Der Unfallchirurg
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Case Reports
[Salter-Harris type IV epipyseal fracture of the lateral malleolus : A rare injury in childhood.]
This is a case presentation of a 9-year-old boy who sustained a rare Salter-Harris type IV distal fibular fracture including an avulsion fracture of the anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament at the fibular attachment. Treatment consisted of open reduction and internal fixation by Kirschner wire and cerclage. Possible posttraumatic growth disturbances and the major implications are highlighted.
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Exsanguination represents the most common and potentially preventable cause of death in major trauma patients. Rapid surgical intervention coupled with an early and aggressive hemostatic therapy not only results in survival benefits of coagulopathic trauma patients, but also reduces the incidence of complications and costs. Standard coagulation tests are not suitable to adequately characterize the complexity of trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC). ⋯ ROTEM®/TEG® measurements revealed that diminished clot strength is associated with an increased bleeding tendency. Depending on the underlying cause, administration of fibrinogen concentrate and/or platelet concentrate administration improves clot firmness. Thrombin generation is initially less compromised and can be improved by the administration of plasma, prothrombin complex concentrate, or with restrictiveness by recombinant activated factor VII.
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In Germany a disproportionate number of patients with a femoral neck fracture still experience a delay in surgery. In 2008 delays of more than 48 h after admission occurred for 15.4 % of patients. This leads to increases in surgical and general complications as well as pressure sores. ⋯ There are medical and non-medical reasons for delayed surgery of femoral neck fractures. Studies have confirmed that delayed surgery for femoral neck fracture harms the patients. Organizational reasons which prevent an immediate operation, e.g. admission on Friday or Saturday, should therefore be eliminated by improvements in hospital organization and staffing. These can be measures of individual hospitals or of several hospitals in cooperation. The target should be to ensure a comprehensive and timely provision of the highest quality care even at the weekend.
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The main cause of death in the patient group less than 45 years is trauma. Beside severe traumatic brain injury, bleeding remains a leading cause of death in this group. ⋯ TIC is a complex independent syndrome which may be present without initial hypercoagulopathy. A rapid and differentiated diagnosis and goal-directed therapy is crucial for causal therapy.
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Analysis of blood coagulation with thrombelastometry (ROTEM™) and thrombelastography (TEG™) and analysis of thrombocyte function by a Multiplate™ assay is possible in only a few hospitals in Germany. Recently, the grade of recommendation (GoR) for point-of-care (POC) testing in official guidelines was increased and is now classified as GoR 1C. ⋯ The benefits of therapy with factor concentrates are fewer immunological and infection side effects as well as faster effects after administration of specific coagulation factors. A good outcome in patients with multiple trauma is only possible by an adequate transfusion regime and administration of coagulation factors.