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OBJECTIVE: Postoperative delirium has many consequences and should be prevented when possible. Non-opioid pain treatments have known delirium prevention benefits, while melatonin has promising prevention data in non-surgical populations. The incidence of postoperative delirium was retrospectively compared in patients prescribed acetaminophen with and without melatonin following orthopedic surgery. METHODS: Retrospective data was analyzed in adults ≥65-years-old who were hospitalized within one health system following an orthopedic procedure. Patients receiving at least acetaminophen 1000 mg/day with and without melatonin 1 mg/day for at least 48 hours perioperatively were included. Patients were excluded if they had prior delirium, an intensive care unit placement >24 hours, or other risk factors for developing delirium to reduce confounders. The primary outcome was delirium incidence or positive CAM-ICU score. Key secondary endpoints included hospital length of stay and 30-day hospital readmission. RESULTS: Two hundred patients were assessed, and 134 patients were included in the analysis (ie, 66 acetaminophen plus melatonin, 68 acetaminophen alone). There was a lower rate of delirium when comparing the combination vs acetaminophen alone (5% vs 25%; P = 0.001). There were no differences in 30-day readmission. Patients taking the combination had a longer length of stay than acetaminophen alone (5 vs 4 days; P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Geriatric patients taking acetaminophen plus melatonin after orthopedic surgery had a significantly lower risk of delirium than patients receiving acetaminophen alone. Using combination melatonin and acetaminophen before orthopedic surgery is a promising delirium prevention strategy and should be considered in future prospective trials.

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Temporomandibular disorders affect between 5% and 12% of the population and present with symptoms such as headache, bruxism, pain at the temporomandibular joint, jaw popping or clicking, neck pain, tinnitus, dizziness, decreased hearing, and hyperacuity to sound. Common signs on physical examination include tenderness of the pterygoid muscles, temporomandibular joints, and temporalis muscles, and malocclusion of the jaw and crepitus. The diagnosis is based on history and physical examination; however, use of computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging is recommended if the diagnosis is in doubt. Nonpharmacologic therapy includes patient education (e.g., good sleep hygiene, soft food diet), cognitive behavior therapy, and physical therapy. Pharmacologic therapy includes nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, cyclobenzaprine, tricyclic antidepressants, and gabapentin. Injections of the temporomandibular joints with sodium hyaluronate, platelet-rich plasma, and dextrose prolotherapy may be considered, but the evidence of benefit is weak. A referral to oral and maxillofacial surgery is indicated for refractory cases.

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Diabetes-related foot infections occur in approximately 40% of diabetes-related foot ulcers and cause significant morbidity. Clinicians should consider patient risk factors (e.g., presence of foot ulcers greater than 2 cm, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, poor vascular perfusion, comorbid illness) when evaluating for a foot infection or osteomyelitis. Indicators of infection include erythema, induration, tenderness, warmth, and drainage. Superficial wound cultures should be avoided because of the high rate of contaminants. Deep cultures obtained through aseptic procedures (e.g., incision and drainage, debridement, bone culture) help guide treatment. Plain radiography is used for initial imaging if osteomyelitis is suspected; however, magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography may help if radiography is inconclusive, the extent of infection is unknown, or if the infection orientation needs to be determined to help in surgical planning. Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus agalactiae are the most commonly isolated pathogens, although polymicrobial infections are common. Antibiotic therapy should cover commonly isolated organisms and reflect local resistance patterns, patient preference, and the severity of the foot infection. Mild and some moderate infections may be treated with oral antibiotics. Severe infections require intravenous antibiotics. Treatment duration is typically one to two weeks and is longer for slowly resolving infections or osteomyelitis. Severe or persistent infections may require surgery and specialized team-based wound care. Although widely recommended, there is little evidence on the effectiveness of primary prevention strategies. Systematic assessment, counseling, and comorbidity management are hallmarks of effective secondary prevention for diabetes-related foot infections.

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INTRODUCTION: The new Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) guidelines for family medicine residencies increased training requirements for caring for older adults. These guidelines prompted changes to the current geriatrics curriculum at the Trident/Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Family Medicine Residency Program. Changes to the training requirements and the residency geriatric experiences reflect an increasingly aging population and many unmet needs in caring for older adults. METHODS: To meet accreditation requirements and the needs of our population, the residency program established a new partnership with a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) and hired another provider to coordinate the curriculum. Changes to the curriculum included more time spent in our CCRC, better longitudinal patient visit continuity, a coordinated interprofessional didactic curriculum, more elective opportunities in geriatrics, and online pharmacotherapy quizzes. The curriculum was assessed with a validated 10-question pre/postresident survey. RESULTS: Resident responses revealed increased comfort in caring for a geriatric population, increased desire to focus on geriatrics in their medical career, and increased participation in the geriatrics track. CONCLUSIONS: With changes in ACGME requirements, family medicine residency programs must develop a comprehensive curriculum to care for an increasing elderly population. The Trident/MUSC Family Medicine Residency provides a model curriculum for other programs seeking to improve training for their residents and meet these requirements.