Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Research Clay Spitler, M.D., was featured in the January 2021 issue of the AAOS Now research journal for the research that he, Assistant Professor Jonathan Quade, M.D. and Assistant Professor Elie Ghanem, M.D. authored.
The full-length feature highlights Spitler’s recent presentation at the Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA) Annual Meeting. According to the article, their research found that in a series of pediatric patients with acetabular fractures managed operatively, outcomes were generally successful, with a low early complication rate and a low rate of post-traumatic arthritis, as well as a very low rate of conversion to total hip arthroplasty.
The feature also discusses another study that Spitler presented at the OTA Annual Meeting. In that study, investigators compared the risks of surgical site infection (SSI) and postoperative complications after acetabular fracture ORIF in patients receiving normal saline (NS) irrigation or NS irrigation and topical intrawound antibiotic powder.
According to the article, the study found that the addition of topical intrawound antibiotic powder, whether vancomycin alone or vancomycin/tobramycin, did not reduce the risk of SSI after acetabular fracture ORIF compared to standard NS irrigation alone.
“It was a great experience to represent the department on a national level at this annual meeting, and we look forward to developing these abstracts into published research,” said Spitler. “Both of these studies have great implications for improving patient care for those with acetabular fractures.”
AAOS Now, a monthly news magazine published by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), is the No. 1 nonpeer-reviewed orthopaedic publication and is No. 2 of all orthopaedic publications, including peer-reviewed journals, trailing only the Journal of the AAOS.* AAOS Now serves as AAOS’ primary communications vehicle with its members and is mailed to more than 27,000 orthopaedic surgeons across the United States and Canada.