Journal of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
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J R Coll Surg Edinb · Feb 1999
Assessment of an electronic mailing list for orthopaedic and trauma surgery.
Medical electronic mailing lists have grown rapidly with the evolution of the Internet. The purpose of this paper was to assess the content and academic quality and of an electronic mail discussion list "Orthopod" dedicated to research in orthopaedic and trauma surgery. A retrospective analysis was undertaken of four months of web-based archive of communication through the Orthopod mailing list http:(/)/www.mailbase.ac.uk/lists/Orthopod. ⋯ The quantity of information on the Internet need not be a substitute for quality in orthopaedic and trauma surgery mailing lists. The Orthopod Electronic mail discussion list is another medium for the circulation of good quality surgical information. Orthopod provides a unique international electronic forum list for trauma and orthopaedic surgeons worldwide.
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Impalement is an uncommon injury with only occasional reports in the literature. There are even fewer reports of impalement injuries limited to the thorax. ⋯ The precise nature and extent of the injury were determined pre-operatively by computed tomography and aortography. The important principles of surgical management contributing to the successful outcome are described, these being minimal manipulation of the impalement object before and during transport, careful pre-operative planning and a multidisciplinary approach.
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J R Coll Surg Edinb · Oct 1998
Comparative StudyComparison of Ottawa ankle rules and current local guidelines for use of radiography in acute ankle injuries.
A prospective consecutive study of 252 adult patients presenting to Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments was performed to assess any advantage of the Ottawa vs. local guidelines for radiography of the acutely injured ankle or midfoot. All patients taking part in the study underwent an ankle or midfoot radiograph. A comparison was made to determine whether a safe reduction in radiography could be produced by following the Ottawa criteria. ⋯ Local guidelines produced a specificity of 0.19 and a positive predictive value of 0.1. Following Ottawa guidelines produced a highly significant reduction (X = 74.0 P < 0.001) in radiography of 37%, and no fractures were missed. This could potentially save the department approximately 7500 Pounds per annum.