Injury
-
Distances between anatomic landmarks and anatomic structures at risk are often underestimated by surgeons. ⋯ Average distances between the palpable pubic tubercle and the SC are below one finger breadth (as reference).
-
In armed conflicts, infected wounds constitute a large portion of the surgical workload. Treatment consists of debridements, change of dressings, and antibiotics. Many surgeons advocate for the use of honey as an adjunct with the rationale that honey has bactericidal and hyperosmotic properties. However, according to a Cochrane review from 2015 there is insufficient data to draw any conclusions regarding the efficacy of honey in treatment of wounds. We, therefore, decided to evaluate if honey is non-inferior to gentamicin in the treatment of infected wounds in a highly translatable porcine wound model. ⋯ At the end of treatment S. aureus count was the same with topically applied Manuka honey and intramuscular gentamicin. The wound area was unchanged with topically applied Manuka honey and decreased with intramuscular gentamicin. Topically applied Manuka honey could consequently be non-inferior to intramuscular gentamicin in reducing S. aureus colonization on the wound's surface, but not in reducing wound size. The use of Manuka honey dressings to prevent further progression of a wound infection may therefore be of value in armed conflicts, where definite care is not immediately available.
-
The implant failures of intertrochanteric fractures (ITF) after single-screw cephalomedullary nailing (CMN) were multifactorially associated with various related factors. However, a comprehensive scoring system for the early prediction of implant failures is still lacking. Thus, this study aims to establish a quantification scoring system (QSS) and verify whether the QSS is reliable for predicting implant failures in geriatric ITF patients. ⋯ The QSS is a useful early prediction of implant failures in geriatric ITF with cephalomedullary nailing fixation. QSS scoring more than 5 points can effectively reduce the risk of implant failures.
-
The cross-sectional area of three parallel screws might affect the stability of the internal fixation of femoral neck fractures. The screws fixed in the oblique-triangle configuration (OTC) were assumed to have a larger cross-sectional area, but the biomechanical stability has not yet been validated. In this study, finite element analyses were performed to compare the biomechanical properties of the internal fixation fixed by the OTC and the traditional Inverted Equilateral Triangle Configuration (IETC). ⋯ The oblique-triangle configuration showed superior mechanical properties than the IETC in finite element analyses. This study suggests that when three screws are fixed in parallel method, the larger the cross-sectional area of the screw configuration, the better stability of the internal fixation might be obtained. Furthermore, the biomechanical properties of various spatial configurations and screw holes of the three parallel screws need to be considered before clinical practice.
-
Segmental bone defects are a challenging clinical problem. In animal studies and craniomaxillofacial surgery, resorbable polylactide membrane (OrthoMesh; DePuy Synthes, West Chester, PA) shows promise for treatment of bone defects. This study presents the results of the treatment of segmental bone defects with resorbable polylactide membrane, bone morphogenic protein-2 (BMP-2), and autograft. ⋯ To our knowledge, this study is the largest series of patients with segmental bone defects treated with resorbable polylactide membrane. Resorbable polylactide membrane in combination with BMP-2 and autograft represents a safe and effective method of bone graft containment in segmental bone defects measuring up to 12 cm in this series. Ten of 11 patients achieved union at a median time of 16 months with 6 patients requiring repeat grafting. These results compare favorably with the induced membrane technique. This study is limited by its retrospective design, absence of control and comparison groups, and low patient numbers. Future prospective randomized study of the induced membrane technique and resorbable polylactide membrane should be undertaken to determine preferred approaches for treatment of segmental bone defects.