The 2017 recommendations are updated to reflect changes in medical literature, as well as to include newly approved drugs.
Are Medicare Beneficiaries with Knee OA Receiving Enough Conservative Care?
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Non-surgical care for knee osteoarthritis (OA) is uncommon among older adults, especially in regions of the U.S. where total knee arthroplasty rates are high, a large retrospective analysis shows.1 “As rheumatologists, we often think of knee arthroplasty as the last resort, after patients have tried and failed more conservative treatments, such as…
Case Report: Ultrasound Reveals Cause of Post-Arthroplasty Knee Pain
A 65-year-old woman was referred by an orthopedist to a rheumatologist for left knee pain. Previously, in 2014, she underwent left total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for severe osteoarthritis in a different institution. Following the procedure, she experienced severe chronic anterolateral knee pain at rest, exacerbated by walking. Because she was rendered wheelchair bound and required…
Predictors of RA Flare After Total Joint Arthroplasty
At the time of total joint arthroplasty, RA disease activity has been shown to better predict postoperative flare than medication management…
Knee Replacement in Younger Patients Has Higher Complication Rate
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Total knee replacement (TKA) is increasingly being performed in younger patients, and new research suggests that these patients have a higher risk for complications than older patients. “The number of knee replacements we are doing in younger and younger patients keeps increasing every year and we need to let these patients know…
Acupuncture & Electrotherapy May Help Patients after Total Knee Arthroplasty
A new review examined how drug-free interventions affect pain relief and analgesic consumption for patients who have had knee surgery. Although little evidence shows these treatments reduce actual pain, electrotherapy and acupuncture may help patients delay their postoperative use of opioids…
Demand for Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty Is on the Rise
In the next five to 10 years, the frequency of revision total knee arthroplasty is expected to grow 600%, due to the rise in obesity in the U.S. population and increase in primary knee replacement surgeries. Physicians can use different tools to help decrease the risk of premature implant failure and improve patient outcome…
Collaborative Guideline Addresses the Perioperative Use of Antirheumatic Drug Therapy
A new guideline developed by the ACR and the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons addresses the perioperative use of antirheumatic drug therapy. Specifically, it provides recommendations on the use of traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, biologic agents, tofacitinib and glucocorticoids in adults with RA; SpA, including ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis; JIA; or SLE undergoing elective THA or TKA. The guideline provides recommendations regarding when to continue, when to withhold and when to restart these medications, and the optimal perioperative dosing of glucocorticoids…