Purpose:There are multiple reported risk factors and a wide range of reported blood transfusion rates for total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA). There are no evidence-based guidelines for blood transfusions in TSA patients.Materials and Methods:We utilized the Nationwide Inpatient Sample to analyze 51,191 patients undergoing TSA between 1998 and 2011. The purpose was to describe the incidence and identify the preoperative factors that are independently associated with blood transfusion after TSA. In addition, we studied the association of blood transfusions with certain variables such as length of stay (LOS), total charges, and payer status.Results:The blood transfusion rate in our study was 6.1%. There was no difference in the rate of blood transfusions over the study period (P < 0.001). In our logistic regression model, significant associations were found with increased age (odds ratio [OR] =1.03), white race (OR = 1.05), higher Charlson-Deyo score (OR = 1.12), presence of ischemic heart disease (OR = 1.24), blood loss anemia (OR = 1.65), female gender (OR = 1.94), presence of coagulation disorders (OR = 2.25), and presence of deficiency anemia (OR = 3.5). Patients receiving a blood transfusion had higher total charges, a longer hospital LOS, and were more likely to be Medicare payers (P < 0.001).Conclusions:Our study found five clinically significant risk factors for blood transfusions for TSA: female gender, ischemic heart disease, deficiency anemia, coagulation disorder, and blood loss anemia. Patients with these risk factors should be considered higher risk for requiring a blood transfusion after TSA and counseled appropriately.Level of Evidence:Level II, retrospective cohort study, prognostic study.

Background: Meniscus root tears lead to de-tensioning of the meniscus, increased contact forces, and cartilage damage. Management of older patients with root tears is controversial and the efficacy of different treatment options is unclear. Purpose: To compare the clinical outcomes of patients with moderate knee osteoarthritis who underwent an all-inside meniscus root repair technique versus nonoperative management for either medial or lateral meniscus root tears. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: Patients with a diagnosed posterior meniscus root tear who underwent arthroscopic repair (AR: 30 knees) or nonoperative treatment with observation (O: 18 knees) were followed for a minimum of 2 years (mean follow-up, 4.4 years). The arthroscopic repair included all-inside sutures to reduce the root back to its remnant (reduction sutures), thereby re-tensioning the meniscus, and 1 mattress suture to strengthen the repair by reapproximating the construct to the posterior capsule. The data collected included the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), Lysholm, Tegner, and Veterans RAND 12-Item Health Survey (VR-12) Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores and conversion to total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Results: Medial meniscus root tears comprised 80.0% of the AR group and 77.8% of the O group. The average Kellgren-Lawrence grade was 2 in both groups. The baseline scores for the KOOS Symptoms subscale were lower for AR (50.2 ± 19.3) than for O (66.5 ± 16.1) ( P = .003), as were the KOOS Knee-Related Quality of Life scores (AR, 26.7 ± 16.1; O, 39.6 ± 22.1) ( P = .046). No differences were found between groups for the absolute values at follow-up except that follow-up Tegner scores were lower in the O group than in the AR group ( P = .004). Significant improvements were seen in the AR group from baseline to ultimate follow-up in average KOOS subscale scores ( P < .001), Lysholm scores ( P < .001), Tegner scores ( P = .0002), and VR-12 PCS scores ( P < .001), whereas the O group had a significant improvement only in average KOOS Pain ( P = .003), KOOS Function in Daily Living ( P = .006), and VR-12 PCS ( P = .038) scores. Compared with the O group, the AR group had a significantly larger improvement from baseline to follow-up in average KOOS Pain ( P = .009), KOOS Symptoms ( P = .029), and Lysholm scores ( P = .016). During follow-up, 3.3% of the AR group underwent a TKA compared with 33.3% of the O group ( P = .008). The hazard ratio of TKA conversion was 93.2% lower for the AR group compared with the O group ( P = .013). Conclusion: All-inside medial or lateral meniscus root repair showed improved functional outcomes and decreased TKA conversion rates compared with nonoperative treatment and may be considered as a treatment option for the management of meniscus root tears in older patients with moderate osteoarthritis.

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Purpose The purpose of this study was to compare infection control rates between implant retention and two-stage revision and assess the effectiveness of retention treatment in THA. Methods Twenty-eight debridements with implant retention (retention group) and 65 staged revisions (removal group) were retrospectively analysed and risk factors that can contribute to failure of infection control were explored. Results For the retention and removal groups, infection control rates were 50% and 78% after initial treatment, and 68% and 82% at latest follow-up, respectively. There were no significant differences in the number of additional operative procedures, total length of hospital stay, and duration of treatment between groups. Infection of revision THA, polybacterial and S. aureus infection were identified as risk factors for infection control. Conclusions Retention treatment can be considered an initial treatment option in selected cases of primary THA, with a single organism, non-S. aureus infection with 50% chance of infection control and no disadvantages in terms of additional procedure, hospital stay, and treatment duration.

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are pentameric, typically being composed of two or more different subunits. To investigate which receptor subtypes are active in the heart, we initiated a series of experiments using an isolated perfused rat heart (Langendorff) preparation. Nicotine administration (100 M) caused a brief decrease (Ϫ7 Ϯ 2%) followed by a much larger increase (17 Ϯ 5%) in heart rate that slowly returned to baseline within 10 to 15 min. The nicotine-induced decrease in heart rate could be abolished by an ␣7-specific antagonist, ␣-bungarotoxin (100 nM). In contrast, the nicotine-induced increase in heart rate persisted in the presence of ␣-bungarotoxin. These results suggest that the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) that mediate the initial decrease in heart rate probably contain ␣7 subunits, whereas those that mediate the increase in heart rate probably do not contain ␣7 subunits. To investigate which subunits may contribute to the nicotine-induced increase in heart rate, we repeated our experiments with cytisine, an agonist at nAChRs that contain ␤4 subunits. The cytisine results were similar to those obtained with nicotine, thereby suggesting that the nAChRs on sympathetic nerve terminals in the heart probably contain ␤4 subunits. Thus, the results of this study show that pharmacologically distinct nAChRs are responsible for the differential effects of nicotine on heart rate. More specifically, our results suggest that ␣7 subunits participate in the initial nicotine-induced heart rate decrease, whereas ␤4 subunits help to mediate the subsequent nicotine-induced rise in heart rate.