The aim of this study was to characterise severe open tibial shaft fractures sustained by UK military personnel over 10-years of combat and to determine the infection rate and factors that influence it. The UK military Joint Theatre Trauma Registry was searched and X-rays, clinical notes and microbiological records were reviewed for all patients. One hundred GA III open tibia fractures in 89 patients were identified. Three fractures were not followed up for 12-months and were therefore excluded. Twenty-two (23%) of the remaining 97 tibial fractures were complicated by infection requiring surgical treatment, with S. aureus being the causative agent in 13/22 infected fractures (59%). Neither injury severity, mechanism, the use of an external fixator, the need for vascularised tissue transfer or smoking status were significantly associated with infection. Bone loss was significantly associated with subsequent infection (p<0.0001). Most infection in combat open tibia fractures is caused by familiar organisms i.e. S. aureus. The use of external fixators to temporarily stabilise fractures is not associated with an increased risk of subsequent infection. While the overall severity of a casualty's injuries was not associated with infection, the degree of bone loss from the fracture was.

The purpose of this study is to describe the use of the PHILOS plate (Synthes) in reverse configuration to treat complex distal humeral non-unions.

Non-union is a frequent complication of distal humeral fracture. It is a challenging problem due to the complex anatomy of the distal humerus, small distal fragment heavily loaded by the forearm acting as a long lever arm with powerful forces increasing the chances of displacement. Rigid fixation and stability with a device of high “pull-out” strength is required. The PHILOS plate has been used in reverse configuration to achieve good fixation while allowing central posterior placement of the implant.

11 patients with established non-union of distal humeral fractures were included in this study. No patient in whom this implant was used has been excluded. Initial fixation was revised using the PHILOS plate in reverse configuration and good fixation was achieved. Bone graft substitutes were used in all cases. Patients were followed to bony union, and functional recovery.

All fractures united. One required revision of plate due to fatigue failure. Average time to union was 8 months with excellent restoration of elbow function.

A reversed PHILOS plate provides an excellent method of fixation in distal humeral non-union, often complicated by distorted anatomy and previous surgical intervention. It has a high “pull-out” strength and may be placed in the centre of the posterior humerus, allowing proximal extension of the fixation as far as is required. It provides secure distal fixation without impinging on the olecranon fossa. It is more versatile and easier to use than available pre contoured plating systems.

The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence of common mental disorders in patients undergoing complex limb reconstruction.

Patients undergoing limb reconstruction are vulnerable to mental health problem as they must adapt to significant and prolonged physical disability. Treatment emphasis has been on restoration and rehabilitation of physical health with little or no attention given to spectrum of psychological consequences. IMPARTS (Integrating Mental and Physical healthcare: Research, Training and Services) is a King's Health Partners initiative aiming to develop informatics to improve detection and management of common mental disorders in medical settings. IMPARTS screening in the King's College Hospital limb reconstruction clinic commenced in April 2012.

Outpatients attending between April 2012 and November 2013 were screened prior to their appointment. Patients were screened for symptoms of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), alcohol dependence and drug use.

In total, 298 individual patients were screened. The prevalence of depression was found to be 21.8%, with 6.4% experiencing suicidal thoughts. Probable anxiety disorder was identified in 20.7% of patients. Symptoms of PTSD were reported by 29.2%, with 9.0% reporting severe symptoms. Probable alcohol dependence was identified in 2.7% of patients, and 3.0% screened positive for drug misuse.

The consequences of undergoing limb reconstruction stretch beyond the physical problem to mental well-being, rendering patients vulnerable to mental health problems and substance misuse. Early detection and management of such problems may have a significant effect on physical treatment outcome and rehabilitation to productive social life. There is urgent need to integrate mental health care as part of early management of severely injured patients.

The purpose of this study is to describe the use of intramedullary distraction coupled with an additional osteotomy to achieve union with simultaneous deformity correction and lengthening in femoral non-union.

Femoral non-union is a difficult problem often associated with shortening, angulation, and mal-rotation. We report the use of an intramedullary distraction device, with additional osteotomy, to achieve union, restore femoral length and alignment. Simple distraction in femoral non-union is often ineffective, possibly because the non-union site is relatively avascular. Osteotomy is known to increase blood flow and, with lengthening, promote union through distraction histiogenesis.

