Clinical orthopaedics and related research
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One hundred patients had major shoulder surgery with interscalene brachial and cervical plexus block anesthesia. Successful anesthesia was obtained by using this method in 82 patients. Failure was the result of incomplete anesthesia in 16 patients or the presence of a complication. ⋯ The block lasted a mean of eight hours, decreasing the need for postoperative analgesic medications. No postoperative medical complication developed. Ninety-one percent of the patients with successful blocks were satisfied with the procedure.
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An analysis of 135 consecutive shoulder injuries seen in one clinic during a single ski season revealed anterior dislocation to be the most common ailment, constituting 52% of the total. Rotator cuff tears accounted for 20% of the total, followed by acromioclavicular (AC) separations (18%) and a miscellaneous group of contusions and isolated fractures comprising the other 10%. All of the shoulder dislocations were anterior, most were primary (81%) and men (83%) were involved more frequently. ⋯ Sixty percent were first degree, 22% were second degree, and 18% were third degree. About one-third of the respondents with first and second degree injuries were still having significant pain at three-year follow-up examination. The most frequent isolated fracture was a minimally displaced fracture of the greater tuberosity (only three cases in 135 injuries), but this same fracture occurred in 10% of the shoulder dislocations.
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Clin. Orthop. Relat. Res. · Feb 1987
Patient-controlled analgesia in the total joint arthroplasty patient.
In a prospective study of 30 total hip or knee joint arthroplasty patients, the use of the patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump was evaluated for patient acceptance and relief of pain. In 30 patients, (average age, 72.5 years) excellent analgesia was obtained with the PCA machine without the side effects of conventional intramuscular dosing. PCA was enthusiastically received by nurses, physicians, and patients, and it has become the method of choice in the author's hospital.
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Eighty-five patients with a total of 103 foci of chronic hematogenous osteomyelitis were treated in the period from 1965-1982. Only patients who had been followed for two or more years of treatment were included in the series for evaluation. All foci were treated surgically with thorough debridement. ⋯ Closed intermittent irrigation and suction drainage with high concentrations of antibiotic solutions gave the best results. In instances of failure, the causes may be due to inadequate removal of infected sclerotic bone and sequestra, obstruction of drainage tubes, resistance to antibiotics, or inadequate systemic antibiotic treatment. The use of myocutaneous flap transference to close the postoperative wound of chronic osteomyelitis was introduced, and preliminary results are encouraging.
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Tension band wiring is a simple, predictable method of internal fixation for avulsion fracture in the hand. These fractures include the bony gamekeeper, bony mallet, and fractures associated with proximal interphalangeal joint trauma. By the placement of a small gauge wire through the insertion of the ligament or tendon onto the fracture fragment, the tension wire technique avoids many of the pitfalls of internal fixation and also takes advantage of its physiologic and biomechanical position.