Implementation of a novel nursing assessment tool in geriatric trauma patients with proximal femur fractures.

BACKGROUND: Geriatric trauma patients represent a special challenge in postoperative care and are prone to specific complications. The goal of this study was to analyse the predictive potential of a novel nursing assessment tool, the outcome-oriented nursing assessment for acute care (ePA-AC), in geriatric trauma patients with proximal femur fractures (PFF). METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of geriatric trauma patients aged ≥ 70 years with PFF was conducted at a level 1 trauma centre. The ePA-AC is a routinely used tool that evaluates pneumonia; confusion, delirium and dementia (CDD); decubitus (Braden Score); the risk of falls; the Fried Frailty index (FFI); and nutrition. Assessment of the novel tool included analysis of its ability to predict complications including delirium, pneumonia and decubitus. RESULTS: The novel ePA-AC tool was investigated in 71 geriatric trauma patients. In total, 49 patients (67.7%) developed at least one complication. The most common complication was delirium (n = 22, 44.9%). The group with complications (Group C) had a significantly higher FFI compared with the group without complications (Group NC) (1.7 ± 0.5 vs 1.2 ± 0.4, p = 0.002). Group C had a significantly higher risk score for malnutrition compared with Group NC (6.3 ± 3.4 vs 3.9 ± 2.8, p = 0.004). A higher FFI score increased the risk of developing complications (odds ratio [OR] 9.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.0 to 47.7, p = 0.005). A higher CDD score increased the risk of developing delirium (OR 9.3, 95% CI 2.9 to 29.4, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The FFI, CDD, and nutritional assessment tools are associated with the development of complications in geriatric trauma patients with PFF. These tools can support the identification of geriatric patients at risk and might guide individualised treatment strategies and preventive measures.

Which non-infection related risk factors are associated with impaired proximal femur fracture healing in patients under the age of 70 years?

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Impaired healing is a feared complication with devastating outcomes for each patient. Most studies focus on geriatric fracture fixation and assess well known risk factors such as infections. However, risk factors, others than infections, and impaired healing of proximal femur fractures in non-geriatric adults are marginally assessed. Therefore, this study aimed to identify non-infection related risk factors for impaired fracture healing of proximal femur fractures in non-geriatric trauma patients. METHODS: This study included non-geriatric patients (aged 69 years and younger) who were treated between 2013 and 2020 at one academic Level 1 trauma center due to a proximal femur fracture (PFF). Patients were stratified according to AO/OTA classification. Delayed union was defined as failed callus formation on 3 out of 4 cortices after 3 to 6 months. Nonunion was defined as lack of callus-formation after 6 months, material breakage, or requirement of revision surgery. Patient follow up was 12 months. RESULTS: This study included 150 patients. Delayed union was observed in 32 (21.3%) patients and nonunion with subsequent revision surgery occurred in 14 (9.3%). With an increasing fracture classification (31 A1 up to 31 A3 type fractures), there was a significantly higher rate of delayed union. Additionally, open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) (OR 6.17, (95% CI 1.54 to 24.70, p ≤ 0.01)) and diabetes mellitus type II (DM) (OR 5.74, (95% CI 1.39 to 23.72, p = 0.016)), were independent risk factors for delayed union. The rate of nonunion was independent of fracture morphology, patient's characteristics or comorbidities. CONCLUSION: Increasing fracture complexity, ORIF and diabetes were found to be associated with delayed union of intertrochanteric femur fractures in non-geriatric patients. However, these factors were not associated with the development of nonunion.

Case report: Eighteen nails gun shots in the head, thorax and abdomen but still conscious at admission: A challenging patient for the cardiac surgeon!

We report an unusual case of multiple penetrating cerebral, cardiac and abdominal injuries following a suicidal attempt using a nail gun. Successful treatment required several emergency procedures and resulted from a wise interdisciplinary management and timing of surgery.

Trochanteric fracture pattern is associated with increased risk for nonunion independent of open or closed reduction technique.

