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NYU Langone Health orthopedic experts are presenting their latest clinical findings and research discoveries at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), held March 10 to 14 in San Diego, California.

Among the topics presented:

• Melatonin abates sleep disturbances in hip replacement patients.
• Prophylactic measures make no difference in infection rates for high-risk patients after hip replacement.
• A second hip fracture doubles patients’ risk of major complications; a study calls for better prevention.
• Wound therapy increases and does not mitigate risk in hip replacement patients.

“The faculty of our department are always focused on uncovering new, innovative ways to heal while improving the patient experience and outcomes,” said Joseph D. Zuckerman, MD, the Walter A. L. Thompson Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, chair of the and a former president of AAOS. “This year’s impressive group of presentations at the nation’s premier orthopedic meeting is a testament to why the department endeavors to always deliver world-class care to our patients.”

At NYU Langone, ranked No. 3 in the nation for orthopedics by U.S. News & World Report, more than 35,000 orthopedic procedures are performed annually by more than 240 orthopedic physician faculty.

Melatonin Abates Sleep Disturbances in Hip Replacement Patients

Disturbances in sleep should be expected for most total hip arthroplasty patients, although melatonin may have an attenuating effect, a study of 139 patients found. Sleep disturbances after total hip arthroplasty are common and may decrease patient satisfaction and early recovery from surgery.

Since standardized recommendations for sleep disturbance have not been established, researchers at NYU Langone Orthopedics sought to assess whether melatonin use could promote healthy sleep by studying its use in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

“We found that a nightly dose of 5 milligrams of melatonin may promote longer sleep in the immediate period after total hip arthroplasty, although these benefits wane after three days after surgery,” said author Joshua C. Rozell, MD, director of Patient Reported Outcomes Research at NYU Langone Orthopedics. “This research found that melatonin is safe and can be considered for total hip arthroplasty patients experiencing early sleep disturbances postoperatively.”

March 12, 2:03PM, Ballroom 20A, Paper Presentation, Program Number 343: Does Melatonin Improve Sleep Following Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Prophylactic Measures Make No Difference in Infection Rates for High-Risk Patients After Hip Replacement

NYU Langone Health researchers found that there are no differences in three-month infection rates when using various prophylactic measures in high-risk patients after total hip arthroplasty, which is the removal of a damaged hip joint and replacing it with artificial components. Infection prevention measures, such as vancomycin powder or an iodine-based lavage, can be left up to surgeon or hospital discretion, a study concludes.

“Infection in the repaired hip joint is a costly and difficult complication following total hip arthroplasty. Thus, developing better understanding of perioperative infection-prevention strategies is important,” said lead study investigator Ran Schwarzkopf, MD, MSc, professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery. “Before now, the literature was mixed regarding the efficacy of vancomycin powder and dilute povidone-iodine lavage, and sparse on the combination.”

This first-of-its-kind, multicenter randomized control trial evaluated the efficacy of local vancomycin powder, dilute povidone–iodine lavage, or a combination vancomycin povidone–iodine protocol against normal saline irrigation in 821 patients.

11:41AM, March 11, Ballroom 20B, Paper Presentation, Program Number 188: Three-Month Wound Complication and Infection Rates After Vancomycin Powder and Dilute Povidone Iodine Lavage for Infection Prophylaxis in High-Risk Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Multicenter Randomized Control Trial

A Second Hip Fracture Doubles Patients’ Risk of Major Complications; Study Calls for Better Prevention

Patients who fracture their hip twice in five years double their risk of major complications—such as sepsis, acute respiratory failure, myocardial infarction, stroke, or pulmonary embolism—and mortality during hospitalization after their second surgery, according to research presented at AAOS.

The patients, a total of 76 who were treated at the same academic medical center, also tended to have more minor complications the second time around. Based on this retrospective study, researchers believe that resources should be allocated to minimize the risk of major inpatient complications for patients hospitalized for their second hip fracture.

“Given the poor outcomes, increasing prevalence, and increasing financial burden of hip fractures and the limited research and knowledge of second hip fractures, this study was conducted with the aim of characterizing differences in baseline demographics, outcomes, and cost,” said senior author Sanjit R. Konda, MD, associate professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery. “We found that typically the patients who present with a second hip fracture have lower mobility, less social and functional independence, increased mortality, and tend to have dementia and ultimately have more postoperative complications, rehospitalization, and mortality. We need to start developing new strategies to prevent a second hip fracture, given their high morbidity.”

March 11, 11:04AM, Ballroom 20A, Paper Presentation, Program Number 195: The Terrible 2s: Twice the Risk of Inpatient Complications in 2nd Geriatric Hip Fractures

Wound Therapy Increases and Does Not Mitigate Risk in Hip Replacement Patients

NYU Langone Orthopedic researchers identified risk factors associated with wound complications following direct anterior total hip arthroplasty and sought to determine whether negative pressure wound therapy after surgery affected these wound issues.

In a 10-year analysis of 725 direct anterior arthroplasties, the leading risk factors were obesity, length of stay, longer surgical time, and surgeons with less than a year of experience in this type of procedure.

“We found that prophylactic use of negative pressure wound therapy did not mitigate the risk of wound complications and instead was associated with increased risk,” said author Joshua C. Rozell, MD, director of Patient Reported Outcomes Research at NYU Langone Orthopedics. “This finding is likely confounded by use of these special dressings in obese or sicker patients. Researchers also found that patients with wound complications had higher rates of readmission, reoperation, and prosthetic joint infection.”

March 14, 11:57AM, Room 6A, : Risk Factors for Wound Complications in Direct Anterior Total Hip Arthroplasty: A 10-Year Analysis

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NYU Langone Health is a fully integrated health system that consistently achieves the best patient outcomes through a rigorous focus on quality that has resulted in some of the lowest mortality rates in the nation. Vizient, Inc., has ranked NYU Langone the No. 1 comprehensive academic medical center in the country for three years in a row, and U.S. News & World Report recently placed nine of its clinical specialties among the top five in the nation. NYU Langone offers a comprehensive range of medical services with one high standard of care across 7 inpatient locations, its Perlmutter Cancer Center, and more than 300 outpatient locations in the New York area and Florida. With $14.2 billion in revenue this year, the system also includes two tuition-free medical schools, in Manhattan and on Long Island, and a vast research enterprise with over $1 billion in active awards from the National Institutes of Health.

Media Inquiries

Marlene Naanes
Phone: 646-754-5016
Marlene.Naanes@NYULangone.org