Injury
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Surgical management of calcaneus fractures is technically demanding and has a high risk of wound complications. These fractures are traditionally managed with splinting until swelling has subsided, which can take weeks and leaves the fracture fragments displaced. We describe a novel protocol for the management of displaced intraarticular calcaneus fractures that utilises a temporising external fixator and staged conversion to plate fixation through a sinus tarsi approach. The goal of this technique was to enable earlier treatment with open reduction and internal fixation, minimise the amount of manipulation required at the time of definitive fixation and reduce the wound complication rate seen with the traditional extensile approach. ⋯ Early temporising external fixation for the acute management of displaced calcaneus fractures is a safe and effective method to reduce and stabilise the foot and may decrease the time to definitive fixation. There were no complications related to the use of the external fixator in this series.
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In China, a nationwide emergency system takes charge of pre-hospital emergency services, and it adopts a proximity principle to send trauma patients to the nearest hospitals. However, many severely injured patients have been sent to low level hospitals with no capability to treat severe trauma. Thus those patients with high probability of in-hospital death or intensive care unit (ICU) admission need to be identified in the emergency department (ED) for optimal utilisation of hospital resources and better patient outcomes. The purpose of the study was to develop a computerised tool to aid ED physicians' prediction of in-hospital death and ICU admission for trauma patients after arrival to hospital. ⋯ The proposed DSS outperformed the extant trauma scoring systems. It has a strong potential to help ED physicians identify severe trauma, optimally utilise hospital resources, and recommend appropriate triage and treatment strategies for trauma patients that have strong possibilities for in-hospital death and ICU admission.
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Admission fibrinogen levels in severe trauma patients: A comparison of elderly and younger patients.
Acute coagulopathy of trauma has been much discussed recently. However, the changes in coagulation markers after trauma in the elderly are unknown. Furthermore, the baseline fibrinogen level is high in elderly patients, and the question remains as to whether fibrinogen levels also decrease early and the degree of decrease in elderly trauma patients. The purpose of this study was to compare coagulation markers including the fibrinogen level on admission in younger and elderly severe trauma patients. ⋯ The fibrinogen level did not show a low value as it can in younger patients in elderly patients. Therefore, the fibrinogen level is difficult to use as an early indicator of acute blood loss with haemorrhage in elderly severe trauma patients, as it can be used in younger patients. Thus, it is necessary to keep in mind that the fibrinogen level increases by approximately 1mg/dL when the age increases by 1 year and to carefully observe the fibrinogen level even if the admission level is not low.
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External fixation has become a quick and easy application for fracture stabilisation of the extremities and/or pelvis to maintain the reduction and provide stability while sparing the soft tissues. Over the last years, enhanced construct stiffness has become an essential requirement to preserve fracture reduction, particularly in active and overweight patients. This study was performed to determine whether the advancement of design features enhances the external fixation construct stiffness. The stiffness of the recently developed Hoffmann 3 external fixation system was determined and its characteristics compared with the widely clinically accepted Hoffmann II MRI fixation system. ⋯ The Hoffmann 3 construct showed the highest stiffness properties under bending and torsion loads. The enhanced stiffness of the Hoffmann 3 device may be helpful in maintaining fracture reduction and soft tissue compromise. This investigation showed the advancement of Hoffmann design features may be effective in enhancing frame stiffness.
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External fixation has become an important tool in orthopedic surgery. Technology has improved the design and material as well as the construct of the fixator. ⋯ Based on the current literature, principles of temporary external fixation were summarized. We focused on minimizing the risk of infection and introduce a standardized algorithm how to proceed when converting from external to internal fixation, which also was examined for effectiveness.