The aim of this study was to report the outcomes of patients with severe open fractures of the lower limb in the five years after they took part in the Wound management for Open Lower Limb Fracture (WOLLF) trial. The WOLLF trial compared standard dressings to negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) applied at the end of the first surgical wound debridement, and patients were followed-up for 12 months. At 12 months, 170 of the original 460 participants agreed to take part in this medium-term follow-up study. Patients reported their Disability Rating Index (DRI) (0 to 100, where 100 is total disability) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) using the EuroQol five-dimension three-level health questionnaire (EQ-5D-3L) annually by self-reported questionnaire. Further surgical interventions related to the open fracture were also recorded.Aims
Methods
There is no consensus on the treatment of proximal humeral fractures. Hemiarthroplasty has been widely used in patients when non-surgical treatment is not possible. There is, despite extensive use, limited information about the long-term outcome. Our primary aim was to report ten-year patient-reported outcome after hemiarthroplasty for acute proximal humeral fractures. The secondary aims were to report the cumulative revision rate and risk factors for an inferior patient-reported outcome. We obtained data on 1,371 hemiarthroplasties for acute proximal humeral fractures from the Danish Shoulder Arthroplasty Registry between 2006 and 2010. Of these, 549 patients (40%) were alive and available for follow-up. The Western Ontario Osteoarthritis of the Shoulder (WOOS) questionnaire was sent to all patients at nine to 14 years after primary surgery. Revision rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Risk factors for an inferior WOOS score were analyzed using the linear regression model.Aims
Methods
Patients who sustain neck of femur fractures are at high risk of malnutrition. Our intention was to assess to what extent malnutrition was associated with worse patient outcomes. A total of 1,199 patients with femoral neck fractures presented to a large UK teaching hospital over a three-year period. All patients had nutritional assessments performed using the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST). Malnutrition risk was compared to mortality, length of hospital stay, and discharge destination using logistic regression. Adjustments were made for covariates to identify whether malnutrition risk independently affected these outcomes.Aims
Methods
The best method of managing a fracture of the
distal humerus in a frail low-demand patient with osteoporotic bone remains
controversial. Total elbow arthroplasty (TEA) has been recommended
for patients in whom open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF)
is not possible. Conservative methods of treatment, including the
‘bag of bones’ technique (acceptance of displacement of the bony
fragments and early mobilisation), are now rarely considered as
they are believed to give a poor functional result. We reviewed 40 elderly and low-demand patients (aged 50 to 93
years, 72% women) with a fracture of the distal humerus who had
been treated conservatively at our hospital between March 2008 and
December 2013, and assessed their short- and medium-term functional
outcome. In the short-term, the mean Broberg and Morrey score improved
from 42 points (poor; 23 to 80) at six weeks after injury to 67
points (fair; 40 to 88) by three months. In the medium-term, surviving patients (n = 20) had a mean Oxford
elbow score of 30 points (7 to 48) at four years and a mean Disabilities
of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score of 38 points (0 to 75): 95%
reported a functional range of elbow flexion. The cumulative rate
of fracture union at one year was 53%. The mortality at five years approached
40%. Conservative management of a fracture of the distal humerus in
a low-demand patient only gives a modest functional result, but
avoids the substantial surgical risks associated with primary ORIF
or TEA. Cite this article:
This is a case series of prospectively gathered
data characterising the injuries, surgical treatment and outcomes
of consecutive British service personnel who underwent a unilateral
lower limb amputation following combat injury. Patients with primary,
unilateral loss of the lower limb sustained between March 2004 and
March 2010 were identified from the United Kingdom Military Trauma
Registry. Patients were asked to complete a Short-Form (SF)-36 questionnaire.
A total of 48 patients were identified: 21 had a trans-tibial amputation,
nine had a knee disarticulation and 18 had an amputation at the
trans-femoral level. The median New Injury Severity Score was 24 (mean
27.4 (9 to 75)) and the median number of procedures per residual
limb was 4 (mean 5 (2 to 11)). Minimum two-year SF-36 scores were
completed by 39 patients (81%) at a mean follow-up of 40 months
(25 to 75). The physical component of the SF-36 varied significantly
between different levels of amputation (p = 0.01). Mental component
scores did not vary between amputation levels (p = 0.114). Pain
(p = 0.332), use of prosthesis (p = 0.503), rate of re-admission
(p = 0.228) and mobility (p = 0.087) did not vary between amputation
levels. These findings illustrate the significant impact of these injuries
and the considerable surgical burden associated with their treatment.
Quality of life is improved with a longer residual limb, and these
results support surgical attempts to maximise residual limb length. Cite this article:
