Outstanding Orthopaedic Research: The Miller School at the OREF Symposium
Summary
- The Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) recently held its Southeast Region Resident Research Symposium at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
- Miller School resident Dr. Joseph Geller won first place for his project, “Tracking Wearable Device Compliance in Total Knee Arthroplasty Recovery.”
- Residents Dr. David Constantinescu and Dr. Olivia de Araujo won second place for their respective studies.
The Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) recently held its Southeast Region Resident Research Symposium at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Hosted by Francis Hornicek, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Orthopaedics at the Miller School, the event allowed orthopaedic residents from around the region to present their research competitively. The winners move on to the national competition.
“Our residents did exceptionally well in this collegial competition,” said Dr. Hornicek. “This highlights the quality of their work and the opportunities they have at the Miller School to perform really impactful research.”
Patient Compliance Following Total Knee Replacements
Joseph Geller, M.D., a Miller School alumnus, won first place for his project, “Tracking Wearable Device Compliance in Total Knee Arthroplasty Recovery.” Dr. Geller began his orthopaedic research at the Miller School, where he graduated with research distinction and was president of the Orthopaedic Surgery Interest Group. During that time, he completed more than 15 research projects, many of which were published in high-impact journals.
To recover from total knee replacements, patients must strictly comply with their rehabilitation regimens. Wearable devices, such as the TracPatch, help monitor their progress. However, Dr. Geller wanted to know whether social determinants of health, such as neighborhood, income and access to care, influence why some patients embrace these tools while others reject them.
The study showed that social determinants of health did not predict whether patients would use wearable technologies following total knee replacements. These findings suggest that TracPatch, and similar technologies, can be widely applied. Other factors, such as patient education and device usability, may play significant roles in patient use.
Robotic Surgery
David Constantinescu, M.D., earned second place with “When the Robot Fails Us: A Comprehensive Analysis of a United States Food and Drug Administration Database of Technology-Assisted Arthroplasty.”
Dr. Constantinescu graduated at the top of his class from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. In medical school, he had numerous publications and award-winning presentations.
Robotic surgeries are becoming increasingly prevalent but there is little data on the side effects (adverse events) associated with these procedures. The study sought to categorize and count these adverse events between the beginning of 2017 and the end of 2021.
Querying the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s manufacturer and user facility device experience database, Dr. Constantinescu identified 1,710 adverse events for robotic hip and knee procedures. He found that robot-assisted procedures generated few adverse event reports to the FDA and those rates steadily decreased during the study period.
Safeguarding Female Surgeons from Radiation
Olivia de Araujo, M.D., also received second place honors for her study, “Consideration of Updated Breast Cancer Screening in Female Orthopaedic Surgeons: A Comprehensive Review.”
Dr. de Araujo attended the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, where she led the Farmworker Student Health Alliance and published on pediatric orthopaedics. Her study focused on fluoroscopy, an X-ray technology that provides moving images.
Fluoroscopy is a common component in many orthopaedic procedures, exposing surgeons to increased radiation. Some research shows that orthopaedic surgeons can be exposed to as much as 100 rems of radiation during a 30-year career. This review looked at whether female surgeons should avoid mammography in favor of ultrasounds or MRIs.
Dr. de Araujo selected 165 studies and found that female orthopaedic surgeons had a 3.97-fold higher prevalence of breast cancer than the general population. She believes these results should be further investigated to increase safety for female surgeons.
Prediabetes as a Complicating Factor
Aneesh Samineni, M.D., won third place for “Prediabetes as an Unrecognizable Risk Factor for Inpatient Postoperative Complications After Total Knee Arthroplasty.”
Dr. Samineni went to medical school at Boston University and conducted research at Boston Medical Center. Prior to his residency, he produced more than 10 PubMed publications, 12 posters and eight podium presentations.
While diabetes is a well-known risk factor in total knee replacement surgery, prediabetes has been understudied. Dr. Samineni investigated the complication rates and cost issues when patients with prediabetes undergo these procedures.
For the years 2017 to 2020, Dr. Samineni amassed 65,330 patients, with half in the control group. He found that patients with prediabetes were at higher risk for respiratory failure, aspiration pneumonitis, postoperative urinary retention, constipation nausea and vomiting, anemia and other issues. Prediabetes also increased the average cost of these procedures from $15,544 to $17,197.
Tags: arthroplasty, Department of Orthopaedics, Dr. Francis Hornicek, total knee replacement