—age, body mass index (BMI), sex, and KL grade. The mean exosome size and concentration were also compared between responders and nonresponders using an independent t -test. Results: Of the 58 patients included in the analyses, 43 (73%) reported a 20% reduction in NRS scores. The mean exosome size among a subset of patients who reported unacceptable pain symptoms before treatment (n = 43) was 80.8 ± 2.7 nm for responders and 78.0 ± 1.5 nm for nonresponders, a statistically significant difference ( P = .005). There was no significant difference between responders and nonresponders in terms of platelet or exosome concentration. Age, BMI, sex, and KL grade were not significantly associated with the odds of PRP treatment response (all P > .05). Conclusion: PRP-derived exosome size appears to be associated with improvements in pain at 12 weeks after injection.

Introduction: The orthopaedic surgery physician workforce is predominately White and male and has been identified as the least diverse medical specialty. Increasing efforts toward diversification within orthopaedic surgery are underway. Evaluating the effectiveness of these programs requires a thorough understanding of the current demographic profile of the profession. Methods: The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) is the leading board certification organization for orthopaedic surgeons in the United States. The ABOS began collecting self-reported race/ethnicity and sex/gender data of its examinees and diplomates in 2017. This new data set of ABOS was analyzed to describe both the current demographic profile of orthopaedic surgery and trends over time. Underrepresented minority (URM) was defined as a group that is less well represented in orthopaedic surgery than in US census data and includes female, American Indian or Alaska Native, Black or African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander categories. Results: Of the 21,025 currently practicing ABOS diplomates with time-limited ABOS certificates (issued since 1986), 19,912 (94.7%) provided sex/gender data, and 19,876 (94.5%) provided race/ethnicity data. Approximately 84.78% selected male and 8.43% female. The majority identified as White (73.67%), whereas 16.35% selected a URM race/ethnicity category. There have been significant increases in the proportions of female (odds ratio [OR] = 4.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.64-6.11, p < 0.001) and URM (OR = 2.31, 95% CI = 1.80-2.96, p < 0.0001). Diplomates among orthopaedic surgeons attaining ABOS board Diplomates from 1989 to present. Among the subspecialties, pediatric orthopaedics reported the highest percentage of females (30.4%). Spine had both the lowest percentage of females (2.63%) and the highest percentage of URMs (8.97%). Sports had the lowest percentage of URMs at 5.63%. Conclusion: Orthopaedic surgery in 2023 remains largely White and male. However, there have been promising trends toward diversification of orthopaedic surgery both in terms of gender and race/ethnicity. Specialties within orthopaedics have a wide variety of demographic profiles. Level of Evidence: Level IV Retrospective Cohort Study. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Background: Femoral fragility fractures in older adults can result in devastating loss of physical function and independence. Skeletal muscle atrophy likely contributes to disability. The purpose of this study was to characterize the change in skeletal muscle mass, investigate the relationship with malnutrition and physical function, and identify risk factors for skeletal muscle loss. Methods: Adults ≥65 years of age who were treated with operative fixation of an isolated femoral fragility fracture were enrolled in this multicenter, prospective observational study. Skeletal muscle mass was assessed within 72 hours of admission using multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis, which was repeated at 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months. Sarcopenia was defined by sex-specific cutoffs for the appendicular skeletal muscle mass index. The Mini Nutritional Assessment was used to measure nutritional status at the time of injury. Physical function was measured using the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Physical Function domain. Linear mixed models were used to evaluate changes in skeletal muscle mass and PROMIS Physical Function scores over time and to evaluate factors associated with skeletal muscle mass changes. Results: Ninety participants (74% female) with a mean age of 77.6 ± 9.0 years were enrolled. At the time of injury, 30 (33%) were sarcopenic and 44 (49%) were at risk for malnutrition or had malnutrition. Older age was associated with lower skeletal muscle mass (age of ≥75 versus <75 years: least squares mean [and standard error], −3.3 ± 1.6 kg; p = 0.042). From the time of injury to 6 weeks, participants lost an average of 2.4 kg (9%) of skeletal muscle mass (95% confidence interval [CI] = ‒3.0 to ‒1.8 kg; p < 0.001). This early loss did not recover by 6 months (1.8 kg persistent loss compared with baseline [95% CI = ‒2.5 to ‒1.1 kg]; p < 0.001). Participants with normal nutritional status lost more skeletal muscle mass from baseline to 6 weeks after injury compared with those with malnutrition (1.3 kg more loss [standard error, 0.6 kg]; p = 0.036). A 1-kg decrease in skeletal muscle mass was associated with an 8-point decrease in the PROMIS Physical Function (model parameter estimate, 0.12 [standard error, 0.04]; p = 0.002). Conclusions: We found that older adults with femoral fragility fractures lost substantial skeletal muscle mass and physical function. Participants with adequate baseline nutrition actually lost more muscle mass than those who were malnourished, indicating that future investigations of interventions to prevent muscle loss should focus on older adults regardless of nutritional status. Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level II. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.