Hip fractures.

In the UK the incidence of hip fractures is nearly 76 000 cases per year, with the vast majority of these fractures occurring in patients over the age of 70 years. Most patients who sustain a hip fracture will have significant comorbidities and up to 40% will have cognitive impairment. For patients, sustaining a hip fracture can potentially be a devastating event. This article provides an overview of the presentation, assessment and management of hip fractures for core surgical, acute care common stem and emergency medicine trainees.

The impact of COVID-19 on the future of orthopaedic training in the UK.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on global healthcare systems, has drastically affected patient care, and has had widespread effects upon medical education. As plans are being devised to reinstate elective surgical services, it is important to consider the impact that the pandemic has had and will continue to have on surgical training. We describe the effect COVID-19 has had at all levels of training in the UK within trauma and orthopaedics and evaluate how training might change in the future. We found that the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted trainees within trauma and orthopaedics at all levels of training. It had led to reduced operative exposure, cancellations of examinations and courses, and modifications to speciality recruitment and annual appraisals. This cohort of trainees is witnessing novel methods of delivering orthopaedic services, which will continue to develop and become part of routine practice even once the pandemic has resolved. It will be important to observe the extent to which the rapid changes currently being introduced will impact the personal health, safety, and career progression of current trainees.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on paediatric orthopaedic trauma workload in central London: a multi-centre longitudinal observational study over the "golden weeks".

Background and purpose - The COVID-19 pandemic has been recognised as an unprecedented global health crisis. This study assesses the impact on a large acute paediatric hospital service in London, evaluating the trends in the acute paediatric orthopaedic trauma referral caseload and operative casemix before (2019) and during (2020) COVID-19 lockdown. Patients and methods - A longitudinal retrospective observational prevalence study of both acute paediatric orthopaedic trauma referrals and operative caseload was performed for the first 6 "golden weeks" of lockdown. These data were compared with the same period in 2019. Statistical analyses included median (± median absolute deviation), risk and odds ratios as well as Fisher's exact test to calculate the statistical significance, set at p ≤ 0.05. Results - Acute paediatric trauma referrals in 2020 were reduced by two-thirds compared with 2019 (n = 302 vs. 97) with a halving risk (RR 0.55) and odds ratios (OR 0.43) of sporting-related mechanism of injuries (p = 0.002). There was a greater use of outpatient telemedicine in the COVID-19 period with more Virtual Fracture Clinic use (OR 97, RR 84, p < 0.001), and fewer patients being seen for consultation and followed up face to face (OR 0.55, RR 0.05, p < 0.001). Interpretation - The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a decline in the number of acute paediatric trauma referrals, admissions, and operations during the COVID period. There has also been a significant change in the patient pathway with more being reviewed via the means of telemedicine to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission and exposure. More work is required to observe for similar trends nationwide and globally as the pandemic has permanently affected the entire healthcare infrastructure.

Clavicle fractures.

Clavicle fractures account for approximately 2-5% of all fractures in adults and 10-15% in children. There is a bimodal distribution, with two peaks occurring in patients <25 years of age as a result of direct trauma and in those >55 years of age secondary to a fall onto an outstretched arm. Approximately two-thirds of all clavicle fractures occur in men. This article provides an overview of the presentation, assessment and management of clavicle fractures for both core surgical trainees and acute care common stem/emergency medicine trainees.

Clinical outcomes in elective total hip arthroplasty in Parkinson's disease: a systematic review of the literature.

Parkinson's disease (PD) poses a significant challenge for the arthroplasty surgeon, owing to excessive muscle tone, higher fracture risk and poor bone quality. Several studies have reported high mortality, early failure and perioperative complications associated with hip fracture surgery in PD; however, no higher-level evidence exists regarding elective hip arthroplasty.The aim of our study was to perform a systematic review to evaluate the evidence basis and clinical outcomes pertaining to patients with underlying Parkinson's disease undergoing elective total hip arthroplasty (THA).We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials to identify studies evaluating the safety and clinical outcomes of THA in patients suffering from Parkinson's. Our review conforms to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.Ten studies encompassing 49,730 patients were included in our systematic review. Qualitative synthesis demonstrated comparable results between PD patients and controls with respect to one-year mortality and surgical site infections. PD patients experienced more medical complications, had a longer hospital stay and worse long-term implant survival. Some studies also reported a higher rate of dislocation, periprosthetic fractures and aseptic loosening.Decisions about the optimal articulation, the utilization of cemented components, dual-mobility cups or constrained liners were not uniform among included studies.THA in patients with Parkinson's disease can offer significant functional gains and pain relief. Surgical considerations pertain to the approach and ways to address instability, whereas emphasis should be placed on appropriate counselling and exploring whether potential improvement of life quality outweighs the risks. Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2020;5:856-865. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.5.200034.