Hospital for Special Surgery

From everyone here at HSS, we wish you and your loved ones a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Congratulations to S. Louis Bridges Jr., MD, PhD, MACR, physician-in-chief and chief of the Division of Rheumatology at HSS, on being recognized as a Master of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). Presented at their annual meeting, the designation recognizes ACR members who have made outstanding contributions to the ACR and the field of rheumatology through scholarly achievement and/or service to their patients, students, and profession.?

Congratulations to Bryan T. Kelly, MD, MBA, president and CEO at HSS, who was named among the 2024 Power Players in Healthcare list by Politics NY and amNewYork Metro. Dr. Kelly is is highlighted for being a world-renowned surgeon, scientist and educator specializing in sports medicine and hip preservation. Dr. Kelly has authored over 200 scientific publications, chapters, review articles and books, and has been head team doctor and medical director for the New York Rangers and an associate team doctor for the New York Football Giants. https://lnkd.in/eCSEPfxD

Could a lifestyle shift before surgery make recovery smoother? A new study led by Heidi Prather, shows that patients who followed an intensive lifestyle medicine program before orthopedic surgery experienced fewer complications, shorter hospital stays, and reduced pain. Presented at #LM2024, the research compared patients on this program—focused on lifestyle pillars like nutrition and physical activity—to those who only received basic lifestyle info. The results? Those in the intensive program saw significantly better outcomes, especially with pain management. Read more from Healio: https://bit.ly/3ClFLbU

According to a new study presented at the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting, women with knee osteoarthritis (OA) experience more pain and inflammation than men, according to a new study led by researchers at HSS and The Rockefeller University. The work indicates that different genes and biological processes may cause knee OA to be worse in women compared to men and suggests that women may benefit from personalized treatments that target those specific mechanisms. “These findings give some reassurance to female patients that there are physiological reasons why they are having more pain,” says Bella Mehta, MBBS, MS, rheumatologist at HSS and lead author of the study. “Our work may also help us develop better therapies, especially for women with more severe symptoms.” https://lnkd.in/eJ7Ki7Bc

At this year’s American College of Rheumatology (ACR) annual meeting, HSS presented several significant studies, with three focused on reproductive health including infant feeding behaviors among women with systemic rheumatic disease, the validation of a model that predicts the likelihood of adverse outcomes among pregnant patients with lupus, and a quality-improvement initiative to increase contraception screening and documentation. https://lnkd.in/eQATeeUP

New research presented by HSS at the American College of Rheumatology Convergence 2024 shows avacopan is effective in achieving disease control with less steroid exposure in patients with ear, nose and throat (ENT) manifestations of ANCA associated vasculitis. Robert F. Spiera, MD, Director of the Scleroderma, Vasculitis, and Myositis Center at HSS helped lead this latest analysis. The study built on the pivotal ADVOCATE trial, focusing on patients with the most severe manifestations of vasculitis in the ENT region, which has historically been harder to treat. “We know patients with this disease often achieve remission in their kidneys and lungs, but ENT disease frequently becomes a significant factor impacting their quality of life,” Dr. Spiera said. “This analysis provides crucial insights, showing that avacopan not only brings faster relief but sustains improvement over time in patients with those manifestations.” https://lnkd.in/evjMeRXt

U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week (USAAW) is observed each year from November 18-24. The purpose of the observance is to raise awareness of the importance of appropriate antibiotic and antifungal use and the threat antimicrobial resistance poses to people, animals, plants and their shared environment. This year’s theme is “Fighting Antimicrobial Resistance Takes All of Us,” which recognizes the health of people is closely connected to the health of animals, plants, and their shared environment. Working together, we must improve the global prescribing and use of antibiotic and antifungal drugs and invest in global infection prevention actions across the health of humans, animals, plants and the environment. Learn more:?https://lnkd.in/gSx5m6td

Investigators from the Antiphospholipid Syndrome Alliance for Clinical Trials and International Networking (APS ACTION) presented new research findings in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) at the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Convergence 2024. Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), one of the leading centers in the United States providing care for adults and children with APS, is the lead coordinating center for APS ACTION, an international research network of 47 academic institutions dedicated to advancing the understanding and management of APS. APS ACTION conducts large, multicenter clinical studies and trials in patients with positive antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL). The three new studies presented were based on new research findings on antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), including manifestations of antiphospholipid antibodies in childhood and adulthood, predictors of thrombosis in positive patients, and the clinical implications of lupus autoantibodies from the APS ACTION Registry. https://lnkd.in/eCYGHx8K

Having rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was not a risk factor for needing a blood transfusion during or after total knee replacement, according to a new study by HSS researchers presented today at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Convergence 2024 meeting. The research team plans to use their unexpected findings to develop a tool to identify patients with different levels of transfusion risk based on preoperative hemoglobin level, sex, age and health status. This initiative may help orthopedic surgeons better anticipate which patients can safely avoid transfusion and may be suitable candidates for outpatient knee replacement surgery. https://lnkd.in/e_9TXdJ5