Injury
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Experience with treating proximal humeral nonunions with reverse total shoulder arthroplasty is limited. We report our results. ⋯ Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty improves function and motion in patients with proximal humeral fracture sequelae. However, the rate of dislocation is high.
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Falls have been identified as a leading cause of injury-related morbidity and mortality in India. However, very little is known about the context and characteristics of such falls. The aim of this study was to describe the context and characteristics of fall related injuries in patients admitted to hospital for fall injury. ⋯ Fall related injuries are an important contributor to hospital emergency presentations, particularly falls from buildings in children, and slips and trips in older people. Given the high proportion of falls that resulted in head injury and death, there is a significant need to develop appropriate interventions to prevent such falls.
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Comparative Study
Effectiveness of motorcycle protective clothing: riders' health outcomes in the six months following a crash.
Little is known about the contribution of protective clothing worn in motorcycle crashes to subsequent health-related outcomes, impairment and quality of life. ⋯ We found strong associations between use of protective clothing and mitigation of the consequences of injury in terms of post-crash health and well-being. Given this evidence it seems likely that the use of protective clothing will confer significant benefits to riders in the event of a crash.
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Mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) has emerged as the preeminent injury of combat from the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Very little is known about short- and long-term outcomes after combat-related MTBI. As a measure of outcome after injury, self-rated health is a reliable, widely used measure that assesses perceived health. The primary aim of this study was to determine the effect of combat-related MTBI on self-reported health status after return from deployment. The secondary objective was to examine predictors of a decline in self-reported health status amongst US service members with MTBI, as compared to those service members with other minor non-TBI injuries. ⋯ Blast-related injuries, specifically MTBI, during deployment have negative consequences on service members' perception of health. Future research is needed to improve our understanding of the overall effects of MTBI on health and quality of life.
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An occult pneumothorax (OP) is a pneumothorax not seen on a supine chest X-ray (CXR) but detected on abdominal or thoracic computed tomography (CT) scanning. With the increasing use of CT in the management of significantly injured trauma patients, more OPs are being detected. The aim of this study was to classify OPs diagnosed on thoracic CT (TCT) and correlate them with their clinical significance. ⋯ This TCT classification of OP is proposed to help clinicians to decide on subsequent management of the OP. Basal OPs are significantly larger in size, and both basal and bilateral OPs are associated with higher severity of injury and longer hospital stay. These groups of patient may benefit from prophylactic tube thoracostomy instead of conservative treatment. On the other hand, apical and non-apical/basal groups is smaller in size, less severely injured and thus can be successfully managed expectantly.