Ortho News

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Recent Ultrasound Related Ortho Articles via PubMed

1. Imaging the injured shoulder. Reynolds A. Radiol Technol. 2012 Jan;83(3):261-82. PMID: 22267694

2. CT in children's bones and joints: When, how and common findings. Balassy C, Miller SF. Eur J Radiol. 2012 Jan 18. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 22264694

3. Procedure-Oriented Sectional Anatomy of the Elbow. Sanchez O, Harrell JS, Chiou-Tan FY, Zhang H, Taber KH. J Comput Assist Tomogr. 2012 Jan;36(1):157-160. PMID: 22261788

4. Biomechanical comparison of different acetabular plate systems and constructs - The role of an infra-acetabular screw placement and use of locking plates. Marintschev I, Gras F, Schwarz CE, Pohlemann T, Hofmann GO, Culemann U. Injury. 2012 Jan 17. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 22261082

5. Dynamic ultrasound assessment of the effects of knee and ankle position on achilles tendon apposition following acute rupture. Qureshi AA, Ibrahim T, Rennie WJ, Furlong A. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2011 Dec 21;93(24):2265-70. PMID: 22258772

Monday, January 23, 2012

Textbook Out Soon: Evidence-based Orthopedics: Mohit Bhandari (Editor)

Surgical orthopedic procedures such as hip replacements, arthroscopy or knee replacements are surrounded by pre- and post-operative complications, and there are varying different methods for the procedures themselves. This book, for the first time, brings together the best evidence for treatments as well as any complications. Not only does it cover the evidence base for orthopedic surgery, but also orthopedic conditions requiring medical treatment, and pediatric orthopedics. Using the approved EBM methodology, and edited by teachers of evidence-based medicine, this is a genuine EBM textbook for all orthopedic specialists and trainees.

Mohit Bhandari MD, MSc (McMaster), FRCSC is Associate Professor of Surgery and Associate Member of the Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. He also holds a Canada Research Chair. He is Section Editor of Evidence-Based Orthopaedic Surgery, Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma and a co-chair of the McMaster University Evidence-based Medicine course.

Surgeons Having More Success Reattaching Fingers and Thumbs

On average, Bindra (Loyola University Medical Center hand surgeon Dr. Randy Bindra) sees three or four cases per month in which one or more digits have been completely cut off or almost completely severed. The typical patient is a do-it-yourselfer, rather than a professional carpenter who has undergone safety training, Bindra said.

Bindra reattaches bones with tiny plates, screws and pins. He sews nerves and blood vessels together with sutures that are finer than a human hair. In Thompson's case, Bindra also took a vein from a forearm to reconnect blood supply to the thumb. Newswise

“Would you like some Indian food with that operation”? Curcumin Protects Against Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in Rat Skeletal Muscle.

Administration of curcumin significantly decreased tissue protein carbonyl levels as a marker of protein oxidation activities (PO) in skeletal muscle compared with the injured-untreated group. Curcumin reversed the increase of MDA levels to a considerable extent, thereby confirming its antioxidant role in IRI. Decreased SOD, CAT, and GSH activities by IRI are reversed by the administration of curcumin. Levels of circulating inflammatory cytokines TNF-a and IL-1b were reduced in curcumin-treated group in comparison to the IRI non-treated group. Bank J, Song DH. J Surg Res. 2011 Nov 19. [Epub ahead of print] No abstract available. PMID: 22261585 PDF

Sunday, January 22, 2012

The Foot and Ankle Clinics: Online First

Varus Hindfoot Deformity After Talar Fracture

James A. Sproule, Mark A. Glazebrook, Alastair S. Younger. 26 December 2011 PDF (1057 KB)

Total Ankle Replacement in Ankle Arthritis with Varus Talar Deformity: Pathophysiology, Evaluation, and Management Principles

D. Josh Mayich, Timothy R. Daniels. 14 December 2011 PDF (2076 KB)

Distal Tibial Varus

Douglas Beaman, Richard Gellman. 14 December 2011 PDF (241 KB)

The Varus Ankle and Instability

Georg Klammer, Emanuel Benninger, Norman Espinosa. 14 December 2011 PDF (2967 KB)

