Forearm Compartment Pressure Change in Children Operated for Supracondylar Humerus Fracture.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to examine the preoperative and postoperative forearm compartment pressures in patients treated operatively for Gartland type III extension type supracondyler humerus fractures and understand the course of these values over postoperative period. METHODS: Deep volar compartment pressure of 31 patients were measured in the proximal one third of the forearm preoperatively, and measurements were continued every 4 hours for the first 24 hours after the operation with a catheter. Type of the reduction technique (open reduction vs. closed reduction), duration of surgery, the time from the injury to surgery were all evaluated. RESULTS: In the measurements made immediately after the operation (0 h), a sudden increase in the compartment pressure was detected in all patients (15.0±5.9 to 27.9±7.5 mm Hg) independent of the reduction technique and gradually decreased over time. The mean compartment pressure at the 12th hour postoperatively was higher in the open reduction group than in the CR group (24.5±3.4, 20.7±6.7 mm Hg, respectively) ( P =0.044). The mean preoperative compartment pressure was 17.7±5.8 mm Hg in patients with a time from injury to surgery longer than 12 hours, and 12.4±4.8 mm Hg in patients with 12 hours or less ( P =0.006). The postoperative 0-, 12-, and 20-hour pressure values were higher in the >1 hour operation time group than in the ≤1 hour group and the differences were statistically significant ( P =0.046, 0.016, and 0.032, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In pediatric supracondylar humeral fractures, those who underwent open reduction had higher preoperative and postoperative compartment pressures. The reduction attempt was found to be a factor that increased the compartment pressure and after the operation, the compartment pressure values decrease gradually. Prolonged operative time (>1 h) and increased time from injury to operative fixation (>12 h) were associated with higher compartment pressures. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II-prospective study.

A qualitative study of the operating room experience of patients who underwent surgery under spinal anesthesia: "It was like an adventure".

This study aimed to explore the experiences of the people who underwent orthopedic surgery under spinal anesthesia and to report their feelings and thoughts. The study was carried out using a qualitative approach. Twenty-one patients were interviewed who underwent orthopedic surgery on the first or second postoperative day. Content analysis was performed after the collection of raw data. NVIVO 12 Pro software was used for data analysis. The frequency count (f) and participant codes (P) were used for the presentation of the findings. The themes and frequency counts obtained by analyzing the interviews with the patients were as follows: "Time passed like watching a movie" (f = 213), "Like an adventure" (f = 587), and "See, feel, look" (f = 405). Five of 21 participants (23.8%) stated that they would not recommend spinal anesthesia. The findings generally indicated the anxiety caused by the unknown, fear in the preanesthetic period, operation experienced like an adventure, and a process generally completed with satisfaction.