Pulmonary damage after intramedullary femoral nailing in traumatized sheep--is there an effect from different nailing methods?

Stabilization of femoral shaft fractures is a controversial issue in the management of patients with multiple trauma. Intramedullary nailing usually is preferred primarily; in recent years, however, pulmonary complications (e.g.

On-scene helicopter transport of patients with multiple injuries--comparison of a German and an American system.

Hospital-based helicopter services from a German (GER) and an American (AMR) university-affiliated trauma center were reviewed. All patients with multiple injuries transported via helicopter from the scene to the trauma centers during a 1-year period were included. The patients were comparable regarding mechanism of injury, age, flight times, mean ISS, ISS distribution, and number of severe injuries per body region (patients with AIS score > 3 for head, thorax, and abdomen).

The use of ultrasonography in the foot and ankle.

Ultrasonography of the soft tissue has achieved an increasing importance in the last years. Since sonography of the shoulder, knee, muscles, and tendons has become a routine method, there is less application of ultrasound in foot and ankle pathology. Since 1985, ultrasonography has been the routine examination technique in the Trauma Department of Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.

[Can post-traumatic renal failure be modified therapeutically?].

Acute renal failure in the late phase after severe trauma is particularly dangerous, since it is resistant to therapy and contributes to the development of post-traumatic multiple organ failure. We have studied different treatment regimes in order to establish whether late renal failure can be prevented (study A: colloidal and crystalloid solutions; study B greater than: crystalloid solutions and dopamine; continuous infusion 3 micrograms/kg body weight). Renal function was assessed by means of the score by Goris as well as by creatinine clearance over a period of 14 days.

The relationship of mechanical properties to morphology in patellar tendon autografts after posterior cruciate ligament replacement in sheep.

In a sheep model the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) was replaced by a patellar tendon autograft (PTAG) using the central one-third of the ipsilateral patellar tendon (PT). The sheep were sacrificed at 16, 26, 52 and 104 weeks postoperation. The PTAG, and, as controls, the contralateral PCL and PT were harvested.

[Determining indications and osteosynthesis techniques for the pelvic girdle].

1566 patients with fractures of the pelvis were treated at the Department of Traumatology of the Hannover Medical School between 1972 and 1990: 1350 patients had fractures of the pelvic ring, 216 isolated acetabulum fractures, 398 combinations of pelvic ring fractures and acetabular involvement; 718 of these patients were admitted with severe polytrauma. For 1254 patients a complete file was available for clinical and radiological evaluation of fracture distribution, classification (Tile and anatomical location) and concomitant injuries. During the observation period, significant increase in the severity of the trauma, the severity of the pelvic fractures and the rate of internal stabilization, especially of the posterior pelvic ring was observed.

[Classification and management of complex pelvic trauma].

Complex pelvic traumas are pelvic fractures accompanied by pelvic soft tissue injuries. Mortality in major pelvic fractures with associated soft tissue injuries is high, and these injuries can pose a more complex range of therapeutic problems. Uncontrolled bleeding and septic complications are the main causes of death.

Blunt abdominal trauma in cases of multiple trauma evaluated by ultrasonography: a prospective analysis of 291 patients.

Early recognition of blunt abdominal trauma in patients with multiple injuries and in shock is of utmost importance and calls for a rapid screening method. The reliability of diagnostic ultrasonography in detecting hemoperitoneum in patients with multiple trauma was evaluated prospectively. From 1986 to 1990, 291 patients with severe multiple injuries (ISS greater than 20, mean ISS 31.

[Osteosynthesis of distal radius fractures with biodegradable fracture rods. Results of two years follow-up].

Forty distal fractures of the radius were stabilized with biodegradable polyglycolic acid rods (Biofix). A forearm plaster cast was fit for 4 weeks. Nine patients developed late (4 to 16 weeks) aseptic inflammatory reactions at the pin site, which were treated by débridement.

[15 years allogeneic bone transplantation. Indications, treatment and results].

Experience with more than 2000 allogeneic bone transplantations between 1975 and 1990 confirms that implantation of allogeneic, frozen preserved bone material has a wide range of applications. Use in reconstructive surgery and after tumor resection, in particular, is increasing. The main advantage of allogeneic bone transplantation is the almost unlimited availability and the possibility of en bloc and orthotopic administration.

[Developments in the field of transplantation of bones and cartilage].

Experience with more than 2000 allogenic bone and cartilage transplantations between 1975 and 1990 confirms the indication for implanting this material in a wide range of applications. Especially in reconstructive surgery and after tumor resection the use of this procedure is increasing. The main advantage is the almost unlimited availability and the possibility of en bloc and orthotopic administration.