PURPOSE: Soft tissue injury and soft tissue injury as risk factors for nonunion following trochanteric femur fractures (TFF) are marginally investigated. The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for impaired fracture healing in geriatric trauma patients with TFF following surgical treatment with a femoral nail. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included geriatric trauma patients (aged > 70 years) with TFF who were treated with femoral nailing. Fractures were classified according to AO/OTA. Nonunion was defined as lack of callus-formation after 6 months, material breakage, and requirement of revision surgery. Risk factors for nonunion included variables of clinical interest (injury pattern, demographics, comorbidities), as well as type of approach (open versus closed) and were assessed with uni- and multivariate regression analyses. RESULTS: This study included 225 geriatric trauma patients. Nonunion was significantly more frequently following AO/OTA 31A3 fractures (N = 10, 23.3%) compared with AO/OTA type 31A2 (N = 6, 6.9%) or AO/OTA 31A1 (N = 3, 3.2%, p < 0.001). Type 31A3 fractures had an increased risk for nonunion compared with type 31A1 (OR 10.3 95%CI 2.2 to 48.9, p = 0.003). Open reduction was not associated with increased risk for nonunion (OR 0.9, 95%CI 0.1 to 6.1. p = 0.942) as was not the use of cerclage (OR 1.0, 95%CI 0.2 to 6.5, p = 0.995). Factors such as osteoporosis, polytrauma or diabetes were not associated with delayed union or nonunion. CONCLUSION: The fracture morphology of TFF is an independent risk factor for nonunion in geriatric patients. The reduction technique is not associated with increased risk for nonunion, despite increased soft tissue damage following open reduction.

Long-term experience with a collagen-elastin scaffold in combination with split-thickness skin grafts for the treatment of full-thickness soft tissue defects: improvements in outcome-a retrospective cohort study and case report.

PURPOSE: The management of severe soft tissue injuries to the extremities with full-thickness wounds poses a challenge to the patient and surgeon. Dermal substitutes are used increasingly in these defects. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the type of injury on the success rate of Matriderm® (MD)-augmented split-thickness skin grafting, as well as the role of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) in preconditioning of the wounds, with a special focus on the reduction of the bioburden. METHODS: In this study, 45 wounds (44 affecting lower extremities (97.7%)), resulting from different types of injuries: soft tissue (ST), soft tissue complications from closed fracture (F), and open fracture (OF) in 43 patients (age 55.0 ± 18.2 years, 46.7% female), were treated with the simultaneous application of MD and split-thickness skin grafting. The study was designed as a retrospective cohort study from March 2013 to March 2020. Patients were stratified into three groups: ST, F, and OF. Outcome variables were defined as the recurrence of treated wound defects, which required revision surgery, and the reduction of bioburden in terms of reduction of number of different bacterial strains. For statistical analysis, Student's t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), Mann-Whitney U test, and Pearson's chi-squared test were used. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the rate of recurrence in the different groups (F: 0%; OF: 11.1%; ST: 9.5%). The duration of VAC therapy significantly differed between the groups (F: 10.8 days; OF: 22.7 days; ST: 12.6 days (p < 0.05)). A clinically significant reduction of bioburden was achieved with NPWT (bacterial shift (mean (SD), F: - 2.25 (1.89); OF: - 1.9 (1.37); ST: - 2.6 (2.2)). CONCLUSION: MD-augmented split-thickness skin grafting is an appropriate treatment option for full-thickness wounds with take rates of about 90%. The complexity of an injury significantly impacts the duration of the soft tissue treatment but does not have an influence on the take rate. NPWT leads to a relevant reduction of bioburden and is therefore an important part in the preconditioning of full-thickness wounds.

Salvage of a mangled limb with Matriderm® augmented split-skin grafting and maggot biodebridement.

Salvage of a mangled limb can be a long and strenuous way, but it is feasible even with rather simple techniques such as augmented split-skin grafting and maggot biodebridement.

Quantification of immobilization-induced changes in human calf muscle using speed-of-sound ultrasound: An observational pilot study.

ABSTRACT: Short-term immobilization leads to fatty muscular degeneration, which is associated with various negative health effects. Based on literature showing very high correlations between MRI Dixon fat fraction and Speed-of-Sound (SoS), we hypothesized that we can detect short-term-immobilization-induced differences in SoS.Both calves of 10 patients with a calf cast on one side for a mean duration of 41 ±â€Š26 days were examined in relaxed position using a standard ultrasound machine. Calf perimeters were measured for both sides. A flat Plexiglas-reflector, placed vertically on the opposite side of the probe with the calf in-between, was used as a timing reference for SoS. SoS was both manually annotated by two readers and assessed by an automatic annotation algorithm. The thickness values of the subcutaneous fat and muscle layers were manually read from the B-mode images. Differences between the cast and non-cast calves were calculated with a paired t test. Correlation analysis of SoS and calf perimeter was performed using Pearson's correlation coefficient.Paired t test showed significant differences between the cast and non-cast side for both SoS (P < .01) and leg perimeter (P < .001). SoS was reduced with the number of days after cast installment (r = -0.553, P = .097). No significant differences were found for muscle layer thickness, subcutaneous fat layer thickness, mean fat echo intensity, or mean muscle echo intensity.Short-term-immobilization led to a significant reduction in SoS in the cast calf compared to the healthy calf, indicating a potential role of SoS as a biomarker in detecting immobilization-induced fatty muscular degeneration not visible on B-mode ultrasound.

