Injury
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It is often suggested that the weather can effect behaviour, increasing the likelihood of assaults and resulting in increased admissions to emergency departments (ED). Therefor a better understanding of the effect of climatic conditions could be useful to help EDs in capacity planning. Whilst other studies have looked at this, none have used data collected specifically to look at ED attendance for assaults or have taken account of potential behaviour modifiers. ⋯ The results presented here suggest that whilst temperature does increase the risk of assaults in Dorset, there may be a limit to its effect. This implies the 'curve-linear' relationship for temperature as suggested by others.
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Comparative Study
Reliable anatomical landmarks for minimizing leg-length discrepancy during hip arthroplasty using the lateral transgluteal approach for femoral neck fracture.
The purpose of this study was to describe our experience of a preoperative templating technique, and to investigate the most reliable anatomical reference to minimize leg length discrepancy (LLD) during hip arthroplasty using the lateral transgluteal approach for femoral neck fractures. We hypothesized that the medial fracture tip and greater trochanter would be viable alternative anatomical References METHODS: A total of 156 hip arthroplasty cases were enrolled in the present study (103 women, 114 hemiarthroplasties, 42 total hip arthroplasties). Preoperative acetate overlay templating was conducted based on pelvic anteroposterior radiographs. Three different anatomical references were used to determine the bony resection level, including the uppermost point of the lesser trochanter, uppermost point of the greater trochanter, and medial fracture tip. The accuracy of preoperative templating and the reliability of each anatomical reference for minimizing LLD were assessed. ⋯ The results of this study suggest that the use of the lesser trochanter as an anatomical reference to determine the level of femoral neck osteotomy should be discouraged, and that the medial fracture tip and greater trochanter may be better alternatives when using the lateral transgluteal approach.
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Femoral shaft fractures are among the most severe injuries of the skeleton. They are associated with high morbidity and mortality. The most appropriate treatment depending on the type of fracture and location level should be chosen. ⋯ The obtained results between both nail materials (stainless steel and titanium alloy) show a higher mobility when using titanium nails, which produce a higher rate of strains at the fracture site, amplitude of micromotions and bigger global movements compared to stainless-steel nails. Steel nails provide stiffer osteosyntheses than the titanium nails. In conclusion, anterograde locked nail is particularly useful in the treatment of a wide range of supracondylar fractures with proximal extension into the femoral diaphysis.
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Major lower limb amputation significantly increases the energy cost of walking for patients. Complications such as osteomyelitis may require further surgery, and can lead to shortening of the stump. In these cases, the aim should be to treat infection without shortening the limb further. We present a series of patients with established osteomyelitis of the amputation stump, managed using a modified Lautenbach technique. ⋯ We believe that this case series is the largest so far published regarding this modification of the Lautenbach Procedure. This operation treats infection effectively without further loss of bone length, and no patients so far have developed significant complications.
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An innovative procedure for the development of 3D patient-specific implants with drilling guides for acetabular fracture surgery is presented. By using CT data and 3D surgical planning software, a virtual model of the fractured pelvis was created. During this process the fracture was virtually reduced. ⋯ The optimal screw directions and sizes were predetermined in the 3D model. The virtual plan was translated towards the surgical procedure by using the surgical guides and patient-specific osteosynthesis. Besides the description of the newly developed multi-disciplinary workflow, a clinical case example is presented to demonstrate that this technique is feasible and promising for the operative treatment of complex acetabular fractures.