Elite Reviewer Spotlight: Cecilia Rogmark
JBJS is pleased once again to highlight our Elite Reviewers. The Elite Reviewers Program recognizes our best reviewers for their outstanding efforts. All JBJS reviewers help us maintain the highest standards for quality orthopaedic publishing.
Name:
Cecilia Rogmark
Affiliation:
Dept of Orthopaedics, Skane University Hospital, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
Years in practice: 30
How did you begin reviewing for other journals and for JBJS in particular?
After publishing my first papers in the early 00’s, I was invited to review. At first by Acta Orthopaedica whose editors had knowledge of new “local” researchers in Scandinavia, then gradually by other international journals. I am not sure how JBJS’ eye fell on me, but I guess being active as a researcher (both in writing and at meetings), lecturer and having a good international network will help.
What is your top piece of advice for those reviewers who aspire to reach Elite status?
Be curious (or try to be curious) on the text you are about to read. And realize that you will learn something from the paper, maybe not the core results are that interesting, but you will find a grain of gold elsewhere in the text. Such positive attitude makes the work easier!
Aside from orthopaedic manuscripts, what have you been reading lately?
The Gospel of Eels – A Swedish book on the secrets of the eel, giving both the facts and the fiction. Sounds a bit weird, but really amazing! Available in English I think, written by Patrik Svensson.
Learn more about the JBJS Elite Reviewers program.
Using Registries to Investigate Rare Diseases
There has been a huge worldwide effort over the last 2-plus decades to establish arthroplasty registries. Among the many advantages of such registries, advocates emphasize the potential detection of early failures associated with new implant designs and biomaterials. The large number of patients enrolled in most registries and the methodical capturing of data yield substantial statistical and research benefits.
Based on the successes of arthroplasty registries, parallel registries have been established for sports medicine (especially for shoulder and knee conditions and treatments), fractures, musculoskeletal tumors, and others. Although the focus has been on enrolling large numbers of patients with relatively common disorders or procedures, there have been less well-publicized efforts to create smaller registries of rarer diseases.
In the October 21, 2020 issue of The Journal, Forman et al. use the 8-site Congenital Upper Limb Differences (CoULD) registry to report on associations between congenital deficiency of the radial aspect of the forearm in 259 patients (383 involved limbs) and thumb hypoplasia. Two findings stood out to me:
- The severity of radial deficiency was correlated with the severity of thumb deficiency.
- Compared with subjects who had no diagnosed syndromes, patients with concomitant syndromes (such as VACTERL and Holt-Oram) were twice as likely to have bilateral deficiency and 2.5 times as likely to have radial and thumb deficiencies as opposed to thumb deficiency alone.
In addition to reinforcing findings from previous single-institution studies, these data from Forman et al. will help surgeons counsel parents, determine treatment approaches, and establish frameworks for following patient outcomes after both surgical and nonsurgical treatment. It is my hope that other clinician-researchers with interest in understanding and managing rare conditions will establish similar registries to benefit these smaller but no-less-important groups of patients and families.
Click here to read the JBJS Clinical Summary on Congenital Hand Differences.
Marc Swiontkowski, MD
JBJS Editor-in-Chief
Elite Reviewer Spotlight: David Ring
JBJS is pleased once again to highlight our Elite Reviewers. The Elite Reviewers Program recognizes our best reviewers for their outstanding efforts. All JBJS reviewers help us maintain the highest standards for quality orthopaedic publishing.
Name:
David Ring
Affiliation:
Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
Years in practice: 20
How did you begin reviewing for other journals and for JBJS in particular?
I’ve been involved in research since medical school, helped my mentors such as Jesse Jupiter with reviews, and was given opportunities to review starting in residency.
What is your top piece of advice for those reviewers who aspire to reach Elite status?
Get curious. Each study tells a story. First about the author’s values and concerns and how they arrived at their question. Then about the scientific methods employed. And whether the data and analysis are helpful to you and your patients.
Take it seriously and be generous. Most orthopedic research is done by volunteers that want to make a difference. Be generous and constructive in your assessments. Also, realize that if there is an error or misinterpretation there is a potential for harm. Start with a set of base principles for health and make sure the manuscript meets up with those.
Reviewing is a civic duty that makes me a better scientist. I learn so much from reviewing.
Aside from orthopaedic manuscripts, what have you been reading lately?