7 patients with posttraumatic diaphyseal femoral non-union with shortening were studied. Pre-operative planning included long leg standing views, with CT to measure mal-rotation. 6 patients were treated with the Intramedullary Skeletal Kinetic Distractor (ISKD) with an osteotomy distant from non-union site within the parameters required for the device. One patient underwent distraction without osteotomy. Patients were followed to union. Complications and adjuvant interventions were recorded.

All 7 patients with femoral non-union treated with ISKD were included and followed up. Patients treated with osteotomy united at average of 9 months with satisfactory deformity correction and lengthening. However patient who underwent pure distraction failed to unite. Complications included failure to lengthen, requiring manipulation, and delayed consolidation of regenerate requiring bone graft. The procedure was well tolerated

The initial results of the management of femoral non-union with deformity by intramedullary distraction coupled with osteotomy are encouraging. Complications were minor and readily manageable. We believe there is an important role for this method in the management of femoral non-unions associated with deformity and length discrepancy.

Limb lengthening with external fixators has many complications, like pin track infection, joint stiffness, severe pain and stress fracture after removal of external fixator. Prolonged period in external fixator interferes with rehabilitation and activities of daily living.

We describe our results with ISKD (intramedullary skeletal kinetic distractor) system, an internal limb lengthening device, activated with rotations of 3 degrees. In this retrospective cohort we performed lengthening with the use of ISKD in 12 patients from March 2006 to date. Ten patients were included in this study as two patients had not completed the stage of consolidation. There were 7 male and 3 female patients. Their average age was 44 years (range 23–63). The mean follow up period was 16 months (range 12–24 months). Two patients had tibial lengthening and eight patients had femoral lengthening. The average lengthening desired was 42.5 mm (range 2.5 mm–75 mm). The average lengthening achieved was 38 mm. Mean hospital stay was 7 days (range 5–11 days). The distraction index was 1.2 mm/day. The average time to full weight bearing was 6 months (range 4 to 10 months). Mean healing time was 10.25 months. The mean healing index was 90.7 days/cm. If we remove two patients who took long time to heal, the mean healing index drops to 61 days/cm. Two patients needed bone grafting at the distraction site. None of the patients had infection, non-union of the distraction site or breakage of the nail. None of the patients had joint stiffness. All patients were completely satisfied with the treatment and had excellent functional results. We conclude that the low rate of complications, higher patient acceptability and avoidance of external fixation make ISKD a very attractive option for limb lengthening.

Objectives

Fracture non-union poses a significant challenge to treating orthopaedic surgeons. These patients often require multiple surgical procedures. The incidence of complications after Autologous Bone Graft (ABG) harvesting has been reported up to 44%. These complications include persistent severe donor site pain, infection, heterotopic ossification and antalgic gait. We retrospectively compared the use of BMP-7 alone in long bone fracture Non-union, with patients in whom BMP-7 was used in combination with the Autologous Bone Graft (ABG).

We present a series of 11 patients with infected tibial intramedullary nails which were treated at our tertiary referral centre from January 2000 to November 2009. All of them were males and the mean age was 36 years (26 to 47 years). All the patients had sustained post traumatic fractures which were treated with intramedullary nail. Four patients (36%) had sustained open fractures in whom adequate soft tissue cover was provided by plastic surgeons. Five of them (45%) were smokers.

All of them underwent surgical debridement. Nine out of 11 patients had removal of metal work followed by one or more of the following procedures such as reaming, exchange nailing, excision of sequestrum, application of antibiotic beads and stabilisation with a frame with or without several bone grafts at a later date.

Out of 11 patients six (55%) had no further episodes of infection, three (27%) still need short courses of antibiotics when the disease flares up and two (18%) underwent amputation. Causative organisms were isolated in all the patients. Commonest organism was MRSA. Overall, most of the organisms were sensitive to Vancomycin and resistant to Penicillin.

Despite exploring most of the surgical procedures described for infected tibial intramedullary nails we have potentially eradicated infection only in about half of our patients. Hence we would like to emphasise that this condition still remains a serious problem and demands further insight in its management

Human recombinant Osteogenic Protein 1 or rhBMP-7 is licensed for use in tibial non-union where autologous bone grafting has failed. Through its osteoconductive and osteoinductive properties, its application may be more widely applied. We audited our use of rhBMP-7 and present the largest series currently reported in the literature.

