‘Watch’ cites concern about flexible reamer breakage during anatomic ACL reconstruction

JBJS Case Connector, an online case journal published by the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, has issued a “Watch” regarding concerns over flexible reamer breakage during anatomic single-bundle ACL reconstruction. Flexible reamers help surgeons achieve optimal femoral-tunnel parameters, but they are prone to breakage in certain situations, as the “Watch” article explains.

This “Watch” is based largely on a report published in the October 22, 2014 issue of JBJS Case Connector by Lee, et al., examining two cases of single-bundle anatomic ACL reconstruction during which flexible reamers broke while femoral tunnels were being drilled. The “Watch” helps orthopaedists understand the causes and conditions around those incidents so that surgeons who use these devices can avoid similar mishaps.

To enhance clinical outcomes and improve patient safety, “Watch” articles in JBJS Case Connector alert the orthopaedic community about potentially problematic devices or therapeutic approaches. When two or more such cases with similar mechanisms appear, our editors will identify the procedure or implant as a “watchable” intervention to sharpen the focus of clinicians on the potential for similar problems and enhance clinical outcomes and patient safety.

“The publication of ‘Watches’ helps fulfill our mission to serve the orthopaedic community,” commented Marc Swiontkowski, MD, editor of JBJS Case Connector. “The ‘Watch’ designation may encourage the orthopaedic community to either demonstrate that these are isolated, unrelated cases or sharpen the focus further by rigorously evaluating the intervention and/or reporting related cases.”