Abdominal trauma associated with pelvic fractures

Abdominal trauma should always be suspected with major pelvic fractures until proven otherwise. Thorough assessment and diagnostic evaluation will determine whether surgical management is necessary. Nursing care continues to the postinjury period, which needs close observation because further complications are common.     

The orthopedic damage control in pelvic ring fractures: when and why-a multicenter experience of 10 years' treatment

ObjectivesTo report our experience of regional referral center for the pelvis.MethodsWe treated 526 pelvic fractures from January 2004 to December 2014 in three regional reference centers for pelvic trauma. Men were 480 and women were 46 and ages ranged from 16 to 93 years old. Car (65%) and farm (20%) crashes were the most frequent causes of pelvis fractures. Injury severity scores ranged from 9.0 to 75.0, with a mean of 37.5. A defined algorithm for fracture management has been in place and employed to assure adequate resuscitation and fracture care.ResultsThere were 24 deaths in total (4.56%). Sixty three (11.98%) patients underwent angio-embolization for control of bleeding (12 deaths). The average amount of blood transfused was 8.3 IU. Hospital lengths of stay ranged between 1-35 days. Among the 502 alive patients, 55.98% were able to be discharged at home while the remaining 44.02% being transferred to various rehabilitation facilities or extended care facilities.ConclusionsThe goal of initial management is to restore vital indicators, urinary excretion function and protect the patient from infectious complications. An emergency decisional algorithm helps manage hemodynamic instability. Initial bone and ligament procedures should reduce displacement and make it possible for the patient to wait until his condition is stable enough for definitive surgical fixation.     

Computational simulation of axial dynamization on long bone fractures

BACKGROUND: Axial dynamization has been shown in previous studies to promote callus formation, improve bone healing at fracture sites, and enhance bone remodeling. However, the possibility of non-axial movements or uniform fracture site compression during dynamization, and the appropriate relaxation of fixator joints to achieve such function, have not been investigated. METHODS: This study used previously developed computational models based on two commercially available unilateral external fixators (Dynafix and Orthofix) to analyze the fixator joint adjustments used and the fracture site movements generated during dynamization. FINDINGS: When none of the fixator's sliding joints were parallel to the long bone axis, significant non-axial movements occurred during dynamization. The dual sliding joint design of the Dynafix fixator was beneficial in reducing these non-axial movements. When all of the fixator joints were allowed to adjust simultaneously during dynamization, exact axial movement or uniform compression at a complicated fracture site was achievable. INTERPRETATION: This study revealed that significant non-axial movements may occur during dynamization, and that such a deficiency can be corrected by relaxing certain fixator joints in addition to the sliding mechanism. The same modeling technique can also be applied in bone lengthening application to assure desirable limb alignment during the distraction process. These analysis results can aid the performance assessment of an external fixator and facilitate appropriate application of such a device to achieve either active or controlled axial movement.     

急诊鼻外伤患者鼻骨骨折的诊治分析

目的:提高急诊鼻骨骨折患者的疗效。方法:回顾性分析154例鼻外伤致鼻骨骨折患者。根据病史和体检,结合影像学检查确诊。根据伤情分类,分别行清创术,止血、抗感染、消肿治疗术,各种鼻骨骨折整复术、上颌骨额突骨折整复术、鼻窦骨折整复术和鼻中隔矫正术以及鼻中隔血肿清除术。结果:①诊断:X线鼻骨侧位片确诊123例,占确诊例数79.9%;X线检查未见明显骨折而行CT扫描确诊31例,占确诊例数20.1%。②治疗:治愈132例,占总研究例数85.7%;好转15例,占总研究例数9.75%;其他:拟Ⅱ期复位1例,占总研究例数0.65%。严重的复合伤失访2例,占总研究例数1.3%。放弃治疗4例,占总研究例数2.6%。好转病例中,10例X线拍片未见骨折,伤后12～14d鼻部CT发现鼻骨骨折和(或)上颌骨额突骨折,行闭合性鼻骨骨折整复术和(或)上颌骨额突骨折整复术,占好转病例66.7%;3例粉碎性鼻骨骨折患者行闭合性鼻骨骨折整复术,占好转病例20%;陈旧性骨折重新复位2例,占好转病例13.3%。结论:对于有明确鼻部外伤史且外鼻畸形明显患者,X线检查未见明显骨折征象时,应行CT扫描,尽早确诊、及时治疗,以期提高骨折治愈率;同时还应关注鼻腔内部结构的损伤,鼻骨整复术同时及时处理,以免遗留外形缺损和功能障碍;不同骨折类型选择不同的治疗开始时间和治疗方案对于提高治疗治愈率有帮助。     

Spiral tibial fractures of children: a commonly accidental spiral long bone fracture

Pediatric training in child abuse has consistently emphasized a strong association between nonaccidental injuries and spiral fractures of long bones. Isolated spiral tibial fractures of childhood have previously been recognized by the orthopedic specialty to most frequently be accidental in etiology. The authors present evidence that supports a predominantly accidental etiology for isolated spiral tibial fractures of young children. This article presents a series in which 9 of 10 such spiral fractures were most likely the result of an accident and not child abuse or gross neglect. Additionally, almost all of these fractures presented as a gait disturbance and should be included in the differential of this complaint.     

