Is there a trend towards semi-extended knee positioning during intramedullary tibial nailing in Latin America? A survey among 990 orthopaedic surgeons.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the Latin American orthopaedic trauma surgeons preference regarding knee positioning and entry portals for IM nailing and identify the reasons of these preferences. METHODS: Using the AO Trauma database, 22.285 surveys were distributed by email to Latin American orthopaedic surgeons. Demographic data and practice patterns, especially regarding knee positioning and approach for tibial nailing, were then evaluated and statistically treated. RESULTS: amongst one thousand five hundred fourteen responses, 990 orthopaedic surgeons (4.4% of response rate) fully responded to the survey. Transpatellar tendon approach (613 / 61.9%,) with the knee in flexion (518 / 52.3%) on a radiolucent table remains the standard practice for intramedullary tibial nailing. Even for proximal and distal tibial nailing, the transpatellar tendon approach (455 / 46%) with the knee in flexion (562 / 56.8%) hold on the most used method. Only 55 (9.36%) orthopaedic surgeons reported that they have migrated to the supra-patellar tibial nailing in the recent years. The main reasons for a low rate of migration were lack of knowledge about the technique and unavailability of specific gigs and cartilage protectors for a safe suprapatellar nailing. CONCLUSION: Even with the potential benefits of the semi-extended knee positioning for tibial nailing, the Latin American orthopaedic community remains using the transpatellar tendon approach with the knee in flexion as the standard technique. Lack of surgical training for suprapatellar and parapatellar approaches with the knee in semi-extension, added by the unavailability of suprapatellar jigs and soft outer protection sleeves contribute to counter the trend towards the semi-extended techniques.

Surgical management of iliac wing fractures: Proposal of a new classification system.

INTRODUCTION: Isolated fractures of the iliac wing are a rare injury, usually occurring in high-energy trauma, and are associated with other non-musculoskeletal and soft tissue injuries that could compromise the patient's life. Surgical indications are unclear, and there is limited information on the most frequent fracture patterns. METHODS: A descriptive multicenter case series study of isolated fractures of the iliac wing treated surgically in three referral trauma hospitals in Latin America. The different fracture patterns are described, the "iliac ring" concept is proposed, and a classification is made. RESULTS: Twenty-eight patients were included; 24 were male, the median age was 31 years RIQ (24-46), the most frequent trauma mechanism was a traffic accident, and in 14 patients, the ISS >16. The most frequent associated injury was to the appendicular skeleton at another level in 13 patients. In the new classification, according to the number of fragments, 11 patients were classified as type A (1 fragment), ten patients as type B (two fragments), and seven patients as type C (three or more fragments). The most compromised anatomical area was the crest and anterosuperior iliac spines in 26 patients, followed by the fossa and anteroinferior iliac spine in 17 and 8 patients, respectively. DISCUSSION: The patterns of isolated fractures of the iliac wing allow the identification of three types of fractures. Identifying these patterns can help the surgeon decide to perform surgery in these scenarios and choose the fixation technique according to the number and location of the fragments.

Availability and use of resources for emergency fracture care of pelvic trauma associated with haemorrhagic shock in Latin America: A cross-sectional study.

Determining the true availability of resources and understanding the level of training of surgeons involved in the treatment of patients with pelvic fractures and haemorrhagic shock is critical. In the herein study, the availability of technical, technological, and human resources for the care of this injury in Latin America region was analysed, and the preferences of orthopaedic trauma surgeons when performing interventions for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with pelvic trauma and associated haemorrhagic shock was described. A cross sectional web-based survey containing questions on knowledge, attitudes, and practices with respect to imaging resources, emergency pelvic stabilization methods, and interventions used for bleeding control was sent to 948 Latin America orthopaedic trauma surgeons treating pelvic fractures in the emergency department. Differences between regional clusters, level of training, type of hospital, and pelvic surgery volume were assessed. 368 responses were obtained, with 37.5% of respondents reporting formal training in pelvic surgery and 36.0% having available protocol for managing these patients. The most frequently used interventions were the supra-acetabular pelvic external fixator and pelvic packing. Limited hospital and imaging resources are available for the care of patients with pelvic trauma and associated haemorrhagic shock throughout Latin America. In addition, the training of orthopaedic trauma surgeons dealing with this type of injury and the volume of pelvic surgeries per year is heterogeneous. It should be urgently considered to develop management protocols adapted to Latin America according to the availability of resources, as well as to promote training in this severe life-threatening traumatic condition.

