How effective are different models of pelvic binders: results of a study using a Pelvic Emergency Simulator.

BACKGROUND: The application of pelvic binders in the preclinical and early clinical phase is advisable to avoid or treat C-problems in unstable and potential bleeding pelvic ring fractures, even if the clinical effectivity is not completely proved. The use for pathologies in the posterior pelvic ring is still debatable. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: We determined if there is a difference in achievable compression in the dorsal pelvic ring depending on position and pelvic binder model. Can this effect be tested with a simplified artificial model? METHODS: We simulated a Tile type C fracture within the established pelvic emergency trainer and measured in a test series the effectivity of reduction with a non-invasive stabilization technique using 3 different pelvic binders. RESULTS: Any therapeutic effect of a pelvic binder with compression to the posterior pelvic ring requires at first a reduction maneuver. While the compression effect in the symphysis depends only on positioning of the binder, in the posterior pelvic ring, the result varies with the used model. The achievable pressure in the SI joint with a pelvic binder is only 20-25% (33.5-47 N) compared to the C-Clamp values (156 N). CONCLUSIONS: The use of pelvic binders for non-invasive pelvic ring stabilization, even with a posterior pathology, could be proven in a simplified fracture model. A proper fracture reduction and an adequate device positioning influence the effectiveness. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The use of an emergency pelvic trainer even for a non-invasive maneuver is advisable.

Is there any benefit in the pre-hospital application of pelvic binders in patients with suspected pelvic injuries?

BACKGROUND: Massive hemorrhage is a common cause of death in patients sustaining instable pelvic ring fractures. Pelvic binders have been propagated for rapid, non-invasive pelvic ring stabilization and control of severe pelvic hemorrhage. There is a recommendation to applicate a pelvic binder due to the trauma mechanism alone. However, there is little evidence to support this advice. The aim of this study was to evaluate effects of an early pelvic binder application on transfusion requirements and hospital mortality. METHODS: This was a subgroup analysis of a study investigating clinical examination for pelvic stability. We included 64 patients who showed radiologically proven pelvic ring fracture (Tile type B or C). Study data were complemented by retrospective chart review to assess transfusion requirements. We used descriptive statistical analysis. RESULTS: 37 patients had a pelvic binder applied during prehospital treatment (pb), 27 received no binder (npb). Both showed no statistically significant difference in terms of injury severity or probability of survival. We found a trend towards higher ISS (29.7 vs. 24.4) and a lower probability of survival (RISC-II Prognosis 81% vs. 89%) in the pb group. Risk for massive transfusion according to TASH-Scores (10% vs. 6%), and average number of RPBC transfused (10.5 vs. 7.5) was higher in the pb group, without statistically significance. 20 patients (54%) in the pb group and 15 patients (55%) in the npb group showed a need of RPBC within the first 72 h. There was no significant difference in hospital mortality (20% vs. 13.3%). CONCLUSION: We were unable to identify blood-saving effects with application of a pelvic binder to patients with instable pelvic ring fractures in terms of RPBC requirements. Nevertheless, some salutary effect of prehospital pb application may be assumed. Better studies are needed to elucidate the value of this intervention.

Epidemiology and Treatment of Radial Head Fractures: A Database Analysis of Over 70,000 Inpatient Cases.

PURPOSE: We aimed to study the epidemiology of radial head fractures within a single national registry database while analyzing trends in available treatments. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of data from 2007 to 2016 provided by a national inpatient database registry was performed using the International Classification of Diseases code for radial head fractures and associated German Procedure Classification (OPS) codes. All surgical interventions were evaluated according to fracture type, patient sex and age, and distribution differences over the last decade to detect changes in the treatment trends. The number of major revision procedures was identified and the revision burden for each procedure calculated. RESULTS: Overall, 70,118 radial head fractures were included, with the annual number rising over 20% during this period. Women were significantly older than men (peak incidence, 55-64 years vs 30-39 years) and more frequently injured (women-to-men, 1.3:1). Surgical interventions increased during the study period, with locking plate fixation of comminuted fractures and radial head arthroplasty (RHA) becoming increasingly performed while radial head resections decreased. The revision burden differed significantly between the fixation techniques, with an increased occurrence of RHA revision procedures more recently. CONCLUSIONS: The data show a higher number and incidence of surgical procedures, especially for comminuted radial head fractures over the study period. Open reduction and internal fixation remains the most frequently used option, with the use of new fixation devices (eg, locking plates) increasing. The use of RHA more than doubled over the past 10 years while the number of radial head resections decreased. TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic II.

