Stroke and THR

Can the promise of the new life after a total hip arthroplasty becom shattered by a stroke? The image is CC by Andreas Levers.

Can the promise of the new life after a total hip arthroplasty becom shattered by a stroke? The image is CC by Andreas Levers.

A recent study from Denmark by Lalmohamed et al. looked at stroke risk after total hip replacements. It is interesting as this is a severe disease that can have a major impact on the life after a total hip arthroplasty. Even if it’s a rare event, the rates are similar to other serious negative outcomes such as early infections (less than 1%), and therefore just as valid endpoint to study. Continue reading

Exporting plain, lattice, or ggplot graphics

A blend between a basic scatterplot, lattice scatterplot and a ggplot

A blend between a basic scatterplot, lattice scatterplot and a ggplot

In a recent post I compared the Cairo packages with the base package for exporting graphs. Matt Neilson was kind enough to share in a comment that the Cairo library is now by default included in R, although you need to specify the type=”cairo” option to invoke it. In this post I examine how the ggplot and the lattice packages behave when exporting. Continue reading

Dr. when can I drive again?

When is it appropriate to return to driving? The image is CC by K嘛.

When is it appropriate to return to driving? The image is CC by K嘛.

As an orthopaedic surgeon I’m often confronted by patients asking me when they can return to driving. While this is a natural question, the answer is surprisingly difficult for us doctors. It is therefore nice to read MacLeod et al.’s and Fleury et al.’s excellent reviews on this subject, and yes: I’ve thankfully been in line with the evidence. Continue reading