Outcomes of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Detected Occult Neck of Femur Fractures: Do They Represent a Less Severe Injury with Improved Outcomes?

PURPOSE: Occult hip fractures in the elderly can be missed on standard radiographs and are a known cause of morbidity. These are generally diagnosed on either magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography scan, depending upon local hospital policy. While there is an abundance of literature on hip fractures in general, little is known about the clinical outcome of patients with occult hip fractures. The aim of this study was to review the demographics, injury characteristics, management and clinical outcome of patients diagnosed with occult femoral neck fractures on MRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using an existing hospital database, a retrospective analysis of all patients with occult hip fractures diagnosed by MRI scan from 2005 to 2014 was conducted. RESULTS: Sixty-four patients (23 males and 41 females) were included. The mean duration of hospitalisation was 16 days. A significantly higher percentage of patients were discharged to their pre-existing residence compared to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) commissioning guidelines (66% vs. 45%). The 30- and 60-day mortalities were 3% and 10%, respectively. Mortality was lower in patients who underwent internal fixation (n=3/31) compared with those undergoing replacement (hemi/total hip arthroplasty) (n=5/12) (P=0.056). CONCLUSION: Patients with occult hip fractures diagnosed on an MRI scan are more likely to be discharged to their pre-existing residence and have lower mortality rates compared to NICE guidelines and National Hip Fracture Database (NHFD).

A prospective cohort study investigating the use of a surgical planning tool to improve patient fasting times in orthopaedic trauma.

OBJECTIVES: To improve surgical planning and reduce fasting times with a tool designed to predict average surgical times for the commonest orthopaedic trauma operations. METHODS: A prospective cohort study comprising two 2-week periods before and after introduction of a surgical planning tool. The tool was used in the post-intervention group to predict surgical times for each patient and the predicted end-time for each list. The study was conducted in a UK trauma unit with consecutive orthopaedic trauma patients listed for surgery with no exclusions. INTERVENTION: A surgical planning tool was generated by analysing 5146 electronic records for trauma procedure times. Average surgical times for the commonest 20 procedures were generated with 95% confidence intervals. The primary outcome measure was number of patients fasted for a single day. The secondary outcome measures were the day of surgery and total fast times for food and fluids. RESULTS: After introduction of the planning tool, patients were more likely to fast for only one day (65% 46/71 vs 53% 40/75, p < 0.05). Day of surgery food fast was significantly lower with use of the surgical planning tool (13:11 h to 11:44 h, p < 0.05). Fast times were lower for patients with hip fractures after the intervention, with a reduction in day of surgery fast from 8:25 h to 4:28 h (p < 0.05) and a total fluid fast of 13:00 h to 4:31 h (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Introduction of a surgical planning tool was associated with a decrease in fasting times for orthopaedic trauma patients with no patient cancelled for not being adequately fasted.

Cemented total hip replacement in patients under 55 years.

Background and purpose - About 86,000 total hip replacements (THR) have been registered in patients under 55 years in the National Joint Registry of England and Wales (NJR). The use of uncemented implants has increased, despite their outcomes not having been proven to be significantly better than cemented implants in this registry. We determined the implant survivorship and functional outcomes of cemented THR in patients under 55 years at a minimum follow-up of 22 years. Patients and methods - 104 hips in 100 patients were included in this prospective study. Functional outcome was assessed using the Harris Hip Score and radiographs were assessed for implant failure and "at risk" of failure. Kaplan-Meier survivorship analysis was performed. Results - 89% of hips showed good to excellent results at final follow-up with a mean Harris Hip Score of 88 at a mean follow-up of 25 years. Revision was performed in 3/104 hips. 14 acetabular components and 4 femoral components were "at risk" of failure. The survivorship at minimum 22 years with revision for any reason as the end-point was 97% (95% CI 95-98). Interpretation - Cemented hip replacements perform well in young patients with good long-term functional and radiographic outcomes.

How well do contoured superior midshaft clavicle plates fit the clavicle? A cadaveric study.

BACKGROUND: Given the degree of variation in clavicular morphology, 4 clavicle plating systems were examined for their congruity as superior, midshaft, anatomic clavicle (SMAC) plates in a cadaveric study. METHODS: SMAC plates from 4 manufacturers were applied to 79 dry right human clavicles. Two systems offered multiple (4) variations of plates (MP), 1 offered two variations (TP), and 1 had a single plate (SP). Two examiners applied and clamped the best-fitting plate from each system onto each of the 79 clavicles and then graded them: 1, poor fit; 2, good fit; and 3, anatomic fit. Each examiner repeated the process to assess intraobserver and interobserver reliability. The scores were averaged to produce a final score for each system for each clavicle. RESULTS: The MP systems scored the highest (32%-37% anatomic, 54%-63% good, 5%-8% poor), followed by the TP system (30% anatomic, 53% good, 17% poor), and finally the SP system (9% anatomic, 59% good, 32% poor). Of note, clavicular length significantly correlated with a higher degree of conformity in all plating systems (Spearman rank correlation P < .05 for each system). In clavicles longer than 150 mm, the MP and TP systems performed identically, with the SP system close behind. Contouring of the plate is needed in 73% of cases overall. CONCLUSION: Plating systems with multiple plate shape variations are more advantageous when dealing with smaller-sized clavicles, typically in females. However, when dealing with larger clavicles, there was no real difference.