Canadian journal of surgery. Journal canadien de chirurgie
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Wrong-site, wrong-procedure and wrong-patient surgeries are catastrophic events for patients, medical caregivers and institutions. Operating room (OR) briefings are intended to reduce the risk of wrong-site surgeries and promote collaboration among OR personnel. The purpose of our study was to evaluate 2 OR briefing safety initiatives, "07:35 huddles" (preoperative OR briefing) and "surgical time-outs" (perioperative OR briefing), at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ont. ⋯ Structured communication tools, such as 07:35 huddles and surgical time-outs briefings, especially for the nursing personnel, change the notion of individual advocacy to one of teamwork and being proactive about patient safety.
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The decision to perform laparotomy in blunt trauma patients is often difficult owing to pelvic fractures; however, once the decision is made, delay or failure to perform laparotomy could affect morbidity and mortality. We sought to identify predictors of laparotomy and mortality in polytrauma patients with pelvic fractures. ⋯ Among the polytrauma patients with pelvic fractures, 14.3% underwent laparotomy, and mortality was higher among these patients than among those who did not have the procedure. The predictors of laparotomy and mortality are similar to those anticipated in patients without pelvic fractures.
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Severe obesity is reaching epidemic proportions throughout the world, including Canada. The only permanent treatment of severe or morbid obesity is bariatric surgery. Access to bariatric surgery is very limited in Canada. We sought to collect accurate data on waiting times for the procedure. ⋯ The waiting times for bariatric surgery are the longest of any surgically treated condition. Given the significant reduction in the relative risk of death with bariatric surgery (40%-89% depending on the study), the current waiting times for the procedure in Canada are unacceptable.
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Conventional internal fixation entails the use of an interfragmentary lag screw along with a plate. Not all acetabular fractures are amenable to the placement of an interfragmentary lag screw, and the fracture may be displaced during tightening of the interfragmentary lag screw. Locking plates are a possible solution. We sought to determine whether a locking plate construct can provide stability equivalent to that provided with a conventional construct for transverse acetabular fractures. ⋯ The locking plate construct is as strong as the conventional plate plus interfragmentary lag screw construct for fixing transverse acetabular fractures. Locking plates may improve management of acetabular fractures by eliminating the need for placement of an interfragmentary lag screw. Furthermore, they may be helpful in revision hip arthroplasty in patients with pelvic discontinuity.