The aims of this study were to characterize the frequency of
missing data in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program
(NSQIP) database and to determine how missing data can influence
the results of studies dealing with elderly patients with a fracture
of the hip. Patients who underwent surgery for a fracture of the hip between
2005 and 2013 were identified from the NSQIP database and the percentage
of missing data was noted for demographics, comorbidities and laboratory
values. These variables were tested for association with ‘any adverse
event’ using multivariate regressions based on common ways of handling
missing data.Aims
Patients and Methods
Between March 1993 and February 1999, 14 children aged from eight months to 14.75 years were admitted to the paediatric intensive-care unit with meningococcal septicaemia in association with severe peripheral ischaemia. Of these, 13 were operated upon, eight of whom had early fasciotomies. Five children died. Of the nine survivors, one had no amputations while in the other eight 14 limb segments were amputated. We review the case histories and propose a protocol for the early management of these children.
We tested prospectively for hepatitis C virus (HCV) in one orthopaedic surgeon's operative practice for one year. Of 425 consecutive patients, 19 (4.5%) were positive for HCV infection using a second-generation screening assay. The highest correlation with a positive test was the presence of tattoos and the second highest was intravenous drug abuse, but only after a second interview, since most patients did not report this risk on the initial questionnaire. Based on the criteria of the US Public Health Services algorithm, nine (47%) of the patients with a positive initial screening test or 2.2% of the 425 patients, had hepatitis C (both anti-HCV-positive and elevated alanine aminotransferase). In this group of nine, the presence of tattoos had the highest and intravenous drug abuse the second highest correlation, also after the second interview. There is no vaccine available for the prevention of HCV infection, and prophylactic immunoglobulin therapy has no proven value for primary exposure.
