Introduction The practice of medicine is fundamentally and historically based in service; whether service to patients, service to communities, service to society, or service to one's partners and colleagues, the professional lives of physicians are linked to service. The professional…
Introduction The last century has brought remarkable advances in the field of orthopaedic traumatology. The creation and dissemination of this new knowledge could not have been possible without the ability of surgeon scientists to measure and communicate their patient outcomes.…
Fractures account for only about 10% of all musculoskeletal traumatic injuries, but they cause a disproportionate amount of medical impairment. The costs of fracture care, including lost productivity, medical expenses, and disability payments, make this class of injury a significant…
Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common and devastating complications of orthopaedic surgical procedures. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 22% of all healthcare-associated infections are SSIs. More than 290,000 SSIs occur annually…
Acute Pain Management, Regional Anesthesia Techniques, and Management of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome In 1995, the president of the American Pain Society, Dr. James Campbell, argued that pain was the “fifth vital sign” and suggested that to provide effective care,…
Optimal and Safe Use of C-Arm X-Ray Fluoroscopy Units Introduction The use of fluoroscopic imaging procedures allows healthcare professionals to view the examination and procedure of the patient in real time. Modern fluoroscopic devices are greatly improved from the darkened…
Early Splinting Techniques Humans have never been immune from injury, and doubtless the practice of bonesetting was not unfamiliar to our most primitive forebears. Indeed, given the known skills of Neolithic humans at trepanning the skull, it would be surprising…
Introduction Background Symptomatic cartilage defect in a young patient is a difficult problem to treat. Several options for biologic treatment have been described, but each of them has its own limitations. For example, the use of cylindrical allograft transplants (single…
General Principles History Amputation is no longer only the result of traumatic amputation or the real or perceived failure of limb salvage. Rather, amputation is now considered a viable and reasonable treatment option for extensively injured extremities and as such…
The management of traumatic limb-threatening injuries, especially to the lower extremity, remains a controversial topic in the orthopaedic literature. During recent years, there have been tremendous technical developments in protective gear for the head and chest, improvements in prehospital care…