Diagnostic impacts on management of soft tissue injuries associated with tibial plateau fractures: A narrative review.

INTRODUCTION: Currently there is no consensus on the need for investigating knee ligamentous and meniscal injuries in a patient with a tibial plateau fracture. Consequently, many soft tissue injuries are likely undiagnosed and therefore untreated. The impact this has on long term knee outcomes is not well defined. We aimed to identify the impacts of various diagnostic methods on the management of meniscal injuries associated with tibial plateau fractures and evaluate the clinical outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a systematic review using Pubmed, Medline, Embase, CINAHL and Cochrane following Cochrane guidelines. We included studies that operatively managed tibial plateau fractures and soft tissue injuries, which were diagnosed with either preoperative MRI, intra-operative arthroscopy or arthrotomy. RESULTS: 18 articles with 884 people, with a mean age of 46.4 years were included. Soft tissue injuries were detected on MRI (32-73%) and arthroscopy (12-70%), of which the most common were lateral meniscal injuries (7-64% of tibial plateau fractures). When identified by arthroscopy and arthrotomy, these injuries were almost always treated, either by repair or debridement. The clinical outcomes of these patients were poorly reported, with a heterogenous use of patient reported outcome measures, and follow up time points. There were no randomised trials or control groups for comparative analysis, however operative treatment yielded good to excellent outcomes. CONCLUSION: There is a high incidence of concomitant soft tissue injuries with tibial plateau fractures, particularly lateral meniscal injuries. There are 2 main approaches to meniscal injuries: surgeons who don't investigate, don't treat, whilst surgeons who do investigate often do surgically treat. Although studies that treated these injuries achieved good to excellent results, the currently available evidence doesn't confirm treatment superiority. As there is plausibility for better outcomes, randomised studies are needed to further investigate this clinical question.

Does size matter? Outcomes following revision total hip arthroplasty with long or primary stems: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Femoral reconstruction with long stems is widely accepted as the standard in revision total hip arthroplasty (rTHA). However, long stems can be technically challenging to insert and can compromise bone stock for future revision. This study aimed to identify whether there was a difference in outcomes with using a long versus primary or short femoral stem in revision. METHODS: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of all articles comparing long and primary stem length in rTHA for Paprosky 1-3B femoral defects. The primary outcome measure was the reoperation rate after rTHA. Secondary outcomes included infection and dislocation rates, periprosthetic fracture, loosening, mortality, and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). RESULTS: The results of 3,102 rTHAs performed in 2,982 patients were reported from 9 eligible studies in the systematic review, of which 6 were included in the meta-analysis. The mean patient age was 67.4 and the mean follow-up lasted 5 years (range, 1-15 years). There was no significant difference in the reoperation rate (odds ratio 0.78; 95% confidence interval, 0.28-2.17, P = 0.63). Similarly, there was no significant difference in dislocation or periprosthetic fracture risk. Harris Hip Score was better with primary stems by a mean difference of 14.4 points (P < 0.05). Pooled 5-year stem-related survival was 91.3% ± 3.5% (SD) for primary stems and 89.9% ± 6.7% (SD) for long stems. CONCLUSIONS: A primary stem provided non-inferior outcomes compared with long stems in rTHA with Paprosky type 1-3B femoral defects. Primary stems may yield a more straightforward technique and preserve distal bone stock for future revision particularly in younger patients. In older patients with lower functional demands and who would benefit from a decreased risk of complications, a long cemented stem is recommended.

Monocular loss of vision following an open tibial fracture: a case of Enterococcus casseliflavus endogenous endophthalmitis.

Rare intraocular complication in a healthy immunocompetent patient with an atypical organism following presumed haematogenous spread after a highly contaminated open tibial fracture.

Secondary Prevention of Hip Fragility Fractures During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Service Evaluation of "MRS BAD BONES".

BACKGROUND: Management of osteoporosis is an important consideration for patients with femoral neck fractures due to the morbidity and mortality it poses. The input of orthogeriatric teams is invaluable in coordinating secondary fragility fracture prevention. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the rapid restructuring of health care teams and led to the redeployment of orthogeriatricians. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the impact COVID-19 had on the secondary prevention of fragility fractures among patients with femoral neck fractures, and to optimize management in this population. METHODS: A retrospective audit was conducted of patients with femoral neck fractures before and after the lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. A reaudit was conducted following the development of our new mnemonic, "MRS BAD BONES," which addressed key factors in the assessment and management of osteoporosis: medication review, rheumatology/renal advice, smoking cessation; blood tests, alcohol limits, DEXA (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry) scan; bone-sparing medications, orthogeriatric review, nutrition, exercise, supplements. The Fisher exact test was used for comparison analyses between each phase. RESULTS: Data for 50 patients were available in each phase. The orthogeriatric team reviewed 88% (n=44) of patients prelockdown, which fell to 0% due to redeployment, before recovering to 38% (n=19) in the postintervention period. The lockdown brought a significant drop in the prescription of vitamin D/calcium supplements from 81.6% (n=40) to 58.0% (n=29) (P=.02); of bone-sparing medications from 60.7% (n=17) to 18.2% (n=4) (P=.004), and DEXA scan requests from 40.1% (n=9) to 3.6% (n=1) (P=.003). Following the implementation of our mnemonic, there was a significant increase in the prescription of vitamin D/calcium supplements to 85.7% (n=42) (P=.003), bone-sparing medications to 72.4% (n=21) (P<.001), and DEXA scan requests to 60% (n=12) (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: The redeployment of the orthogeriatric team, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, impacted the secondary prevention of fragility fractures in the study population. The "MRS BAD BONES" mnemonic significantly improved management and could be used in a wider setting.