Cavus Foot

Alastair S. Younger. 12 December 2011 PDF (92 KB)

Smartphone aided measurement of spinal deformity proves superior to manual methods

Certain smartphone applications can provide quick assistance in the diagnosis of disease. One such example is Cobbmeter, a smartphone application designed for the measurement of Cobb angle on Apple’s iPhone. The Cobb angle measures the degree of spinal deformity which exists in a person with scoliosis. iMedicalApps

New Ortho Issues from Audio-Digest

PEDIATRICS FOR THE ORTHOPAEDIST
Orthopaedics
Volume 35, Issue 03
February 7, 2012
Sports injuries in children and adolescents – William M. Hohl, MD
Musculoskeletal infections in children – Deborah Lehman, MD
________________________________________
THE LAW AND THE ORTHOPAEDIST
Orthopaedics
Volume 35, Issue 02
January 21, 2012
The defense attorney's perspective – Timothy A. Weaver, Esq
Liability risks of electronic health records – Michael S. Victoroff, MD
________________________________________
ASPECTS OF SPINAL CARE
Orthopaedics
Volume 35, Issue 01
January 7, 2012
Screening patients with spinal pain – Timothy C. Shen, MD
Psychologic assessment of patients with low back pain – Robert Hines, MD
Spinal care and evidence–based medicine: a reappraisal – Paul C. McCormick, MD

Orthopedics (Online First): we do not have a subscription

Dermatan sulphate in methoxy polyethylene glycol-polylactide-co-glycolic acid scaffolds upregulates fibronectin gene expression but has no effect on in vivo osteochondral repair

Biomechanical reconstruction of the hip: comparison between modular short-stem hip arthroplasty and conventional total hip arthroplasty

Change in limb length after high tibial osteotomy using computer-assisted surgery: a comparative study of closed- and open-wedge osteotomies

Conventional or navigated total knee arthroplasty affects sagittal component alignment

The relationship of anterior and rotatory laxity between surgical navigation and clinical outcome after ACL reconstruction

Clamp fixation to prevent unfolding of a suture knot decreases tensile strength of polypropylene sutures

Radiographic and clinical results of posterior dynamic stabilization for the treatment of multisegment degenerative disc disease with a minimum follow-up of 3 years

Chondroprotection Following Acute Joint Injury: Prevention of Osteoarthritis

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Use of iPhone can improve acetabular cup orientation in total hip replacement

In a recent study, a novel system is described that uses both the camera and the accelerometer functions of the iPhone to improve the process of acetabular cup placement in total hip arthroplasty. The accelerometer function senses changes in movement has used in a number of other iPhone apps.). To further assist in achieving proper acetabular cup placement, a level indicator app and protractor app were downloaded to the iPhone and also effectively used. iMedicalApps

Savile Row Unicondylar Knee Implant for a Personalized Fit

While joint arthroplasty has become impressively advanced over the past few decades, the essence of the procedure still ultimately boils down to trial and error. Using pre-operative X-rays and intra-operative sizing guides, joint surgeons pick from a pre-set list of joint replacement “sizes.” Then, once the bone cuts have been made, temporary implants called “trials” are used to see how the fit is, and the best fit is selected. Rarely are these pre-determined sizes a perfect fit, but they are usually more than sufficient and function quite well. MedGadget

Apple Announces iBooks 2 – Huge Potential for Medical Educators and Med Students

Apple have announced an update to iBooks entitled ‘iBooks 2′ for the iPad. As we originally suspected in our first and second articles, Apple, working in partnership with Pearson, McGraw Hill, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, has decided to enter the interactive textbook market creating titles which will take advantage of the following features: iMedicalApps

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Inkling Webinar offers insights into the future of medical education and training

The webinar by Matt Macinnis, CEO and Founder of Inkling, shows his vision for the future of medical education through medical textbooks.

The webinar is a really informative, inspiring vision for the future of medical education through mobile technology. I would advise all those involved in medical education to take some time out of their day to watch this. Please note it is 38 minutes long but well worth the time for the in-depth discussion of Inkling as a medical education resource. iMedicalApps

New Ortho Research Tool: Markerless Motion Capture Offers A New Angle on Tennis Injuries

A new approach to motion capture technology is offering fresh insights into tennis injuries – and orthopedic injuries in general. NewsWise

Ortho Related?? Bad to the bone: facial structure predicts unethical behaviour.

Our results demonstrate that static physical attributes can indeed serve as reliable cues of immoral action, and provide additional support for the view that evolutionary forces shape ethical judgement and behaviour. Haselhuhn MP, Wong EM. Proc Biol Sci. 2012 Feb 7;279(1728):571-6. Epub 2011 Jul 6. PMID: 21733897 PDF

Twenty-One-Year Follow-Up of Supination-External Rotation Type II-IV (Orthopaedic Trauma Association Type B) Ankle Fractures: A Retrospective Cohort study.

The very long-term overall results of the stratified surgical treatment of SER Type II-IV ankle fractures is "excellent" or "good" in the majority of patients and therefore seems justified. Although additional soft tissue damage is unavoidable in case of operative treatment, it does not negatively affect outcome in the long term.

Donken CC, Verhofstad MH, Edwards MJ, van Laarhoven CJ. J Orthop Trauma. 2012 Dec 21. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 22198654

Reconstruction of Nonunion Tibial Fractures in War-Wounded Iraqi Civilians, 2006-2008: Better Late Than Never

Our study shows that patients with infected and uninfected injuries surgically treated in Amman achieved similar outcomes. Despite late presentation, our patients had a comparable outcome to other studies dealing with early reconstruction. Reconstruction for the infected group required longer treatment time. Fakri, Rasheed M; Al Ani, Ali M K; Rose, Angela M C; Alras, Majd S; Daumas, Laurent; Baron, Emmanuel MD; Khaddaj, Sinan; Hérard, Patrick. Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma: POST AUTHOR CORRECTIONS, 10 January 2012.

Platelet-Rich Plasma or Hyaluronate in the Management of Osteochondral Lesions of the Talus

Osteochondral lesions of the ankle treated with intra-articular injections of PRP and HA resulted in a decrease in pain scores and an increase in function for at least 6 months, with minimal adverse events. Platelet-rich plasma treatment led to a significantly better outcome than HA. Omer Mei-Dan, Michael R. Carmont, Lior Laver, Gideon Mann, Nicola Maffulli, Meir Nyska. AJSM: Published online before print January 17, 2012. PDF

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

First step toward treatment for painful flat feet

Published today in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, the findings could eventually lead to new drug therapy for this and other common conditions affecting the tendons, such as Achilles tendonitis. MedicalXpress

Opioids erase memory traces of pain

A team of researchers at the MedUni Vienna's Department of Neurophysiology (Centre for Brain Research) has discovered a previously unknown effect of opioids: the study, which has now been published in Science and was led by Ruth Drdla-Schutting and Jürgen Sandkühler, shows that opioids not only temporarily relieve pain, but at the right dose can also erase memory traces of pain in the spinal cord and therefore eliminate a key cause of chronic pain. MedicalXpress

Broken arm? Brain shifts quickly when using a sling or cast

Using a sling or cast after injuring an arm may cause your brain to shift quickly to adjust, according to a study published in the January 17, 2012, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study found increases in the size of brain areas that were compensating for the injured side, and decreases in areas that were not being used due to the cast or sling. MedicalXpress

Effects of limb immobilization on brain plasticity. PDF

Explore JoVE: New method of infant pain assessment from Oxford published in JoVE

Recently, the accuracy of current methods of pain assessment in babies have been called into question. New research from London-area hospitals and the University of Oxford measures brain activity in infants to better understand their pain response.

Because a poor understanding of pain in infants can lead to severe health consequences, Slater and her colleagues decided to publish in JoVE, the first and only peer-reviewed video journal indexed in PubMed and MEDLINE. The video-article makes it easier for other researchers and clinicians to learn this method.

Journal of Visualized Experiments

Monday, January 16, 2012

Ultra short telomeres linked to osteoarthritis

Telomeres, the very ends of chromosomes, become shorter as we age. When a cell divides it first duplicates its DNA and, because the DNA replication machinery fails to get all the way to the end, with each successive cell division a little bit more is missed. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Arthritis Research & Therapy shows that cells from osteoarthritic knees have abnormally shortened telomeres and that the percentage of cells with ultra short telomeres increases the closer to the damaged region within the joint. Eurekalert!

