Neer's classification system: a critical appraisal.

The purpose of this study was to examine the interobserver agreement using Neer's classification system for fractures of the proximal humerus. A preliminary series of 28 fractures of the proximal humerus admitted to the hospital over a 5-year retrospective period was independently assessed by two radiologists and two orthopedic surgeons. The degree of agreement between paired observations was determined using a kappa statistic.

Hip fractures: a future epidemic?

Recent studies from the United Kingdom and Sweden have demonstrated a dramatic rise in the number of people with hip fractures. It is our hypothesis that New Zealand is experiencing a similar rise in the number of hip fractures. The number of elderly people (over age 65 years) admitted to public hospitals in New Zealand over a 38-year period was reviewed.

Heterotopic ossification following uncemented total hip arthroplasty.

Heterotopic ossification following an uncemented total hip arthroplasty should theoretically demonstrate a higher incidence than a cemented arthroplasty. This is due to increased production of bone debris following vigorous femoral canal and pelvic reaming, which should provide increased stimulatory factors for ectopic bone production. The authors examined 196 consecutive primary total hip arthroplasties prospectively for 1 year.

Elderly long-stay surgical patients.

This paper examines long hospital stays (more than 30 days) among 196 surgical patients over 65 years of age in two acute-care hospitals. Patients in the long-stay group--54 (28%) of the 196--were not demographically different from the others but showed a significantly (p less than 0.05) higher rate of cognitive impairment, dependence before admission and admission through the emergency department.