Injury
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The treatment of complex non-unions may be lengthy and very expensive. The majority of aseptic non-union cases require a variable degree of biological enhancement. ⋯ However, other means of biological stimulation are currently available in the armamentarium of the treating physician. This review article reports on the different available biological treatment options for the management of complex aseptic bone non-unions.
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Demineralised bone matrix (DBM), a form of allograft, possesses the properties of osteoinductivity and osteoconductivity. A large body of data obtained from extensive preclinical studies have clearly supported the utility of DBM in human clinical settings. However, it is now recognized that various DBM configurations may differ considerably with regard to their bone inductive activity. ⋯ The differing efficacy of DBM products may also depend on differences in particle size and shape, donor selection criteria, protocols for collection and storage, as well as DBM carrier materials. Several comparative studies have confirmed the differences in the osteoinductive potential of various DBM preparations. The purpose of the present review is to provide a critical overview of the current applications of DBM in a clinical setting.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
International comparison of prehospital trauma care systems.
Given the recent emphasis on developing prehospital trauma care globally, we embarked upon a multicentre study to compare trauma patients' outcome within and between countries with technician-operated advanced life support (ALS) and physician-operated (Doc-ALS) emergency medical service (EMS) systems. These environments represent the continuum of prehospital care in high income countries with more advanced prehospital trauma care systems. ⋯ These findings suggest that prehospital trauma care systems that dispatch a physician to the scene may be associated with lower early trauma fatality rates, but not necessarily with significantly better outcomes on other clinical measures. The reasons for these findings deserve further studies.
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Still a major problem in orthopedic and trauma surgery is the delayed healing or the non-union of long bone fractures. Demographic data reveal that due to the steadily rising age of the population, complications with the musculoskeletal system will increase during the next years. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) have successfully been applied in clinic for the treatment of delayed healing and non-unions. ⋯ The intramedullary application of BMP in combination with autologous or allogenic bone grafts or bone substitutes after debridement and stabilization with implants seems to be an adequate procedure for treatment of atrophic non-unions. However, the total number of patients is too small to draw final conclusions. Further clinical studies need to be performed in the future.