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• Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is a common hereditary disorder which typically results in scapular winging due to wasting of the periscapular muscles affected by this condition.

• Scapulothoracic arthrodesis (STA) is the current surgical treatment for FSHD patients with severe winging and preserved deltoid muscle.

• There are several different techniques in the literature such as multifilament cables alone and cable or cerclage wires combined with single or multiple plates. We prefer cables without plates as it provides independent strong fixation points and strongly recommend utilization of autograft.

• The functional results of studies report that regardless of the technique used, shoulder elevation and thus quality of life is improved, as shown with outcome scores.

• There are several complications associated with STA. Pulmonary complications are common and usually resolve spontaneously. Meticulous surgical technique and effective postoperative analgesia may reduce the incidence. Scapular complications which are associated with the fixation may be encountered in the early or late period, which are related to the learning curve of the surgeon.

• In conclusion, STA is a reliable solution to a major problem in FSHD patients that helps them maintain their activities of daily living until a cure for the disease is found. A successful result is strongly dependent on patient selection, and a multidisciplinary team of neurologists, geneticists and orthopaedic surgeons is required to achieve good results.

• In the early days of total joint replacement, implant fracture, material problems and wear presented major problems for the long-term success of the operation.

• Today, failures directly related to the implant comprise only 2–3% of the reasons for revision surgeries, which is a result of the material and design improvements in combination with the standardization of pre-clinical testing methods and the post-market surveillance required by the legal regulation.

• Arthroplasty registers are very effective tools to document the long-term clinical performance of implants and implantation techniques such as fixation methods in combination with patient characteristics.

• Revisions due to implant failure are initially not reflected by the registries due to their small number.

• Explant analysis including patient, clinical and imaging documentation is crucial to identify failure mechanisms early enough to prevent massive failures detectable in the registries.

• In the past, early reaction was not always successful, since explant analysis studies have either been performed late or the results did not trigger preventive measures until clinical failures affected a substantial number of patients.

• The identification of implant-related problems is only possible if all failures are reported and related to the number of implantations.

• A system that analyses all explants from revisions attributed to implant failure is mandatory to reduce failures, allowing improvement of risk assessment in the regulatory process.

• In order to improve care for total hip and knee arthroplasties (THA/TKA), hospitals may want to compare their performance with hospitals in other countries. Pooling data across countries also enable early detection of infrequently occurring safety issues. We therefore aimed to assess the between-hospital variation and definitions used for revision, readmission, and complications across countries.

• PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane library, Emcare, and Academic Search Premier were searched from January 2009 to August 2020 for studies reporting on: (i) primary THA/TKA; (ii) revision, readmission, or complications; and (iii) between-hospital variation. Most recent registry reports of Network of Orthopedic Registries of Europe members were also reviewed. Two reviewers independently screened records, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias using the Integrated quality Criteria for the Review Of Multiple Study designs tool for studies and relevant domains for registries. We assessed agreement for the following domains: (i) outcome definition; (ii) follow-up and starting point; (iii) case-mix adjustment; and (iv) type of patients and hospitals included.

• Between-hospital variation was reported in 33 (1 high-quality, 13 moderate-quality, and 19 low-quality) studies and 8 registry reports. The range of variation for revision was 0–33% for THA and 0–27% for TKA varying between assessment within hospital admission until 10 years of follow-up; for readmission, 0–40% and 0–32% for THA and TKA, respectively; and for complications, 0–75% and 0–50% for THA and TKA, respectively. Indicator definitions and methodological variables varied considerably across domains.

• The large heterogeneity in definitions and methods used likely explains the considerable variation in between-hospital variation reported for revision, readmission, and complications , making it impossible to benchmark hospitals across countries or pool data for earlier detection of safety issues. It is necessary to collaborate internationally and strive for more uniformity in indicator definitions and methods in order to achieve reliable international benchmarking in the future.

• The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effect of local application of vancomycin powder (VP) to prevent surgical site infections (SSIs) after posterior spine surgery.

