scholarly journals A new path for the Journal of the Foot & Ankle - JFA

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Alexandre Leme Godoy-Santos ◽  
Cristian Ortiz ◽  
Daniel Baumfeld ◽  
Gabriel Khazen ◽  
Luis Hermida ◽  
...  

Hard work is the key to success. It may sound like a cliché, but the preparation and the release of this first edition of the new Journal of the Foot & Ankle (JFA) were based on this very concept, and we took it very seriously! For years many of us have dedicated time and efforts to bring this Journal to life. After countless meetings, discussions, phone calls, WhatsApp messages, and an infinite amount of writing, our collaborative hard work and friendship finally brought us here! Now we need to stay focused and ahead of the game, looking forward to the future and the innovations. We should aim to publish high-quality, unbiased research, with emphasis on strong clinical evidence. Our vision is to support researchers and research that can enable the Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Surgery Community to understand better the complexity of the pathologies, guide treatment, and, most importantly, improve the treatment results and quality of life of our patients. Our thoughts are that keeping all these goals in mind will allow us to achieve the expected acceptance and respect of the research community, as well as the desired indexation. It is not an easy task! But we are confident we can get there with your help! We’re great believers in working as a team towards a common goal, and we are sure that with the help of our dedicated Foot and Ankle colleagues and researchers, we will soon make our vision become a reality! Let’s do it together!

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 2473011420S0010
Author(s):  
Bradley Alexander ◽  
James Hicks ◽  
Abhinav Agarwal ◽  
Aaradhana J. Jha ◽  
Spaulding F. Solar ◽  
...  

Category: Other Introduction/Purpose: As the field of foot and ankle surgery grows and new innovations continue to be made it is important that the quality of research improves. This will help to lay a strong foundation for current and future surgeons in the field. Leading journals need to set the tone for all orthopedic journals by publishing quality literature. This current study will look at all foot and ankle articles published by JBJS[A] over a 15-year period and analyze authorship, article type, geographic origin of articles, and level of evidence trends. This study will give a representative view of where foot and ankle research is currently and where it can go as we enter the new decade. Methods: A foot and ankle research fellow reviewed all of the articles published in JBJS[A] from January 2004 to December of 2018. Articles that related to foot and ankle topics were then selected to analyzed. Editorials, letters to the editor, announcements, technical notes, retraction notes, events, errata, retracted manuscripts, historical papers and pediatric foot and ankle articles were excluded. After exclusions were applied 321 and information pertaining to each article was analyzed. Additionally, a Google Scholar search was conducted for each article to determine the number of times an article had been cited. For calculations relating to median number of citations for each article we excluded articles that were published less than three years ago (2017 and 2018). For level of evidence a kappa value (0.82) was calculated to measure interobserver reliability between two reviewers. Results: We found the following results to be significant. Clinical therapeutic studies were the predominant study design over 15 years. The amount of literature over ankle arthroplasty has increased more than any other article topic. The amount of level IV and V evidence has decreased and the amount of level II and III evidence has increased. The median number of authors has been increasing. This includes female authorship. There has been in an increase in MD, PhDs as last authors. There is more foot and ankle research being produced by Asian countries. A majority of high level of evidence articles (level I and II) comes from North America and Europe. Level of evidence doesn’t correlate with the amount of times an article is cited. Conclusion: As the field of foot and ankle surgery continues to grow it is important that there is a high quality of research being conducted and published to guide surgical and clinical decisions. Our study shows that research is being produced more globally and the number of individuals involved in the research process is increasing and diversifying. This has led to higher quality research being produced (more level II and III) and a decrease in lower quality research (IV and V). Overall, the standard of research has increased in JBJS[A] which benefits the foot and ankle surgery community. [Table: see text]


2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather L. Barske ◽  
Judith Baumhauer

Background: The quality of research and evidence to support medical treatments is under scrutiny from the medical profession and the public. This study examined the current quality of research and level of evidence (LOE) of foot and ankle surgery papers published in orthopedic and podiatric medical journals. Methods: Two independent evaluators performed a blinded assessment of all foot and ankle clinical research articles (January 2010 to June 2010) from seven North American orthopedic and podiatric journals. JBJS-A grading system was used for LOE. Articles were assessed for indicators of study quality. The data was stratified by journal and medical credentials. Results: A total of 245 articles were published, 128 were excluded based on study design, leaving 117 clinical research articles. Seven (6%) were Level I, 14 (12%) Level II, 18 (15%) Level III, and 78 (67%) Level IV. The orthopedic journals published 78 studies on foot and ankle topics. Of the podiatric journals, the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association (JAPMA) published 12 clinical studies and the Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery (JFAS) published 27, 21 (78%) of which were Level IV studies. When the quality of research was examined, few therapeutic studies used validated outcome measures and only 38 of 96 (40%) gathered data prospectively. Thirty (31%) studies used a comparison group. Eighty-seven articles (74%) were authored by a MD and 22 (19%) by a DPM. Conclusion: Foot & Ankle International (FAI) published higher quality studies with a higher LOE as compared to podiatry journals. Regardless of the journal, MDs produced the majority of published clinical foot and ankle research. Although improvements have been made in the quality of some clinical research, this study highlights the need for continued improvement in methodology within foot and ankle literature.


