Plantar loading forces while walking in a below-knee cast with an attached loadbearing frame.

BACKGROUND: We measured loading forces across different points of the plantar foot surface to examine how different types of casts affect load distribution through the foot and ankle. The patella tendon-bearing (PTB) or Sarmiento cast is the current "gold-standard" casting method for offloading force through the foot and ankle. We aimed to determine if a rocker bottom frame attached to a below-knee cast (Beagle Böhler Walker) would be as effective or better at reducing load distribution during full weightbearing. METHOD: We applied TekScan FlexiForce A201 force sensors to the first and fifth metatarsal heads and the plantar surface of the calcaneus of 14 healthy volunteers. All volunteers had force measurements taken without a cast applied and then with a traditional Sarmiento cast, a standard below-knee cast, and a below-knee cast with the Böhler Walker frame fitted. RESULTS: Compared with a standard below-knee cast, the Böhler Walker frame reduced the mean peak force through the head of the first metatarsal by 58.9% (P < .0001), 73.1% through the head of the fifth metatarsal (P < .0001), and 32.2% (P < .0001) through the calcaneus. The Sarmiento cast demonstrated a mean percentage reduction in peak force of 8.6% (P = .39) and 4.4% (P = .87) through the first and fifth metatarsal heads, respectively, but increased the mean peak force by 5.9% (P = .54) through the calcaneus. CONCLUSION: Using a Böhler Walker frame applied to a below-knee cast significantly reduced weight transfer through the foot compared with a Sarmiento cast or standard below-knee cast. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This reduction in force through the foot could mean early weightbearing would be safer in patients with a wide variety of foot and ankle pathologies such as ankle fractures or operative fixations. This may reduce the incidence of immobility-dependent morbidity.

Small bowel evisceration through the anus--report of a case and review of literature.

An 84-year-old lady with a history of chronic recurrent rectal prolapse, presented to accident and emergency with a significant portion of small bowel and mesentery protruding out of her anus. The small bowel was not contained within peritoneum, nor was this a pararectal herniation. On examination of the rectum, a longitudinal tear was found in the anterior rectal wall, through which the small bowel had prolapsed. Hours after reducing the small bowel back into the anus, it prolapsed a second time. Due to multiple co-morbidities, this patient was not fit for surgery. The defect was temporarily repaired on the ward and the patient treated with aggressive antibiotic therapy. The patient continued to deteriorate, became septic, acidotic, hypotensive and died a day later.

Pain in extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy.

Pain tolerance has long been identified as a factor influencing successful treatment of renal calculi by shock wave lithotripsy (SWL). We aimed to clarify which factors directly influence pain tolerance to predict which patients are likely to undergo successful treatment. We analysed retrospectively 179 patients who received their first SWL for a solitary kidney stone. All patients were on a non-opioid analgesia protocol and were treated on an outpatient basis. The target was to deliver 4,000 shock waves at an energy level of 4. In total, 53% of patients could tolerate the targeted shock wave number and energy and were retrospectively allocated into group A. Those who required a reduction in either energy levels or shock wave number were allocated in group B. Multivariate and univariate analysis showed that female patients, who are young with thin body habitus, have lower pain tolerance to SWL.