• A comprehensive search of Web of Science, EMBASE, Pubmed, Ovid, and Cochrane Library databases for articles published was performed to collect comparative studies of intrawound vancomycin in posterior spine surgery before March 2021. Two reviewers independently screened eligible articles based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, assessed the study quality, and extracted the data. Revman 5.4 software was used for data analysis.

• A total of 22 articles encompassing 11 555 surgical patients were finally identified for meta-analysis. According to the information provided by the included literature, the combined odds ratio showed that topical use of VP was effective for reducing the incidence of SSIs (P< 0.00001) after posterior spine surgery without affecting its efficacy in the treatment of deep infections (P< 0.00001). However, there is no statistical significance in superficial infections. In a subgroup analysis, VP at a dose of 1, 2, and 0.5–2 g reduced the incidence of spinal SSIs. The result of another subgroup analysis suggested that local application of VP could significantly reduce the risk of SSIs, whether it was administered after posterior cervical surgery or thoracolumbar surgery. Moreover, the percentage of SSIs due to gram-positive germs (P< 0.00001) and MRSA (P< 0.0001) could reduce after intraoperative VP was used, but did not significantly reduce to gram-negative germs.

• The local application of VP appears to protect against SSIs, gram-positive germs, and MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) infections after the posterior spinal operation.

• Orthopaedic and trauma surgeons performing surgery in the COVID-19 pandemic environment faced problems with availability, use, rationing, modification, compliance and recycling of personal protection equipment (PPE).

• Orthopaedic and trauma surgeons were not well informed concerning the use of PPE for aerosol-generating orthopaedic and trauma procedures.

• Scientific bodies, health authorities and management have provided insufficient guidelines for the use of PPE in aerosol-generating orthopaedic and trauma procedures.

• The availability of specific PPE for orthopaedic and trauma operating theatres is low.

• Hospital management and surgeons failed to address the quality of operating theatre ventilation or to conform to recommendations and guidelines.

• Operating theatre PPE negatively affected surgical performance by means of impaired vision, impaired communication, discomfort and fatigue.

• Existing PPE is not adequately designed for orthopaedic and trauma surgery, and therefore, novel or modified and improved devices are needed.

• Patients with Gorham–Stout disease (GSD) present progressive destruction and resorption of bone.

• Typical bone-related symptoms include swelling, pain and functional impairment in the region involved.

• The three aspects of GSD etiopathology are osteoclasts, angiogenesis/lymphangiogenesis and osteoblast function.

• Multi-targeted pharmacological approach includes innovative options and represent milestones of treatment, sometimes associated with radiotherapy.

• Surgery is mainly used to treat complications: pathologic/impending fractures, spinal instability or deformities and chylothorax.

• In this narrative review, we highlight current standards in diagnosis, clinical management and therapeutic strategies.

• Bone and joint infections are difficult to treat, and increasing antibiotic resistance has only made them more challenging. This has led to renewed interest in phage therapy (PT). The aim of this systematic review was to determine success rate, current treatment modalities and safety of PT in bone and joint infections.

• A systematic search of PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane databases as well as the journal PHAGE for literature published between January 2000 and April 2021 was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines to identify all human studies assessing bacteriophages as therapy for bone and joint infections. All study designs and patient populations were eligible. The review’s primary outcome was success rate.

• Twenty records describing a total of 51 patients and 52 treatment episodes were included. No randomized controlled studies were identified. The overall success rate was 71% (n = 37/52). Topical administration alone was the most frequent administration route (85%, n = 44/52). Antibiotics were administered concomitantly with PT in the majority of treatments (79%, n = 41/52), and surgery was performed for 87% (n = 45/52) of treatment episodes. Four minor adverse events related to PT were reported, representing 8% (n = 4/52) of treatment episodes.

• PT for bone and joint infections has not been evaluated in any randomized controlled clinical study, and current administration modalities are highly variable between case reports and case series. While publications included here show potential benefit and few adverse effects, clinical trials are warranted to assess the efficacy of PT for bone and joint infections and determine optimal treatment modalities.

Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2021;6:1148-1156. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.6.210073