Injury
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The authors report their experience of treating complex elbow fracture-dislocations in elderly people, using a minimally-invasive approach with a new articulated external fixator that is associated with minimal internal fixation. The clinical results for 19 patients are presented according to outcome factors, such as range of motion, pain and function, rate and type of complications, and reoperation rate. The results indicate that this treatment strategy should be considered as a good alternative to other treatment options reported in the literature, including conservative treatment, ORIF with angular stable plates and total elbow arthroplasty.
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Comparative Study
Quadriceps tendon rupture in maintenance haemodialysis patients: Results of surgical treatment and analysis of risk factors.
Reports of spontaneous quadriceps ruptures in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients are scarce, and the assessment of risk factors for tendon rupture is poorly addressed in the majority of the studies. The purpose of the present study is to report a series of patients on haemodialysis with spontaneous quadriceps tendon ruptures operated at our institution. The results of the surgical treatment are described and the potential risk factors associated with the rupture are analyzed. ⋯ Reconstructive surgery is a good way to restore knee function in ESRD patients with quadriceps tendon ruptures. Our cases exhibited higher levels of iPTH and alkaline phosphatase than control patients, reinforcing the role of secondary hyperparathyroidism in tendon weakening. They also had a higher frequency of hepatitis C and lower levels of albumin and haemoglobin compared to controls, possibly implicating chronic inflammation as a potential risk factor for tendon rupture.
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Fractured neck of femur (FNOF) is an increasing problem for the National Health Service (NHS) with 61,508 recorded on the National Hip Fracture Database (NHFD) in 2012–2013 and treatment of such patients is estimated to cost the NHS £1.5 billion per year. Inpatients falling in hospital and sustain a FNOF have rarely been studied as a separate group of patients to assess standards of patient care, time to operative management, and patient mortality. Of 694 patients sustaining an acute FNOF at a single trust between January 2012 and June 2013, 40 patients (5.8%) sustained an inpatient FNOF. 19 patients (47.5%) were male and 15 patients (37.5%) had an ASA grade of 4 or 5, compared to 153 patients (23.4%) and 127 patients (19.4%) respectively of “community” FNOF. 39 of 40 patients received operative management. ⋯ Patients sustaining an “inpatient” FNOF are more likely to have significant medical co-morbidity and require aggressive medical and surgical management, especially due to their increased risk of mortality post-operatively. Such injuries have direct and indirect financial implications to a health care trust, which can be minimised by prompt management of these patients. This study highlights the need for a standardised protocol of management of this important subgroup of patients and for further work on falls prevention strategies within the National Health Service.
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Major Incidents (MI) occur frequently and their unpredictable nature makes prospective research difficult and largely unethical. A key step in MI management is triage; the identification of the critically injured. Within a MI environment this is commonly performed using simple physiological ‘tools’, such as the Triage Sieve (TS). However the most commonly used tools appear to lack an evidence base. In a previous study, the authors used a military population to compare the performance of the TS to the Military Sieve (MS) at predicting need for Life-Saving Intervention (LSI). The MS differs only with the addition of a measurement of consciousness. The outcome from this study was that the MS outperformed the TS, but could be further improved with small changes to its physiological parameters, the Modified Military Sieve (MMS). ⋯ Within a military population, the MMS outperforms existing MI triage tools. Before it is recommended as a replacement to the existing TS in UK civilian practice, it needs to be tested in a civilian environment.
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The recent evolution of prosthesis technology has enabled the surgeon to replace entire limbs. These special prostheses, or megaprostheses, were developed for the treatment of severe oncological bone loss; however, the indications and applications of these devices have expanded to other orthopaedic and trauma situations. For some years, surgeons have been implanting megaprostheses in non-oncological conditions, such as acute trauma in severe bone loss and poor bone quality; post-traumatic failures, both aseptic and septic (represented by complex non-unions and critical size bone defects); major bone loss in prosthetic revision, both aseptic and septic; periprosthetic fractures with component mobilisation and poor bone stock condition. The purpose of this study was to evaluate retrospectively the complications during and after the implantation of megaprosthesis of the lower limb in post-traumatic and prosthetic bone loss, and to propose tips about how to avoid and manage such complications. ⋯ Megaprosthesis in severe bone loss can be considered as an available solution for the orthopaedic surgeon in extreme, appropriately selected cases. This type of complex surgery must be performed in specialised centres where knowledge and technologies are present. Patients with severe bone loss should not be treated in the same way as oncology patients because life expectancy is definitely longer; therefore, the surgical technique and the system implantation must be extremely rigorous to ensure longevity of the prosthesis. The characteristics of the bone and soft tissue conditions in these patients are very different from those presented by oncology patients, which creates critical problems that the surgeon should be able to manage to avoid serious complications.