Proximal humerus fractures in COVID-19 lockdown: the experience of three orthopedics and traumatology departments in the first ten weeks of the Italian epidemic.

INTRODUCTION: Coronavirus disease (CoVID-19) is causing millions of deaths worldwide and the crisis of the global healthcare system.  Aim Of The Study: evaluate the preliminary impact of CoVID-19 in three Italian Orthopedics and Traumatology Departments in the first 10 weeks of the national lockdown. We focused on proximal humerus fractures, analyzing data and results in comparison with the same period of 2019. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From February 22nd to May 3rd 2020, 55 patients were admitted to our departments for promixal humerus fractures. Our cohort of patients is composed by 13 males (23.6%) and 42 females (76.4%), with an average age of 73.8 ± 11.7 years (range 44 - 94). Trauma occurred at home in 43 cases (78.2%), by the roadside in 10 cases (18.2%), in a retirement home in 1 case (1.8%), and at work in 1 case (1.8%). We proposed surgical treatment in 15/55 cases, but 4 patients refused hospitalization, mainly because of the risk of contracting n-CoV19 infection. RESULTS: We noticed a decrease in proximal humerus fractures compared to 2019 (-37.5%). Particularly, we observed a significant drop in traumas occurred on the road and at work respectively 23.9% and 3.4%% in 2019, and 18.2% and 1.8% in 2020, probably due to the consequences of the national lockdown. Sports traumas had a reset during the pandemic (6 cases in 2019, 0 in 2020). As consequence, surgical treatment had a decrease due to the reduction in number of fractures, indications and patient's consent. CONCLUSION: The incidence of proximal humerus fractures had a significant reduction during CoVID-19 spread. We assume that the reasons of this reduction are to be found in the national lockdown (since March 10th, 2020) and Ministerial Decrees that limited the access to the E.R. only in case of severe traumas in order to avoid CoVID-19 spread.

Poller blocking screw augmentation to treat delayed union of proximal tibial shaft fracture after locked IM nailing.

CASES: We present the cases of two adult male patients with painfully delayed union of proximal tibia diaphyseal fracture after intramedullary nailing. Patients underwent to nail dynamization and Poller blocking screw augmentation at 3 and 5 month, respectively, after the index surgery. Both patients were pain-free after the surgery and bone-union were radiographically evident after 3 months. At 12-month follow-up, patients returned to their previous activities. CONCLUSIONS: Although nail dynamization is the choice treatment to obtain fracture compression for delayed union of tibial shaft fractures, augmentation with Poller blocking screw could provide additional mechanical stiffness in unstable supra-isthmic shaft fractures of the tibia and favour bone union.

The orthopaedic and traumatology scenario during Covid-19 outbreak in Italy: chronicles of a silent war.

BACKGROUND: From February 21, the day of hospitalisation in ICU of the first diagnosed case of Covid-19, the social situation and the hospitals' organisation throughout Italy dramatically changed. METHODS: The CIO (Club Italiano dell'Osteosintesi) is an Italian society devoted to the study of traumatology that counts members spread in public and private hospitals throughout the country. Fifteen members of the CIO, Chairmen of 15 Orthopaedic and Trauma Units of level 1 or 2 trauma centres in Italy, have been involved in the study. They were asked to record data about surgical, outpatients clinics and ER activity from the 23rd of February to the 4th of April 2020. The data collected were compared with the data of the same timeframe of the previous year (2019). RESULTS: Comparing with last year, overall outpatient activity reduced up to 75%, overall Emergency Room (ER) trauma consultations up to 71%, elective surgical activity reduced up to 100% within two weeks and trauma surgery excluding femoral neck fractures up to 50%. The surgical treatment of femoral neck fractures showed a stable reduction from 15 to 20% without a significant variation during the timeframe. CONCLUSIONS: Covid-19 outbreak showed a tremendous impact on all orthopaedic trauma activities throughout the country except for the surgical treatment of femoral neck fractures, which, although reduced, did not change in percentage within the analysed timeframe.

Suicidal jumper's fracture - sacral fractures and spinopelvic instability: a case series.

BACKGROUND: Sacral fractures with spinopelvic dissociation are rare, and hard to diagnose and treat. Fractures with a H- or U-shaped line are severely unstable, due to a dissociation of the spine and of the upper body of the sacrum from the pelvis. They are commonly due to high-energy trauma events, with severe neurological injuries in 80% of cases. CASES PRESENTATION: Five polytraumatized Caucasian patients, three women and two men (mean age: 34 years old) with spinopelvic dissociation were selected. All patients underwent level I-II examinations with radiographs and computed tomography total-body scans; all patients needed damage-control procedures. Sacral fractures were classified according to Denis and Roy-Camille classifications, and neurologic injuries of cauda equina according to Gibbons classification. Patients' outcome was analyzed with the Majeed score. Definitive surgical treatment was appropriate for two patients (lumbar-pelvic fixation or transverse bar). Clinical and radiographic outcomes were analyzed periodically. Four patients survived, all of them suffered severe neurologic deficits. One case of osteomyelitis was treated with the removal of the fixation implants 23 months after the accident. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnosis of spinopelvic dissociation is frequently overlooked due to the severe associated injuries affecting these patients. In cases of a fall from high height, this lesion should be investigated with a lateral sacral radiographic view and computed tomography scan of the pelvis. If untreated, it can lead to severe and progressive neurologic deficit with muskuloskeletal deformities and persistent pain. Early decompression treatment is controversial, but an early lumbopelvic fixation is recommended. A correct diagnosis and early treatment can reduce morbidity and strongly improve the outcome of these patients.