Injury
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Post-operative follow-up after internal fixation of fractures is a common practice. The goal of this study was to evaluate the necessity of a routine follow-up visit after internal fixation of a proximal femoral fracture. Our hypothesis is that these follow-up visits do not result in a change in the treatment plan, but add an extra cost to the health care system and lead to the purposeless utilisation of limited resources. ⋯ The first scheduled visit within ten weeks after internal fixation of a proximal femoral fracture leads to no changes in treatment. We recommend considering the need of these follow-up visits.
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Our aim was to determine the effect of hypoalbuminaemia as a marker of malnutrition on the 30-day postoperative complication rate and mortality in patients receiving surgical treatment for hip fractures using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database. ⋯ Hypoalbuminaemia alone can predict postoperative outcomes in patients with hip fractures. Furthermore, patients with hypoalbuminaemia had a longer hospital length of stay. Further studies are needed to assess whether nutritional support can improve postoperative complications in patients with hypoalbuminaemia.
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Implant breakage is a serious complication after cephalomedullary nailing for unstable intertrochanteric fracture. Failure usually occurs at the lag screw hole in the nail body. On the other hand, lag screw failure is extremely rare and occurs around the nail-lag screw junction. We experienced rare mechanical failure of the Intertan nail, which showed breakage at the lag screw hole and failure of the integrated compression screw underneath the main lag screw.
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Hospitals worldwide are preparing for mass casualty incidents (MCIs). The Major Incident Hospital in the Netherlands was constructed 25 years ago as a dedicated hospital for situations wherein a sudden increase in medical surge capacity is mandated to handle an MCI. Over the years, more initiatives of dedicated MCIs have arisen. Herein, we compared the MCI facilities from three countries considering the reasons for construction and the functionality. ⋯ Several dedicated MCI hospitals are presently being constructed. During construction, the local circumstances should be taken into account to determine the functionality for both short-term solutions for surge capacity and as fortified structures to withstand under-siege situations.
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We assessed factors associated with cut-out after internal fixation of proximal femoral fractures using double lag screw nails. ⋯ Our study confirmed that risk factors for cut-out with single-lag screw devices are also applicable to dual-lag screw implants. We found that TAD was a significant factor for cut-out in dual-lag screw implants. Thus, screw cut-out can be minimized by optimizing screw position.