Treatment of fracture-related infection in Latin America (FRILA). Proposal for a multicentre regional registry.

Postoperative bone infection is a severe complication in the treatment of fractures. The management of this pathology is challenging, but recent advances have been made to achieve standardization that can help diagnosis and decision-making. However, we are unaware of studies validating these models in Latin America. Therefore, this study aims to collect data from patients with fracture-related infections treated in different institutions in Latin America to create a registry that will assist in future clinical decision-making regarding the diagnostic process and the surgical and medical treatment of these patients.

Adapting non-medical applications for medical use: Ethical limits, coverage, and validation.

The widespread adoption of smartphones and other mobile devices amongst healthcare providers opened new possibilities arising from the use of non-medical apps, social media, meeting platforms, and non-medical devices with intended medical purposes, thus expanding the communication and imaging chat systems between these professionals and their patients, as well as amongst healthcare professionals. However, adapting non-medical applications, social media, videoconference platforms and devices for medical use present potential limitations, barriers, and risks, which should be fully recognized to reduce crossing the fine line between ethical and unethical. In the herein study, we analyse the ethical limits, coverage, and validation of non-medical applications adapted for medical use. Level of evidence: IV (evidence from well-designed case-control or cohort studies).

Fracture-Related infection - the role of the surgeon and surgery in prevention and treatment.

Fracture-related infection (FRI) is a complication that impacts care costs, quality of life, and patient function. Great strides have been made in the last decade to obtain a common language for definition and diagnosis with the contribution of the Fracture-Related Infection Consensus. Although FRI treatment requires the participation of clinical specialists in infectious diseases for the management of antibiotics, it is necessary to understand that this complication is an eminently surgical pathology. The orthopedic surgeon must play a leadership role in the prevention and treatment of this complex disease. In this review, the most relevant aspects of prevention are updated, and a strategy for a sequential and comprehensive approach to the patient with this complication is presented.

Effectiveness of an Online Course on Fracture-Related Infections.

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an online course to enable orthopaedic surgeons to acquire the core competencies necessary to prevent and treat fracture-related infections (FRI). This study included orthopaedic surgeons and residents from Latin American countries who attended an online course focused on FRI. The online course included: didactic lectures, small-group clinical case discussions, and panel case discussions. The course was delivered using Zoom® platform and designed to address four core competencies: prevention, definition and diagnosis, antimicrobial therapy, and surgical treatment. An online questionnaire was created distributing 16 questions through six clinical scenarios. Participants were invited to answer the questionnaire before and after the course. Sixty of the 78 course participants answered the pre-course, and 42 the post-course assessment. Relative to before the course, the mean post-course assessment score rose significantly for prevention of FRI (4.1 before and 4.5 after; p = 0.014), definition and diagnosis (2.4 before and 3.4 after; p = 0.001), and surgical treatment (2.2 before and 2.8 after; p = 0.011). The final score encompassing all four core competencies also rose significantly (2.7 before and 3.3 after; p = 0.001). The online course on FRI was feasible and effective, significantly increasing course users' knowledge of overall competency in managing FRI.

Infección de un muñón por Leuconostoc spp, reporte de un caso y revisión de la literatura / Infection of a stump by Leuconostoc, a case report and review of the literature

Resumen La infección del muñón después de amputaciones traumáticas tiene una prevalencia hasta del 34%. Las bacterias más frecuentemente aisladas son Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacterales como Escherichia coli; Pseudomonas aeruginosa, entre otras. Estas infecciones ocurren por la inoculación directa en el momento del trauma o por gérmenes nosocomiales; la realización de curaciones de las heridas con emplastos vegetales es una práctica aún frecuente en zonas rurales de nuestro país pero su relación con infección del sitio operatorio ha sido poco explorada en la literatura. Leuconostoc spp. es un coco Gram positivo encontrado en territorio agrícola y utilizado en la industria de alimentos. Se presenta un caso de infección de un muñón transfemoral por Leuconostoc, después de una amputación traumática del miembro inferior en una paciente previamente sana con una posible asociación a curaciones con emplastos vegetales.