AAOS News

AAOS Releases TO on MoM Hip Implants

Leukocyte Esterase Reagent Strips Help Diagnose PJI

Keeping Up with Orthopaedic Apps

Thursday, January 12, 2012

The Journal of Hand Surgery: articles in press

Cellular Apoptosis and Proliferation in the Middle and Late Intrasynovial Tendon Healing Periods. Original Research Article. In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 29 December 201; Ya Fang Wu, You Lang Zhou, Wei Feng Mao, Bella Avanessian, Paul Y. Liu, Jin Bo Tang PDF

Surgical Repair of Multiple Pulley Injuries—Evaluation of a New Combined Pulley Repair. Original Research Article. In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 29 December 2011; V. Schöffl, T. Küpper, J. Hartmann, I. Schöffl PDF

The Use of Integra in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery. Original Research Article. In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 29 December 2011; Marco Rizzo PDF

Intraosseous Pseudotumor of the Distal Radius in a Patient With Hemophilia: Case Report. In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 29 December 2011 Jason S. Pruzansky, Marvin S. Gilbert, Roberto A. Garcia, Richard S. Gilbert PDF

JRRD Releases Volume 48, Issue 10 (open access)

This multi-topic issue contains 11 articles describing research in the areas of prosthetics, postdeployment reintegration, activity-promoting gaming systems, step activity monitoring, and repeated concussions in veterans. JJRD

'Open-source' robotic surgery platform going to top medical research labs

Robotics experts at the University of California, Santa Cruz and the University of Washington (UW) have completed a set of seven advanced robotic surgery systems for use by major medical research laboratories throughout the United States. After a round of final tests, five of the systems will be shipped to medical robotics researchers at Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Nebraska, UC Berkeley, and UCLA, while the other two systems will remain at UC Santa Cruz and UW. Eurekalert!

Working In Word, Excel, PowerPoint on an iPad

This week, Onlive Inc., in Palo Alto, Calif., is releasing an app that brings the full, genuine Windows versions of the key Office productivity apps—Word, Excel and PowerPoint—to the iPad. And it's free. These are the real programs. They look and work just like they do on a real Windows PC. They let you create or edit genuine Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations. Wall Street Journal

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

War bound to bowl bound

As LSU and Alabama square off for the national college football championship, even the most rabid Tiger or Tide fan might not realize the influence that the US military had in the widespread appeal of football. According to a new study in the journal Armed Forces & Society (AFS), published by SAGE, college football can credit the military for bringing the sport to the masses. Additionally, the study explores how the impact of World Wars helped bring about issues such as payment of college athletes, which are still being debated. Eurekalert!

Factoid: first Army-Navy game in 1890 at on "The Plain" at USMA was won by Navy 24–0.

Omega-3 fatty acids could prevent and treat nerve damage, research suggests

Research from Queen Mary, University of London suggests that omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish oil, have the potential to protect nerves from injury and help them to regenerate. When nerves are damaged because of an accident or injury, patients experience pain, weakness and muscle paralysis which can leave them disabled, and recovery rates are poor.

The new study, published this week in the Journal of Neuroscience, suggests that omega-3 fatty acids could play a significant role in speeding recovery from nerve injury. Eurekalert!

Emergency medicine physicians develop device to stop lethal bleeding in soldiers

It's called an abdominal aortic tourniquet and it's placed around the body at the navel level, tightened then, much like a blood pressure cuff, inflated into the abdomen until it occludes the aorta and stops the bleeding. The goal is to restore the golden hour so soldiers survive long enough to get definitive care for their injury. MedicalXpress

Top 4 iPad anatomy medical apps

Anatomy is central in medicine. It is one of the key knowledge areas that separate doctors from the general population. All doctors, regardless of specialty are required to have a decent knowledge of human anatomy in order to practice effectively.

