Der Unfallchirurg
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Besides supracondylar fracture of the humerus there are several injuries of the elbow joint, which may lead to major disability. In this study 5 cases of corrective procedures are described after elbow fractures. Initially the lesions were overlooked. ⋯ Overall, in all patients an almost complete movement of the joint at existing stability could be achieved. Transcondylar and Monteggia fractures should not be overlooked at the initial diagnosis as secondary operations for correction always have a less favorable outcome than the primary one. For the management of ankylosis of the elbow a movement extend fixator after distraction is a useful additional management.
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Big osteochondral defects in the weight-bearing zone of the medial respectively the lateral femoral condyle are still an unsolved problem especially in younger patients. The transfer of the posterior aspect of the femoral condyle was described as a salvage procedure. ⋯ However, the Mega-OATS procedure itself remains a salvage procedure and should only be reserved for younger patients. The results of the first series of 17 patients (average follow-up 12 (5-19) months) showed an improvement of quality of life and a significant (p = 0.003) increase in the Lysholm-score.
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The BEHAC-nail is a new implant for the treatment of complex humeral fractures, particularly for segmental fractures. It is an elastic intramedullary implant that is inserted retrograde into the distal humerus. The special feature of this nail is its proximal "loop design" which reduces the implant penetration at the proximal fixation site in the subchondral area of the humeral head in comparison to implants with tips such as Rush pins or Hackethal's nails. ⋯ Even short proximal fragments can be stabilized with this design. In contrast a short humeral head fragment cannot be held with implants like the UHN, HVN or Seidel's nail. The BEHAC-nail is a useful implant for segmental fractures of the humerus.
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The cooperation of surgeon and anaesthetist in positioning of the patient is subject to the principles of horizontal division of labour recognized in the interdisciplinary agreement and confirmed by the legislature: anaesthetist and surgeon carry out their respective tasks independently of each other, each bearing full responsibility for their own work (principle of strict separation of functions), they tailor their procedures to fit in with each other (duty of coordination), and each is entitled to expect and rely on due care in the other (principle of trust). In the case of conflict--when the best position for the specific intervention leads to a higher anaesthesiological risk--the principle of predominance of the actual requirements applies. If no agreement is reached it is incumbent on the surgeon to make the decision; this means that the surgeon bears the medical and legal responsibility for appropriate deliberation. ⋯ The demands of jurisdiction in terms of documentation of the positioning and of presentation of evidence are practically oriented and can basically be met. The same is true of the information supplied to the patient on the risk that positioning can cause harm. The doctor is obliged to supply evidence of the patient's substantive consent and the provision of information that this implies.