The British journal of surgery
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In 1970 the Government of the State of Victoria became the first in the 'western' world to introduce legislation for compulsory wearing of seat belts. Within 14 months the other Australian states followed. Seat belt wearing rates increased to attain 90 per cent in 1977. ⋯ The legislation did not apply to child passengers of less than 8 years of age and the frequency of seat belt or harness wearing among them remained low. These children did not share in the overall improvement for passengers. The Australian experience supports the view that legislation for compulsory wearing of seat belts is the single most effective method available for the protection of vehicle occupants in road crashes.
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Radiological and hospital records of 400 patients with Paget's disease that was shown radiologically have been examined in an effort to establish the clinical significance of the disease. Twenty-eight per cent of the patients were considered to have symptoms related to their disease, the most frequent symptom being bone pain, deformity and fracture. It appears that Paget's disease may predispose to the formation of urinary calculi. Malignant change and neurological and cardiovascular complications are rare, and osteitis deformans does not appear to predispose to osteoarthrosis.
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Two cases of acute renal failure following intraperitoneal administration of mercury are described.
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Military experience has consistently emphasized the unacceptably high amputation rate associated with popliteal arterial trauma. In this group of patients there were 23 arterial injuries and 26 injuries involving both an artery and a vein. The loss of only 5 limbs in this series was directly related to the policy of repair of the artery by both single segment vein grafts and by 'panel' grafts. ⋯ The two segments of vein are placed side by side and sutured along each side, a no. 14 or 16 Ch. Foley catheter being used as a stent. Fasciotomy, carried out at an early stage in the postoperative course, and prompt re-exploration of repair sites when suspicion arose as to the effectiveness of limb circulation, were also major factors in establishing a successful outcome in so many patients.