The aim of this study was to explore parents and young people’s experience of having a medial epicondyle fracture, and their thoughts about the uncertainty regarding the optimal treatment. Families were identified after being invited to participate in a randomized controlled trial of surgery or no surgery for displaced medial epicondyle fractures of the humerus in children. A purposeful sample of 25 parents (22 females) and five young people (three females, mean age 11 years (7 to 14)) from 15 UK hospitals were interviewed a mean of 39 days (14 to 78) from injury. Qualitative interviews were informed by phenomenology and themes identified to convey participants’ experience.Aims
Methods
Social determinants of health (SDOHs) may contribute to the total cost of care (TCOC) for patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The aim of this study was to investigate the association between demographic data, health status, and SDOHs on 30-day length of stay (LOS) and TCOC after this procedure. Patients who underwent TKA between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2019 were identified. A total of 234 patients with complete SDOH data were included. Data were drawn from the Chesapeake Regional Information System, the Centers for Disease Control social vulnerability index (SVI), the US Department of Agriculture, and institutional electronic medical records. The SVI identifies areas vulnerable to catastrophic events with four themed scores: socioeconomic status; household composition and disability; minority status and language; and housing and transportation. Food deserts were defined as neighbourhoods located one or ten miles from a grocery store in urban and rural areas, respectively. Multiple regression analyses were performed to determine associations with LOS and costs after controlling for various demographic parameters.Aims
Methods
Tourniquets have potential adverse effects including postoperative thigh pain, likely caused by their ischaemic and possible compressive effects. The aims of this preliminary study were to determine if it is possible to directly measure intramuscular pH in human subjects over time, and to measure the intramuscular pH changes resulting from tourniquet ischaemia in patients undergoing knee arthroscopy. For patients undergoing short knee arthroscopic procedures, a sterile calibrated pH probe was inserted into the anterior fascial compartment of the leg after skin preparation, but before tourniquet inflation. The limb was elevated for three minutes prior to tourniquet inflation to 250 mmHg or 300 mmHg. Intramuscular pH was recorded at one-second intervals throughout the procedure and for 20 minutes following tourniquet deflation. Probe-related adverse events were recorded.Aims
Methods
Aims. To assess complications and failure mechanisms of osteoarticular
allograft reconstructions for primary bone tumours. Patients and Methods. We retrospectively evaluated 38 patients (28 men, 74%) who were
treated at our institution with osteoarticular allograft reconstruction
between 1989 and 2010. Median age was 19 years (interquartile range
14 to 32). Median follow-up was 19.5 years (95% confidence interval
(CI) 13.0 to 26.1) when 26 patients (68%) were alive. In addition, we
systematically searched the literature for clinical studies on osteoarticular
allografts, finding 31 studies suitable for analysis. Results of
papers that reported on one site exclusively were pooled for comparison. Results. A total of 20 patients (53%) experienced graft failure, including
15 due to mechanical complications (39%) and three (9%) due to
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
Objectives. Nasal carriers of Staphylococcus (S.) aureus (MRSA and MSSA) have an increased risk for healthcare-associated
To investigate factors that contribute to patient decisions regarding attendance for arthroplasty during the COVID-19 pandemic. A postal questionnaire was distributed to patients on the waiting list for hip or knee arthroplasty in a single tertiary centre within the UK. Patient factors that may have influenced the decision to attend for arthroplasty, global quality of life (QoL) (EuroQol five-dimension three-level (EQ-5D-3L)), and joint-specific QoL (Oxford Hip or Knee Score) were assessed. Patients were asked at which ‘COVID-alert’ level they would be willing to attend an NHS and a “COVID-light” hospital for arthroplasty. Independent predictors were assessed using multivariate logistic regression.Aims
Methods
