No abstract

Background Grade IIIB open tibia fractures are devastating injuries. Some clinicians advocate wound closure or stable muscle flap coverage within 72 hours to limit complications such as infection. Negative pressure wound therapy was approved by the FDA in 1997 and has become an adjunct for many surgeons in treating these fractures. Opinions vary regarding the extent to which negative pressure wound therapy contributes to limb salvage. Evidence-based practice guidelines are limited for use of negative pressure wound therapy in Grade IIIB tibia fractures. This systematic literature review of negative pressure wound therapy in Grade IIIB tibia fractures may substantiate current use and guide future studies. Questions/purposes We sought to answer the following:(1) Does the use of negative pressure would therapy compared with gauze dressings lead to fewer infections? (2) Does it allow flap procedures to be performed safely beyond 72 hours without increased infection rates? (3) Is it associated with fewer local or free flap procedures? Methods We conducted a systematic review of six large databases (through September 1, 2013) for studies reporting use of negative pressure wound therapy in Grade IIIB open tibia fractures, including information regarding infection rates and soft tissue reconstruction. The systematic review identified one randomized controlled trial and 12 retrospective studies: four studies compared infection rates between negative pressure wound therapy and gauze dressings, 10 addressed infection rates with extended use, and six reported on flap coverage rates in relation to negative pressure wound therapy use beyond 72 hours. None of the 13 studies was eliminated owing to lack of study quality.

Purpose The outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been associated with reports of increased anxiety, depression and fear among the general population. People with underlying psychiatric disorders are more susceptible to stress than the general population. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of concomitant psychiatric conditions in the orthopaedic trauma population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This retrospective cohort study evaluated orthopaedic trauma patients who received care at our institution between February through April of 2019 and February through April of 2020. Patient sex, age, mechanism of injury, associated injuries, fracture location, tobacco use, employment status, mental health diagnosis and presence of interpersonal violence were documented. Mental health diagnoses were defined based on International Classification of Diseases-10 classification. Results The study included 553 orthopaedic patients evaluated at our institution during the defined time period. Patients in the 2020 cohort had a higher prevalence of mental health diagnoses (26% vs. 43%, p < 0.0001) compared with the 2019 group. The odds ratio for mental health disorder in the 2020 patients was 2.21 (95% CI 1.54, 3.18) compared with the 2019 cohort. The 2020 cohort had a higher percentage of patients who reported interpersonal violence (20% vs. 11%, p = 0.005). Conclusion Our study showed a higher prevalence of psychiatric disease among orthopaedic trauma patients during the COVID-19 pandemic when compared with those seen during the same time of the year in 2019. Stress induced by the coronavirus pandemic can place patients with mental illness at a higher risk for perilous behaviours and subsequent fractures.

Objectives: To determine whether fracture of the lateral process (LP) elevates the risk of development of radiographic subtalar arthrosis in patients with talar body and neck fractures. Design: Retrospective review. Setting: Level 1 academic trauma center. Patients/Participants: Eighty-two patients with 43 talar neck and 43 talar body fractures treated over a 5-year period. Intervention: Preoperative and postoperative radiographs were evaluated for fracture of the LP of the talus and subsequent development of radiographic subtalar arthritis. Main Outcome Measurements: Radiographic evidence of subtalar arthritis. Results: Seventy-six percent of talar neck fractures with involvement of the LP went on to develop radiographic evidence of subtalar arthrosis compared with 36% of talar neck fractures without LP involvement (P = 0.035). Thirty of the fractures involving the LP had a separate LP fragment. Fifteen of the 30 fractures with a separate LP fragment that underwent reduction and fixation developed radiographic evidence of subtalar arthrosis, whereas all 13 fractures with an independent LP fragment that did not have fixation of the LP went on to develop radiographic evidence of subtalar arthritis (P = 0.001). Comminution of the inferior talar articular surface was found to significantly increase the risk of radiographic subtalar arthritis in both talar body and talar neck fractures (P = 0.0003). An anatomic reduction of both talar neck and body fractures was found to be associated with a lower incidence of radiographic subtalar arthritis (P = 0.00001). Conclusion: Comminution of the inferior articular surface of the talus elevates the risk of subtalar arthritis in patients with both talar neck and body fractures. Fracture of the LP is a marker for injury to the talar inferior articular surface and increases the risk for the radiographic finding of subtalar arthritis in patients with talar neck fractures. Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.