Looking for Holes in Sterile Wrapping: How Accurate Are We?

Background: Defects in sterile surgical wrapping are identified by the presence of holes through which light can be seen. However, it is unknown how reliably the human eye can detect these defects.

Questions/purposes: The purpose of this study was to determine (1) how often holes in sterile packaging of various sizes could be detected; and (2) whether differences in lighting, experience level of the observer, or time spent inspecting the packaging were associated with improved likelihood of detection of holes in sterile packaging.

Legal aspects of open disclosure: a review of Australian law.

Health professionals worry that information about adverse events conveyed to patients in open disclosure (OD) may be used against them in medicolegal proceedings. Whether and how strongly state and federal laws in Australia protect against such uses is unclear. Our analysis concludes that existing laws do not prohibit the sharing of most types of information on adverse events with patients.

Description of a technique for vacuum-assisted deep drains in the management of cavitary defects and deep infections in devastating military and civilian trauma.

Background: Deep soft-tissue defects often present in high-energy trauma and during the surgical treatment of infection. Injuries caused by high-velocity projectiles can create deep soft-tissue defects that are challenging to manage. Persistent, deep wound cavities have been associated with infection and prolonged wound healing.

Advances in the care of battlefield orthopaedic injuries.

Musculoskeletal wounds are the most common type of injury among survivors of combat trauma. The treatment of these wounds entails many challenges. Although methods of care are evolving, significant gaps remain as knowledge of civilian trauma is extrapolated to combat injuries.

Orthopaedic war injuries: recent developments in treatment and research.

Musculoskeletal injury is the most common type of injury among survivors of combat trauma, and combat-related trauma is challenging for an orthopaedic surgeon to treat. Methods of treatment are evolving, but significant gaps remain as knowledge of civilian trauma is extrapolated to combat trauma.

From Iraq back to Iraq: modern combat orthopaedic care.

War wounds are often large and complex, with high degrees of contamination and tissue loss differing significantly from typical civilian injuries. Infection has been a common complication driving the tenets of care, even in the antibiotic age. Fractures were historically treated with casting or traction because of the risk of infection with internal fixation.