Injury
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Peri-articular knee fractures in osteoporotic or osteoarthritic bone present a challenge to fixation, mobilisation or non-operative management. We present a series of 15 proximal tibial and 11 distal femoral fractures treated with total knee arthroplasty at over mean follow-up period of 38.8 months. The mean age of the patients was 80 years. ⋯ Mean Knee Society knee score was 90.2; Knee Society function score was 35.5; Oxford Knee score was 39.5; and Short Form (SF)-36 physical function score was 37.3 and mental score 50.6. Good correlation was noted between Knee society knee score and SF-36 physical function score (Pearson's 0.76, p=0.001), suggesting that generic health would dictate the final function achieved, whilst high knee scores suggest the satisfactory results of the operation. Analogous to arthroplasty for hip fractures, this technique should be considered as a treatment option in elderly peri-articular knee fractures with osteoporosis and/or osteoarthritis.
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Diabetes mellitus, and especially type II diabetes, is a widespread and increasing problem in the western world due to the high rates of obesity. It has also been shown in previous studies that diabetics have impaired fracture healing. The aim of this study was to see exactly what role diabetes plays in hip fracture because it is a partially modifiable disease, and to see whether there are any changes that we could make to our practice to improve patient outcome. ⋯ These findings show diabetics are at an increased risk of specific complications and have a longer length of hospital stay but generally make a normal recovery thereafter.
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The Pauwels classification for the femoral neck fracture is still broadly used in literature and clinical practise. However, this classification has never been tested for its reliability in terms of inter-observer agreement. We assessed whether or not it is reliable to use the Pauwels classification in pre-operative planning. ⋯ The inter-observer agreement was calculated using the multi-rater Fleiss' kappa. The Pauwels classification showed an inter-observer agreement of κ0.31 (0.01). Classification of intra-capsular hip fractures according to the Pauwels classification using the Pauwels angle is unreliable and its use should be avoided.
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The study aim was to determine the outcome, in relation to military service in UK military combat amputees. ⋯ This study is the first to report the outcomes, with regards to return to work, of the UK military amputees injured in Afghanistan and Iraq Soldiers are surviving more severe and complex injuries than before and the majority are able to return successfully to military work. SF-36 PCS scores improve significantly with rehabilitation, and while MCS scores remain constant, the initial assessments are comparable with a normal population.
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This study evaluates the use of a navigation system (BrainLAB, Feldkirchen, Germany) to intra-operatively check for correct length, axis and rotation in intramedullary nailing of femoral-shaft fractures in an experimental setting and in clinical routine. ⋯ The use of a navigation system to align axis, length and rotation led to a secure way of avoiding any relevant malalignment in complex femur-shaft fractures whilst exposing patients to an acceptable amount of additional procedure sequences. Malalignment can be avoided by using a navigation system in the operative treatment of femoral-shaft fractures and may be integrated into clinical routine in specialised centres.