- Octogenarians Face Higher 90-day Medical Risk but Lower 1-year Revision Rates After Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty. [Journal Article]Orthopedics. 2026 Sep 22; :1-11. [Online ahead of print]O
- CONCLUSIONS: Octogenarians experienced greater early medical morbidity but lower observed 1-year revision hazards than did younger patients. These findings support age-calibrated counseling emphasizing perioperative optimization in older patients while informing younger patients of their greater early revision risk. Because mortality was unavailable as a competing event, lower revision hazards in octogenarians should be interpreted cautiously and not assumed to reflect superior implant durability. Future studies incorporating competing-risk methodology, frailty measures, and patient-reported outcomes are needed.
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- Bridging the Gender Pay Gap: Medicare Procedure Volume and Reimbursement Among Spine Surgeons. [Journal Article]Orthopedics. 2026 Sep 22; :1-9. [Online ahead of print]O
- CONCLUSIONS: Between 2017-2022, male spine surgeons had higher total Medicare reimbursements and per-procedure reimbursements for lower and posterior spinal fusions, despite similar procedural volumes among surgeons. These differences remained even after statistical adjustment for procedural volume and calendar year. Future work incorporating additional clinical- and practice-level variables may clarify drivers of these differences.
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- Assessing Electronic Health Record Use Burden Among Orthopedic Surgeons: A Single-Institution Study. [Journal Article]Orthopedics. 2026 Sep 22; :1-8. [Online ahead of print]O
- CONCLUSIONS: Female sex and fewer practice years were associated with increased EHR use. Female orthopedic surgeons tended to have higher patient message volumes, whereas junior surgeons tended to have less team support, spending more time on orders and documentation. Given known factors contributing to burnout, these findings warrant further investigation into targeted interventions to improve physician EHR use.
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- Distractor-assisted Reduction for Volar Shear Distal Radius Fractures: A Retrospective Case Series. [Journal Article]Orthopedics. 2026 Sep 01; :1-5. [Online ahead of print]O
- CONCLUSIONS: Distractor-assisted reduction appears to be a useful adjunct in the surgical treatment of volar shear distal radius fractures.
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- Association of GLP-1 Agonists With Postoperative Complications Following Knee Extensor Mechanism Repair:An Analysis of 1,092 Patients. [Journal Article]Orthopedics. 2026 Sep 01; :1-20. [Online ahead of print]O
- CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative GLP-1 receptor agonist therapy was associated with reduced postoperative SSI and wound complications following knee extensor mechanism repair. These findings suggest potential for perioperative risk modulation as GLP-1 use becomes increasingly prevalent in patients undergoing knee extensor mechanism repair.
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- Are Patient-Reported Social Needs and the Social Vulnerability Index Associated With Physical Function in Orthopedic Surgery? [Journal Article]Orthopedics. 2026 Sep 01; :1-7. [Online ahead of print]O
- CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that area-level social determinants of health and individual patient HRSNs may independently affect physical function in orthopedic patients, which should be reflected in screening tools.
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- Identifying Drivers of Implant Cost Variation in Distal Radius Fracture Open Reduction and Internal Fixation. [Journal Article]Orthopedics. 2026 Jul-Aug; 49(4):e343-e350.O
- CONCLUSIONS: Implant costs for distal radius ORIF are largely influenced by variables related to fracture complexity, such as screw count, bone allograft use (and usage), and operation time, as well as system-level variables, such as implant manufacturer.
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- Impact of Non-Tobacco Nicotine Dependence on Outcomes Following Arthroscopic Partial Meniscectomy. [Journal Article]Orthopedics. 2026 Jul-Aug; 49(4):e359-e367.O
- CONCLUSIONS: NTND is associated with higher rates of health care use, complications, subsequent meniscus surgery, and opioid prescriptions, including among opioid-naive patients, following APM. Preoperative nicotine screening and patient education are warranted.
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- Unilateral Biportal Endoscopic Diskectomy Versus Percutaneous Endoscopic Lumbar Diskectomy for Lumbar Disk Herniation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. [Systematic Review]Orthopedics. 2026 Jul-Aug; 49(4):e275-e283.O
- CONCLUSIONS: Both UBE and PELD are safe and effective minimally invasive strategies for lumbar disk herniation, with comparable clinical efficacy. PELD offers advantages in lower surgical trauma and cost effectiveness, whereas UBE reduces intraoperative radiation exposure. Surgical selection should be individualized based on patient pathology and surgeon expertise.
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- Safety and Efficacy of Intra-Articular Injection of Umbilical Cord-Derived Extracellular Vesicles in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Retrospective Study. [Journal Article]Orthopedics. 2026 Jul-Aug; 49(4):e351-e358.O
- CONCLUSIONS: Intra-articular injection of UC-EVs demonstrated meaningful clinical benefits in patients with KOA, including reductions in VAS pain scores and improvements across all KOOS domains. Patients with Kellgren-Lawrence grade 2 or 3 showed greater treatment responses compared with grade 4. These findings suggest that intra-articular UC-EVs therapy may represent a promising next-generation treatment option for KOA.
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- Convolutional Neural Network Performs Similarly to Orthopedic Surgeons in Radiographic Grading of Knee Osteoarthritis. [Journal Article]Orthopedics. 2026 Jul-Aug; 49(4):e337-e342.O
- CONCLUSIONS: CNN-based grading demonstrated performance comparable to orthopedic surgeons, supporting its potential role as a screening or triage tool to improve consistency and efficiency in clinical workflows.
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- From Residency to Specialization: A Critical Analysis of Residency Leadership and Impact on Specialty Selection. [Journal Article]Orthopedics. 2026 Jul-Aug; 49(4):e368-e375.O
- CONCLUSIONS: Fellowship availability and leadership training background were each associated with resident subspecialty selection. Applicants with subspecialty interests should consider both factors when evaluating residency programs.
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- Rising Incidence of Group A Streptococcal Musculoskeletal Infections in Pediatric Patients. [Journal Article]Orthopedics. 2026 Jul-Aug; 49(4):e330-e336.O
- CONCLUSIONS: GAS MSKI increased nearly 3-fold over the study period, with a 6.7-fold greater risk after 2019. These findings highlight the rising incidence and distinct seasonal patterns of pediatric GAS MSKI.
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