Trends in surgical management of proximal humeral fractures in adults: a nationwide study of records in Germany from 2007 to 2016.

INTRODUCTION: Proximal humeral fractures (PHF) are among the most common adult fractures. However, valid epidemiologic population-based data, including differentiation of treatment modalities, are lacking. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using the ICD codes and associated OPS codes for PHF, a retrospective analysis of 2007-2016 Federal Statistical Office of Germany data was performed. Data were evaluated for total incidence of PHF as well as total use, annual utilization rates, age, and sex distributions of all associated surgical procedures. Simple linear regressions were performed to evaluate trends in treatment modalities. RESULTS: There were 642,556 cases of PHF. During the study period, incidence changed substantially from 65.2 to 74.2 per 100,000 inhabitants with a significant rise in elderly (> 70 years) patients (P < 0.001). The number of surgical procedures increased by 39%, with locking plate fixation being the most common procedure (48.3%), followed by intramedullary nailing (IMN) (20.0%), hemiarthroplasty (HA) (7.5%), K-wire fixation (6.4%), and reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) (5.6%). The utilization rate increased for locking plates, K-wires, and RSA and decreased for HA and IMN. Particularly, the utilization of RSA exhibited a > eightfold increase. Significant linear correlation of procedure and time were found for all surgical treatments. CONCLUSIONS: During this period, the number of inpatient PHFs, especially in the elderly, increased. Although locking plate fixation remained the most common treatment method, RSA had the greatest proportional increase over time, supporting its growing popularity in the light of the current scientific evidence. This incline was offset by a corresponding decrease in HA and IMN, which may be related to a growing knowledge of their application limitations. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Descriptive epidemiology study, large database analysis.

Complications after surgical treatment of proximal humerus fractures in the elderly-an analysis of complication patterns and risk factors for reverse shoulder arthroplasty and angular-stable plating.

BACKGROUND: To date, there is a lack of consensus regarding surgical treatment recommendations for complex proximal humerus fracture (PHF) patterns, especially between joint preservation and joint replacement techniques. METHODS: Between 2012 and 2017, 146 patients (aged 74.1 ± 8.0 years) with complex PHF were treated with locking plates (open reduction-internal fixation [ORIF]) or reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA). Complications and unplanned revision surgery were recorded in a mid-term follow-up. Potential patient and surgical risk factors for complications were extracted. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Follow-up data were available for 125 patients, 66 (52.8%) of whom were treated with locking plates, and 59 (41.2%) with RTSA. Both groups had comparable Charlson indices. The overall complication rate was 37.8% for ORIF and 22.0% for RTSA, with a revision rate of 12.1% and 5.1%, respectively, as driven primarily by persistent motion deficits. Multivariate analyses demonstrated no significant differences between the 2 procedures (P = .500). However, age was an independent protective factor against overall complications (P = .018). Risk factors for major complications in ORIF included osteoporosis, varus impaction fractures, posteromedial metaphyseal extensions <8 mm, head-shaft displacements >4 mm, and multifragmentary greater tuberosities. For RTSA, higher complication rates were seen in patients with higher Charlson indices, diabetes, or altered (greater) tuberosities. In contrast, Neer's classification system was not predictive in either group. CONCLUSIONS: RTSA led to fewer complications than ORIF and thus can be considered a valuable option in complex PHF of the elderly. Paying attention to specific prognostic factors may help to reduce the complication rate.

Excellent results and low complication rate for anatomic polyaxial locking plates in comminuted proximal ulna fractures.

