Pain, Depression, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Following Major Extremity Trauma Among United States Military Serving in Iraq and Afghanistan: Results From the Military Extremity Trauma and Amputation/Limb Salvage Study.

Objectives: Assess the burden and co-occurrence of pain, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among service members who sustained a major limb injury, and examine whether these conditions are associated with functional outcomes.

Design: A retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Four U.

Reoperation after combat-related major lower extremity amputations.

Objective: Complication rates leading to reoperation after trauma-related amputations remain ill defined in the literature. We sought to identify and quantify the indications for reoperation in our combat-injured patients.

Design: Retrospective review of a consecutive series of patients.

Comparison of functional outcomes following bridge synostosis with non-bone-bridging transtibial combat-related amputations.

Background: The prevalence of penetrating wartime trauma to the extremities has increased in recent military conflicts. Substantial controversy remains in the orthopaedic and prosthetic literature regarding which surgical technique should be performed to obtain the most functional transtibial amputation. We compared self-reported functional outcomes associated with two surgical techniques for transtibial amputation: bridge synostosis (modified Ertl) and non-bone-bridging (modified Burgess).

Heterotopic ossification resection after open periarticular combat-related elbow fractures.

A retrospective review was performed to evaluate the outcomes and complications following heterotopic ossification (HO) resection and lysis of adhesion procedures for posttraumatic contracture, after combat-related open elbow fractures. From 2004 to 2011, HO resection was performed on 30 blast-injured elbows at a mean 10 months after injury. Injuries included 8 (27%) Gustilo-Anderson type II fractures, 8 (27%) type III-A, 10 (33%) III-B, and 4 (13%) III-C.

Treatment of open proximal femoral fractures sustained in combat.

Background: Open proximal femoral fractures are rare injuries that often result from wartime high-energy causes. Limited data exist regarding the treatment and complications of these injuries.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of combat casualties treated at two institutions between March 2003 and March 2008.

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.

Microbiology and injury characteristics in severe open tibia fractures from combat.

Background: Type III open tibia fractures are common combat injuries. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effect of injury characteristics and surveillance cultures on outcomes in combat-related severe open tibia fractures.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of all combat-related open Gustilo and Anderson (G/A) type III diaphyseal tibia fractures treated at our centers between March 2003 and September 2007.

Operative complications of combat-related transtibial amputations: a comparison of the modified burgess and modified Ertl tibiofibular synostosis techniques.

Background: The complications of bone-bridging amputations remain ill defined. The purpose of this study was to compare the early and intermediate-term complications leading to reoperation between the modified Burgess and modified Ertl tibiofibular synostosis in combat-related transtibial amputations.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of consecutive, contemporaneous cohorts of thirty-seven modified Ertl bone-bridge and 100 modified Burgess combat-related transtibial amputations.

Blast-induced lower extremity fractures with arterial injury: prevalence and risk factors for amputation after initial limb-preserving treatment.

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to determine the rate of late (secondary) amputation and to identify risk factors for amputation in injuries that were initially treated with limb preservation on the battlefield.

Methods: A retrospective review at our institution identified 24 consecutive patients with 26 blast-induced open fractures distal to the joint that had associated arterial injuries. All injuries were initially cared for on the battlefield and during the evacuation chain of care with limb preservation protocols.

Does a longer delay in fixation of talus fractures cause osteonecrosis?

This retrospective study investigated active duty soldiers with delayed definitive fixation of combat-related talus fractures. The authors predicted a longer delay to internal fixation and a correlation between the timing of fixation and development of osteonecrosis and posttraumatic arthritis. The Joint Theater Trauma Registry was queried by ICD-9 codes for talus fractures.

Traumatic and trauma-related amputations: part I: general principles and lower-extremity amputations.

Deliberate attention to the management of soft tissue is imperative when performing an amputation. Identification and proper management of the nerves accompanied by the performance of a stable myodesis and ensuring robust soft-tissue coverage are measures that will improve patient outcomes. Limb length should be preserved when practicable; however, length preservation at the expense of creating a nonhealing or painful residual limb with poor soft-tissue coverage is contraindicated.

