Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), the world’s leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health, has partnered with the Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics at Sinai Hospital in Maryland and The University of Pennsylvania to present a multicenter study revealing the effectiveness of a new method to prevent and treat bone infection during limb reconstruction with the use of an internal lengthening-compression nail.
Until now, to perform limb reconstruction on patients suffering from an infection required external fixator-assisted surgery. The desire to improve the patient experience by using a magnetic internal lengthening-compression nail, instead of an external device, led to this study of a new, protective antibiotic therapy to control bone infection.
The technique pumps a dissolvable antibiotic-loaded paste into the bone at the time of nail insertion. The paste then hardens, preventing infection for 6 weeks. The authors of this study simultaneously discovered this novel method at their respective centers and, upon learning about each other’s work, quickly and enthusiastically decided to collaborate. Together, each center contributed patient data using this novel technique, allowing the authors to clearly pinpoint adverse events and state their conclusions with increased confidence.
The multicenter study found the new method to be overwhelmingly successful, proving the technique’s safety and effectiveness in treating infection while not interfering with the mechanical functioning of the nail.
The results were published online first in the Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma on December 28, 2020.
“Collaborative studies like this help us ensure the safety of our procedures by increasing the volume of cases enrolled, permitting us to more easily spot complications,” said Austin T. Fragomen, MD, limb lengthening surgeon at HSS. “Working with the Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics and The University of Pennsylvania is just one example of how communication and data-sharing between centers treating similar types of cases can raise the quality of healthcare in the field of orthopedics and throughout the world.”
About HSS
HSS is the world’s leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. At its core is Hospital for Special Surgery, nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics (for the 11th consecutive year), No. 4 in rheumatology by U.S. News & World Report (2020-2021), and named a leader in pediatric orthopedics by U.S. News & World Report “Best Children’s Hospitals” list (2020-2021). HSS is ranked world #1 in orthopedics by Newsweek (2020-2021). Founded in 1863, the Hospital has the lowest complication and readmission rates in the nation for orthopedics, and among the lowest infection rates. HSS was the first in New York State to receive Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center five consecutive times. The global standard total knee replacement was developed at HSS in 1969. An affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS has a main campus in New York City and facilities in New Jersey, Connecticut and in the Long Island and Westchester County regions of New York State, as well as in Florida. In addition to patient care, HSS leads the field in research, innovation and education. The HSS Research Institute comprises 20 laboratories and 300 staff members focused on leading the advancement of musculoskeletal health through prevention of degeneration, tissue repair and tissue regeneration. The HSS Global Innovation Institute was formed in 2016 to realize the potential of new drugs, therapeutics and devices. The HSS Education Institute is a trusted leader in advancing musculoskeletal knowledge and research for physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, academic trainees, and consumers in more than 130 countries. The institution is collaborating with medical centers and other organizations to advance the quality and value of musculoskeletal care and to make world-class HSS care more widely accessible nationally and internationally. www.hss.edu.
