The bone & joint journal
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The bone & joint journal · Oct 2013
The recovery position for posterior surgery of the ankle and hindfoot.
Most posterior hindfoot procedures have been described with the patient positioned prone. This affords excellent access to posterior hindfoot structures but has several disadvantages for the management of the airway, the requirement for an endotracheal tube in all patients, difficulty with ventilation and an increased risk of pressure injuries, especially with regard to reduced ocular perfusion. ⋯ A laryngeal mask rather than endotracheal tube may be used in most patients. In this annotation we describe this technique, which offers a safe and simple alternative method of positioning patients for posterior hindfoot and ankle surgery.
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The bone & joint journal · Oct 2013
Internal fixation of intracapsular fractures of the hip using a dynamic locking plate: Two-year follow-up of 320 patients.
A consecutive series of 320 patients with an intracapsular fracture of the hip treated with a dynamic locking plate (Targon Femoral Neck (TFN)) were reviewed. All surviving patients were followed for a minimum of two years. During the follow-up period 109 patients died. ⋯ A further four patients (1.9%) developed a secondary fracture around the TFN. Revision to a hip replacement was required for 43 patients (20.7%) patients and a further seven (3.3%) had elective removal of the plate and screws. It is suggested that the stronger distal fixation combined with rotational stability may lead to a reduced incidence of complications related to the healing of the fracture when compared with other contemporary fixation devices but this needs to be confirmed in further studies.