Combat foot and ankle trauma.

Injury to the lower extremity is common in the current conflicts, often severely affecting the foot and ankle. Secondary to continued surgical advances, many lower extremities are able to undergo limb salvage procedures. However, scoring systems still do not reliably predict which patient will be best served with an amputation or limb salvage.

Lower extremity combat-related amputations.

Since the onset of combat activity in Iraq and Afghanistan, there have been over 1100 major limb amputations among United States service members. With a sustained military presence in the Middle East, continued severe lower extremity trauma is inevitable. For this reason, combat surgeons must understand the various amputation levels as well as the anatomic and technical details that enable an optimal functional outcome.

Damage control orthopaedics: an in-theater perspective.

Damage control orthopaedics is well described for civilian trauma. However, significant differences exist for combat-related extremity trauma. Military combat casualty care is defined by levels of care.

Recent advances in lower extremity amputations and prosthetics for the combat injured patient.

Blast-related extremity trauma represents a serious challenge because of the extent of bone and soft tissue damage. Fragmentation and blast injuries account for 56% of all injuries produced within the Iraqi and Afghan theaters where, as of July 2009, 723 combatants have sustained lower extremity limb loss. If limb salvage is not practical, or fails, then amputation should be considered.

Strategies for managing massive defects of the foot in high-energy combat injuries of the lower extremity.

Blast-related lower extremity trauma presents many challenges in its management that are not frequently experienced in high-energy civilian trauma. Because many of the blasts experienced in the current conflicts are ground based, the foot and ankle have sustained considerable severity and extent of injury because of the proximity of the blast. The high functional demands required of active service members create several reconstructive challenges.

The mangled foot and leg: salvage versus amputation.

Determining whether to perform limb salvage or amputation in the traumatized lower extremity continues to be a difficult problem in the military and civilian sectors. Numerous predictive scores and models have failed to provide definitive criteria for prediction of limb-salvage success. Excellent support is available in the military health care system for soldiers electing to undergo either limb salvage or amputation.

A comparison of open versus arthroscopic harvesting of osteochondral autografts.

Osteochondral autograft transfer is a technique for treatment of traumatic and degenerative cartilage lesions. A graft in which the cartilage cap is oriented perpendicular to the long axis of the graft is ideal because it can both restore the cartilage tidemark and minimize articular step-off at the recipient site. This study determines if osteochondral harvest technique (arthroscopic versus mini-open) or donor site location affects suitable graft harvest.

Short-term outcomes of severe open wartime tibial fractures treated with ring external fixation.

Background: The treatment of complex open tibial fractures sustained in combat remains controversial. This study investigated the short-term outcomes of type-III tibial shaft fractures treated at our institution with ring external fixation.

Methods: A retrospective review identified sixty-seven type-III tibial shaft fractures in sixty-five consecutive patients treated between April 2004 and January 2007.

Prevention and management of infections associated with combat-related extremity injuries.

Orthopedic injuries suffered by casualties during combat constitute approximately 65% of the total percentage of injuries and are evenly distributed between upper and lower extremities. The high-energy explosive injuries, environmental contamination, varying evacuation procedures, and progressive levels of medical care make managing combat-related injuries challenging. The goals of orthopedic injury management are to prevent infection, promote fracture healing, and restore function.

Guidelines for the prevention of infection after combat-related injuries.

Management of combat-related trauma is derived from skills and data collected in past conflicts and civilian trauma, and from information and experience obtained during ongoing conflicts. The best methods to prevent infections associated with injuries observed in military combat are not fully established. Current methods to prevent infections in these types of injuries are derived primarily from controlled trials of elective surgery and civilian trauma as well as retrospective studies of civilian and military trauma interventions.

Endoscopic flexor hallucis longus decompression: a cadaver study.

Background: New indications for arthroscopy are being considered because arthroscopy limits incision size and potentially decreases operative morbidity. This cadaver study investigated the utility of performing an all-endoscopic flexor hallucis longus (FHL) decompression.

Methods: Eight fresh-frozen cadaver legs were used.