We reviewed 107 consecutive patients on whom rhBMP-7 was used over a 5-year period (2002–2007). Demographic and clinical details (e.g indication, site, use of adjuncts, previous surgery, smoking status, time to union, mean follow up etc) were entered into an electronic spreadsheet.

RhBMP-7 was used in 112 sites on 107 patients (65 male, 42 female). Ages ranged from 16yrs to 89yrs (mean 47.6). Non-union was the main indication for surgery (82 cases). RhBMP-7 was used alone in 39 cases and with autologous bone graft (56 cases). In other cases demineralised bone matrix, USS and bone allograft were used as adjuncts. Tibia (42 cases), femur (29 cases), humerus (21 cases) were the most common sites of administration. Mean number of operations prior to use of rhBMP-7 was 1.6 (range 1–20). In all cases, union was achieved in 65% (73/112) with a mean union time 5.8 months. The ‘rhBMP-7 alone’ subgroup demonstrated union in 83% (30/36), mean union time 5.15 months. 68% (56/82) of cases treated for nonunion subsequently united with rhBMP-7.

Our results suggest rhBMP-7 is useful in the management of fracture non-union and limb reconstruction surgery irrespective of site. It promotes bone healing of non-unions subjected to multiple operations previously. It may be indicated in those patients in whom autologous bone graft harvest is undesirable or not possible or as an adjunct to bone grafting. Moreover we did not detect any adverse reactions specific to the administration of rhBMP-7.

Computer Navigation systems are becoming more widely used for knee replacement surgery. We used the Stryker Navigation System® to assess the alignment of twenty-two knees intraoperatively. We compared alignment readings of valgus angle of the knee in extension before and after cementing of the prosthesis.

We found that in twenty of the twenty-two cases (91%), a change in alignment occurred between bone cuts stage, and final cemented prosthesis. The mean change between trial alignment and final cemented alignment was 1.5 degrees (0.5 to 4.5 degrees). Twelve cases showed an improvement in alignment on cementing (ie. tended towards zero degrees) with a mean of 1.4 degrees (0.5 to 3.5). Eight cases showed a deterioration in alignment (ie. tended further away from zero degrees) with a mean of 1.1 degrees (0.5 to 2.5). Two cases showed change in alignment without being considered worse or better ie. changed from varus to valgus or vice versa to the same degree.

We conclude that in order to benefit maximally from the accuracy of the computer navigation system, care must be taken to ensure accurate seating of the prosthesis following cementing. The changes we observed in some cases between trial alignment and final cemented result, suggest that the high level of accuracy in alignment gained by the computer navigation system may be lost at the cementing stage. We therefore recommend that alignment is rechecked immediately following cementing, and valgus or varus force carefully applied as appropriate to achieve ideal alignment before cement polymerisation.

We retrospectively reviewed 19 femoral non-unions. Age group ranged from 17–72 yrs with mean of 40 yrs. 12 were men and 7 were women. 11 fractures involved diaphysis and 8 involved supracondylar area. 5 cases were infected non-unions. Time from fracture to defini-tive treatment varied from 5 to 88 months (mean 21 months). Open technique was used in 18 cases. In 8 cases we have used autogenous cancellous bone graft and in 3 cases BMP7 was used in addition to bone graft. 9 cases were treated with Ilizarov frame without bone graft, 6 with plate & bone graft, 3 with intramedullary nail and 1 with bone graft alone. Internal bone transport was carried out in 5 cases to achieve limb length equality. Fracture union was achieved in 16 patients with 7 excellent and 8 good results as per ASAMI criteria. 15 cases achieved excellent to good functional results. Because of persistent infection, 2 distal femoral non-unions required transfemoral amputation. Treatment was discontinued due to psychiatric illness in 1 patient with Ilizarov frame. Two of the patients in Supracondylar group developed knee stiffness. Pin tract infection is a common complication in Ilizarov group.

Adequate reduction & stabilization is key to success. Non-unions without any complications can be treated with exchange nail or open reduction and plating. Ilizarov method is effective for non-unions complicated by distal location, infection and bone loss. Psychological assessment is important before considering Ilizarov method of treatment.