Alternative alignment concepts, including kinematic and restricted kinematic, have been introduced to help improve clinical outcomes following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical results, along with patient satisfaction, following TKA using the concept of restricted kinematic alignment. A total of 121 consecutive TKAs performed between 11 February 2018 to 11 June 2019 with preoperative varus deformity were reviewed at minimum one-year follow-up. Three knees were excluded due to severe preoperative varus deformity greater than 15°, and a further three due to requiring revision surgery, leaving 109 patients and 115 knees to undergo primary TKA using the concept of restricted kinematic alignment with advanced technology. Patients were stratified into three groups based on the preoperative limb varus deformity: Group A with 1° to 5° varus (43 knees); Group B between 6° and 10° varus (56 knees); and Group C with varus greater than 10° (16 knees). This study group was compared with a matched cohort of 115 TKAs and 115 patients using a neutral mechanical alignment target with manual instruments performed from 24 October 2016 to 14 January 2019.Aims
Methods
To identify the prevalence of neuropathic pain after lower limb fracture surgery, assess associations with pain severity, quality of life and disability, and determine baseline predictors of chronic neuropathic pain at three and at six months post-injury. Secondary analysis of a UK multicentre randomized controlled trial (Wound Healing in Surgery for Trauma; WHiST) dataset including adults aged 16 years or over following surgery for lower limb major trauma. The trial recruited 1,547 participants from 24 trauma centres. Neuropathic pain was measured at three and six months using the Doleur Neuropathique Questionnaire (DN4); 701 participants provided a DN4 score at three months and 781 at six months. Overall, 933 participants provided DN4 for at least one time point. Physical disability (Disability Rating Index (DRI) 0 to 100) and health-related quality-of-life (EuroQol five-dimension five-level; EQ-5D-5L) were measured. Candidate predictors of neuropathic pain included sex, age, BMI, injury mechanism, concurrent injury, diabetes, smoking, alcohol, analgaesia use pre-injury, index surgery location, fixation type, Injury Severity Score, open injury, and wound care.Aims
Methods
The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of coccygectomy in patients with persistent coccydynia and coccygeal instability. The Danish National Spine Registry, DaneSpine, was used to identify 134 consecutive patients who underwent surgery, performed by a single surgeon between 2011 and 2019. Routine demographic data, surgical variables, and patient-reported outcomes, including a visual analogue scale (VAS) (0 to 100) for pain, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), EuroQol five-dimension questionnaire (EQ-5D), and the Physical Component Score (PCS) and Mental Component Score (MCS) of the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey questionnaire (SF-36) were collected at baseline and one-year postoperatively.Aims
Methods
Displaced distal radius fractures were investigated at a level 1 major trauma centre during the COVID-19 2020 lockdown due to the implementation of temporary changes in practice. The primary aim was to establish if follow-up at one week in place of the 72-hour British Orthopaedic Association Standards for Trauma & Orthopaedics (BOAST) guidance was safe following manipulation under anaesthetic. A parallel adaptation during lockdown was the non-expectation of Bier’s block. The secondary aim was to compare clinical outcomes with respect to block type. Overall, 90 patients were assessed in a cross-sectional cohort study using a mixed, retrospective-prospective approach. Consecutive sampling of 30 patients pre-lockdown (P1), 30 during lockdown (P2), and 30 during post-lockdown (P3) was applied. Type of block, operative status, follow-up, and complications were extracted. Primary endpoints were early complications (≤ one week). Secondary endpoints were later complications including malunion, delayed union or osteotomy.Aims
Methods
The response to the COVID-19 pandemic has raised the profile and level of interest in the use, acceptability, safety, and effectiveness of virtual outpatient consultations and telemedicine. These models of care are not new but a number of challenges have so far hindered widespread take-up and endorsement of these ways of working. With the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, remote and virtual working and consultation have become the default. This paper explores our experience of and learning from virtual and remote consultation and questions how this experience can be retained and developed for the future. Cite this article:
