Arthroplasty News

• AAOS 2020CMS Joint Replacement Rules Debated, Comment Period Extended Revisions to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rules for joint replacement surgery will change the way surgeons bill knee and hip replacements, but COVID-19 is delaying the process.
  Medscape Medical News, April 29, 2020
• Cortisone Shots Less Effective Than PT for Arthritis-Related Knee Pain People with stiff and aching knees due to arthritis get better relief from physical therapy than from cortisone injections, according to a one-year military study comparing the two treatments.
  Reuters Health Information, April 08, 2020
• ACC 2020PRONOMOS: Rivaroxaban Bests Enoxaparin for VTE Prophylaxis New trial results show rivaroxaban was not only noninferior but superior to enoxaparin in reducing venous thromboembolism after nonmajor orthopedic surgery.
  Medscape Medical News, March 29, 2020
• Surgical Approach Tied to Risk in Hip Replacement For patients who require a total hip arthroplasty, the anterior approach may be riskier than the posterior or lateral approaches.
  Medscape Medical News, March 23, 2020
• Statins Linked to Reduced Likelihood of Joint Replacement High-intensity statins are associated with a lower risk of joint replacement, new findings show.
  Reuters Health Information, March 12, 2020
• Following ERAS Protocol Associated With Better Outcomes After Hip, Knee Surgery Greater adherence to the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) care protocol is associated with fewer complications after elective total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA), according to a prospective multicenter cohort study.
  Reuters Health Information, February 20, 2020
• One in Five Elective Surgeries Come With a Surprise Bill Researchers estimate that on average, there are more than $2000 add-on charges for out-of-network clinicians such as anesthesiologists and surgical assistants after procedures with in-network primary surgeons.
  Medscape Medical News, February 11, 2020
• Knee Replacement Timing Out of Step for Most Candidates Few patients with knee osteoarthritis receive the elective surgery within 2 years, a study found; delays were more common among African Americans.
  Medscape Medical News, January 15, 2020
• Fast-Track Total Hip, Knee Arthroplasty in Older People Cuts Length of Hospital Stay The length of hospital stay (LOS) for older patients undergoing total hip or knee arthroplasty (THA/TKA) declined significantly over the past decade with the implementation of fast-track protocols, a new study shows.
  Reuters Health Information, January 02, 2020
• Recent Bariatric Surgery Linked to More Complications After Joint Arthroplasty Rather than benefitting from bariatric surgery, obese patients who undergo such a procedure less than two years before total joint arthroplasty (TJA) are more likely to experience postoperative complications, according to a new study.
  Reuters Health Information, November 28, 2019
• Knee Replacement Doesn't Solve Sexual Problems Patients having knee replacement surgery sometimes hope to regain or improve their sexual activity afterward, but that doesn't always happen, a new study finds.
  Reuters Health Information, November 19, 2019
• White House Unveils Finalized Healthcare Price Transparency Rule The final directive drew swift responses from the hospital and insurance industries. A proposed rule would require insurers to spell out how much patients may owe for their out-of-pocket costs.
  Kaiser Health News, November 19, 2019
• With a New Hip or Knee, Most Return to Driving in a Few Weeks After knee- or hip-replacement surgery, most patients return to driving within about four weeks - much quicker than some current recommendations, according to a U.S. study.
  Reuters Health Information, October 30, 2019
• Pulmonary Embolism Risk May Be Elevated for Months After Surgery The postoperative risk of pulmonary embolism may be elevated for at least three months after all types of surgery, a retrospective case-crossover study suggests.
  Reuters Health Information, October 14, 2019
• Investigational Osteoarthritis Drug Results Mixed Sprifermin, when injected into the knee in higher doses, led to significant growth in cartilage thickness, but clinical benefit is uncertain. Five-year results will test durability.
  Medscape Medical News, October 10, 2019
• New Round of Medicare Readmission Penalties Hits 2,583 Hospitals
  Kaiser Health News, October 04, 2019
• Hemiarthroplasty Comparable to Total Hip Surgery for Femoral Neck Fracture - Study Hemiarthroplasty (HA) improves function and quality of life just as effectively as total hip arthroplasty (THA) in patients with displaced femoral neck fractures who were independently ambulatory before the fracture, the largest study ever done on hip fracture surgery has concluded.
  Reuters Health Information, September 26, 2019
• Surgeons Not Good at Predicting Benefit From Knee Operations Surgeons are no better at determining which patients might benefit from operations to treat torn knee cartilage than if they just flipped a coin, a new study suggests.
  Reuters Health Information, August 15, 2019
• Tanezumab Reduces Joint Pain, but Possibly at the Cost of Further Joint Damage A new industry study provides more evidence that tanezumab is an effective analgesic for osteoarthritis, but it also confirms an increased risk of rapidly progressive OA and total joint replacement seen in earlier trials.
  Reuters Health Information, July 02, 2019
• Stopping bDMARDs Before RA Hip, Knee Arthroplasty Questioned Postarthroplasty infection risk in those with rheumatoid arthritis was higher after even modest preoperative doses of glucocorticoids. No difference in infection risk was detected among biologic therapies.
  Medscape Medical News, May 22, 2019