After finishing White Fragility, I moved on to The Broken Heart of America. As a white male I have privilege and it’s helpful to know that privilege came from violence and by design. I want to do my part to undo that and make amends. I’m also reading The Social Animal, one of many bestselling books that serve as instruction manuals for your mind. The gist is that the unconscious and irrational are more impactful than the rational. My favorite in this genre is The Invisible Gorilla.
Learn more about the JBJS Elite Reviewers program.
The Need for Preop Psych Evals in Orthopaedic Surgery
OrthoBuzz occasionally receives posts from guest bloggers. This guest post comes from Impact Science, in response to a recent ”What’s Important” article in JBJS.
In orthopaedic surgery, pre-existing psychiatric conditions in patients can have a detrimental effect on outcomes. Previous studies have shown poor improvement in postoperative self-reported pain scores among patients with psychosomatic conditions or mood disorders. Robust published evidence also suggests that psychiatric conditions can lead to complications in the treatment course, including an increased length of hospital stay and higher total systemwide costs. However, despite compelling evidence in the literature, orthopaedic surgeons—especially those early in their career—lack protocols to evaluate a patient’s current and past psychiatric history and symptom severity.
A recent “What’s Important” article in The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery emphasizes the need for such an assessment tool. In the article, Albert T. Anastasio, MD, a resident in orthopaedic surgery at Duke University Medical Center, cites the example of bariatric surgery, where protocols have long existed for preoperative patient assessments for a history of alcohol and drug abuse. He argues convincingly that the development and use of such tools should be extended to orthopaedic procedures. For example, Dr. Anastasio questions the wisdom of a hypothetical elective spine surgery in a patient with an unaddressed psychosomatic disorder and borderline pathology on advanced imaging.
At the same time, Dr. Anastasio is quick to highlight the challenges of developing such a tool, mainly because of the subjective nature of psychiatric symptoms. But he cites existing tools that attempt to objectively evaluate psychiatric symptoms, such as the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, which is used to quantify the severity of major depressive disorder. Dr. Anastasio also cautions that any such metric should not serve as a “definitive cutoff” for surgery.
Underlying Dr. Anastasio’s call for psychiatric risk-assessment protocols is the importance of developing and enhancing collaboration between orthopaedics and psychiatry, two disciplines that he says are often “considered very far removed from each other.”
Impact Science is a team of specialized subject-area experts (Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Medicine & Humanities) who collaborate with authors, societies, libraries, universities, and various other stakeholders for services to enhance research impact. Impact Science aims to democratize science by making research-backed content accessible to the world.
JBJS Extends Deadline for International Journal Club Grants
For the first time, JBJS is expanding its Robert Bucholz Resident Journal Club Grant Program to orthopaedic residency programs beyond North America.
The deadline for international applicants has been extended until 31 October 2020.
Grants of US$1,500 will be awarded to support selected Journal Club programs for the coming academic year. Funds can be used for subscriptions to orthopaedic journals and resources, travel grants for guest speakers, and costs associated with the monthly journal club meetings.
To apply, click here, download and fill out the form, and return it to journalclub@jbjs.org by 31 October 2020.
Elite Reviewer Spotlight: Leon Benson
JBJS is pleased once again to highlight our Elite Reviewers. The Elite Reviewers Program recognizes our best reviewers for their outstanding efforts. All JBJS reviewers help us maintain the highest standards for quality orthopaedic publishing.
Name:
Leon S. Benson, MD
Affiliation:
Illinois Bone and Joint Institute, Glenview, Illinois
Years in practice: Thirty
How did you begin reviewing for other journals and for JBJS in particular?
I started reviewing for journals 15 years ago and began reviewing for the JBJS 13 years ago.
What is your top piece of advice for those reviewers who aspire to reach Elite status?
I think it is important to read the article, if possible, as soon as you receive the invitation (same day). I often find that my opinions solidify after thinking about the manuscript for a few days. If I read the article right away, I am afforded some time to be thoughtful without delaying the review for more than a week.
Aside from orthopaedic manuscripts, what have you been reading lately?
Dead Wake by Erik Larsen
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin
Hell’s Cartel by Diarmuid Jeffreys
Learn more about the JBJS Elite Reviewers program.