Ultrasonographic monitoring of bone union after fractures of long bones

Bone union after fracture was monitorem using ultrasonography to evaluate the progres sof 15 long bone fractures treated conservatively or surgically (intramedullary nail or external stabilizer). The USG images of late postfracture changes were assessed in 21 patients an average of 60 weeks post trauma. The course of changes observed in USG imaging was observed to be generally parallel to the indications of bone union confirmed in clinical and radiological examinations. The phases of echogenic changes in callus were essentially similar to the scheme described by other authors, but there was some delay in their occurrence. After an average time of 59,43 (20-486) weeks post fracture, callus could still be seen as a convexity or slight depression in the course of the echo of dense matter. The image of an echo originating from the intramedullary nail could still be seen for up to 15 weeks after fracture. Ultrasonography brings additional qualitative data on the progress of fracture healing, but one should keep in mind that it is subjective in nature and dependent on the operator.     

Airway management: considerations in the trauma patient

The five components integral to modern, sophisticated airway management in trauma patients include equipment, pharmacologic adjuncts, manual techniques, physical circumstances, and patient profile. Although there is a finite number of pieces and types of equipment, pharmacologic adjuncts, and manual techniques, the last two components are variable. For purposes of brevity and clarity, this article has presented definitive airway management in terms of a well-organized, fully-equipped admitting (resuscitation) area of a trauma center, but a trauma patient may require airway management in a variety of physical circumstances, including the field, the transport vehicle, and numerous locations within the trauma center. We believe that the commonly used airway management algorithms are a poor substitute for a conceptual understanding of the basic principles of the five components of airway management, although these decision trees may be useful as learning tools. The construction of a truly complete decision tree is virtually impossible because of the high number of individual patient profiles.     

Biologic adjuvants and bone: current use in orthopedic surgery

Normal bone healing is a complex process that eventually restores original structure and function to the site of trauma. However, clinical circumstances such as nonunion, critical-sized defects, systemic bone disease, and fusion procedures have stimulated a search for ways to enhance this normal healing process. Biologics are an important part of this search and many, including bone marrow aspirate concentrate, demineralized bone matrix, platelet-rich plasma, bone morphogenic proteins, and platelet-derived growth factor, are currently in clinical use. Many others, including mesenchymal stem cells, parathyroid hormone, and Nel-like molecule-1 (NELL-1) will likely be in use in the future depending on the results of preclinical and clinical trials.     

Accessibility,accountability, affordability: healthcare policy in orthopedic trauma

Purpose of review

This review provides historical background on trauma care in the USA and summarizes contemporary trauma-related health policy issues. It is a primer for orthopedic surgeons who want to promote improvements in research, delivery, and cost reduction in trauma care.

Recent findings

As of 2010, funding for trauma research accounted for only 0.02% of all National Institutes of Health research funding. This is disproportionate to the societal burden of traumatic injury, which is the leading cause of death and disability among people aged 1 to 46 years in the USA. The diagnosis-related group model of hospital reimbursement penalizes level-I trauma centers, which typically treat the most severely injured patients. Treatment of traumatic injury at level-I and level-II trauma centers is associated with lower rates of major complications and death compared with treatment at non-trauma centers. Patient proximity to trauma centers has been positively correlated with survival after traumatic injury. Inadequate funding has been cited as a reason for recent closures of trauma centers.

Summary

Orthopedic surgeons have a responsibility to engage in efforts to improve the quality, accessibility, and affordability of trauma care. This can be done by advocating for greater funding for trauma research; choosing the most cost-effective, patient-appropriate orthopedic implants; supporting the implementation of a national trauma system; leading high-quality research of trauma patient outcomes; and advocating for greater accessibility to level-I trauma centers for underserved populations.

     

Emergent cricothyroidotomies for trauma: training considerations

Background

Emergent cricothyroidotomy remains an uncommon, but life-saving, core procedural training requirement for emergency medicine (EM) physician training. We hypothesized that although most cricothyroidotomies for trauma occur in the emergency department (ED), they are usually performed by surgeons.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective analysis of all emergent cricothyroidotomies for trauma presentations performed at 2 large level I trauma centers over 10 years. Operators and assistants for all procedures were identified, as well as mechanism of injury and patient demographics were examined.

Results

Fifty-four cricothyroidotomies were analyzed. Patients had a mean age of 50 years, 80% were male, and 90% presented as a result of blunt trauma. The most common primary operator was a surgeon (n = 47, 87%), followed by an emergency medical services (EMS) provider (n = 6, 11%) and an EM physician (n = 1, 2%). In all cases, except those performed by EMS, the operator or assistant was an attending surgeon. All EMS procedures resulted in serious complications compared with in-hospital procedures (P < .0001).

Conclusions

(1) Prehospital cricothyroidotomy results in serious complications. (2) Despite the ubiquitous presence of EM physicians in the ED, all cricothyroidotomies were performed by a surgeon, which may present opportunities for training improvement.     

Dihydroergotamine and mobilization after major orthopedic surgery

The effects of dihydroergotamine (DHE) on the degree of mobilization and response to orthostatic stress after total hip arthroplasty were studied. In the mobilization study, 78 patients received DHE, 0.5 mg im, twice a day from the day of surgery until full mobilization was achieved. Eighty-four patients who received placebo served as controls. There was no significant difference in the time until the first day of mobilization or the degree of mobilization. In the orthostatic test condition, subgroups of 61 patients receiving placebo and 55 patients receiving DHE were subjected to orthostatic testing. There were no differences in cardiovascular response to bed rest or in orthostatic stress. We conclude that DHE does not stabilize the cardiovascular reaction to orthostatic stress, nor does it enhance mobilization in patients after total hip arthroplasty.