Treatment of Scaphoid Fractures: European Approaches.

Scaphoid fractures account for 2% of all fractures. In Europe, the incidence is 12.4/100,000/y. This article focuses on the European perspective on understanding and management of these injuries. These fractures occur in young, active patients. The aim of treatment is union. Osteoarthritis is almost inevitable if the fracture does not unite. Cast immobilization is the treatment of choice in occult or stable fractures with 90% to 95% healing. Acute/primary surgery may be considered in some patients. The European literature stresses the importance of taking the patient's wishes into consideration after careful counseling about alternative treatment methods.

How to salvage a salvage endoprosthesis.

Custom-made endoprostheses can be linked to existing well-fixed implants in the treatment of complex periprosthetic femoral fractures. By adopting this salvage approach, secure implants can be retained in favour of patients undergoing more tissue disruptive procedures such as total femoral replacements. In this piece, we present a unique case illustrating a salvage strategy for treating a failed cement-linked salvage endoprosthesis, a complex scenario which to our knowledge has never before been reported.

Complications of Kirschner-wire fixation in distal radius fractures.

Distal radius and ulna fractures are the most common fractures seen in England, occurring at a rate of 22/10,000 person years. Kirschner (K)-wire fixation is a well-accepted method of treating these fractures. There is a surprising paucity of evidence on the subject of prophylactic antibiotics and the duration of K wires can be left in, as these relate to infection rates. We therefore present the results of our protocol for distal radius K-wire fixation for which: no antibiotic prophylaxis was given; we used a percutaneous (not buried) technique, where the K wires were removed after 4 weeks, and the patient has a total of 6 weeks in cast (last 2 wk without wires). The results of the last 100 consecutive patients who were treated with manipulation and K wiring of dorsally displaced distal radial fractures in a standard district general hospital over a 2-year period were analyzed retrospectively. A total of 100 patients had 176 K wires inserted. The mean age was 32.5 years. The mean time to pin removal was 29.4 days. The infection rate was 2%. These results illustrate a safe and clinically effective protocol for K-wire fixation in treating distal radius fractures. On the basis of this study, we do not advocate the use of prophylactic antibiotics, postulating that they do not affect infection rate and thereby eliminating potential antibiotic adverse effects. Furthermore, we do not bury the K wires, which allows for their removal in clinic, thus preventing risks of further operative procedures.

A 12 month review of a modified protocol using low dose Dabigatran Etexilate in postoperative thromboembolic prophylaxis in joint replacement surgery.

BACKGROUND: Venous Thrombo-embolic disease is currently a hot topic especially in the UK. 25,000 patients per year die of Pulmonary Emboli (PE) in the United Kingdom (UK). Hip and knee arthroplasty surgery is associated with an increased rate of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolus (PE). The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines introduced in January 2010 recommended use of subcutaneous heparin or an oral anticoagulant (Dabigatran or Rivaroxiban) for 10-14 days post knee and 28-35 days post hip arthroplasty. In our unit we were keen on the advantages of an oral anticoagulant post arthroplasty in terms of patient compliance, and avoiding the need for self administered injection in the community. METHODS: We analysed all the notes, blood results and imaging of patients undergoing total hip or knee arthroplasty and present 1 year's data using a regime of subcutaneous Dalteparin whilst an inpatient, followed by discharge on oral Dabigatran at a low dose (150 mg once daily). RESULTS: There were 337 patients over 1 year with hip and knee arthroplasty, with a 1.19% rate of DVT with no PEs and 1 death due to an unrelated cause. There was a transfusion rate of 11.57% with 1.19% patients taken back to theatre for evacuation of haematomas. There were no reported adverse effects of Dabigatran. CONCLUSION: Our treatment protocol is a novel practical approach for VTE prophylaxis in hip and knee replacement patients. This approach shows promising data but no definitive evidence to warrant wide-spread use of this new regime. This data can act as a foundation for larger randomised clinical trials.