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BACKGROUND: Irrigation is used to minimize infection of open wounds. Sterile saline is preferred, but potable water is becoming more widely accepted. However, the large volumes of water that are recommended are usually not available in austere environments. This study determined the long-term antimicrobial effectiveness of military purification powder compared with currently available civilian methods. The study also compared the physical characteristics and outcomes under the logistical constraints. METHODS: Six commercially available water decontamination procedures were used to decontaminate five different sources of water (pond water, river water, inoculated saline, tap water, and sterile saline). Each product was evaluated based on six different parameters: bacterial culture, pH, turbidity, cost, flow rate, and size. RESULTS: All methods of treatment decreased the bacterial count below the limit of detection. However, they had variable effects on pH and turbidity of the five water sources. Prices ranged from $7.95 to $350, yielding 10-10,000L of water, and weighing between 18 and 500g. CONCLUSION: In austere settings, where all equipment is carried manually, no single decontamination device is available to optimize all the measured parameters. Since all products effectively reduced microbial levels, their size, cost, and production capability should be evaluated for the intended application.

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OBJECTIVES: Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is an effective therapy for alleviating pain but reported complication rates vary between healthcare centers. This study explored the prevalence of pain associated with Implantable Pulse Generators (IPGs), the component that powers the SCS system. METHODS: This was a retrospective, single site study analyzing data from 764 patients who had a fully implanted SCS between September 2013 and March 2020. Demographic data were collected together with IPG site and type, patient reported presence of IPG site pain, revisions, explants and baseline scores for neuropathic pain (using the Self-Administered Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs questionnaire). Data were statistically analyzed by one-way analysis of variance, independent sample t-tests, X2 tests of independence and logistic regression modeling. RESULTS: IPG site pain occurred in 127 (17%) of 764 patients. These patients had higher baseline neuropathic pain scores than those who reported no IPG site pain. This complication was more common in females than males. The lowest rates of IPG site pain occurred after posterior chest wall placement and the highest rates occurred after abdominal implants. 7% of patients had revision surgery for IPG site pain (n=55) and 10 of 95 explanted patients stated that IPG site pain was a secondary influencing factor. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that IPG site pain is a common complication, contributing to SCS revisions and explantation. This study shows that anatomical factors and baseline characteristics of individual patients may contribute to IPG site pain and indicates that exploration of potential factors leading to IPG revision is required.

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Background:Visceral pain can be disabling for patients and challenging to treat in the clinic. Spinal cord stimulation is a NICE approved treatment for chronic neuropathic pain, presenting potential advantages over conventional therapies for managing chronic visceral pain. Results: A retrospective study revealed that a specific type of spinal cord stimulation, BurstDRTM (Abbott, TX, USA), was effective at improving pain and quality of life in patients with chronic visceral pain. Baseline pain scores significantly correlated with change at follow-up, suggesting it may be possible to identify potential responders from the outset. BurstDR was safe: rates of revision, explantation and complications were low. Conclusion: Clinical trials exploring the long-term effects of BurstDR including a control arm are needed. Findings could have the potential to inform best practice and improve outcomes for individuals with chronic visceral pain.

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BACKGROUND: Meniscal allograft transplantation (MAT) is considered a viable surgical treatment option in the symptomatic, postmeniscectomy knee and as a concomitant procedure with ACL revision and articular cartilage repair. Although promising outcomes have recently been reported in active and athletic populations, MAT has not been well-studied in the high-demand military population. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: (1) What proportion of active-duty military patients who underwent MAT returned to full, unrestricted duty? (2) What demographic and surgical variables, if any, correlated with return to full, unrestricted duty? METHODS: Between 2005 and 2015, three fellowship-trained sports surgeons (TMD, SJS, BDO) performed 110 MAT procedures in active-duty military patients, of which 95% (104 patients) were available for follow-up at a minimum 2 years (mean 2.8 ± SD 1.1 year). During the study period, indications for MAT generally included unicompartmental pain and swelling in a postmeniscectomized knee and as a concomitant procedure when a meniscal-deficient compartment was associated with either an ACL revision reconstruction or cartilage repair. Demographic and surgical variables were collected and analyzed. The primary endpoints were the decision for permanent profile activity restrictions and military duty termination by a medical board. The term "medical board" implies termination of military service because of medical reasons. We elected to set statistical significance at p < 0.001 to reduce the potential for spurious statistical findings in the setting of a relatively small sample size. RESULTS: Forty-six percent (48 of 104) of eligible patients had permanent profile activity restrictions and 50% (52 of 104) eventually had their military duty terminated by a military board. Only 20% (21 of 104) had neither permanent profile activity restrictions nor medical-board termination and were subsequently able to return to full duty, and only 13% (13 of 104) continued unrestricted military service beyond 2 years after surgery. Age, gender, tobacco use, and BMI did not correlate with return to full duty. Combat arms soldiers were less likely to have permanent profile activity restrictions (odds ratio 4.76 [95% confidence interval 1.93 to 11.8]; p = 0.001) and were more likely to return to full duty than soldiers in support roles (OR 0.24 [95% CI 0.09 to 0.65]; p = 0.005), although these findings did not reach statistical significance. Officers were more likely to return to full duty than enlisted soldiers at more than 2 years after surgery (OR 17.44 [95% CI 4.56 to 66.65]; p < 0.001). No surgical variables correlated with return-to-duty endpoints. CONCLUSIONS: Surgeons should be aware of the low likelihood of return to military duty at more than 2 years after MAT and counsel patients accordingly. Based on this study, MAT does not appear to be compatible with continued unrestricted military duty for most patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV, therapeutic study.