Reducing Local Recurrence of Adamantinomas
The international multicenter study by Schutgens et al. in the October 7, 2020 issue of JBJS reports findings from an analysis of >300 cases of patients diagnosed with either classic adamantinomas (ADs) or osteofibrous dysplasia-like adamantinomas (OFD-ADs) who were followed for 7 to >10 years. The mean age at diagnosis was 17 years. The authors conclude that OFD-AD and AD are “parts of a disease spectrum but should be regarded as different entities.” Their findings, they say, also “support reclassification of OFD-AD into the intermediate locally aggressive [but non-metastatic] category” of bone tumors.
Perhaps the most clinically interesting findings in this study are related to local recurrence, which the authors describe as a “multifactorial” phenomenon in both tumor types. They found local recurrence in 22% of the OFD-AD cases and 24% of the AD cases. None of the recurrences in the OFD-AD group progressed to AD, which is a malignant disease with metastatic potential.
The authors found that the unadjusted cumulative incidence of local recurrence was higher if a pathological fracture was reported and if resection margins were contaminated. So, to reduce the risk of local recurrence in both tumor types, Schutgens et al. suggest “preventing pathological fracture after diagnosis and achieving uncontaminated margins with resection.” The uncontaminated resection should include the periosteum of the involved bone at the time of surgery.
Elite Reviewer Spotlight: Donald Anderson
JBJS is pleased once again to highlight our Elite Reviewers. The Elite Reviewers Program recognizes our best reviewers for their outstanding efforts. All JBJS reviewers help us maintain the highest standards for quality orthopaedic publishing.
Name:
Donald D. Anderson, PhD [most people call me by my nickname, “Don.”
Affiliation:
Department of Orthopedics & Rehabilitation, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
Years in practice:
I am a full-time academic researcher, having completed my PhD in December 1989, which I guess means that I have “been in practice” for just over 30 years now.
How did you begin reviewing for other journals and for JBJS in particular?
I began accepting requests to review manuscripts immediately after finishing up my PhD. Over the years, the number of journals that rely on my reviewing talents has increased. Somewhere along the way, JBJS started reaching out, and saying “yes” to that invitation was a pretty easy decision.
What is your top piece of advice for those reviewers who aspire to reach Elite status?
Be generous with your time, especially when the manuscript you’re referred is from your area of expertise and the study sounds interesting. Okay to say “no” on occasion, but try to make that the exception. Then set a reminder for when the review is due and find a few hours to give it your full attention. Don’t sweat grammatical issues. Just tackle the big picture and technical points that occur to you.
Aside from orthopaedic manuscripts, what have you been reading lately?
I hate to admit it, but I read so much at work lately, that I don’t do much personal reading. However, I just picked up Isaac Asimov’s Foundation to re-read.
Learn more about the JBJS Elite Reviewers program.
What I Learned at the ASSH 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting
OrthoBuzz occasionally receives posts from guest bloggers. This guest post comes Christopher Dy, MD, MPH in response to his recent participation in the virtual Annual Meeting of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand.
The year 2020 has brought with it many “firsts.” For example, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Annual Meeting for the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) was moved from San Antonio to a virtual platform. Kudos to the Annual Meeting chairs (Dawn Laport, MD and Ryan Calfee, MD), ASSH president Martin Boyer, MD, and the ASSH staff for constructing an amazing experience. Here are some general take-homes from my first-ever virtual conference experience:
- A virtual conference provides attendees with a ton of flexibility and customization. While there are often “conflicting,” concurrent sessions during an in-person meeting where I have to decide between 2 sessions, the virtual ASSH meeting format offered the ability to go back and watch prior courses and lectures. When we (hopefully) go back to in-person meetings, it would help if more sessions were recorded and made available to attendees on demand.
- The virtual conference requires a lot more pre-meeting preparation for all parties involved, especially presenters. Because the sessions that would normally occur in the large, main halls were hosted on a professionally run platform with A/V engineers, presenters were required to attend more than a few “tech” rehearsals, as well as submit their presentation slides 4 to 6 weeks in advance. I admit that it was harder for me to present from slides that didn’t feel as fresh, since I couldn’t revise them the night before!
- While it was convenient to view most of the meeting from my couch (or exercise bike), I really miss the in-person interactions with colleagues and friends that you get while moving between sessions. It’s also harder to pull yourself away from your family and your practice when you are “participating” in a meeting from home or office.
Here are 4 technical things I learned from the sessions I attended, largely biased toward my personal interests. I encourage readers to leave comments by clicking on the “Leave a Comment” button in the box next to the title.