Perforating foreign body causing incomplete facial paralysis.

Facial nerve trauma is a common cause of facial paralysis; both blunt and penetrating forces may compromise the facial nerve. A comprehensive primary and secondary survey is essential for diagnosis and treatment of the injury. Here we report on a young patient who sustained a quad bike accident, leading to an perforating injuries of the face from a bough, causing facial paralysis.

The coccygeal pressure ulcer-does coccygectomy prevent recurrence?

STUDY DESIGN: This is a retrospective, non-randomized cohort study, with data collected during the regular annual visits between 2001 and 2019. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of coccygectomy for coccygeal pressure ulcers in individuals with paraplegia due to spinal cord injury or other neurological causes and to evaluate its role in the prophylaxis of ulcer recurrence. SETTINGS: This study included inpatients and outpatients with a coccygeal pressure ulcer who were treated surgically at our Institution REHAB Basel and were followed with regular annual check-ups. METHODS: Individuals with category 3 or 4 acute or chronic coccygeal pressure ulcer (classification according European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (EPUAP)) received coccygectomy in addition to rotation flap surgery. The operative care was provided exclusively by the head of the plastic surgery department at REHAB Basel. Standardized follow-up treatment was carried out according to the "Basel Decubitus Concept" and thus allowed continuous and usually lifelong, regular follow-up care. RESULTS: Forty-nine individuals underwent coccygectomy from 2001 to 2019 due to coccygeal category 3 or 4 pressure ulcers. The observation period was between 1.5 and 18.3 years. In 86% of the individuals, no relapse occurred during the first year. Over the next 5 years 78% remained relapse free. CONCLUSIONS: In coccygeal pressure ulcer category 3 or 4, coccygectomy, in addition to sufficient rotation flap surgery, is a suitable method for recurrence prevention of pressure ulcer in this anatomic area.

[Fever after an Open Ankle Fracture - a Surprising Diagnosis]. / Fieber nach offener Sprunggelenksluxationsfraktur ­ eine unerwartete Diagnose.

Fever after an Open Ankle Fracture - a Surprising Diagnosis Abstract. We present the case of a patient with a second-degree open dislocated ankle fracture and a complex wound situation as well as fever in the postoperative course. The man, originally from Nigeria, spent his annual holidays in a rural area of ​​the country, where he sustained a right-sided open dislocation fracture of his ankle in a car accident. After initial rudimentary care in Nigeria, the patient traveled back to Switzerland on his own, where he has been living for the past ten years. Back in Zurich he presented himself to our Department for Emergency Medicine. He was admitted to our Trauma Unit and received surgical care. After dismissal, the patient developed a fever of up to 39 °C and returned to our hospital. We initially assumed the reason for the fever to be a wound infection and therefore escalated an already established antibiotic regimen. Only on the second day after admission we tested the patient for malaria as the surgical wounds looked too clean to be the source of the fever. The patient was tested positive for malaria and transferred to the Department of Infectious Diseases for further treatment where he made a full recovery.

Therapy of acute and delayed spinal infections after spinal surgery treated with negative pressure wound therapy in adult patients.

We present the results of the treatment of infected primary or delayed spine wounds after spinal surgery using negative pressure wound therapy. In our institution (University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland) nine patients (three women and six men; mean age 68.6, range 43-87 years) were treated in the period between January to December 2011 for non-healing spinal wounds. The treatment consisted of repeated debridements, irrigation and temporary closure with negative pressure wound therapy system. Three patients were admitted with a spinal epidural abscess; two with osteoporotic lumbar fracture; two with pathologic vertebra fracture and spinal cord compression, and two with vertebra fracture after trauma. All nine patients have been treated with antibiotic therapy. In one case the hardware has been removed, in three patients laminectomy was performed without instrumentation, in five patients there was no need to remove the hardware. The average hospital stay was 16.6 days (range 11-30). The average follow-up was 3.8, range 0.5-14 months. The average number of negative pressure wound therapy procedures was three, with the range 1-11. Our retrospective study focuses on the clinical problems faced by the spinal surgeon, clinical outcomes after spinal surgery followed by wound infection, and negative pressure wound therapy. Moreover, we would like to emphasize the importance for the patients and their relatives to be fully informed about the increased complications of surgery and about the limitations of treatment of these wounds with negative pressure wound therapy.