Hand (New York, N.Y.)
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Hand (New York, N.Y.) · Jun 2015
Language barriers in Hispanic patients: relation to upper-extremity disability.
Although upper-extremity disability has been shown to correlate highly with various psychosocial aspects of illness (e.g., self-efficacy, depression, kinesiophobia, and pain catastrophizing), the role of language in musculoskeletal health status is less certain. In an English-speaking outpatient hand surgery office setting, we sought to determine (1) whether a patient's primary native language (English or Spanish) is an independent predictor of upper-extremity disability and (2) whether there are any differences in the contribution of measures of psychological distress to disability between native English- and Spanish-speaking patients. ⋯ Prognostic II.
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Hand (New York, N.Y.) · Jun 2015
Distal peripheral nerve blockade for patients undergoing hand surgery: a pilot study.
Data are limited regarding the use of peripheral nerve blockade at the level of the forearm, and most studies regard these procedures as rescue techniques for failed or incomplete blocks. The purpose of the study was to investigate patients undergoing hand surgery with distal peripheral nerve (forearm) blocks and compare them with patients having similar procedures under more proximal brachial plexus blockade. No investigations comparing distal nerve blockade to proximal approaches are currently reported in the literature. ⋯ Forearm blocks are viable alternatives to proximal blockade and are effective as a primary anesthetic technique in patients undergoing hand surgery. Compared to the more proximal approaches, these blocks have the benefits of not causing respiratory compromise, the ability to be performed bilaterally, and may be safer in anticoagulated patients.
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Hand (New York, N.Y.) · Jun 2015
Outcome following distally locked volar plating for distal radius fractures with metadiaphyseal involvement.
The surgical treatment of metadiaphyseal distal radius fractures may be difficult due to the associated articular or periarticular extension that limits standard fixation techniques. Longer distal radius volar locking plates allow stable fixation of the distal fragments while providing standard plate fixation in the proximal radius. We hypothesize that this plating technique allows adequate fixation to both the distal radius and metadiaphyseal fragments. The purpose of the study is to describe the outcomes, radiographic parameters, secondary surgeries, and complication rate with this device. ⋯ Distally locked long volar plating for metadiaphyseal distal radius fractures is a safe and effective treatment option for these complex fracture patterns allowing anatomic restoration of the radial shaft and distal radius.