Injury
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Since its advent, telemedicine has facilitated access to subspecialty medical care for the treatment of patients in remote and austere settings. The United States military introduced a formal orthopaedic teleconsultation system in 2007, but few reports have explored its scope of practice and efficacy, particularly in a deployed environment during a time of conflict. ⋯ IV.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Functional recovery of elderly patients with surgically-treated intertrochanteric fractures: preliminary results of a randomised trial comparing the dynamic hip screw and proximal femoral nail techniques.
Intertrochanteric fractures of the femur are prevalent in the elderly, and leave patients with functional restrictions after surgical treatment. The aim of this study was to compare the functional recovery at 1-year follow-up of elderly patients with intertrochanteric fractures treated surgically with the dynamic hip screw (DHS) or proximal femoral nail (PFN) fixation techniques. ⋯ At 1-year follow-up, functional recovery scores were similar in elderly patients treated with the DHS and PFN techniques. However, DHS-treated patients exhibited significant loss of function in the first 6 months after surgery, which did not occur in the PFN-treated group.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Bone tissue repair in patients with open diaphyseal tibial fracture treated with biplanar external fixation or reamed locked intramedullary nailing.
Open tibial fractures are usually caused by high-energy trauma. There is no consensus about the best treatment for these fractures. Biomechanical studies show that fixing on two planes approaches the rigidity of the bone, whereas the use of interlocking intramedullary nailing is widely used and reported to produce better therapeutic results in fracture healing. ⋯ Treatment with biplanar external fixation was associated with statistically similar results compared with intramedullary locking.