Diagnosing Achilles tendon injuries in the emergency department.

Achilles tendon (AT) injury is an overuse injury often seen in professional and recreational athletes. It tends to affect men, particularly those in their thirties and forties, more than women, and is typically seen in people who are intermittently active. To ensure AT ruptures are identified and treated effectively, early intervention in emergency departments (EDs) is crucial. This article discusses how advanced nurse practitioners can use their comprehensive problem-solving, clinical decision-making and clinical judgement skills to manage patients who present with suspected AT injury. It also describes the anatomy of tendon rupture, the aetiology and mechanism of injuries, and the importance of assessment and diagnostic tools, therapeutic techniques and management strategies. Finally, it considers the psychological effect this injury can have on patients, while in the ED and after discharge. A case study is included as an example of ED management.

Abordaje de una úlcera por presión con tendón expuesto / How to treat a bed sore with a tendon exposed

Las úlceras por presión (UPP) suponen un serio problema social, de salud y legal ya que implican serias consecuencias en la calidad de vida de la persona afectada y sus cuidadores, además de un enorme gasto sanitario, tanto a nivel de recursos materiales como humanos. Se expone el caso de una mujer de 84 años de edad, con una UPP estadio IV con tendón expuesto, cuyo abordaje interdisciplinar e integral desde Atención Primaria de Salud consiguió la resolución de la herida en 59 días(AU)

Bed sores are a serious social, health and legal problem since they imply serious consequences for the quality of life of the person affected and his/her caretakers; besides they create an enormous sanitary cost, both at the level of material as well as human resources. The author describes the case of an 84 year-old woman who has a stage IV bed sore with a tendon exposed; the interdisciplinary and integral treatment of her case by the Primary Health Care Center succeeded in curing her wound in 59 days(AU)

Cuidados enfermeros en la mano traumática / Nursing care of traumatic hand injury

La mano con lesiones traumáticas después de un accidente es una lesión de gran incidencia en nuestro hospital. Los pacientes más graves necesitan ingreso; con estos casos nos encontramos en nuestra unidad de hospitalización. Los pacientes llegan a la unidad procedentes del quirófano; los cuidados enfermeros que debemos ofrecer son postoperatorios, centrados principalmente en el tratamiento de la herida quirúrgica, los vendajes y la reeducación funcional, sin olvidar el aspecto psicológico del paciente y la atención a la familia (AU)

Arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs using suture anchors.

Arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs using titanium-alloy suture anchors are a new treatment option for active patients with shoulder injuries. Shoulder arthroscopy and arthroscopic repair procedures are alternative treatments to traditional open surgical procedures for Bankart lesions and rotator cuff tears. Distinct advantages of arthroscopic repair techniques include decreased patient tissue trauma and morbidity rates and shortened recovery and rehabilitation periods.