Injury
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Until now, it has remained difficult for doctors to make an informative decision as to which concentration of hypertonic saline (HTS) is more beneficial for patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). We therefore investigate the effect of different concentrations of hypertonic saline on mortality and ICP lowering efficacy in this group of patients. ⋯ Among patients with TBI, the application of 5% HTS was associated with decreased all-cause mortality compared with mannitol and other concentration. Treatments with 10% and 15% HTS was more likely to decrease ICP compared with other fluids. More trials are needed to verify the current findings.
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Review Meta Analysis
Current trends in the diagnosis and management of traumatic diaphragmatic injuries: A systematic review and a diagnostic accuracy meta-analysis of blunt trauma.
Traumatic diaphragmatic injuries (TDI) are wounds or ruptures of the diaphragm due to thoraco-abdominal trauma. Nowadays, CT-scan is considered the gold standard for TDI diagnosis. The aim of this study was to assess the current diagnostic accuracy of CT-scan in the diagnosis of TDI and describe the management of this type of injury. ⋯ CT-scan has a good sensitivity and specificity for blunt TDI diagnosis. However, TDI diagnosis and management are often delayed. The use of water-soluble contrast in CT-scan should be considered when the diagnosis of TDI is not defined after the first scan, and clinical suspicion is still high. In this context, a highly trained trauma team is essential for trauma management and correct imaging interpretation.
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Today's orthopedic surgery could not be imagined without intraoperative x-ray-based imaging. This enables surgeons to assess operative interim steps as well as the result before wound closure and finishing the procedure. ⋯ These very exciting developments will change the integration of imaging into the surgical workflows, giving options of augmented reality, reduction of radiation dose, automatized acquisition and analysis of images and low-level guidance in procedures. This paper gives a review of current innovations and possible future trends in fluoroscopic 2D and 3D imaging.
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The treatment of infected non-unions of the femur and the tibia remains difficult and requires control of the infection and successful bone healing. Antimicrobial coating of intramedullary nails promises both infection control and stabilization for subsequent bone healing. Both results for custom-made and commercially available antimicrobial coating for intramedullary nails have been published in the past mainly consisting of retrospective case series. ⋯ Coating specific side effects were not reported. In conclusion, the treatment of infected long bone non-unions with antimicrobial-coated nails is associated with a high infection control and bone consolidation rate and seems to be a reasonable treatment options with minimal side effects. However, scientific quality of the publications is low and randomized controlled trials are needed.
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Open tibial fractures are often life-changing injuries and patient outcomes remain poor despite the introduction of national management guidelines. The longer-term impact to the patient can be considerable but this is often overlooked in the literature. This study aims to establish the functional, physical, and psychosocial impact of sustaining an open tibial fracture. ⋯ Patients are at significant risk of longer-term functional, physical and psychosocial harm after suffering an open tibial fracture. Those sustaining major polytrauma or amputation demonstrated to have the greatest risk of poor outcome. Early identification of these individuals likely to suffer most from their injury would help direct appropriate resources to those with greatest need at the earliest opportunity.