Dr. Della Valle’s Manuscript Wins Carl L. Nelson, M.D. Physician in Training Award

Dr. Della Valle’s manuscript, “Large Opioid Prescriptions Are Unnecessary After Total Joint Arthroplasty: A Randomized Controlled Trial” has won the $1,000 Carl L. Nelson, M.D. Physician in Training Award. The Program Committee of the Mid-America Orthopaedic Association has selected the paper and three other papers for prizes.

About the manuscript: A majority of patients in the United States receive over 90 opioid pills after hip or knee replacement surgery. The results from this study found that these large opioid prescriptions are unnecessary as they leave patients with an excess of unused opioid pills. A smaller prescription of 30 opioid pills is sufficient for a majority of patients undergoing hip or knee replacement.