2013 ◽  
Vol 103 (5) ◽  
pp. 387-393
Author(s):  
Anthony C. DiLandro ◽  
Todd M. Chappell ◽  
Prakash N. Panchani ◽  
Piotr B. Kozlowski ◽  
R. Shane Tubbs ◽  
...  

Background: Many cadaver-based anatomy courses and surgical workshops use prosections to help podiatry students and residents learn clinically relevant anatomy. The quality of these prosections is variable and dependent upon the methods used to prepare them. These methods have not been adequately described in the literature, and few studies describe the use of chemicals to prepare prosections of the cadaveric foot and ankle. Recognizing the need for better teaching prosections in podiatric education, we developed a chemical application method with underwater dissection to better preserve anatomic structures of the cadaveric foot and ankle. Methods: We used inexpensive chemicals before, during, and after each step, which ultimately resulted in high-quality prosections that improved identification of anatomic structures relevant to the practice of podiatric medicine. Results: Careful preservation of clinically important nerves, vessels, muscles, ligaments, and joints was achieved with these prosections. Conclusions: Although this method required additional preparation time, the resultant prosections have been repeatedly used for several years to facilitate learning among podiatry students and residents, and they have held up well. This method can be used by educators to teach podiatry students throughout their medical training and even into residency. (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 103(5): 387–393, 2013)


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 2473011418S0028
Author(s):  
Aditya Karhade ◽  
John Kwon

Category: Other Introduction/Purpose: Orthopedic surgery lies at the forefront of the initiative to deliver value-based care. As a result, cost utility analyses have gained increased importance in the orthopedic literature. While other authors have previously reviewed the quality of US-based cost-utility analyses in orthopedic trauma, spine, sports, and arthroplasty, a similar analysis specific to foot and ankle surgery has not been performed. As such, the practicing foot and ankle surgeon does not yet have a comprehensive analysis of the available cost-utility analyses or the quality of the available evidence. The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review of cost-utility analyses in foot and ankle surgery. Methods: A systematic review of foot and ankle studies was conducted to identify cost-utility based analyses published between 2000 and 2017. Of 687 studies screened by abstract, eight cost-utility foot and ankle studies were identified that met inclusion criteria and were scored by the Quality of Health Economic Studies instrument for overall quality. Results: Of the eight studies that met inclusion criteria, four were published in the U.S. Regarding topic, three examined end-stage arthritis, two examined diabetic foot ulcers, two examined ankle fractures and one examined ankle sprains. Cost-effective interventions identified by these studies included total ankle arthroplasty over ankle fusion or nonoperative treatment, adjunctive hyperbaric oxygen therapy for diabetic foot ulcers, suture button fixation over syndesmotic screws for unstable supination-external rotation type IV ankle fractures, and below knee cast and fracture boot immobilization over tubular bandages for acute severe ankle sprains respectively. The mean Quality of Health Economic Studies scores for these studies was 81.9 with interquartile range, 25th percentile score of 74.8 to 75th percentile score of 86. Conclusion: Despite the increasing focus on value-based care delivery, there are few foot and ankle cost-utility analyses in the current literature. Nonetheless, the quality of existing analyses is high as rated by the Quality of Health Economic Studies and certain interventions have been identified as cost-effective as highlighted above. The findings of this review can be used to help design future analyses in order to best demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of foot and ankle interventions.


Author(s):  
Patrizio Armeni ◽  
Michela Meregaglia ◽  
Ludovica Borsoi ◽  
Giuditta Callea ◽  
Aleksandra Torbica

