Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter baumannii Inhibit Osseointegration of Orthopedic Implants.

Bacterial infections routinely cause inflammation and thereby impair osseointegration of orthopedic implants. Acinetobacter spp., which cause osteomyelitis following trauma, on or off the battlefield, were, however, reported to cause neither osteomyelitis nor osteolysis in rodents.

Mapping of common rib fracture patterns and the subscapular flail chest associated with operative scapula fractures.

Background: Rib fractures occur in approximately 10% of trauma patients and are associated with more than 50% of patients with scapula fractures. This study investigates the location and patterns of rib fractures and flail chest occurring in patients with operatively treated scapula fractures. Novel frequency mapping techniques of rib fracture patterns in patients who also injure the closely associated scapula can yield insight into surgical approaches and fixation strategies for complex, multiple injuries patients.

Radiographic correlation of clinical shoulder deformity and patient perception following scapula fracture.

Background: Interest in operative management of scapular fractures is increasing based upon defined radiographic displacement criteria and growing awareness that certain extra-articular fractures will not do well and result in dysfunction and deformity (slumped shoulder). We intend to quantify clinical deformity, analyze correlations of these novel measures with defined radiographic measures of fracture displacement and with the patients' reported perception of their deformity.

Methods: Prospectively enrolled patients underwent standardized questioning regarding their perception of the deformity.

Injury mechanism, epidemiology, and Hospital trends of scapula fractures: A 10-year retrospective study of the National Trauma Data Bank.

Background: This 10 year retrospective study of the NTDB is the first to describe trends in scapula fracture diagnosis frequency, epidemiology, injury mechanisms and the type of hospital where the condition is treated.

Methods: Demographics, ISS scores, hospital data, mechanism of injury, complications, and hospital length of stay were recorded for patients with diagnosed scapula fractures (ICD-9, 811.0) recorded in the NTDB, v7.

Five to Ten-Year Outcomes of Operatively Treated Scapular Fractures.

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the 5 to 10-year clinical and patient-reported functional outcomes after open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of intra-articular and extra-articular scapular fractures.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of prospectively collected data on 106 patients who underwent ORIF of a scapular fracture at a single level-I trauma center between January 2005 and December 2010. Eight patients were excluded from the study because they had either severe neurologic injury or an isolated process fracture, and 66 patients (37 with an isolated extra-articular fracture and 29 with an intra-articular fracture) participated in the 5 to 10-year follow-up, yielding a follow-up rate of 67%.