Early Definitive Fracture Fixation is Safely Performed in the Presence of an Open Abdomen in Multiply Injured Patients.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the safety and feasibility of performing definitive fracture fixation in multiply injured patients in the presence of an open abdomen after laparotomy. DESIGN: Retrospective observational cohort study. SETTING: Level-I academic trauma center. PATIENTS: Adult polytrauma patients with the presence of an open abdomen after "damage control" laparotomy and associated major fractures of long bones, acetabulum, pelvis, or spine, requiring surgical repair (n = 81). INTERVENTION: Timing of definitive fracture fixation in relation to the timing of abdominal wall closure. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Incidence of orthopedic surgical site infections. RESULTS: During a 15-year time window from January 1, 2000 until December 31, 2014, we identified a cohort of 294 consecutive polytrauma patients with an open abdomen after laparotomy. Surgical fixation of associated fractures was performed after the index laparotomy in 81 patients. In group 1 (n = 32), fracture fixation occurred significantly sooner despite a concurrent open abdomen, compared with group 2 (n = 49) with abdominal wall closure before fixation (mean 4.4 vs. 11.8 days; P = 0.01). The incidence of orthopaedic surgical site infections requiring a surgical revision was significantly lower in group 1 (3.1%) compared to group 2 (30.6%; P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Definitive fracture fixation in the presence of an open abdomen is performed safely and associated with a significant decrease in clinically relevant surgical site infections, compared with delaying fracture fixation until abdominal wall closure. These data suggest that the strategy of imposing a time delay in orthopaedic procedures while awaiting abdominal wall closure is unjustified. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Percutaneous inflation osteoplasty for indirect reduction of depressed tibial plateau fractures.

Anatomic reduction of articular depression tibial plateau fractures is challenging. The authors describe a new technique using percutaneous balloon-guided inflation osteoplasty for a depressed lateral tibial plateau fracture. The fluoroscopy-guided inflation osteoplasty restores the joint surface anatomically in a minimally invasive fashion. The metaphyseal void is filled with a fast-setting fluid-phase bone substitute, and a lateral buttress plate is applied with less invasive incisions. This technique is a valid alternative for indirect reduction of depressed articular tibial plateau fractures.

Molecular mediators of polymicrobial sepsis.

Sepsis is still a major cause of postoperative morbidity and mortality. Numerous biochemical indicators have been evaluated regarding their potential in predicting prognosis in sepsis. Generally, one must differentiate between indicators: those for preoperative risk of lethal sepsis, those for early prediction of lethal outcome and those for evaluating effectiveness of therapy. In the past, immunomodulatory therapies developed in various animal studies failed to be successful in humans. It has been proposed that present models have to be reevaluated, and new, clinically more relevant models should be evolved. This article will give a short overview on the most common animal models and a comprehensive overview on markers for sepsis in animal models and clinical studies. The focus will be on abdominal sepsis with a mortality rate up to 80 percent after major surgery. Two animal models designed to closely mimic the clinical course of intra-abdominal sepsis, will be compared. Furthermore, relevant clinical parameters for predicting prognosis before and after major visceral surgery are illustrated.

High-energy proximal femur fractures in geriatric patients: a retrospective analysis of short-term complications and in-hospital mortality in 32 consecutive patients.

BACKGROUND: There is limited information in the literature on the outcomes and complications in elderly patients who sustain high-energy hip fractures. As the population ages, the incidence of high-energy geriatric hip fractures is expected to increase. The purpose of this study was to analyze the outcomes and complications in patients aged 65 years or older, who sustained a high-energy proximal femur fracture. METHODS: Retrospective review of a prospective trauma database from January 2000 to April 2011 at a single US academic level-1 trauma center. Inclusion criteria consisted of all patients of age 65 years or older, who sustained a proximal femur fracture related to a high-energy trauma mechanism. Details concerning injury, acute treatment, and clinical course and outcome were obtained from medical records and radiographs. RESULTS: We identified 509 proximal femur fractures in patients older than 65 years of age, of which 32 (6.3%) were related to a high-energy trauma mechanism. The mean age in the study group was 72.2 years (range 65-87), with a mean injury severity score of 20 points (range 9-57). Three patients died before discharge (9.4%), and 22 of 32 patients sustained at least one complication (68.8%). Blunt chest trauma represented the most frequently associated injury, and the main root cause of pulmonary complications. The patients' age and comorbidities did not significantly correlate with the rate of complications and the 1-year mortality. CONCLUSIONS: High-energy proximal femur fractures in elderly patients are not very common and are associated with a low in-hospital mortality rate of less than 10%, despite high rate of complications of nearly 70%. This selective cohort of patients requires a particular attention to respiratory management due to the high incidence of associated chest trauma.