Medical care following earthquakes: Clinical, organizational, and logistic challenges.

The orthopedic load following earthquakes exceeds that caused by any other disaster. This is due to the large number of musculoskeletal injuries due to falling debris, coupled with the widespread damage to general and medical infrastructure, causing a huge imbalance between surgical needs and the ability to address these needs, necessitating a switch in mindset and operational mode. Clinically, the operational mode will be that of damage control surgery, considering "life before limb" with only lifesaving and limb-saving procedures being performed during the acute phase of the event.

Humanitarian Medical Aid Mission in the Middle of a Pandemic - Israeli Experience in Equatorial Guinea.

Introduction: In March 2021, a series of explosions shook a military base in Bata, Equatorial Guinea. As a response to government officials' request, the Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps (IDF-MC) deployed an emergency aid team that faced two major challenges: (1) understanding the scenario, the injury patterns, and the needs of the local medical system; and (2) minimizing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak threats. This report describes the team design, the activities performed before and during the deployment, analyzes the pathology encountered, and shares lessons learned from the mission.

Establishing a COVID-19 treatment centre in Israel at the initial stage of the outbreak: challenges, responses and lessons learned.

Anticipating the need for a COVID-19 treatment centre in Israel, a designated facility was established at Sheba Medical Center-a quaternary referral centre. The goals were diagnosis and treatment of patients with COVID-19 while protecting patients and staff from infection and ensuring operational continuity and treatment of patients with non-COVID. Options considered included adaptation of existing wards, building a tented facility and converting a non-medical structure.

Characteristics of Clinically Asymptomatic Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infections, Case Series.

Up until now, there is much debate about the role of asymptomatic patients and pauci-symptomatic patients in severe acute respiratory syndrome novel coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission, and little is known about the kinetics of viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) shedding in these populations. This article aims to describe key features and the nature of asymptomatic and pauci-symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. The cohort consisted of six participants, three pairs, which were infected with SARS-CoV-2 during February 2020 on board the Diamond Princess.

Improving Management of Limb Injuries in Disasters and Conflicts.

It has become clear that disaster relief needs to transition from good intentions or a charity-based approach to a professional, outcome-oriented response. The practice of medicine in disaster and conflict is a profession practiced in environments where lack of resources, chaos, and unpredictability are the norm rather than the exception. With this consideration in mind, the World Health Organization (WHO; Geneva, Switzerland) and its partners set out to improve the disaster response systems.

Eight-plate epiphysiodesis: are we creating an intra-articular deformity?

Aims: Guided growth using eight-plates is commonly used for correction of angular limb deformities in growing children. The principle is of tethering at the physeal periphery while enabling growth in the rest of the physis. The method is also applied for epiphysiodesis to correct limb-length discrepancy (LLD).

Percutaneous aspiration and irrigation technique for the treatment of pediatric septic hip: effectiveness and predictive parameters.

Unlabelled: Septic arthritis of the hip has been treated traditionally by surgical drainage. Recent reports have described repeated aspirations as an adequate and safe treatment. The aim of the present study was to assess the success of treatment of septic arthritis of the hip by repeated aspirations and to identify predictive factors for failure.

Orthopedic Activity in Field Hospitals Following Earthquakes in Nepal and Haiti : Variability in Injuries Encountered and Collaboration with Local Available Resources Drive Optimal Response.

Background: Field hospitals have been deployed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Medical Corps in numerous disaster events. Two recent deployments were following earthquakes in Haiti in 2010 and in Nepal in 2015. Despite arrival in similar timetables, the mode of operation was different-independently in Haiti and in collaboration with a local hospital in Nepal.

Dexamethasone Therapy for Septic Arthritis in Children.

Background And Objective: Prospective studies of children with septic arthritis report that adding dexamethasone to antibiotic therapy contributes significantly to clinical and laboratory improvement. This study sought to evaluate the effect of this regimen outside of a randomized controlled trial.

Methods: The sample consisted of children with septic arthritis hospitalized at a tertiary pediatric medical center in 2008 to 2013.

Pediatric Orthopedic Injuries Following an Earthquake: Experience in an Acute-Phase Field Hospital.

Background: Following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps deployed a field hospital in Port au Prince. The purpose of this study was to characterize the injuries sustained by the pediatric population treated in the hospital and examine the implications for planning deployment in future similar disasters.

Methods: Medical records of children treated in the hospital were reviewed and compared with medical records of the adult population.

Guiding femoral rotational growth in an animal model.

