Routinely, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) curves that progress beyond 40° in skeletally immature adolescents require surgery. However, some adolescents with AIS and their parents utterly refuse surgery and insist on wearing a brace. Debate continues regarding the appropriateness of bracing for AIS curves exceeding 40° in patients who have rejected surgical intervention. This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to review the literature on the effectiveness of bracing and its predictive factors in largermagnitude AIS curves ≥40°. This study replicated the search strategy used by the PICOS system for formulating study questions, which include consideration of the patient/population (P), intervention (I), comparison (C), outcome (O), and study design (S). The search was conducted up to January 2022 in the following bibliographic online databases only in the English language: PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science. Two assessors reviewed the articles for qualification. Eligible studies were assessed for risk of bias at the study level using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. The effect size across the studies was determined using standardized mean differences (Cohen’s d) and 95% confidence intervals for the meta-analysis. Among the eight included moderate quality studies, evidence of potential publication bias (p <0.05) for the trials included was found in the Cobb angle outcome. Results obtained through meta-analysis indicated that the effectiveness of bracing in controlling Cobb angle progression in curves ≥40° is significantly positive. Additionally, initial curve severity, Risser stage, in-brace curve correction, curve type, and apical vertebral rotation were considered risk factors associated with brace effectiveness. This systematic review revealed that bracing could alter the normal course of AIS curves ≥40° in patients refusing posterior spinal fusion (PSF). However, the suggested course for patients refusing PSF remains unclear because of the significant heterogeneity in the risk factors associated with bracing failure.

Purpose: Outpatient classified total hip arthroplasty (THA) is a safe option for a select group of patients. An analysis of a national database was conducted to understand the risk factors for unplanned discharge to a skilled nursing facility (SNF) or acute rehabilitation (rehab) after outpatient classified THA. Materials and Methods: A query of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database for THA (Current Procedural Terminology [CPT] 27130) performed from 2015 to 2018 was conducted. Patient demographics, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification, functional status, NSQIP morbidity probability, operative time, length of stay (LOS), 30-day reoperation rate, readmission rate, and associated complications were collected. Results: A total of 2,896 patients underwent outpatient classified THA. The mean age of patients was 61.2 years. The mean body mass index (BMI) was 29.6 kg/m 2 with median ASA 2. The results of univariate comparison of SNF/rehab versus home discharge showed that a significantly higher percentage of females (58.7% vs. 46.8%), age >70 years (49.3% vs. 20.9%), ASA ≥3 (58.0% vs. 25.8%), BMI >35 kg/m 2 (23.3% vs. 16.2%), and hypoalbuminemia (8.0% vs. 1.5%) (P<0.0001) were discharged to SNF/rehab. The results of multivariable logistic regression showed that female sex (odds ratio [OR] 1.47; P=0.03), age >70 years (OR 3.08; P=0.001), ASA≥3 (OR 2.56; P=0.001), and preoperative hypoalbuminemia (<3.5 g/dL) (OR 3.76; P=0.001) were independent risk factors for SNF/rehab discharge. Conclusion Risk factors associated with discharge to a SNF/rehab after outpatient classified THA were identified. Surgeons will be able to perform better risk stratification for patients who may require additional postoperative intervention.