The open orthopaedics journal
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Femoral shaft fracture is the most common major paediatric orthopaedic. For generations traction and casting was the standard treatment for all femoral shaft fractures in children. Over the past two decades the advantages of fixation and rapid mobilisation have been increasingly recognised. ⋯ The treatment of paediatric shaft femur fracture has been drastically changed over the last two decades to internal fixation by elastically stable intra- medullary nail (ESIN). In our study, we encountered only a few complications most of them being minor. Most of the complications were surgical technique related and were seen at the initial phase of the learning curve.
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There has been an exponential growth in the volume of shoulder surgery in the last 2 decades and a very wide variety of anaesthetic techniques have emerged to provide anaesthesia and post-operative analgesia. In this article we examine current opinion, risks, benefits and practicalities of anaesthetic practice and the provision of post-operative analgesia for shoulder surgery.
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Implant related sepsis is a relatively unusual complication of intra-medullary nail fixation of long bone fractures. Depending on the extent of infection, timing of diagnosis and progress of fracture union, different treatment strategies have been developed. The aim of this review article is to collect and analyze the existing evidence about the incidence and management of infection following IM nailing of long bone fractures and to recommend treatment algorithms that could be valuable in everyday clinical practice. ⋯ Stage II (delayed) infections can be successfully treated with debridement, IM reaming, antibiotic nails, and administration of antibiotics. Infected non-unions are best treated with exchange nailing, antibiotic administration and when infection has been eradicated with graft implantation if it is needed. Debridement, exchange nailing and systemic administration of antibiotics is the best indication for stage III (late) infections, while stage III infected non-unions can successfully be treated with nail removal and Ilizarov frame, especially when large bone defects exist.
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Sacroiliac (SI) joint pain is a challenging condition to manage as it can mimic discogenic or radicular low back pain, and present as low back, hip, groin and/or buttock pain. Patients may present with a combination of lumbar spine and SI joint symptoms, further complicating the diagnosis and treatment algorithm [1-3]. SI joint pain after lumbar spinal fusion has been reported in the literature. Both clinical and biomechanical studies show the SI joint to be susceptible to increased motion and stress at the articular surface with up to 40-75% of patients developing significant SI joint degeneration after 5 years. In a recent case series study of 50 patients who underwent minimally invasive SI joint arthrodesis, 50% had undergone previous lumbar spinal fusion and 18% had symptomatic lumbar spine pathology treated conservatively [4]. The purpose of this study is to determine if history of previous lumbar fusion or lumbar pathology affects patient outcomes after MIS SI joint fusion surgery. ⋯ Patients with SI joint pain, regardless of prior lumbar spine fusion history, show significant improvement in pain after minimally invasive SI joint fusion. The presence of symptomatic lumbar spine pathology potentially confounds the treatment affect, as patients may not be able to discriminate between symptoms arising from the SI joint and the lumbar spine. These patients expressed a lower satisfaction with surgery. Patients without other confounding lumbar spine pathology and who have not undergone previous spine surgery tend to be younger and experience a greater reduction in pain.
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Pre-operative assessment is required prior to the majority of elective surgical procedures, primarily to ensure that the patient is fit to undergo surgery, whilst identifying issues that may need to be dealt with by the surgical or anaesthetic teams. The post-operative management of elective surgical patients begins during the peri-operative period and involves several health professionals. ⋯ This article examines the literature regarding pre-operative assessment in elective orthopaedic surgery and shoulder surgery, whilst also reviewing the essentials of peri- and post-operative care. The need to recognise common post-operative complications early and promptly is also evaluated, along with discussing thromboprophylaxis and post-operative analgesia following shoulder surgery.