To measure compliance with the Trauma Unit guideline relating to the early application of the Thomas splint in patients with a femur shaft fracture on clinical examination. Retrospective review of clinical and radiological records of patients presenting from 01 January 2012 to 31 December 2012 at a Level 1 Trauma Unit.Objectives:
Design:
There has been renewed interest in the use of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) for patients with limited degenerative disease of the knee due to improved surgical techniques and prosthetic design, and the desire for minimally invasive surgery. However, patient satisfaction following UKA for lateral compartment disease have been suboptimal with increased revision rates. Robotic-assisted UKA has been shown to improve precision and accuracy of component placement, which may improve outcomes of lateral UKA. The purpose of this study was to compare the outcome of robotic-assisted UKA to conventional UKA for degenerative disease of the lateral compartment with the hypothesis that robotic-assisted lateral UKA results in superior outcomes compared to conventional UKA. The institution's joint registry was searched for patients who underwent UKA for limited degenerative disease of the lateral knee compartment between 2004 and 2012 and a total of 125 lateral UKAs were identified. The medical records of all patients were reviewed and assessed for the type of surgical procedure used (robotic-assisted versus conventional), length of hospital stay, Oxford knee score, and occurrence of revision surgery. Preoperative and postoperative radiographs were assessed for tibiofemoral angle, femoral and tibial joint line angle, posterior tibial slope, and orientation of the femoral and tibial components.Introduction
Methods
Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) has gained renewed interest in recent years as an alternative to total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for limited degenerative disease of the knee. However, recurrence of symptoms may be seen, compromising long-term survivorship. Arthroscopy has been used to for diagnosing and treating symptoms in problematic TKA. The aim of this study was to investigate the outcome of arthroscopic procedures in symptomatic UKA. We hypothesized that arthroscopy is a viable tool in diagnosing and treating patients with recurrent symptoms after UKA and identifying patients that will benefit from revision surgery. A search of the institution's joint registry was conducted to identify patients who underwent arthroscopy following UKA between 2003 and 2011. Medical records were analyzed for patient demographics and comorbidities. Clinical results following arthroscopy were evaluated using the Oxford Knee Score. All patient radiograph were assessed for component alignment and loosening.Introduction:
Methods:
Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) has seen renewed interest in recent years due to improved surgical techniques and prosthetic design, and the desire for minimally invasive surgery. For patients with limited degenerative disease, UKA offers a viable alternative to total knee arthroplasty. Historically, the outcomes of lateral compartment UKA have been inferior to medial compartment UKA, with suboptimal patient satisfaction and increased revision rates. Robotic-assisted UKA has been shown to improve precision and accuracy of component placement, which may improve outcomes of lateral UKA. The purpose of this study was to compare the outcome of robotic-assisted UKA to conventional UKA for degenerative disease of the lateral compartment. The hypothesis of the study was that robotic-assisted lateral UKA results in superior outcomes compared to conventional UKA. A search of the institution's joint registry was conducted to identify patients who underwent UKA for limited degenerative disease of the lateral knee compartment. A total of 130 lateral UKAs were identified that were performed between 2004 and 2012. The mean age of the patients was 63.1 years (range, 20 to 88); patients had a mean BMI of 29.9 (range, 18 to 48). The medical records of all patients were reviewed and assessed for the type of surgical procedure used (robotic-assisted versus conventional), length of hospital stay, Oxford knee score, and occurrence of revision surgery.Introduction
Materials and methods
Improvement in survival for teenagers and young adults (TYAs) has lagged behind those of children and adults, (Stiller et al 2006). In seeking explanations investigators have focused on two main factors. Firstly, the low accrual of TYAs into clinical trials (Newburger et al, 2002), and secondly the lack of appropriate multidisciplinary care (Stevens, 2005). Data from the UK Office of National Statistics confirms this with 70% of paediatric patients being entered into a clinical trial compared to only 20% of 15–24 year olds. In 2007 the Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT) asked over 200 14–25 year olds with cancer if they had been offered a clinical trial (TCT survey results, 2008). Of the total cohort only 30% reported that they had been given the opportunity to enter a clinical trial. The National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) established a Teenage and Young Adult Clinical Studies Development Group in 2005 to address the issues surrounding the accrual of TYAs into clinical trials. At a specialist Teenage Cancer Trust Unit in the UK a TYA Clinical Research Nurse was appointed in May 2008; in order to improve TYA accrual into clinical trials. An audit is currently been undertaken to examine present data of clinical trial entry and retrospective data from 2006 and 2007. The focus of the audit is on patients aged 16–24 years with a bone or soft tissue sarcoma being treated in one TCT unit in the UK. The audit will examine whether the appointment of a TYA research nurse has influenced the accrual of TYA patients into clinical trials. The paper will focus on the particular difficulties and challenges with recruiting TYA patients and the developing role of the TYA Research Nurse in influencing practice. It is essential that improvements are made with regard to trial entry for this unique age group and the TYA Research Nurse may play a vital role in this in the future.
