ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Polymethylmethacrylate antibiotic impregnated beads can be an effective treatment for chronic osteomyelitis or an adjuvant in the treatment of open fractures. It remains unclear however whether the beads cause long-term adverse events if not removed. The purpose of this study was to determine if removal of antibiotic beads was required in order to avoid long term complications. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted on patients with an extremity or pelvis fracture that had implantation of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) antibiotic beads over a five-year period. RESULTS: Fifty-one patients met inclusion criteria for this study; thirty-seven patients (73%) did not have complications after surgical debridement and placement of PMMA antibiotic beads necessitating removal. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that polymethylmethacrylate antibiotic beads can be utilized as a means of delivering high-dose concentrations of local antibiotics and do not have to be removed in all patients.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Conventional fixation methods of posterior wall acetabular fractures feature the use of plating and lag screws. However, fixation of posterior wall fractures with buttress plating alone offers potential advantages by avoiding the hardware complications related to hardware placement through the wall fragment. The purpose of this study was to examine if buttress plating alone, without screw fixation through the wall would be a viable method of treating these fractures. Our hypothesis was that this technique would not result in loss of reduction. METHODS: Consecutive series of patients with isolated posterior wall acetabular fractures treated by two independent surgeons at two Level I Trauma centers without screw fixation across the fracture (Boston Medical Center/Harborview Medical Center). RESULTS: All 72 fractures treated without a screw through the posterior wall fragment maintained reduction at an average of 1.6 years post-operatively. For fractures fixed with buttress plating alone, 92 % were reduced within 2 mm of being anatomic compared to 94 % of fractures that had screws cross the fracture. CONCLUSION: The described buttress plating technique without screw fixation in the wall is an acceptable form of fixation for posterior wall acetabular fractures without the theoretical risk of intra-wall screw fixation.
ABSTRACT
Immersive virtual reality is proving effective as a non-pharmacologic analgesic for a growing number of painful medical procedures. External fixator surgical pins provide adjunctive stability to a broken pelvic bone until the bones heal back together, then pins are removed. The purpose of the present case study was to measure for the first time, whether immersive virtual reality could be used to help reduce pain and anxiety during the orthopedic process of removing external fixator pins from a conscious patient in the orthopedic outpatient clinic, and whether it is feasible to use VR in this context. Using a within-subject within wound care design with treatment order randomized, the patient had his first ex-fix pin unscrewed and removed from his healing pelvic bone while he wore a VR helmet and explored an immersive snowy 3D computer generated world, adjunctive VR. He then had his second pin removed during no VR, standard of care pain medications. The patient reported having 43% less pain intensity, 67% less time spent thinking about pain, and 43% lower anxiety during VR vs. during No VR. In addition, the patient reported that his satisfaction with pain management was improved with the use of VR. Conducting simple orthopedic procedures using oral pain pills in an outpatient setting instead of anesthesia in the operating room greatly reduces the amount of opioids used, lowers medical costs and reduces rare but real risks of expensive complications from anesthesia including oversedation, death, and post-surgical dementia. These preliminary results suggest that immersive VR merits more attention as a potentially viable adjunctive non-pharmacologic form of treatment for acute pain and anxiety during medical procedures in the orthopedic outpatient clinic. Recent multi-billion dollar investments into R and D and mass production have made inexpensive immersive virtual reality products commercially available and cost effective for medical applications. We speculate that in the future, patients may be more willing to have minor surgery procedures in the outpatient clinic, with much lower opioid doses, while fully awake, if offered adjunctive virtual reality as a non-pharmacologic analgesic during the procedure. Additional research and development is recommended.
