The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume
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J Bone Joint Surg Am · May 2012
Economic impact of hand and wrist injuries: health-care costs and productivity costs in a population-based study.
Injuries to the hand and wrist account for approximately 20% of patient visits to emergency departments and may impose a large economic burden. The purpose of this study was to estimate the total health-care costs and productivity costs of injuries to the hand and wrist and to compare them with other important injury groups in a nationwide study. ⋯ Hand and wrist injuries not only constitute a substantial part of all treated injuries but also represent a considerable economic burden, with both high health-care and productivity costs. Hand and wrist injuries should be a priority area for research in trauma care, and further research could help to reduce the cost of these injuries, both to the health-care system and to society.
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J Bone Joint Surg Am · Apr 2012
Incidence of symptomatic venous thromboembolism after elective knee arthroscopy.
Knee arthroscopy is the most commonly performed orthopaedic procedure in the United States and is usually considered to be a low-risk procedure. The purposes of this study were to describe the incidence of symptomatic deep venous thrombosis, symptomatic pulmonary embolism, and mortality after elective knee arthroscopy performed without thromboembolic prophylaxis, as well as to investigate the association of age, sex, procedure type, and oral contraceptive use with the odds of developing a venous thromboembolism. ⋯ The ninety-day incidence of symptomatic venous thromboembolism after elective knee arthroscopy was relatively low, with a 0.25% incidence of deep venous thrombosis and a 0.17% incidence of pulmonary embolism. The overall ninety-day mortality after arthroscopic knee surgery was 0.04%.
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J Bone Joint Surg Am · Apr 2012
Review Meta Analysis Comparative StudyOperative versus nonoperative care of displaced midshaft clavicular fractures: a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.
Recent studies have suggested benefits following primary operative fixation of substantially displaced midshaft fractures of the clavicle. We reviewed randomized clinical trials of operative versus nonoperative treatment of these fractures, and pooled the functional outcome and complication rates to arrive at summary estimates of these outcomes. ⋯ Operative treatment provided a significantly lower rate of nonunion and symptomatic malunion and an earlier functional return compared with nonoperative treatment. However, there is little evidence at present to show that the long-term functional outcome of operative intervention is significantly superior to nonoperative care.
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J Bone Joint Surg Am · Apr 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialA prospective randomized controlled trial of dynamic versus static progressive elbow splinting for posttraumatic elbow stiffness.
Both dynamic and static progressive (turnbuckle) splints are used to help stretch a contracted elbow capsule to regain motion after elbow trauma. There are advocates of each method, but no comparative data. This prospective randomized controlled trial tested the null hypothesis that there is no difference in improvement of motion and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) scores between static progressive and dynamic splinting. ⋯ Posttraumatic elbow stiffness can improve with exercises and dynamic or static splinting over a period of six to twelve months, and patience is warranted. There were no significant differences in improvement in motion between static progressive and dynamic splinting protocols, and the choice of splinting method can be determined by the patients and their physicians.
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J Bone Joint Surg Am · Apr 2012
Repair integrity and functional outcomes after arthroscopic suture-bridge rotator cuff repair.
We evaluated the clinical and imaging outcomes of arthroscopic suture-bridge repair of full-thickness rotator cuff tears. ⋯ Arthroscopic suture-bridge repair of full-thickness rotator cuff tears was followed by a re-tear rate of 15% as seen with imaging and resulted in significant improvement of functional outcomes and clinical results compared with the preoperative findings.