Injury
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Review Case Reports
Simultaneous bilateral tibial tuberosity avulsion fractures in adolescence: Case report and review of 60 years of literature.
Simultaneous bilateral avulsion fracture of the tibial tuberosity is a rare injury. Since the first reported case in the 1950s only 21 such cases have been reported in literature. ⋯ The age range of the injury corresponds to the time of growth plate closure and maturation of the fibro-cartillagenous attachment of the tuberosity. Most of the fractures require open reduction and internal fixation and usually heal well without any significant complications.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study Observational Study
Cost effectiveness of tibial nonunion treatment: A comparison between rhBMP-7 and autologous bone graft in two Italian centres.
Current evidences show that recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein 7 (rhBMP-7, eptotermin alfa) can be considered an effective alternative to autologous bone graft (ABG) in the treatment of tibial nonunions. Few studies, so far, have analysed the costs of treating tibial nonunions with either rhBMP-7 or ABG and none of them has specifically considered the Italian situation. The aim of the present study was to capture, through observational retrospective methods, the direct medical costs associated with the treatment of tibial nonunions with rhBMP-7 or ABG in Italy and to compare the cost effectiveness of the two interventions. ⋯ Considering all costs incurred from the treatment, there was a borderline statistical evidence (P=0.04) for a mean increase of €795.42, in the rhBMP-7 group. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that, without appropriate reimbursement, the hospital undergoes significant losses (P=0.003) when using rhBMP-7 instead of ABG. In contrast to these losses, in Italy, the average cost to achieve a successful outcome was €488.96 lower in patients treated with rhBMP-7 and, additionally, the cost per QALY gained was below the cost-utility threshold of $50,000.
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Review
Hypoxaemic rescue therapies in acute respiratory distress syndrome: Why, when, what and which one?
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is an inflammatory condition of the lungs which can result in refractory and life-threatening hypoxaemic respiratory failure. The risk factors for the development of ARDS are many but include trauma, multiple blood transfusions, burns and major surgery, therefore this condition is not uncommon in the severely injured patient. When ARDS is severe, high-inspired oxygen concentrations are frequently required to minimise hypoxaemia. ⋯ First line hypoxaemic rescue therapies include inhaled nitric oxide, prone positioning, alveolar recruitment manoeuvres and high frequency oscillatory ventilation, which have all been shown to be effective in improving oxygenation. In situations where these first line rescue therapies are inadequate extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation has emerged as a lifesaving second line rescue therapy. Rescue therapies in critically ill patients with traumatic injuries presents specific challenges and requires careful assessment of both the short and longer term benefits, therapeutic limitations, and specific adverse effects before their use.
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Delayed bone healing and non-union occurs in approximately 10-15% of long bone fractures. Both pathologies may result in prolonged period of pain, disability and repetitive operative interventions. ⋯ Emerging evidence suggest that there are certain molecules and genes that can serve as predictors of potentially unsuccessful fracture union. This article summarises the current evidence on the available 'bio-markers'to predict fracture non-union.
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The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy of high-frequency ultrasonography in the diagnosis of injuries of medial patellofemoral ligaments (MPFLs), analyse the characteristics of MPFL injury and correlations between injury of the MPFL and articular cartilage of the inferomedial patella in patients with acute traumatic lateral patellar dislocation. ⋯ The MPFL is most easily injured at the femoral attachment, secondly at the patellar attachment. High-frequency ultrasonography is an accurate method in the diagnosis of an MPFL tear. There are neither significant differences on the prevalence rates of chondral or osteochondral lesions of the inferomedial patella between locations of MPFL injuries, nor significant difference on the prevalence rates of chondral lesions between MPFL injury types; but the complete MPFL tear is more often concomitant with inferomedial patellar osteochondral lesions than the partial MPFL tear.