Outcomes and complications following flexible intramedullary nailing for the treatment of tibial fractures in children: a meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Tibial shaft fractures are common occurrence in children and surgical treatment is sometimes required, particularly in unstable or open fractures, and in polytrauma. The aim of this study was to investigate the available evidence on the efficacy and safety of flexible intramedullary nailing (FIN) for both open and closed tibia fractures in children, exploring the main surgical outcomes and rate of complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pubmed/Medline, Scopus and Cochrane Central databases were searched following the PRISMA guideline. Studies reporting on the outcomes of FIN for paediatric tibia shaft fractures were included. Weighted means were evaluated for surgical outcomes. Meta-analysis of proportion and odd ratios were used to analyse total complication rates and differences between open and closed fractures. RESULTS: Twenty-eight studies (835 patients) were included; the mean age was 11.0 ± 3.0 years. The mean follow-up was 22.5 ± 13.5 months; the mean time to full weight-bearing was 7.5 ± 3.7 weeks. The total complication rate was 28.1% (minor = 20.7%, major = 6.3%); this was greater in open fractures (13.6% vs 5.1%, p = 0.007). The rate of union was 97.5%, with a mean time to union of 11.9 ± 7.2 weeks. Malunion was found in 8.5% cases, delayed union in 3.8%, non-union in 1.4%, symptomatic hardware in 5.1%, leg-length discrepancy in 5.0%, superficial infections in 2.3%, deep infections in 1.0%, compartment syndromes in 1.4%, and refracture in 0.2%. Almost all patients returned to unrestricted physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: FIN offers excellent outcomes for the treatment of paediatric tibia shaft fractures. Patients presenting with an open fracture have a higher but acceptable complication rate. Comparative studies are needed to clarify if other treatments have superior outcomes.

The role of imaging in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis during the COVID-19 pandemic: a retrospective cohort study.

Acute appendicitis is one of the most common general surgical emergencies worldwide; however, its diagnosis remains challenging, with a high proportion of negative appendicectomies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the benefit of routine use of pre-operative imaging for the evaluation of suspected appendicitis. This retrospective cohort study included all cases of appendicectomies performed for suspected acute appendicitis during the first and second peaks of the COVID-19 pandemic, between March 2020 and February 2021. The control group included all cases of appendicectomies performed for suspected acute appendicitis in the previous 12 months (March 2019-February 2020). One hundred and four patients underwent appendicectomy in the study group, compared to 209 in the control group, with similar gender distribution but a significantly higher median age in the study group (33 vs. 28, p = 0.001). The two groups had similar rates of perforation and similar median white cell count (WCC) and CRP. Imaging was used in 80.77% of the patients in the study group, compared to 61.72% in the control group (p = 0.001), with 55.77% of patients in the study group undergoing CT scans. Despite this, the negative appendicectomy rate (NAR) in the two groups did not differ significantly (11.54% vs. 15.79%, p = 0.320). The increase in the use of imaging for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis during the COVID-19 pandemic did not lead to a significantly lower negative appendicectomy rate. Registration: The study was pre-registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05205681).

The Impact of Steep Trendelenburg Position on Intraocular Pressure.

Intraocular pressure occurring during the Trendelenburg position may be a risk for postoperative visual loss and other ocular complications. Intraocular pressure (IOP) higher than 21 mmHg poses a risk for ocular impairment causing several conditions such as glaucoma, detached retina, and postoperative vision loss. Many factors might play a role in IOP increase, like peak expiratory pressure (PIP), mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), end-tidal CO2 (ETCO2) and surgical duration and some others (anaesthetic and neuromuscular blockade depth) contribute by reducing IOP during procedures requiring both pneumoperitoneum and steep Trendelenburg position (25-45° head-down tilt). Despite transient visual field loss after surgery, no signs of ischemia or changes to the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) have been shown after surgery. Over the years, several studies have been conducted to control and prevent IOPs intraoperative increase. Multiple strategies have been proposed by different authors over the years to reduce IOP during laparoscopic procedures, especially those involving steep Trendelenburg positions such as robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP), and abdominal and pelvic procedures. These strategies included both positional and pharmacological strategies.