From Iraq back to Iraq: modern combat orthopaedic care.

War wounds are often large and complex, with high degrees of contamination and tissue loss differing significantly from typical civilian injuries. Infection has been a common complication driving the tenets of care, even in the antibiotic age. Fractures were historically treated with casting or traction because of the risk of infection with internal fixation. However, current civilian fracture care has evolved significantly with extensive use of internal and external fixation with early mobilization and other adjuncts to restore function earlier and more completely. Whether the application of modern techniques and implants can better restore function in patients with these severe injuries is currently being evaluated.

Definitive treatment of combat casualties at military medical centers.

More than 9,000 casualties have been evacuated during the current conflict, and more than 40,000 orthopaedic surgical procedures have been performed. The most severely injured patients are treated in the United States at military medical centers. Individualized reconstructive plans are developed, and patients are treated with state-of-the-art techniques. Rehabilitation includes the assistance of the physical medicine and rehabilitation, physical therapy, and occupational therapy services, as well as, when necessary, psychiatric or other services. The extreme challenges of treating war-related soft-tissue defects include neurovascular injuries, burns, heterotopic ossification, infection, prolonged recovery, and persistent pain. Such injuries do not allow full restoration of function. Because of such devastating injuries, and despite use of up-to-date methods, outcomes can be less than optimal.

The Military Extremity Trauma Amputation/Limb Salvage (METALS) study: outcomes of amputation versus limb salvage following major lower-extremity trauma.

BACKGROUND: The study was performed to examine the hypothesis that functional outcomes following major lower-extremity trauma sustained in the military would be similar between patients treated with amputation and those who underwent limb salvage. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of 324 service members deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq who sustained a lower-limb injury requiring either amputation or limb salvage involving revascularization, bone graft/bone transport, local/free flap coverage, repair of a major nerve injury, or a complete compartment injury/compartment syndrome. The Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment (SMFA) questionnaire was used to measure overall function. Standard instruments were used to measure depression (the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD Checklist-military version), chronic pain (Chronic Pain Grade Scale), and engagement in sports and leisure activities (Paffenbarger Physical Activity Questionnaire). The outcomes of amputation and salvage were compared by using regression analysis with adjustment for age, time until the interview, military rank, upper-limb and bilateral injuries, social support, and intensity of combat experiences. RESULTS: Overall response rates were modest (59.2%) and significantly different between those who underwent amputation (64.5%) and those treated with limb salvage (55.4%) (p = 0.02). In all SMFA domains except arm/hand function, the patients scored significantly worse than population norms. Also, 38.3% screened positive for depressive symptoms and 17.9%, for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). One-third (34.0%) were not working, on active duty, or in school. After adjustment for covariates, participants with an amputation had better scores in all SMFA domains compared with those whose limbs had been salvaged (p < 0.01). They also had a lower likelihood of PTSD and a higher likelihood of being engaged in vigorous sports. There were no significant differences between the groups with regard to the percentage of patients with depressive symptoms, pain interfering with daily activities (pain interference), or work/school status. CONCLUSIONS: Major lower-limb trauma sustained in the military results in significant disability. Service members who undergo amputation appear to have better functional outcomes than those who undergo limb salvage. Caution is needed in interpreting these results as there was a potential for selection bias.

Modified stoppa approach for acetabular fractures with anterior and posterior column displacement: quantification of radiographic reduction and analysis of interobserver variability.