Background: Guided growth is most commonly utilized about the knee and ankle for the correction of coronal-plane deformities by the use of plates positioned perpendicular to the physis. Sagittal-plane deformity correction has been described as well. The purpose of our study was to examine the ability to affect axial-rotational growth.

Coping with the challenges of early disaster response: 24 years of field hospital experience after earthquakes.

Objective: To propose strategies and recommendations for future planning and deployment of field hospitals after earthquakes by comparing the experience of 4 field hospitals deployed by The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Medical Corps in Armenia, Turkey, India and Haiti.

Methods: Quantitative data regarding the earthquakes were collected from published sources; data regarding hospital activity were collected from IDF records; and qualitative information was obtained from structured interviews with key figures involved in the missions.

Results: The hospitals started operating between 89 and 262 hours after the earthquakes.

Skeletal injuries sustained during the Haiti earthquake of 2010: a radiographic analysis of the casualties admitted to the Israel Defense Forces field hospital.

Purpose: To report the distribution and types of skeletal injuries demonstrated on the images taken at the field hospital following the Haiti 2010 earthquake.

Methods: Following the January 12, 2010, earthquake, the State of Israel dispatched a field hospital to Haiti, managing 1,111 patients from January 17, 2010, to January 26, 2010. Four hundred and seven patients (37 %) had 684 radiographic images, most of them (87 %) due to presumed skeletal injuries.

A novel mutation in the GAN gene causes an intermediate form of giant axonal neuropathy in an Arab-Israeli family.

Giant axonal neuropathy is a severe autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder of childhood that affects both the peripheral and central nervous systems. It is caused by mutations in the GAN gene linked to chromosome 16q24.1 At least 45 distinct disease-causing mutations have been identified throughout the gene in families of various ethnic origins, with different symptomatologies and different clinical courses.

Pediatric orthopedic injuries following an earthquake: experience in an acute-phase field hospital.

Background: Following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps deployed a field hospital in Port au Prince. The purpose of this study was to characterize the injuries sustained by the pediatric population treated in the hospital and examine the implications for planning deployment in future similar disasters.

Methods: Medical records of children treated in the hospital were reviewed and compared with medical records of the adult population.

Fractures and refractures after femoral locking compression plate fixation in children and adolescents.

Background: Locking compression plates (LCPs) are being increasingly utilized in fixation of fractures and osteotomies in the pediatric population. However, plate insertion or removal may pose a risk of femoral fractures or refractures. The goal of this study was to analyze failure patterns associated with LCPs and identify possible contributing factors.

Combined DTP-HBV-HIB vaccine versus separately administered DTP-HBV and HIB vaccines for primary prevention of diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae B (HIB).

Background: Advantages to combining childhood vaccines include reducing the number of visits, injections and patient discomfort, increasing compliance and optimising prevention. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that routine infant immunisation programmes include a vaccination against Haemophilus influenzae (H. influenzae) type B (HIB) in the combined diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP)-hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination.

Short-term after-effect of forearm cast removal in children.

Purpose: To investigate the sensation in the hand after forearm cast removal in children.

Methods: The study group included 33 consecutive children who were treated nonoperatively for a forearm fracture at our center over a 1-year period. The children were asked to report any sensation in the ipsilateral hand after cast removal, and the findings were analyzed against background and fracture-related data.

Orthopaedic management in a mega mass casualty situation. The Israel Defence Forces Field Hospital in Haiti following the January 2010 earthquake.

Following the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) established a field hospital in Port au Prince. The hospital started operating 89 h after the earthquake. We describe the experience of the orthopaedic department in a field hospital operating in an extreme mass casualty situation.

External fixator frames as interim damage control for limb injuries: experience in the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Background: An earthquake occurred in Haiti on January 12, 2010. The center of earthquake and the most extensive damage occurred near the capital Port-au-Prince. There were an estimated 230,000 deaths with more than 250,000 others injured.

Dexamethasone therapy for septic arthritis in children: results of a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study.

Background: We evaluated the effect of adding dexamethasone to antibiotic therapy in the clinical course of septic arthritis in children.

Methods: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial was performed. The study group included 49 children with septicarthritis.

Chronic osteomyelitis in children: treatment by intramedullary reaming and antibiotic-impregnated cement rods.

Background: Chronic osteomyelitis (CO) is rarely encountered in developed countries and is especially rare in children and adolescents. However, on occurrence, it can pose a difficult therapeutic challenge necessitating a combination of aggressive surgical treatment and prolonged antibiotic administration.

Methods: Four patients were treated for CO in the Pediatric Orthopaedic Unit at Schneider Children's Medical Center between June 2005 and December 2006 and were reviewed retrospectively.