Irish journal of medical science
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From'grave diggers' to a 'Trauma System for Ireland', the history of Irish orthopaedics is a unique and fascinating story. This story has developed over decades and centuries, with many late and great surgeons and trainers playing major roles in developing our orthopaedic services nationally, as we know them today. The authors acknowledge that it would be wrong to think that a 1500-word review could provide an in-depth, yet comprehensive, discussion of all topics past and present of celebration, deliberation and further debate, related to orthopaedic surgery in Ireland. However, this article sought to provide a brief account of some of the key, landmark moments of orthopaedics over the last 3 centuries in Ireland, many of which are responsible for shaping the landscape of the outpatient rooms, orthopaedic wards and theatre suites, in which we provide high standard orthopaedic care to the people of our island today.
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Knee injuries are common among elite intercounty Gaelic games players (collectively GAA players). ⋯ Severe knee injuries and knee surgery are common among male intercounty GAA players. These injuries lead to self-reported reduced performance and retirement and are potentially associated with worse health-related outcomes post-intercounty career. Further well-designed studies, including among retired women GAA players, are required to assess the relationship between knee injuries and long-term athlete outcomes. Improved injury prevention efforts, enhanced rehabilitation of knee injuries, and post-retirement care may mitigate the adverse effects associated with severe knee injuries among male GAA players.
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The majority of thyroid nodules are benign; however current guidelines suggest that thyroid incidentalomas should be appropriately evaluated to rule out malignancy. ⋯ This study found that there was no clinical benefit to reporting the presence of thyroid incidentalomas incidentally noted on radiology investigations. Although the overall percentage of thyroid incidentalomas is low, this number may be enough to cause unnecessary strain on the healthcare system and burden patients with invasive investigations in addition to causing unnecessary anxiety.
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The role of NT-proBNP as a cardiac biomarker for predicting short-term major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains unclear. ⋯ The NT-proBNP level measured at ED admission was strongly associated with short-term MACEs in patients with all ACS subtypes and was an important prognostic biomarker. Therefore, combining the NT-proBNP level with the GRACE score in ACS patients may provide significant benefits in terms of predicting MACEs and obtaining a more accurate risk stratification.