Functional bracing of Colles' fractures.

Colles' fracture is one of the most common injuries encountered in orthopaedic practice and yet there is no optimum method for its management. Various operative treatments have been proposed because of the instability of the fracture following reduction. However, considering the epidemiology of the fracture, the majority of these injuries will continue to be treated conservatively with closed reduction and immobilization of the wrist in a cast. Functional bracing is an alternative to cast immobilization, allowing early return of function while maintaining fracture reduction, and is an accepted method of treatment for a number of injuries. Although various methods of functional treatment of Colles' fractures have been described, it has not proved a popular management modality in this injury. We review previous studies of functional bracing and describe a novel method of bracing that we have developed.

A new functional brace for the treatment of Colles' fractures.

A new prefabricated brace for the functional treatment of Colles' fractures has been developed. It is applied at fracture reduction and maintains fracture position by the application of three-point loading. In a prospective randomized clinical trial treating 85 displaced Colles' fractures, with blind independent follow-up, the brace gave better functional results than conventional plaster treatment. The improved function was apparent up to 6 months after injury. Finger function and pinch strength were also better in the brace-treated patients. Anatomical results were similar in the two groups.

Lap seat-belts: still trouble after all these years.

A series of three cases of severe injury caused by involvement in an accident while wearing lap seat-belts is presented. More than 30 years after the term 'seat-belt syndrome' was coined, attention still requires to be drawn to the likely combination of severe spinal and intra-abdominal injuries in such patients.

Thrombocytopenia absent radius syndrome and knee deformity.

We report a case of thrombocytopenia absent radius (TAR) syndrome with varus and flexion deformity and limited movement of the knee. Soft tissue release achieved only partial correction of the deformity and tended to convert a stiff knee to an unstable knee. Flexion deformity required correction by lower femoral extension osteotomy.

Intracast pressure measurements in Colles' fractures.

Intracast pressures were recorded in conventional plaster-of-Paris below-elbow casts and compared with a new prefabricated brace for the functional treatment of Colles' fractures. Interface pressures were consistently higher in the brace than in the conventional plaster cast throughout the treatment period, and demonstrated more specific loading to the fracture site.

Mortality in a rural area of Madang Province, Papua New Guinea.

As part of a multi-disciplinary research programme undertaken by the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research near the town of Madang, northern PNG, a three-year study of mortality was conducted in a rural population of approximately 16,500 people. From early 1982 the area was under continuous demographic surveillance which continued for the three years of the study. All deaths which occurred in this period were investigated by interviewing relatives of the deceased and examining any available health service records. Respiratory diseases were the commonest cause of death, with pneumonia accounting for 20% of deaths in children under 10 years of age, and pneumonia and chronic obstructive lung disease (COLD) together accounting for a third of all deaths. Deaths from COLD were more common in the study population than in PNG hospitals and health centres. The proportion of deaths caused by malaria in children under 10 years was estimated to be between 4 and 17%. Mortality rate in the first year of life were determined by following up a cohort of 1015 births occurring in the first 20 months of the study. Of the 1002 live births, 46 died in the first 12 months of life, giving an infant mortality rate of 45.9% live births. Other mortality and demographic rates were consistent with data reported from the 1980 PNG National Census, suggesting that the study population belonged to an advantaged rural area. Demographic features found in this population were a high birth rate, a relatively low crude death rate, and a rate of natural population increase of 2.8% per annum. The methodological difficulties associated with the measurement of malaria mortality have important implications for the evaluation of future malaria vaccines. The methods employed in this study are critically discussed, and recommendations made for future studies.

The epidemiology of malaria in a population surrounding Madang, Papua New Guinea.

