Scot Med J
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Patients admitted to hospital for deliberate self-harm by burning (DSHB) provide a challenge for medical, surgical and psychological management. We retrospectively reviewed all the patients admitted to a Scottish regional burn unit with DSHB over an 11-year period to assess demographics and outcome. ⋯ In our experience, DSHB patients have more severe burn injuries and require longer, resource-intensive hospital stays. Burn units should have an appropriate specialist psychologist/psychiatrist who works within the Burn multi-disciplinary team to help manage this complex group of patients' healthcare needs and reduce their risk of further self-harm.
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Osteoarthritis of the knee is a complex peripheral joint disorder with multiple risk factors. The molecular basis of osteoarthritis has been generally accepted; however, the exact pathogenesis is still not known. Management of patients with osteoarthritis involves a comprehensive history, thorough physical examination and appropriate radiological investigation. ⋯ Surgical options include joint sparing procedures such as arthroscopyando osteotomy or joint-replacing procedures. Joint-replacing procedures can be isolated to a single compartment such as patellofemoral arthroplasty or unicompartmental knee replacement or total knee arthroplasty. The key to a successful long-term outcome is optimal patient selection, preoperative counselling and good surgical technique.