Complex joint fractures of the lower extremity are often accompanied by soft-tissue swelling and are associated with prolonged hospitalization and soft-tissue complications. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of vascular impulse technology (VIT) on soft-tissue conditioning in comparison with conventional elevation. A total of 100 patients were included in this prospective, randomized, controlled monocentre study allocated to the three subgroups of dislocated ankle fracture (n = 40), pilon fracture (n = 20), and intra-articular calcaneal fracture (n = 40). Patients were randomized to the two study groups in a 1:1 ratio. The effectiveness of VIT (intervention) compared with elevation (control) was analyzed separately for the whole study population and for the three subgroups. The primary endpoint was the time from admission until operability (in days).Aims
Methods
A pilon fracture is a severe ankle joint injury caused by high-energy trauma, typically affecting men of working age. Although relatively uncommon (5% to 7% of all tibial fractures), this injury causes among the worst functional and health outcomes of any skeletal injury, with a high risk of serious complications and long-term disability, and with devastating consequences on patients’ quality of life and financial prospects. Robust evidence to guide treatment is currently lacking. This study aims to evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of two surgical interventions that are most commonly used to treat pilon fractures. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) of 334 adult patients diagnosed with a closed type C pilon fracture will be conducted. Internal locking plate fixation will be compared with external frame fixation. The primary outcome and endpoint will be the Disability Rating Index (a patient self-reported assessment of physical disability) at 12 months. This will also be measured at baseline, three, six, and 24 months after randomization. Secondary outcomes include the Olerud and Molander Ankle Score (OMAS), the five-level EuroQol five-dimenison score (EQ-5D-5L), complications (including bone healing), resource use, work impact, and patient treatment preference. The acceptability of the treatments and study design to patients and health care professionals will be explored through qualitative methods.Aims
Methods
The aim of this study was to assess orthopaedic oncologic patient morbidity resulting from COVID-19 related institutional delays and surgical shutdowns during the first wave of the pandemic in New York, USA. A single-centre retrospective observational study was conducted of all orthopaedic oncologic patients undergoing surgical evaluation from March to June 2020. Patients were prioritized as level 0-IV, 0 being elective and IV being emergent. Only priority levels 0 to III were included. Delay duration was measured in days and resulting morbidities were categorized into seven groups: prolonged pain/disability; unplanned preoperative radiation and/or chemotherapy; local tumour progression; increased systemic disease; missed opportunity for surgery due to progression of disease/lost to follow up; delay in diagnosis; and no morbidity.Aims
Methods
Periprosthetic femoral fractures (PPF) are a serious complication of total hip arthroplasty (THA) and are becoming an increasingly common indication for revision arthroplasty with the ageing population. This study aimed to identify potential risk factors for PPF based on an analysis of registry data. Cases recorded with PPF as the primary indication for revision arthroplasty in the German Arthroplasty Registry (Endoprothesenregister Deutschland (EPRD)), as well as those classified as having a PPF according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes in patients’ insurance records were identified from the complete datasets of 249,639 registered primary hip arthroplasties in the EPRD and included in the analysis.Aims
Methods
Aims. Displaced, comminuted acetabular fractures in the elderly are increasingly common, but there is no consensus on whether they should be treated non-surgically, surgically with open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF), or with acute total hip arthroplasty (THA). A combination of ORIF and acute THA, an approach called ’combined hip procedure’ (CHP), has been advocated and our aim was to compare the outcome after CHP or ORIF alone. Patients and Methods. A total of 27 patients with similar acetabular fractures (severe acetabular impaction with or without concomitant femoral head injury) with a mean age of 72.2 years (50 to 89) were prospectively followed for a minimum of two years. In all, 14 were treated with ORIF alone and 13 were treated with a CHP. Hip joint and patient survival were estimated. Operating times, blood loss, radiological outcomes, and patient-reported outcomes were assessed. Results. No patient in the CHP group required further hip surgery, giving THA a survival rate of 100% (95% confidence interval (CI) 100 to 100) after three years, compared with 28.6% hip joint survival in the ORIF group (95% CI 12.5 to 65.4; p = 0.001). No dislocations or deep