The pelvic compartment syndrome.

In the pelvic region three major compartments (gluteus medius-minimus compartment, gluteus maximus compartment, and iliopsoas compartment) can be distinguished from the smaller compartment of the tensor fasciae latae muscle. Pelvic compartment syndromes are rare. A clear history of trauma is often lacking.

[Unreamed tibial nail in tibial shaft fractures with severe soft tissue damage. Initial clinical experiences].

In a prospective study, since March 1989, 55 tibial shaft fractures have been treated with a new, unreamed solid tibial nail (UTN). This nail was initially designed as a temporary implant. The first 33 cases with second or third degree soft tissue damage were reviewed 6 months or more after the operation.

[Liver failure as part of multiple organ failure following polytrauma].

In the last few years there has been increasing evidence that adult respiratory distress syndrome is only part of a much more complex syndrome called multiorgan failure (MOF). Since renal and lung failure have become rare because of our increased understanding of the pathomechanisms involved and the treatment changes, liver dysfunction has been noted more often. In a clinical trial with 38 patients with severe trauma, we investigated liver function using ordinary parameters like the transaminases, bilirubin, etc.

[Heart contusion as an unusual cause of shock in severe polytrauma].

The reported incidence of myocardial contusion after blunt chest trauma is 7-17%. Only one third of these patients present with significant morbidity. The polytrauma is generally dominated by hypovolemic and traumatic shock.

[Multiple organ failure. Reflection of generalized cell damage of all organs following severe trauma].

Multiple organ failure (MOF) is presently recognized as the most severe, and often lethal, complication after multiple trauma. Causal factors and pathomechanisms remain unclear, however. Generalized inflammatory cell tissue injury with a subsequent increase in permeability in all organs has been suggested.

The role of supplemental lag-screw fixation for open fractures of the tibial shaft treated with external fixation.

Ninety-nine open fractures of the tibial shaft were treated with unilateral external fixation with or without supplemental lag-screw fixation. We compared the results in forty-four fractures in which only external fixation was used (control group) with those in fifty-five fractures that were stabilized with lag-screws and external fixation, and we found no statistically significant differences between the two groups with respect to the time to full weight-bearing, the time to union, or the rates of delayed union, osteomyelitis, malunion, superficial or deep pin-track infection, or loosening of the pins. The limbs in which the fracture was treated with external fixation and supplemental lag-screws had more than twice the rate of refracture of the control limbs (11 compared with 5 per cent), and the percentage of fractures having supplemental lag-screw fixation that needed bone-grafting to achieve union was more than twice that in the group treated with external fixation alone.

Treatment of femoral shaft fractures in children by external fixation.

Non-operative management is still the treatment of choice for closed fractures of the femoral shaft in children. Indications for operative intervention would include: children with multiple injuries; severe soft tissue damage; cases where reduction is difficult to maintain; and children not suitable for management by traction. Since 1984, 16 children (mean age 10.

[Age, activity and strength of knee ligaments].

The cruciate ligaments of older persons are thought to have diminished biomechanical properties. On the other hand, joint immobilization also leads to similar functional losses in ligaments. It can be difficult to differentiate between these factors in older and immobile persons.

[Experimental study of the classification of intra-articular calcaneus fractures].

Improvement of the diagnostic techniques applied in calcaneus fractures, particularly the increased use of computed tomography, calls for a detailed fracture classification. Thirty lower leg cadaver specimens were submitted to axial loading. Fracture lines could be divided into a relatively constant primary fracture, running from the posterior subtalar joint surface to the tuber calcanei, and highly variable secondary fractures.

Anterior plating in thoracolumbar spine injuries. Indication, technique, and results.

The selection of surgical approach for patients suffering from acute thoracolumbar spinal trauma is presently imbued with great controversy. The surgical method chosen depends on the type of fracture, anatomic and biomechanical factors, and the habits and experience of the surgeon involved. Due to new techniques for the posterior approach and the use of internal fixators, the indications for the anterior approach must be reassessed.

[Initial clinical experience with osteosynthesis of femoral shaft fractures with a newly developed intramedullary implant (claw interlocking nail)].

The implantation of distal interlocking screws in interlocking nailing can be difficult and time-consuming. With the AO Universal Femoral Nail as the basis, an implant was designed with which distal interlocking is accomplished from the inside of the nail by means of a simple claw mechanism. Instrumentation and interlocking are possible from the proximal standard approach, so that an additional operation adjacent to the knee (which is necessary when interlocking bolts are used) is superfluous; neither for the insertion nor for the removal of the interlocking mechanism is an image intensifier necessary.