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HYPOTHESIS: We aimed to describe a modified surgical technique to treat isolated sternocostal head tears using cortical button fixation while preserving the intact clavicular head tendon, to outline a new classification of pectoralis major injuries, and to present the clinical outcomes and return-to-sport data of a cohort of 21 athletes who underwent surgical repair. METHODS: We reviewed prospectively collected data of patients who underwent surgical repair with the described technique for isolated sternocostal head tears from 2008 to 2014. Two-year postoperative clinical outcomes including the Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation score, isokinetic strength, patient satisfaction, and return to sport, as well as preinjury and postoperative bench-press weight, were collected, and descriptive statistics were used for analysis. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients who underwent repair of isolated sternocostal head tears were included. The majority of the isolated tears of the sternocostal head of the pectoralis major (57%) occurred during the bench press. Of the ruptures, 81% were Tietjen type IIIC and 19% were type IIID. Postoperative Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation scores averaged 90.1 (standard deviation, 8.4), and patient satisfaction was 9.5 of 10 (standard deviation, 0.9). All athletes returned to sport approximately 5.5 months postoperatively. The isokinetic strength deficit averaged 8% compared with the contralateral arm, whereas the average preinjury bench-press weight of 134 kg (range 88-227 kg) was restored to 117 kg (range 61-250 kg) postoperatively. CONCLUSION: We propose a new classification of pectoralis major injury. In addition, we present a biomechanically sound repair technique for isolated tears of the sternocostal head of the pectoralis with favorable outcomes. The technique takes the specific anatomy of the sternocostal and clavicular heads into account for the approach.

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PURPOSE:: The goal of this study was to: (1) investigate the association between labral hypertrophy and radiographic and computed tomography (CT) imaging measurements of dysplasia in a femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) cohort; (2) evaluate the association between physical examination parameters suggestive of microinstability and labral hypertrophy. METHODS:: A retrospective case-control study was performed. Labral hypertrophy was defined as intraoperative labral width measuring greater >4 mm. A control cohort (NL) was matched to the cases. Physical examination parameters and preoperative radiographic and CT imaging studies were reviewed. RESULTS:: 231 hip arthroscopies for FAI were reviewed from which 42 cases of labral hypertrophy were identified (LH). In the LH group there was significantly increased hip internal rotation at 90° hip flexion compared to normal controls (13.6° ± 1 0.7° LH vs. 9.3° ± 6.2° NL; p = 0.04). On plain radiographs, the mean lateral centre-edge angle was smaller in the LH group compared to the NL group (27.6° ± 6.00° LH vs. 31.6° ± 6.59° NL; p < 0.001) and the acetabular index was larger in the LH group compared to the NL group (6.61 ± 4.18 LH vs. 4.14 ± 6.13 NL; p = 0.04). On CT imaging coronal sagittal CEA was significantly lower in LH cases compared to NL control (31.8° ± 5.30° LH vs. 35.1° ± 7.67° NL; p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS:: We found that patients with labral hypertrophy have radiographic and CT measurements consistent with subtle but not absolute dysplasia and physical examination findings suggestive of microinstability. We propose that labral hypertrophy can be a useful clinical tool for identifying FAI patients on the dysplasia spectrum.

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The biomechanical strength of a bone-patellar tendon-bone graft in the tibia may vary depending on whether the interference screw abuts the cancellous vs the cortical surface of the bone plug. In a porcine model, 10×20-mm bone-patellar tendon-bone grafts were prepared and fixed in a 10-mm diameter tibial tunnel using a 9×25-mm titanium interference screw. The screw was positioned on the cancellous surface of the graft in group A (n=13) vs the cortical side of the graft in group B (n=14). Specimens underwent precycling, cyclic loading, and load-to-failure testing. The mean ultimate failure load was 493±245 N for group A vs 304±145 N for group B (P=.008). Sixty-nine percent of specimens in group A survived 1000 cycles of load testing compared with 21% of specimens in group B. Forty-three percent of specimens in group B sustained intratendinous failure adjacent to the bone plug compared with 15% of specimens in group A. Orientation of the tibial interference screw along the cancellous vs the cortical side of the graft results in superior cyclic loading and ultimate failure load characteristics. Additionally, screw placement along the cortical side may weaken the tendon interface and lead to tendon failure under load. This study indicates that placement of the tibial interference screw along the cancellous side of the graft is biomechanically favorable. However, the clinical ramifications of these findings are not clear. [Orthopedics. 2018; 41(6):337-342.].

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