BACKGROUND: Comminuted fractures of the proximal ulna remain a great challenge in orthopedic surgery. The purpose of this study was to report the outcomes of comminuted proximal ulna fractures treated with a new construct type-anatomically preformed polyaxial locking compression plates. METHODS: Between 2013 and 2016, 46 patients with isolated comminuted fractures were treated with a 2.7-/3.5-mm VA-LCP Olecranon Plate (Synthes, Umkirch, Germany). Of these, 44 were available for an assessment after a mean follow-up period of 2.5 years (range, 12-50 months). We evaluated range of motion, time to recovery, revision rate, and indications, as well as functional scores. Radiographs were analyzed. RESULTS: The study included 8 Mayo IB, 29 Mayo IIB, and 7 Mayo IIIB fractures. All fractures showed bony union, and only 2 revision surgical procedures were performed because of a new trauma. No other complications occurred. Mean range of motion was 139° (range, 105°-150°), and the mean pain level was less than 1 on a visual analog scale. Regarding elbow function, we found a mean Mayo Elbow Performance Score of 98; a mean Oxford Elbow Score of 44; and a mean Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score of 6. Of the plates, 41% were removed after an average time of 16 months, whereby a significant improvement in extension deficit was detected (P < .01). Ninety-five percent of all patients returned to their pretrauma sports level. CONCLUSION: The 2.7-/3.5-mm VA-LCP Olecranon Plate represents an effective option with excellent fracture reduction, sufficient stability for early postoperative functional rehabilitation, and a minimum of complications.

Reliability, reproducibility, and validation of five major histological scoring systems for experimental articular cartilage repair in the rabbit model.

Histological evaluation of the repair tissue is a main pillar in the advancing field of experimental articular cartilage repair. Despite their widespread use, the major histological scoring systems for cartilage repair have seldom been validated. We tested the hypotheses (1) that elementary scores have a better reproducibility compared with more complex systems and (2) that the data from these different histological scores correlate with the DNA and proteoglycan contents of the repair tissue. A total of 1,165 observations of cartilage repair based on histological sections (n=233) from an experimental investigation on the repair of standardized osteochondral defects in vivo were made by three investigators with different levels of experience in cartilage research to determine the inter- and intra-observer reproducibility of elementary (Pineda and Wakitani score) and complex (O'Driscoll, Sellers, Fortier score) histological grading systems. DNA and proteoglycan contents of the repair tissues from simultaneously created defects were determined and correlated with histological (a) overall score values, (b) matrix staining, and (c) cellular characteristics of the five scores. Finally, applying the proteoglycan content as validating test, sensitivity, and specificity of the grading systems were assessed. All histological scores provided high intra- (Pearson r=0.92-0.99) and inter-observer reliability (intra-class correlation=0.94-0.99), low numerical intra- and inter-observer differences, and high internal correlations (Spearman's ρ=0.63-0.91). No disparity in reliability and reproducibility was detected between elementary and complex scores or between investigators with different levels of experience (all p>0.05). Individual histological overall score values did not correlate with proteoglycan contents but with DNA contents of the repair tissue (O'Driscoll, Wakitani, Sellers score). In all systems, proteoglycan contents did not correlate with matrix staining (all p>0.05), but histological cellular characteristics correlated with total cell numbers (p<0.001). These data indicate that both elementary and comprehensive histological scores are suited to quantify cartilage repair. Histological and biochemical evaluations may serve as complementary tools to assess articular cartilage repair in vivo.

Dynamic hepatitis C virus genotypic and phenotypic changes in patients treated with the protease inhibitor telaprevir.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Telaprevir (VX-950), a hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3.4A protease inhibitor, has shown strong antiviral activity in phase 1 clinical studies. Because of high levels of HCV replication and the low fidelity of HCV polymerase, selection of resistant isolates during therapy may occur. METHODS: A highly sensitive sequencing method was developed in which approximately 80 clones/sample were analyzed to identify mutations in the NS3 protease catalytic domain in HCV genotype-1-infected patients dosed with 450 mg every 8 hours, 750 mg every 8 hours, or 1250 mg every 12 hours of telaprevir for 14 days. RESULTS: Mutations that confer low-level resistance (V36A/M, T54A, R155K/T, and A156S) and high-level resistance (A156V/T, 36+155, 36+156) to telaprevir were detected and correlated with telaprevir exposure and virologic response. Changes in the frequency of mutations after the end of dosing showed an inverse relationship between in vivo viral fitness and resistance. In the absence of telaprevir selective pressure the majority of resistant variants were replaced by wild-type virus within 3-7 months. CONCLUSIONS: Resistant HCV isolates are selected rapidly during therapy with the highly active protease inhibitor telaprevir. Combination therapy with pegylated interferon-alfa or other direct antiviral drugs seem mandatory to avoid developing resistance.