Abstract Infection of a traumatic amputation stump has a prevalence of 34%. The most common bacteria isolated are Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacterales such as Escherichia coli. These infections occur by direct inoculation in the moment of the trauma or by nosocomial germs. Infections secondary to manipulation of the wounds with vegetable plasters have few case reports in the literature. Leuconostoc spp. is a Gram-positive coccobacillus commonly found in agricultural territory and used in the food industry. There are few case reports in the literature about bone infections by Leuconostocs pp. We present a case of an infection of the operative site of a transfemoral stump by Leuconostoc spp. after a traumatic amputation of the lower limb in a previously healthy patient who had a possible association to cures with vegetable plasters.

Caracterización clínica y microbiológica de pacientes con pie diabético que requieren hospitalización en alta complejidad. Serie de casos / Clinical and microbiological profile of patients with diabetic foot requiring admission to a high complexity hospital. Case Series

Introducción El pie diabético infectado es una complicación frecuente de la diabetes y un marcador de deterioro del paciente. Existe escasa información en Colombia sobre características de los pacientes que ingresan a los servicios de urgencias de alta complejidad con esta patología y desenlaces como amputación y perfil microbiológico. Materiales y Métodos Serie de casos de pacientes que ingresaron al servicio de urgencias del Hospital Pablo Tobón Uribe con motivo de consulta principal pie diabético infectado. Se analizaron las historias clínicas de manera retrospectiva y se utilizaron herramientas de estadística descriptiva para la caracterización de la población y de variables relacionadas con diagnóstico, tratamiento y resultados tempranos intrahospitalarios. Resultados Entre enero de 2009 y diciembre de 2013 ingresaron 118 pacientes con 145 úlceras infectadas por pie diabético, el 90% con HbAc>6.5, el 52% con disfunción renal, el 51% con enfermedad arterial periférica. El 57% tenía úlceras grado 3 o mayor en la clasificación de Wagner, la infección fue polimicrobiana en el 63%. El 58% requirió amputación, el 62% de las amputaciones fueron amputaciones menores. La mortalidad fue del 10%, la mortalidad atribuible a infección del pie diabético o complicaciones derivadas de la amputación fue del 1,7%. Discusión Los pacientes con pie diabético que ingresaron a urgencias de un hospital de alta complejidad en Colombia tienen una enfermedad sistémica avanzada, relacionada con disfunción renal y vascular periférica, lesiones locales graves con compromiso óseo y articular avanzado; dada la gravedad de estas condiciones, la prevalencia de amputaciones mayores puede ser superior a la reportada en la literatura. Nivel de Evidencia: IV

Background Infected diabetic foot is a frequent complication of diabetes and a marker of patient deterioration. There is little information in Colombia on the characteristics of patients that enter the highly complex emergency services with this condition and their outcomes, such as amputation and microbiological profile. Materials Case series of patients admitted to the emergency department of Pablo Tobón Uribe Hospital whose main consultation was infected diabetic foot. The medical records were retrospectively analysed and descriptive statistical tools were used to characterise the population, as well as the variables related to diagnosis, treatment, and early in-hospital outcomes. Results Between January 2009 and December 2013, 118 patients with 145 ulcers due to an infected diabetic foot were admitted. The HbA1c was> 6.5 in 90%, and 52% had renal dysfunction, 51% with peripheral arterial disease, and 57% had ulcers grade 3 or higher in the Wagner classification. The infection was polymicrobial in 63%, and 58% required amputation, with 62% of amputations being classed as minor. Mortality was 10%, and mortality attributable to diabetic foot infection or complications derived from amputation was 1.7%. Discussion Patients with diabetic foot admitted to the emergency room of a high complexity hospital in Colombia have an advanced systemic disease, related to renal and peripheral vascular dysfunction, and serious local injuries with advanced bone and joint involvement. Given the severity of these conditions, the prevalence of major amputations may be higher than that reported in the literature. Evidence Level: IV