Injury
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The difficulties in the management of the blunt chest wall trauma patient in the Emergency Department (ED) due to the development of late complications are well recognised in the literature. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk factors for the development of complications in the recovery phase following blunt chest wall trauma. ⋯ A number of risk factors have been presented in this study which should be considered in the management of the blunt chest wall trauma patient. This is the first study in which a number of the risk factors have been investigated and this may provide the basis for further prospective studies.
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Review Meta Analysis
The effect of obesity on outcomes in trauma patients: a meta-analysis.
This study aims to assess the effect of obesity on injury severity score (ISS), mortality and course of hospital stay among trauma patients. ⋯ Evidence strongly supports the correlation of obesity with worse prognosis in trauma patients and further studies should target this kind of population for therapy and prevention.
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Multicenter Study
Physician-based emergency medical service deployment characteristics in severe traumatic brain injury: a Dutch multicenter study.
Prehospital guidelines advise advanced life support in all patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). In the Netherlands, it is recommended that prehospital advanced life support is particularly provided by a physician-based helicopter emergency medical service (P-HEMS) in addition to paramedic care (EMS). Previous studies have however shown that a substantial part of severe TBI patients is exclusively treated by an EMS team. In order to better understand this phenomenon, we evaluated P-HEMS deployment characteristics in severe TBI in a multicenter setting. ⋯ This study shows that a physician-based HEMS was more frequently deployed in patients with severe TBI in the presence of extracranial injuries, and in rural trauma regions. Treatment of severe TBI patients by a paramedic EMS only was associated with a higher incidence of secondary referrals to a level I trauma centre. Our data support adjustment of local prehospital guidelines for patients with severe TBI to the geographical context.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Periprosthetic bone loss following hemiarthroplasty: a comparison between cemented and cementless hip prosthesis.
The aim of this prospective randomized clinical study was to evaluate the magnitude of bone mineral changes as well as the clinical results after cemented and cementless haemiarthroplasty (HA) for femoral neck fracture. The study was comprised of 60 patients (mean age 85.2 years); 30 of them underwent cemented HA and 30 cementless HA. All patients underwent osteodensitometry for the purpose of Bone Mineral Density (BMD) evaluation. ⋯ We noted a trend of less intensive BMD reduction in all Gruen zones in group A compared to group B. However, the difference in BMD reduction between these two groups was significant only in zones 2, 3 and 4. Our results support the view that cemented hemiarthroplasty should be used for the management of displaced femoral neck fractures providing better functional outcomes and lower periprosthetic bone loss.
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Comparative Study
Operative management of unstable ankle fractures in the elderly: our institutional experience.
Ankle fractures represent an exceptionally common injury within the elderly population. The total incidence of ankle fractures has been reported to be up to 184 fractures per 100,000 persons per year, of which 20 to 30 percent occur in the elderly. This study reports the results of operative management of ankle fractures in the elderly, with regard to functional outcome and complication rates. ⋯ We didn't observe any serious complications such as skin necrosis, deep infection, osteomyelitis and failure of metalwork. Our study suggests that the operative management of Weber B2 and B3 injuries can result in a favorable outcome. It is however of great importance that there are no delays in treatment, that the reduction is anatomical, that the fracture fixation is satisfactory and that the rehabilitation is commenced early.