IntroductionPhysician preference items (PPIs) are high-cost medical devices on which clinicians express firm preferences with respect to a particular manufacturer and a specific product. The aim of this research is to understand what are the most important factors, as well as their relative importance, in the choice of new PPIs (that is, hip or knee prosthesis) adoption on behalf of orthopaedic clinicians in Italy.MethodsBased on a literature review and clinical experts’ opinions, we identified a number of key factors (for example, health technology assessment (HTA) recommendation) and their corresponding levels (for example positive HTA recommendation). We administered an online survey to hospital orthopaedists using two experimental techniques for preference elicitation (that is, discrete choice experiment (DCE) and case 1 best-worst scaling (BWS)). BWS data were analysed through descriptive statistics (that is, best-minus-worst score) and conditional logit model. A mixed logit model was applied to DCE data, and a willingness-to-pay (WTP) was estimated. All analyses were conducted using Stata 16.ResultsA total of ninety orthopaedists (95% male; mean age: 52.8 years) were enrolled in the survey. In BWS, the most important factor was ‘clinical evidence’, followed by ‘quality of products’, ‘HTA recommendations’ and ‘previous experience’, while the least important was ‘cost’. DCE results suggested that orthopaedists prefer high-quality products with robust clinical evidence, positive HTA recommendation and affordable cost, and for which clinicians have a consolidated experience of use and a good relationship with the sales representative. The WTP for a high-quality product was estimated at EUR1,733, and for a good relationship at EUR2,843.ConclusionsThis is the first study aimed at analysing the multidimensionality of clinician's decision-making process in selecting new PPIs in orthopaedics in Italy. Despite the quality of products being declared as one of the most important dimensions in BWS, when other factors populate a hypothetical DCE scenario, physicians are not willing to accept quality at any cost (for example, high quality and very bad support from the producer or with uncertain clinical evidence).


2021 ◽  
pp. 107110072110210
Author(s):  
Rachel Glenn ◽  
William Johns ◽  
Kempland Walley ◽  
J. Benjamin Jackson ◽  
Tyler Gonzalez

Bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) is now commonly used in orthopedic surgery. Animal studies showed promising results for cartilage, bone, and soft tissue healing; however, many of these outcomes have yet to be translated to human models. While there has been an increase in the use of BMAC in foot and ankle procedures, the associated clinical evidence is limited. The purpose of this review is to analyze the existing literature in order to evaluate the safety and efficacy of BMAC in foot and ankle surgery.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 183-188
Author(s):  
Prasit Rajbhandari ◽  
Chayanin Angthong ◽  
Jiancheng Zang ◽  
Sihe Qin ◽  
Andrea Veljkovic

Background: Severe equinocavovarus deformity develops from various causes and generally results in major disability that affects patient’s mobility and quality of life. It can be divided into neuromuscular and non-neuromuscular deformities, including two major subtypes: i.e., paralytic and spastic. In addition, ankle osteoarthritis could be caused by prolonged or progressive foot deformity. Objective: The present report proposes a modification of the accepted treatment algorithm and Lambrinudi’s surgical technique with ankle and hindfoot arthrodesis to correct theses challenging deformities with the long-term condition. Results: Two equinocavovarus cases were included, one in a 54-year old male and the second in a 63-year old female with paralaytic and spastic etiologies respectively. Patient’s deformity correction was acceptable. Each patient demonstrated improved outcomes due to a postoperative plantigrade foot and ankle position. No significant complications were encountered during the course of care and last follow-up. The mean follow-up time was 26 months. Conclusion: Severe long term neuromuscular equinocavovarus deformities are a challenging disability in the foot and ankle surgery. The present article proposes a modified guideline of treatment illustrated in two representative case studies of long-term paralytic and spastic equinocavovarus deformities. These conditions can be treated surgically using the stepwise approach as demonstrated in this article with acceptable outcomes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 217-224
Author(s):  
Mustafa S. Rashid ◽  
Yves Tourné ◽  
Kar H. Teoh

Low intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) therapy has demonstrated clinical effectiveness in achieving union in a variety of fracture situations. Few studies have investigated the effectiveness of LIPUS therapy in foot and ankle surgery. The overall rate of union in all published studies relating to the use of LIPUS in a variety of foot and ankle fracture and fusion situations is 95%. Some studies suggest lower healing rates (~ 67%) when LIPUS therapy is used to treat hindfoot fusion nonunion. A well-powered, high-quality, randomized controlled trial is needed to demonstrate the clinical and cost effectiveness of LIPUS therapy in foot and ankle surgery. Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2021;6:217-224. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.6.200045


2003 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Parker ◽  
Christopher J. Nester ◽  
Andrew F. Long ◽  
Jim Barrie

Quality outcome measures are the cornerstone of clinical research. A review of outcome measures used in foot and ankle surgery research reveals that the issues of validity, reliability and responsiveness of outcome measures have not been addressed. Most reports in the literature have attempted to evaluate patient perceptions of outcome following foot surgery. Underlying the many difficulties with these outcome measures is a lack of understanding of what patients perceive to be important in terms of outcome. Consequently none of the existing outcome measures can claim to be valid measures of patient perceptions of outcome, as there has been no research uncovering these perceptions. In addition, measures of general health status and quality of life in relation to outcome of foot and ankle surgery have been largely ignored to date.


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