Thirty-Day Mortality in COVID-19 Positive Patients With Hip Fractures: A Case-Series and Literature Review.

INTRODUCTION: The novel coronavirus has spread rapidly around the world with particularly high mortality in the elderly. Care and nursing homes have become the sites of greatest concentration of cases. We intended to review 30-day mortality of COVID-19 patients with hip fractures. This is relevant given the disease impact in this age group. METHODS: Medline and Embase databases were searched for relevant studies linked to mortality and morbidity in COVID-19 patients who have undergone non-elective hip surgeries using the keywords "COVID-19"OR "SARS-cov-2"OR "Coronavirus Infections"; AND "Surgery"OR "Hip"OR "Fracture"OR "Orthopedics." We included all patients with hip fractures, but excluded pathological fractures and other non-traumatic hip pathologies. Four-hundred and eighty-one articles were identified for screening, in addition to an unpublished case-series of 67 patients that have 3 cases turned positive for COVID 19, yielding a total of 50patients for the final review. RESULTS: The study included 4 articles published until May 9th 2020 and a case-series: 26(52%) patients were females; the median age was 86years; hypertension(53.6%), diabetes mellitus type II(28.6%), and coronary artery heart disease(25%) were the most common comorbidities; 34(68%) patients had intertrochanteric hip fracture and 16(32%) patients had femoral neck fractures; 22(59.5%) patients underwent cephalomedullary nail fixation, 12(32.4%) patients had hemiarthroplasty, and for 3(8.1%) patients, the type of surgery was not documented; 20(40%) patients died(12patients died before the surgery and 8died after surgery at a median time of 3days), 29(76.3%) patients had an unremarkable course throughout hospitalization and were discharged including 1(2.6%) patient managed non-operatively, and 1(2.6%) patient was admitted to the ICU after the surgery but eventually discharged. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 infected elderly patients have a higher 30-days mortality rate compared to non-COVID-19 infected cases. Further studies are warranted to look at the morbidity and mortality rates in COVID-19 positive patients with hip fractures and to investigate how these outcomes can be improved. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

SLA-VER: study protocol description and preliminar results of the first italian RCT on conservative treatment of distal radial fractures.

INTRODUCTION: There is no consensus on which is the best way to maintain initial reduction of a distal radius fractures (DRFs). The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that below elbow cast (BEC) is equivalent to above elbow cast (AEC) in maintaining initial reduction of DRFs. This paper will report on midterm results. METHODS: SLA-VER is a prospective, monocentric, randomized, parallel-group, open label, blinded endpoint evaluation non-inferiority trial (PROBE design) comparing the efficacy of AECs and BECs in DRFs conservative treatment in terms of loss of radial height (RH), radial inclination (RI) and volar tilt (VT) during cast immobilization (average 35 days) of 353 consecutive DRFs. Non-inferiority thresholds are 2 mm for radial height, 3Åã for radial inclination and 3Åã for volar tilt. Study population will be 353 patients, randomized into 2 groups (AEC vs BEC). One-hundred patients have completed the study so far. RESULTS: Patients in BEC group lost 1,75 mm of RH, 2,9Åã of RI and 4,5Åã of VT over the course of cast immobilization. Patients in AEC group lost 1,71 mm of RH, 2,2Åã of RI and 4,8Åã of VT. Raw differences between average loss of RH, RI, VT during treatment between study groups were respectively 0,04 mm, 0,7Åã and 0,3Åã. Logistic and ANCOVA models have been used to correct for confouding variables. CONCLUSIONS: Difference of loss of RH, RI and VT between the two groups are all below the non inferiority thresholds. Cast type does not seem to affect maintenance of reduction in conservatively managed DRFs.

The biocompatibility of bone cements: progress in methodological approach.

The ideal bone graft substitute should have certain properties and there are many studies dealing with mixture of polymethylmetacrilate (PMMA) and ß-tricalciumphospate (ß-TCP) presenting the best characteristics of both. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), for ultra-structural data, resulted a very reliable in vivo model to better understand the bioactivity of a cement and to properly evaluate its suitability for a particular purpose. The present study aims to further improve the knowledge on osteointegration development, using both parameters obtained with the Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM) and focused histological examination. Two hybrid bone graft substitute were designed among ceramic and polymer-based bone graft substitutes. Based on ß-TCP granules sizes, they were created with theoretical different osteoconductive properties. An acrylic standard cement was chosen as control. Cements were implanted in twelve New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits, which were sacrificed at 1, 2, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after cement implantation. Histological samples were prepared with an infiltration process of LR white resin and then specimens were studied by X-rays, histology and Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM). Comparing the resulting data, it was possible to follow osteointegration's various developments resulting from different sizes of ß-TCP granules. In this paper, we show that this evaluation process, together with ESEM, provides further important information that allows to follow any osteointegration at every stage of develop.

