Objectives: To compare objective costs between an in-house developed arthroscopy simulator and commercially available options. Design: Cost analysis. Setting: Orthopaedic graduate medical education. Patients/Participants: Eight board-certified orthopaedic surgeons and nineteen novice learners. Intervention: Simulation Training. Main outcome measurement: Cost difference between an in-house developed simulator and a commercially available simulator. Results and conclusions: Significant price differences exist between in-house simulator production cost and commercially available simulators. Low-cost, in-house simulators improve access to arthroscopic simulation training for novice learners by reducing up front cost by 29% and reducing recurring costs by over 90% when compared to a similar commercially available option. Level of Evidence: IV; Cost Analysis Keywords: Education; Simulation; Orthopaedics; Arthroscopy; Simulation Based Learning Theory (J Ortho Business Jan 2022;2(1):7-9)

A female patient who underwent successful reconstruction of an acute high-grade acromioclavicular (AC) joint separation with hook plate presented with failure of the reduction eight weeks after removal of the hardware. Surgeons and patients should be aware of the risk of late failure of acromioclavicular reconstruction after removal of the hook plate.

Background: Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a neurologic condition that can present with severe pain and dysfunction. Delay in treatment adversely affects outcomes. The purpose of this study is to evaluate patient outcomes as they relate to the time from diagnosis to pain management referral once the diagnosis of CRPS has been made in a closed healthcare system. Methods: A retrospective record review from a closed healthcare system was utilized for CRPS cases from 2010–2019. Demographics, injury pattern, surgeries, pain score, treatment modalities, occupational outcomes, and time to pain management referral were recorded. Results: There were 26 cases of CRPS that met inclusion criteria. The mean time from diagnosis to treatment was 55 days. 16/26 (61.5%) were medically discharged from the military. 23/26 (88.5%) were unable to return to full duty due to CRPS. There was no significant difference in the reported pain scores over time regardless of treatment (p = 0.76). A linear regression demonstrated a significantly higher Visual Analog Scale Pain Score (VAS) over time in patients that were medically discharged (p = 0.022). Conclusions: The mean delay in referral to the pain service was 55 days. The majority of patients (88.5%) did not return to full duty secondary to the diagnosis of CRPS, and 61.5% of patients required medical separation from active duty. Due to the negative impact that the diagnosis of CRPS has on occupational outcomes with a mean delay in referral of 55 days, clinics and providers should set up referral criteria and establish early pain pathways for patients diagnosed with CRPS.

Objectives: To develop and validate a novel, low-cost shoulder arthroscopy partial task trainer. Study Design: Cross-sectional study Methods: A low-cost arthroscopy model was created to simulate navigation and triangulation skills in conjunction with ABOS-certified Orthopaedic surgeons' input. Each participant performed three trials of simulated labral repair and performance data was compared between experienced surgeons and novice medical students. Results: A total of 8 orthopaedic surgeons in the experienced group and 18 medical students in the novice group participated in the study. The average age of the experienced group was 43.1 years old, with 8.3 years of post-residency experience. The average age of the novice group was 24.3 years. The experienced group completed the simulation task faster than the novice group (16.6±7.6 vs. 96.4 ±102.2 seconds; p<0.001). Conclusion: The shoulder arthroscopy model demonstrated significant differences in performance between experienced orthopaedic surgeons and novices when used to assess a standardized basic arthroscopic technical skill. This low-cost trainer discriminates between varying skill levels and may be an effective option for simulation training of arthroscopic fundamentals to novice learners. Level of Evidence: III, Case Control Keywords: Arthroscopy, Simulation, Validity Evidence, Orthopaedics, Graduate Medical Education (J Ortho Business 2022; Volume 2, Issue 4:pages 1-4)

Revision total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in the United States is an increasingly common procedure, often performed in the setting of prosthetic joint infection. Debridement of the intramedullary canals is traditionally performed with surgical curettes and is technically difficult and time-intensive. A suction-powered bone harvester (SPBH) is designed to improve the quality of debridement in a closed-capture system. This study assesses conventional curettage (CC) versus SPBH in debridement mass and time from intramedullary spaces. We hypothesize that SPBH will increase debridement yield more efficiently than conventional curettes. Adult patients undergoing revision TKA were enrolled to participate in the study and were divided into 2 groups. Patients in group 1 received tibial debridement with CC followed by SPBH and femoral canals with SPBH alone. Patients in group 2 received femoral debridement with CC followed by SPBH and tibial canals with SPBH alone. Data were collected from 30 revision TKA cases in the setting of prosthetic joint infection. In total, 14 femora and 16 tibiae were initially debrided with SPBH, while the opposites were debrided with CC. On average, the intramedullary debridement with SPBH yielded 23.1 g compared to 13.2 g with CC (P = .0017). The intramedullary canal required 1 minute 28 seconds for debridement with SPBH compared to 2 minutes for debridement with CC (P = .0347). Culture data from samples obtained from SPBH were noninferior to CC. SPBH is an effective tool for debridement of intramedullary canal during revision TKA. SPBH led to a significant increase of debrided mass in significantly less time than CC. There was no difference in positive culture yield between the 2 debridement techniques. This debridement technique merits consideration to reduce bioburden in revision TKA.

Deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap breast reconstruction is a technique that harvests abdominal subcutaneous fat and the associated vessels while sparing the rectus abdominis used in mastectomy patients. Often, these flaps are created and used for reconstruction immediately after mastectomy, but the procedure can be performed at any time after the procedure. Additionally, it can also be performed on patients that have received either skin-sparing mastectomies or nipple-sparing mastectomies. However, to date there are but few examples of a delayed bilateral free DIEP flap reconstruction in a patient who previously received bilateral nipple-sparing mastectomy. In this case, we present a positive outcome in a breast cancer patient who has recently undergone this pathway for breast reconstruction. The patient experienced no unforeseen complications, achieved remission of her cancer, and she expressed great satisfaction in the aesthetic outcome of her procedures. This case is particularly unique in the timeline, as DIEP reconstruction did not occur until sixteen months after her mastectomy. We recommend that delayed free DIEP flap reconstruction is not contraindicated in bilateral nipple sparing patients and is a therapeutic pathway that can be recommended to select individuals.