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Background: This study aims to determine the incidence of pulmonary embolism (PE) in trauma and orthopedic patients within a regional tertiary referral center and its association with the pattern of injury, type of treatment, co-morbidities, thromboprophylaxis and mortality. Methods: All patients admitted to our institution between January 2010 and December 2011, for acute trauma or elective orthopedic procedures, were eligible to participate in this study. Our cohort was formed by identifying all patients with clinical features of PE who underwent Computed Tomography-Pulmonary Angiogram (CT-PA) to confirm or exclude the clinical suspicion of PE, within six months after the injury or the surgical procedure. Case notes and electronic databases were reviewed retrospectively to identify each patient's venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk factors, type of treatment, thromboprophylaxis and mortality.

Methotrexate (MTX), as a pharmaceutical, is frequently used in tumor chemotherapy and is also a part of the established treatment of a number of autoimmune inflammatory disorders. Radiolabeled MTX has been studied as a tumor-diagnostic agent in a number of published studies. In the present study, the potential use of technetium-99m-labelled MTX (99mTc-MTX) as a radiotracer was investigated for the identification of inflammatory target sites. The labelling of MTX was carried out via a 99mTc-gluconate precursor. Evaluation studies included in vitro stability, plasma protein binding assessment, partition-coefficient estimation, in vivo scintigraphic imaging and ex vivo animal experiments in an animal inflammation model. MTX was successfully labelled with 99mTc, with a radiochemical purity of >95%. Stability was assessed in plasma, where it remained intact up to 85% at 4 h post-incubation, while protein binding of the radiotracer was observed to be ~50% at 4 h. These preclinical ex vivo and in vivo studies indicated that 99mTc-MTX accumulates in inflamed tissue, as well as in the spinal cord, joints and bones; all areas with relatively high remodeling activity. The results are promising, and set the stage for further work on the development and application of 99mTc-MTX as a radiotracer for inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

Purpose To identify the incidence, risk factors, and treatment course of patients who developed deep infection following fixation of pelvic fractures. Methods Over a period of 8 years patients who underwent pelvic reconstruction in our institution and developed postoperative infection were included. Exclusion criteria were pathological fractures and infections that were not secondary to post-traumatic reconstruction. The mean time of follow-up was 43.6 months (33–144). For comparison purposes, we randomly selected patients that underwent pelvic fracture fixation from our database (control group). A logistic regression was fitted to patient characteristics including age, sex, ISS, and diabetic status. Results Out of 858 patients, 18 (2.1%) (12 males), with a mean age of 41 (18–73) met the inclusion criteria. The control group consisted of 82 patients with a mean age of 41 years (18–72). The mean ISS was 27.7 and 17.6 in the infection and control group, respectively. The mean time from pelvic reconstruction to the diagnosis of infection was 20 days (7–80). The median number of trips to theatre was 3 (1–16). Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was the most frequently isolated organism in the years prior to 2012. Eradication was achieved in 93% of the patients. The most important risk factors for deep infection were ISS (OR 1.08, 1.03–1.13), posterior sacral approach (OR 17.03, 1.49–194.40), and diabetes (OR 36.85, 3.54–383.70). Conclusion In this retrospective case–control study, deep infection following pelvic trauma was rare. A number of patient-, injury- and surgery-related factors have shown strong correlation with this serious complication.

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