Improving day surgery rates of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery in surgical units not dedicated to performing day surgery: A retrospective observational cohort study.

Background And Aims: Current guidance advises that at least 90% of anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions are performed as day-case operations. Same-day surgery rates achieved by surgical units have significant clinical and financial implications. The primary aim of this multi-centre study was to determine the rate of admission and causes for admissions in patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Complex regional pain syndrome (type 1): a comparison of 2 diagnostic criteria methods.

Background: Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a common problem presenting to orthopedic surgeons or pain therapists, most frequently encountered after trauma or surgery to a limb. Because of a lack of a simple objective diagnostic test, diagnosis is reliant on clinical assessment. Prospective studies have repeatedly demonstrated a higher incidence than retrospective studies, an observation that has been challenged owing to the lack of uniformity of diagnostic criteria across specialties and workers researching the condition.

Reduced delays in A&E for elderly patients with hip fractures.

Published guidelines recommend early transfer of patients with hip fractures to hospital wards and avoidance of unnecessary delays in A&E. We describe a protocol whereby the liaison of an orthopaedic trauma co-ordinator with A&E reduced A&E-to-ward transfer times by 43%. Following introduction of the new protocol, 39% of hip fracture patients were in a ward bed within 3 h of admission to A&E compared to 4% previously.

The treatment of nonunion after intracapsular fracture of the proximal femur.

Nonunion is a frequent complication of displaced intracapsular fractures of the femoral neck and occurs in as many as 43% of patients. The incidence can be reduced by prompt anatomic reduction and stable fixation. The treatment of an established nonunion depends on numerous factors including the age of the patient, the vascularity and sphericity of the femoral head, alignment of the neck and shaft, and potential limb length discrepancy.