Injury
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Multicenter Study
Terrible triad of the elbow: treatment protocol and outcome in a series of eighteen cases.
The terrible triad is an uncommon injury, which includes an elbow posterior dislocation with fractures of the radial head and coronoid process of the ulna. In addition there is rupture of the lateral and medial collateral ligaments. The short-term and long term results are historically poor, with a high rate of complications. ⋯ This particular case of elbow dislocation is very unstable and leads to many complications. The surgeon should attempt to restore stability by preserving the radial head whenever possible or replacing it with prosthesis otherwise, by repairing the lateral collateral ligament and performing fixation of the coronoid fracture. If after anatomical restoration of stability elements, the elbow remains unstable, options include repair of the medial collateral ligament or stabilization assumed by hinged external fixator.
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To determine the association between race on severe heterotopic ossification (HO) following acetabular fracture surgery. ⋯ Race is associated with different rates of severe HO formation following acetabular fracture surgery. AA patients are significantly more likely to develop severe HO following acetabular fracture surgery when compared to Caucasian patients.
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Patients suffering traumatic brain and chest wall injuries are often difficult to liberate from the ventilator yet best timing of tracheostomy remains ill-defined. While prior studies have addressed early versus late tracheostomy, they generally suffer from the use of historical controls, which cannot account for variations in management over time. Propensity scoring can be utilized to identify controls from the same patient population, minimizing impact of confounding variables. The purpose of this study was to determine outcomes associated with early versus late tracheostomy by application of propensity scoring. ⋯ In the current era of increased health-care costs, early tracheostomy significantly decreased both pulmonary morbidity and critical care resource utilization. This translates to an appreciable cost savings, at minimum $52,173 per patient and a potential total savings of $2.8million/year for the entire LT cohort. For trauma patients requiring prolonged ventilator support, early tracheostomy should be performed.
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Observational Study
A procedural check list for pleural decompression and intercostal catheter insertion for adult major trauma.
Intercostal catheter (ICC) insertion is the standard pleural decompression and drainage technique for blunt and penetrating traumatic injury. Potentially high complication rates are associated with the procedure, with the literature quoting over 20% in some cases (1-4). Empyema in particular is a serious complication. Risk adverse industries such as the airline industry and military services regularly employ checklists to standardise performance and decrease human errors. The use of checklists in medical practice is exemplified by introduction of the WHO Surgical Safety checklist. ⋯ Quality control checklists - such as the ICC checklist described - are a sensible and functional means to standardise practice, to decrease procedural error and to reduce complication rates during trauma resuscitation.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Total hip arthroplasty with minimal invasive surgery in elderly patients with neck of femur fractures: our institutional experience.
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether minimal invasive surgery (MIS) in elderly patients with neck of femur fractures would reduce the peri-operative complications and improve the post-operative ambulation and length of hospital stay in his cohort of patients. Forty elderly patients were treated with either total hip arthroplasty (THA) or bipolar prosthesis using MIS transgluteal approach. A matched reference group treated with a conventional surgical approach formed the control group. ⋯ Radiographic implants positioning was similar amongst the two groups. No skin complication, no primary infection, no death within ninety days and no dislocations were observed. MIS approach for implanting THA after a femoral neck fracture in the elderly appears to be a reliable procedure.