Xylazine, a veterinary sedative, has increasingly been found as an adulterant in illicit fentanyl supplies across the USA. This combination has led to severe necrotic skin wounds among users, particularly in the Philadelphia region, posing significant challenges for patients and healthcare providers. As these frequently exhibit as extremity wounds, orthopaedic surgeons are amongst those involved […]

In this final installment of the Ortho Time Machine episodes (for now…) we discuss Maurice Müeller, the genesis of the AO Foundation, and its profound impact on modern fracture fixation principles.   The AO Foundation, or Arbeitsgemeinschaft für  Osteosynthesefragen, revolutionized fracture treatment by introducing principles that transformed patient outcomes worldwide. In this episode, we will explore its origins, the visionary minds […]

Welcome to Ortho Time Machine episodes where we explore pivotal moments and game-changing innovations in orthopaedic surgery. In this episode, we’ll journey through the life and legacy of Dr. Paul Harrington, whose work in spinal instrumentation changed the field forever. You’ve probably heard of the Harrington Rod. It was the first widely successful spinal implant, designed to treat severe […]

The Ortho Time Machine episodes continue with the remarkable journey of Total Knee Arthroplasty, or TKA—a procedure that has transformed the lives of millions suffering from debilitating knee arthritis. In this episode, we’ll focus on the significant contributions of Dr. John Insall, whose innovative designs and surgical techniques elevated TKA to the gold standard it […]

In this chapter of the Ortho Time Machine episodes, we’re focusing on a game-changing innovation that transformed the way surgeons diagnose and treat joint disorders. Masaki Watanabe and many others helped to pioneer arthroscopic surgery and gave orthopaedic surgeons a new way to see and treat inside joints without large incisions. It’s hard to imagine […]

Welcome back to Ortho Time Machine episodes where we uncover the most transformative moments and figures in the history of orthopaedic surgery. In this episode, we’re delving into the extraordinary life and work of Gavriil Ilizarov—a man who, against all odds, revolutionized limb reconstruction and deformity correction. (Note that some of the character voices are […]

Season 6 of the OrthoClips Podcast Series features a new mini-series entitled “Ortho Time Machine”, where we travel through the fascinating history of orthopaedic surgery, exploring the game-changing moments that shaped our field. In this first episode, we’re stepping into the operating theater of one of the most brilliant minds in orthopaedics: Sir John Charnley, […]

We cover two recent review papers on the topic: “An Update on Spinal Cord Injury and Current Management” by Carroll et al in the October 2024 JBJS Reviews, and “Updates in the Early Management of Acute Spinal Cord Injury” by Lambrechts et al in the September 1, 2023 issue of JAAOS. Urgency of spinal decompression, […]

We review the results of the recent RCT published in the September 4, 2024 JBJS entitled “Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound Versus Sham in the Treatment of Operatively Managed Scaphoid Nonunions: The SNAPU Randomized Controlled Trial” by White and coauthors from the Wrist and Elbow Research Group of Canada (WECAN).

We review “Integrated Dual Lag Screws Have Higher Reoperation Rates for Fixation Failure Than Single Lag Component Cephalomedullary Nails: A Retrospective Study of 2,130 Patients with Intertrochanteric Femoral Fractures” from the September 18, 2024 JBJS. This compared patients treated with the Trigen InterTAN with DPS TFNA and Stryker Gamma 3. The authors are Christian Gonzalez […]

Does far cortical locking improve healing for management of distal femur fractures, compared to standard locked plating? We discussed the findings from the randomized control trial entitled “Far Cortical Locking Versus Standard Constructs for Locked Plate Fixation in the Treatment of Acute, Displaced Fractures of the Distal Femur” by Dr. Kelly Lefaivre and colleagues from […]

We are discussing three papers from the August 2024 volume of the Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma, all from the Young Femoral Neck Fracture Working Group. This includes 26 North American trauma centers with over 500 young adult patients with femoral neck fractures. The first paper focuses on optimal fixation strategies, the second focuses on isolated […]

With all the external fixation being done for temporary stability, what is the evidence for best practices for conversion to internal fixation? There are issues regarding timing, whether you can keep the ex fix in the operative field if needed, how to best sterilize it, what to do with the pin sites before and after […]

In this episode, we review two recent randomized control trials investigating this question. “Skin Antisepsis before Surgical Fixation of Extremity Fractures” is a publication from the PREPARE trial in the February 2024 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. This was a randomized control trial of over 6000 patients in which day investigated iodine […]

Conversation with Alexander Neuwirth, M.D., Associate Program Director of the Orthopaedic Surgery Residency and Associate Program Director, Frank E. Stinchfield Adult Reconstruction Fellowship, and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery in the Division of Adult Hip and Knee Reconstruction at Columbia University Medical Center and New York-Presbyterian Hospital. We discuss teaching millennials, active learning, flipped classrooms, […]

Interview with Dr. Noelle Van Rysselberghe from Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Washington discussing her paper in the February 2024 Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma entitled “Retrograde Intramedullary Nailing Versus Locked Plating for Extreme Distal Periprosthetic Femur Fractures: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study”.

Interview with Dustin Greenhill, MD, FAAOS, Associate Program Director of Orthopaedic Surgery at the St. Luke’s University Health Network and Assistant Clinical Professor at Temple University School of Medicine. Dr. Greenhill is a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon and first author of the paper entitled “Treatment of Length-Unstable Pediatric Femur Fractures in Children Aged 5 to 11 […]

Interview with Devon Brameier, BM, BCh, Senior Clinical Research Coordinator, Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School Orthopaedic Trauma Initiative, Brigham and Women’s Hospital. We discuss their paper entitled “Use of Direct Oral Anticoagulants Among Patients With Hip Fracture Is Not an Indication to Delay Surgical Intervention” from the March 2024 Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma.

Interview with Dr. Brian Mullis, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Residency Director, Indiana University School of Medicine and Dr. Leilani Mullis, Assistant Professor of Clinical Anesthesia and Chair, Residency Selection Committee, Indiana University School of Medicine. We discuss their paper entitled “Orthopaedic Trauma and Anemia: Conservative versus Liberal Transfusion Strategy: A Prospective Randomized Study” in […]

An interview with Dr. Scott LaValva, lead author on the April 3, 2024 JBJS publication entitled “Robotics and navigation do not affect the risk of periprosthetic joint infection following primary total hip arthroplasty: A propensity score-matched cohort analysis”. Dr. LaValva is a PGY-4 orthopaedic surgery resident at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York […]