Publications by authors named "Andrew N Vega"
Background: The utilization of cemented femoral fixation during total hip arthroplasty (THA) has increased in recent years. Perioperative corticosteroids have been shown to attenuate the inflammatory cascade associated with cement-induced cardiopulmonary complications. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if dexamethasone (DEX) utilization was associated with decreased perioperative pulmonary complications associated with cemented THA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Privatized Medicare Advantage (MA) plans are an alternative to traditional Medicare (TM). We sought to identify differences in 90-day postoperative mortality and nonfatal adverse events between TM and MA patients undergoing stage 1 antibiotic spacer placement for periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) of the hip or knee.
Methods: A nationally representative database was queried from 2015 to 2021 for adult patients undergoing stage 1 antibiotic spacer placement for PJI.
Article Synopsis
- Dexamethasone (DEX) is a medicine that may help reduce blood clots after knee or hip surgery in patients with a history of blood clots.
- A study looked at over 70,000 patients who had this surgery, comparing those who received DEX with those who didn't.
- Patients who took DEX had fewer blood clots and shorter hospital stays, but there were no differences in infections between the two groups.
Article Synopsis
- Same-day total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) are increasingly popular in the U.S., especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and after these procedures were removed from the Medicare inpatient only list.
- A study analyzed data from 2016 to 2020, finding that same-day TKA rose from 1.2% to 62.4% and THA from 2.0% to 54.5%.
- By December 2020, same-day procedures accounted for over half of all TKA and THA cases in the country, demonstrating a significant shift in surgical trends.
Background: Extensor mechanism disruption is a challenging complication following total knee arthroplasty. The purpose of this study was to compare outcomes between patients who received mesh versus allograft extensor mechanism reconstruction.
Methods: All patients who underwent extensor mechanism reconstruction at a single institution were screened.
Background: This study sought to determine the total amount of time committed to planned and unplanned episodes of care related to primary, unilateral total joint arthroplasty (TJA), relative to a growth in outpatient TJA.
Methods: All primary, unilateral TJA procedures performed over a 7-year period by a single surgeon at a single institution were retrospectively reviewed. Time dedicated to planned work was calculated over each episode of care, from surgery scheduling to 90 days postoperatively.