Current Clubfoot Practices: POSNA Membership Survey

Clubfoot management has advanced in the 21st century with increases in formal training, practitioner experience, and improved casting/bracing constructs. The Ponseti method is the gold standard, yet variations in application persist. This survey aims to identify current treatment practices among clu...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Children (Basel) 2023-02, Vol.10 (3), p.439
Main Authors: Sax, Oliver C, Hlukha, Larysa P, Herzenberg, John E, McClure, Philip K
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
anesthesia
Brief Report
cast removal
Clubfoot
Etiology
Evidence-based medicine
General anesthesia
Medical colleges
Orthopedic equipment and supplies
Orthopedics
Pediatrics
plaster
Polls & surveys
Ponseti
Surveys
tenotomy
Trends
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Clubfoot management has advanced in the 21st century with increases in formal training, practitioner experience, and improved casting/bracing constructs. The Ponseti method is the gold standard, yet variations in application persist. This survey aims to identify current treatment practices among clubfoot practitioners within the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA). A 23-question online survey of members was conducted between June and August 2021. Eighty-nine respondents self-identified as clubfoot providers. Of these, 93.1% had an MD degree, 23.6% possessed >30 years' experience, and the majority (65.6%) worked in a teaching hospital associated with a medical school. Most responders (92.0%) were pediatric fellowship trained. A total of 51.7% had participated in a clubfoot training course. More than half (57.5%) noted changes to clubfoot management practices throughout their training. A majority used between four and seven (88.7%) long leg casts (98.4%), changed at seven-day intervals (93.4%). Plaster (69.4%) was most commonly used. The most common bracing device was Mitchell-Ponseti (72.9%). A mean 84.8% of clubfeet required tenotomy. The most common anesthetic agent was numbing gel (43.0%). Tenotomies mostly occurred in patients aged
ISSN:2227-9067
2227-9067
DOI:10.3390/children10030439