- Innovation continues for distal nerve transfers to treat peripheral nerve palsy. Professor Jayme Bertelli from Brazil gave talks demonstrating both technical aspects and his own results following transfers such as ECRL [extensor carpi radialis longus]-to-AIN [anterior interosseous nerve], distal AIN to distal PIN [posterior interosseous nerve], and opponens pollicis to adductor pollicis. I am eager to read more about these transfers and get into the cadaver lab to refine my surgical technique. (Precourse 03 and Symposium 18)
- The debate about “supercharging” (reverse end-to-side) nerve transfers continues. There is laboratory evidence supporting the role of a supercharged nerve transfer in preserving the distal muscle unit and the distal nerve stump. However, there is controversy regarding whether it is benign and/or beneficial to have 2 “competing” sources of muscle innervation, in cases where the “native” nerve reaches the distal target after the axons coming from the supercharged transfer have been placed. While many surgeons have adopted supercharged nerve transfer into their practice, there is far more laboratory and clinical research needed to substantiate this practice and refine the indications for use. (Precourse 03 and Symposium 11)
- Utilization of wide-awake, local-anesthesia, no-tourniquet (WALANT) hand surgery continues to grow. Surgeons are performing a growing number of different surgeries (including fracture cases and complex tendon transfers) with WALANT, and some are doing these cases in procedure rooms or offices rather than in a formal operating room. These changes are driven by both surgeon and patient preference, as well as potential cost advantages for both parties. For surgeons, there is a potential for increased revenue with WALANT, but this can come with logistical challenges such as stocking sterile trays and making sure that medications are available. The trend toward increasing utilization of WALANT in procedure rooms and in surgeons’ offices is likely to continue. (Instructional courses 24 and 56 and related OrthoBuzz post)
- Teaching in the operating room has shifted. Many current trainees prefer to use videos for case preparation rather than focusing on book chapters, technique articles, or primary literature. Consequently, there is a growing embrace of video among hand-surgeon educators. Videos that are short, discuss indications, and provide rationale for technique-related decisions are favored. Today’s trainees are also less likely to respond well to the classic Socratic method of teaching and may need more overtly delivered feedback. (Instructional courses 10 and 36)
Christopher Dy, MD, MPH is a hand and wrist surgeon, an assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and a member of the JBJS Social Media Advisory Board.
Time Waits For No One—Aging Increases Costs
The cost of medical care in the United States has been shown to rise with advancing patient age, and total joint arthroplasty (TJA) is a prime example of this unsurprising phenomenon. In attempts to curtail costs and reduce variability, Medicare and other payers have introduced alternative payment models (APMs), such as the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) initiative. In this model’s application to TJA, when participating institutions keep the cost of the “episode” below a risk-adjusted target price, they accrue the savings as a profit, but they sustain a financial penalty if the episode costs more than the target price.
Multiple studies have suggested that APMs can negatively affect the fiscal health of institutions that care for many high-risk patients. Although increasing age has been associated with higher-cost episodes of care, age is not one of the factors that the BPCI model accounts for. Consequently, concerns have been raised that providers may practice “cost discrimination” against very old patients.
In the October 7, 2020 issue of The Journal, Petersen et al. examine how an aging population has affected a New York City orthopaedic center in terms of the BPCI model applied to TJA. The authors analyzed the relationship between patient age and cost of care among 1,662 patients who underwent primary total hip and knee arthroplasty over a 3-year period under BPCI. They then used a modeling tool to predict shifting age demographics for their local area out to the year 2040.
Petersen et al. found that under BPCI, their institution sustained a nearly $2,000-per-case loss for TJA care episodes among patients 85 to 99 years of age. Currently this loss is offset by profits realized by performing TJAs in younger patients. However, predictive modeling identified an inflection point of 2030, after which a relative increase in older patients and a decrease in younger patients will yield an overall net decrease in profits for primary TJA.
Because no one, including orthopaedic surgeons, can turn back the clock on aging, health care stakeholders must find ways either to adjust downward the cost of care for the elderly (seemingly difficult without adversely affecting outcomes) or adjust reimbursement models to account for the increased costs associated with aging. I agree with the conclusion of Petersen et al.: “The BPCI initiative and [other] novel APMs should consider age as a modifier for reimbursement to incentivize care for the more vulnerable and costly age groups in the future.”
Matthew R. Schmitz, MD
JBJS Deputy Editor for Social Media
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