Malaria is prevalent throughout coastal and lowland Papua New Guinea. Recent changes, including a shift from predominance of Plasmodium vivax to Plasmodium falciparum, appearance of chloroquine-resistant P. falciparum and decreased effectiveness of vector control programs have been observed. Epidemiological features of malaria were studied through four six-month surveys of a population of 16,500 in Madang Province from 1981-1983. Baseline data on parasitology, splenic enlargement, serology, hemoglobin levels, prevalence of 4-aminoquinolines, utilization of mosquito nets and incidence of fever were collected for use in future evaluation of malaria control measures including possible field trials of an antimalarial vaccine. Prevalence of parasitemia (all species, all ages) varied from 35.0% to 42.7% over the four surveys each of which covered a random sample of 25% of the population. The ratio of parasite species was: P. falciparum 70:P. vivax 25:P. malariae 5 in the dry seasons, shifting slightly in favor of P. falciparum during the wet seasons. Intense year-round transmission was indicated by decreasing parasite prevalence and splenic enlargement with age, low density asymptomatic parasitemias and high prevalence of antimalarial antibodies (i.e., greater than 80% of the population over five years of age was ELISA-positive). Levels of endemicity varied geographically, presence of 4-aminoquinolines in urine samples was relatively common (12.7% positive) and chloroquine resistance was widespread (81.6% in vitro, 46.6% in vivo).

The role of voluntary village aides in the control of malaria by presumptive treatment of fever. 1. Selection, training and practice.

As part of a multi-disciplinary malaria research programme in a rural area of Madang Province, the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research (PNG IMR) in 1982 established a village-based intervention programme of presumptive treatment of fever in 35 villages (population about 5,200). Seventy-four villages aides, selected by people from their own village, attended two-week training courses conducted by PNG IMR staff, and were trained to dispense three-day courses of amodiaquine (for children) or chloroquine (for adults) to anyone presenting with fever (presumptive malaria). The majority of village aides, who were voluntary workers, were married men and women between the ages of 20 and 35 years, who had had up to six years' schooling. In 1983, 5,075 fever cases were treated by village aides, which represents a quarter of the number of fever episodes estimated to occur each year in this area. Utilization of village-aide services was variable, the most important determining factors being the personality and standing of the village aide, and the distance (walking time) to the village aide's house from the patient's house. The village aides' role was expanded to include taking blood slides, dispensing other medicines (aspirin and dressings), treatment of diarrhoea by oral rehydration, and registration of vital demographic events in the village. Regular supervision, currently undertaken on a two-weekly basis by PNG IMR staff, regular refresher courses, and, probably, some sort of compensation (not necessarily monetary) are important for the long-term continuation of the programme, which may serve as a model for other areas.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The role of voluntary village aides in the control of malaria by presumptive treatment of fever. 2. Impact on village health.

A village-based programme of presumptive treatment of fever, using voluntary village aides to dispense oral chloroquine or amodiaquine, was established in 1982 by the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research (PNG IMR) in 35 rural villages or hamlets near Madang, on the north coast of PNG. In the course of the following two years, village aides became an established health resource in many of those villages, although in others they were poorly utilized. In attempting to evaluate the impact of the programme on village health, a number of parameters were investigated. These included malaria-related mortality and morbidity, and the prevalence of parasitaemia and splenic enlargement in children in the study area. Deaths attributable to malaria, which accounted for 11% of deaths in the under-10 year age-group, and cerebral malaria cases were too few to be useful as parameters to evaluate the programme. No reduction in spleen or parasite rates occurred in children as a result of the village aide programme. In two villages, there was an unexplained increase in spleen rate following the introduction of a village aide. A study of malaria-related morbidity, by investigation of all fever cases occurring in a two-week recall period, was conducted in mid-1984. House-to-house interviews were carried out in 19 villages: 9 control villages, where there was no village aide, 6 where the village aide was well utilized, and 4 where the village aide was poorly utilized. The study showed that village aides had a measurable impact on morbidity due to fever in villages where they were well utilized, primarily by reducing the duration of fever through early treatment. The results also suggested that children benefitted even in the villages where the overall utilization of village aides was low. It is felt that such a programme would have had an even greater impact in areas where access to existing health services is more difficult than in the study area.