OBJECTIVES: To quantify the reduction of acetabular fractures with displacement of the anterior and posterior column by using only a single anterior approach that combines the modified Stoppa approach with the lateral window of the classic ilioinguinal approach. The second objective was to evaluate the interobserver variability of our technique for radiographic evaluation of the reduction. SETTING: Level I trauma referral center. PATIENTS: A consecutive cohort of 17 patients with displaced acetabular fractures treated operatively with use of only an anterior approach that combined the modified Stoppa approach with the lateral window of the ilioinguinal approach. To be included in the study, patients had to have at least 5 mm of posterior column displacement and had to have undergone no other approaches. OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome was radiographic evidence of reduction as measured by a technique that evaluates five parameters of postoperative reduction. Interobserver variability was evaluated with interclass correlation. Secondary outcomes included operative time, blood loss, and complications. RESULTS: Anatomic reduction of the articular surface was obtained in 14 (82%) patients, imperfect radiographic reduction in three (18%), and poor radiographic reduction in none (0%). Average anterior column displacement improved from 17.5 mm preoperatively to 0.5 mm postoperatively. Average posterior column displacement improved from 13.0 mm to 1.2 mm. Average femoral head medialization improved from 12.5 mm to 1.0 mm. Average quadrilateral surface medialization improved from 15.2 mm to 0.6 mm. Four complications occurred in three patients, including one deep infection, one seroma, and two instances of symptoms in the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve. Our technique for grading the radiographic outcome yielded relatively high interobserver reliability preoperatively with interclass correlation values ranging from 0.72 to 0.96 for the five measured parameters. Postoperative reliability was worse. CONCLUSION: Anatomic or imperfect reduction of certain acetabular fractures involving displacement of both the anterior and posterior columns, even with significant (greater than 5 mm) displacement of the posterior column, can be obtained through the modified Stoppa window and the lateral window of the ilioinguinal approach. The method for evaluating preoperative displacement had excellent reliability.

Antibiotic-impregnated calcium sulfate use in combat-related open fractures.

This article presents our experience with the use of antibiotic-impregnated calcium sulfate in the management of comminuted open fractures with a bony defect caused by combat-related blast injuries and high-energy wounds. Calcium sulfate was used 19 times in 15 patients (17 fractures) as a bone graft substitute and a carrier for antibiotics. The anatomic sites of the graft were as follows: 6 calcanei, 1 midfoot, 1 metatarsal, 5 tibiae, 3 femorae, and 1 humerus. The average number of procedures prior to grafting was 6.2 (range, 2-10; median, 6) with grafting performed at an average 28 days after injury (range, 9-194 days; median, 14 days). Average radiographic follow-up of 12 fractures not requiring repeat grafting or amputation was 8.5 months (range 1-19 months; median, 7 months), and all of these fractures demonstrated clinical and radiographic evidence of fracture healing and consolidation. Four patients subsequently underwent 5 transtibial amputations: 2 for persistent infection, 1 when the patient changed his mind against limb salvage acutely, and 2 for severe neurogenic pain. Including the 2 amputations for persistent infection, 4 patients (22.2%) required further surgical management of infection. Three patients (17.6%) subsequently developed heterotopic ossification at the graft site, which required surgical excision. Antibiotic-impregnated calcium sulfate is effective in treating severe, contaminated open fractures by reducing infection and assisting with fracture union.

Treatment of open periarticular shoulder fractures sustained in combat-related injuries.

Open periarticular shoulder fractures present a tremendous challenge for orthopedic surgeons. These injuries, albeit rare, are typically caused by high-energy mechanisms and are associated with insult to multiple organ systems resulting in high morbidity and mortality. Although the civilian trauma literature includes several articles on outcomes of closed periarticular shoulder fractures, only 1 peer-reviewed article has focused on this specific open injury pattern. No standard management technique has been adopted for these injuries, and treatment patterns have anecdotally evolved from war to war. In this article, we review evacuation of patients, management of combat-related open periarticular shoulder injuries, and the pertinent literature; we supplement this review with a description of the recent experience of Drs. HMF and WCD. All cases of combat-related open fractures treated at our institution between March 2003 and January 2007 were reviewed. We identified 44 patients with open periarticular shoulder fractures (33 IIIA, 1 IIIB, 10 IIIC). Inpatient and outpatient medical records, x-rays, laboratory culture data, and photographic documentation records were reviewed. Mean follow-up was 34 months (range, 12-49 months). Rates of associated neurologic and vascular injury were 41% (18/44 patients), and 23% (10/44 patients), respectively. Other associated significant injuries occurred in 38/44 patients (86%). Internal fixation was used as definitive treatment in 26/44 patients (59%). Radiographic union occurred by a mean of 4.5 months (range, 3-9 months) after surgery. Postoperative deep infection/osteomyelitis occurred in 5/35 patients (14%) with more than 1-year follow-up data available. The overall amputation rate was 9%. Open combat-related periarticular shoulder fractures are complicated injuries, often associated with several traumatic comorbidities that together present difficult challenges to treatment. Meticulous surgical débridement is essential in managing these severely comminuted and contaminated open fractures. In cases in which internal fixation is used, careful timing and patient selection are required to minimize risk for osteomyelitis. Data collection is being continued in this patient cohort to allow for eventual reporting of functional outcomes.