Antibiotic-Loaded Spacer for Two-Stage Revision of Infected Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Infection of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a challenge in orthopedic surgery. In literature TKA infection is classified according to the time after surgery: acute postoperative; late chronic; acute hematogenous; positive intraoperative microbiological growth. The purpose of this study is to present the results of the use of a preformed antibiotic-loaded spacer in TKA infections, treated by a two-stage revision procedure. A series of 19 consecutive patients (20 knees) with a diagnosis of infected TKA were treated from January 2003 to February 2012. Two-stage reimplantation protocols were completed only in 16 patients and these data were included in the study. We lost three patients at follow-up. An antibiotic-loaded preformed articulating polymethylmethacrylate spacer was applied. Patients were observed 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively and then yearly for clinical and radiographic examination. The mean American Knee Society Score improved from 68.4 preoperatively (range, from 34 to 108) to 112.7 at final follow-up (range, from 49 to 180). The pain was evaluated as part of clinical score. It improved from an average of 19.3 preoperatively (range, from 10 to 30) to 34.3 at final follow-up (range, from 10 to 50). The average range of motion improved from 40.1 degrees (range, from 6 to 90 degrees) to 79.3 degrees (range, from 45 to 125 degrees). The use of the spacer allows obtaining a reduction of pain, an improvement of quality of life in the period of time between the two surgical stages and an easier reimplantation of TKA.

Serious delayed hair toe tourniquet syndrome with bone erosion and flexor tendon lesion.

Hair toe tourniquet syndrome (HTTS) is an uncommon pediatric condition occurring when the toe is circumferentially strangulated by human hair or fibers. An 8-week-old little girl was admitted to the Emergency Department because of the worsening swelling in the right second and third toes, which had been been previously treated with a local antibiotic thinking of an infection. An unrecognized HTTS was leading the third toe to necrosis. An urgent release of the constricting band on the two toes was performed and bone erosion and partial flexor tendon lesion on the third toe were detected. We would like to raise awareness in the community and in colleagues about HTTS in children, because early recognition and urgent treatment are mandatory to provide an adequate management and prevent severe complications.

Bone transport and compression-distraction in the treatment of bone loss of the lower limbs.

A clinical series of 17 adult patients operated due to significant by bone loss of the long bones of the lower extremity (3 femurs and 11 tibias), is presented. Their management consisted of 6 bone transports (6 tibias) and 11 compression distraction procedures (3 femurs and 8 tibiae) using monolateral external fixators. Bone loss ranged from 3.9 cm to 14.7 cm. Mean healing time was 301 days with a mean healing index of 45.6 days for cm of lengthening achieved. The clinical and radiological results were excellent in 9, good in 6 and fair in 2 patients according to the utilised criteria of assessment. Consolidation was achieved in all but one patient who developed an aseptic stiff non-union. Two patients developed residual limb-length discrepancy less than 1.5 cm, three tibias ended up with less than 5° of valgus deviation. In two cases the half-pins were re-inserted due to early loosening. In two cases reoperation was needed for late bending of the callus after fixator removal. Three cases of bone transport and 1 case of compression distraction needed bone grafting at the docking site. Bone transport and compression-distraction are effective methods for treating bone loss in the lower extremity. It is suggested that the compression-distraction technique is preferable, since this is associated with a lower incidence of complications than bone transport procedures. The deciding factor, however, is the actual extent of the bone loss.

The treatment of stable and unstable proximal femoral fractures with a new trochanteric nail: results of a multicentre study with the Veronail.

The incidence of hip fractures continues to rise. This study is the first evaluation of a new intramedullary implant, the Veronail, that provides double axis fixation into the femoral head and allows the surgeon to choose whether to use sliding or fixed locked proximal screw fixation for trochanteric femoral fractures. The fractures were classified according to the AO classification, and function was assessed with the Modified Harris Hip Score. 111 patients with trochanteric fractures were evaluated in eight Italian hospitals. The stable 31.A1 fractures were treated with sliding proximal screws, the subtrochanteric 31.A3 fractures with converging proximal screws, and the unstable 31.A2 fractures were treated with both types of proximal fixation. The unstable fractures treated with locked converging screws had the same function at one year as those treated with sliding screws. This study suggests a possible new method of treating unstable trochanteric femoral fractures. This may be the solution to prevent excessive collapse of the fracture with the resultant poor function and persisting pain noted in the literature. Two converging locked proximal screws seem to provide stable fixation in 31.A2 femoral fractures and produce as good a result as the use of traditional sliding screws. The role of converging locked proximal screws in unstable trochanteric fractures requires further evaluation.

Delay of clinical manifestation and medical malpractice in a serious vascular complication of proximal locked tibial nailing.

We are reporting on a case of complex lesion of the popliteal neurovascular bundle in a young woman, resulting from an operation for reduction and synthesis of a closed spiroid fracture of the mid-distal third of the left tibia by means of a Grosse-Kempf nail, with significant delay of clinical manifestation. Determining whether this is an "unavoidable complication" or "medical malpractice" is the target of the forensic investigation. In this case, the investigation leads to the conclusion that medical malpractice was the only explanation of the damage.