Injury
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In the United States, the opioid epidemic claims over 130 lives per day due to overdoses. While the use of opioids in trauma patients has been well-described in the literature, it is unknown whether prescription opioid use is associated with mortality after trauma. We hypothesized that legally obtained prescription opioid consumption would be positively associated with injury-related deaths in the United States. ⋯ In every state examined, there was no consistent relationship between the amount of prescription opioids delivered and total injury-related mortality or any subgroups, suggesting that there is not a direct association between prescription opioids and injury-related mortality. This is the first study to combine national mortality and opioid data to investigate the relationship between legally obtained opioids and injury-related mortality. The US opioid epidemic remains a significant challenge that requires ongoing attention from all stakeholders in our medical and public health systems.
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To compare the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Physical Status Classification used in two prediction models for 30-day mortality after hip fracture surgery. ⋯ The CCI- and ASA-model had equal predictive ability of 30-day mortality after hip fracture. Considering the effort involved in calculating Charlson Comorbidity Index score, the ASA score may be the preferred tool to predict the 30-day mortality after hip fracture.
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Evidence regarding recommendations for treatment of ballistic fractures remains limited. This paucity of literature has largely been attributed to gunshot wound victims being a difficult population to study secondary to loss to follow-up. The purpose of this study was to examine the epidemiology of operatively treated ballistic femur fractures at our institution, the frequency of outpatient follow-up and risk factors for loss to follow-up. ⋯ This study reinforces the difficulty of studying ballistic fractures secondary to loss to follow-up. Younger age, shorter hospital stays and intramedullary fixation increased the risk for loss to follow-up at 3 months.
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To quantitatively compare the articular exposure of the proximal tibia with a lateral parapatellar arthrotomy through a straight midline incision (ML) versus a lateral submeniscal arthrotomy through a curvilinear anterolateral incision (AL). ⋯ The midline approach provides more extensive articular exposure of the lateral tibial plateau compared with the anterolateral approach. This improved exposure may offer an advantage when treating fractures not amenable to arthroscopic or minimally invasive techniques. It may be of most use when treating fractures with extension into the posteromedial quadrant of the lateral plateau, fractures with extensive comminution of the lateral plateau, or fractures with complex lateral meniscus tears and fractures with tibial spine involvement.
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Anterior native hip dislocation remains poorly studied due to the rarity of the injury. The aim of this study was to describe injury characteristics of anterior hip dislocation, detail its initial treatment, and determine the intermediate term outcomes including the rate of conversion to total hip arthroplasty (THA). ⋯ Obturator dislocations occurred twice as frequently as iliac dislocations. Associated acetabular or femoral head fractures are common. Conversion to THA was low, occurring in only 1 of 16 patients not treated with acute arthroplasty. Obturator dislocations and age less than 45 years old at the time of injury were associated with better functional outcome at intermediate term follow-up.