The introduction of the iPad ushered in a new era of anatomy learning with the introduction of detailed 3D models and vast amounts of information contained on a device no bigger than a paper notebook. Over the past few months, iMedicalApps has evaluated countless major anatomy apps currently available in the App Store to determine which ones are the best. iMedicalApps

Surgeons aged between 35 and 50 provide the safest care

Surgeons aged between 35 and 50 years provide the safest care compared with their younger or older colleagues, finds a study published in the British Medical Journal today. MedicalXpress

Height loss increases risk for fractures and death in older women

Older women who have lost more than two inches in height face an increased risk of breaking bones and dying, according to a new study published in the January issue of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research and funded by the National Institutes of Health.

The study found that women 65 and older who lost more than two inches over 15 years were 50 percent more likely to both fracture a bone and to die in the subsequent five years, compared to women who lost less than two inches in height. Eurekalert!

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Lateral epicondylitis and beyond: imaging of lateral elbow pain with clinical-radiologic correlation.

The diagnosis of lateral epicondylitis is often straightforward and can be made on the basis of clinical findings. However, radiological assessment is valuable where the clinical picture is less clear or where symptoms are refractory to treatment. Demographics, aspects of clinical history, or certain physical signs may suggest an alternate diagnosis. Knowledge of the typical clinical presentation and imaging findings of lateral epicondylitis, in addition to other potential causes of lateral elbow pain, is necessary. Kotnis NA, Chiavaras MM, Harish S. Skeletal Radiol. 2011 Dec 30. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 22205505 PDF

Transtibial ACL reconstruction technique fails to position drill tunnels anatomically in vivo 3D CT study

The purpose of this study was to visualize and quantify the positions of femoral and tibial tunnels in patients who underwent traditional transtibial single-bundle ACL reconstruction, as performed by multiple surgeons, utilizing 3D CT models, and to compare these positions to our previously reported anatomical tunnel positions. Sebastian Kopf, Brian Forsythe, Andrew K. Wong, Scott Tashman, James J. Irrgang and Freddie H. Fu. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy 31 Dec 2011. PDF

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Effect of the new standards for case logging on resident operative volume: doing better cases or better numbers?

Although some operative cases newly classified as major are technically advanced procedures (eg, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass), other cases are not (eg, breast lesion excision), which raises the issue as to whether the major case category has been diluted by less demanding case types. The implications of these findings may suggest preservation of case volumes at the expense of case quality. Murthy R, Shepard A, Swartz A, Woodward A, Reickert C, Horst M, Rubinfeld I. J Surg Educ. 2012 Jan;69(1):113-7. PMID: 22208842 PDF

A computed tomography-based feasibility study of translaminar screw placement in the pediatric thoracic spine.

Translaminar screws (TLSs) were originally described as a safer alternative to pedicle and transarticular screw placement at C-2 in adult patients. More recently, TLSs have been used in both the cervical and thoracic spine of pediatric patients as a primary fixation technique and as a bailout procedure when dysplastic pedicle morphology prohibits safe pedicle screw placement. Although authors have reported the anatomical characteristics of the cervical and thoracic lamina in adults as well as those of the cervical lamina in pediatric patients, no such data exist to guide safe TLS placement in the thoracic spine of the pediatric population. The goal of this study was to report the anatomical feasibility of TLS placement in the thoracic spine of pediatric patients. Molina C, Sciubba DM, Chaput C, Tortolani PJ, Jallo GI, Kretzer RM. J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2012 Jan;9(1):27-34. PMID: 22208317

How work tells muscles to grow

We take it for granted, but the fact that our muscles grow when we work them makes them rather unique. Now, researchers have identified a key ingredient needed for that bulking up to take place. A factor produced in working muscle fibers apparently tells surrounding muscle stem cell "higher ups" that it's time to multiply and join in, according to a study in the January Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press journal. Eurekalert!

Research identifies how time heals all wounds

Wound healing requires interactions between cells resident at the damaged site and infiltrating immune cells. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) come from the bone marrow and are key to the production of new vessels. Here, Toshikazu Kondo and colleagues demonstrate that the chemokine CCL5 helps to direct the recruitment of EPCs to sites of wounding by acting on the chemokine receptor CCR5. These findings identify the CCR5/CCL5 axis as a potential target to promote healing. Eurekalert!

Monday, January 2, 2012

Apple’s top five iPhone & iPad medical apps of 2011

Apple, like many companies, has produced a list of its top apps in many categories found in iTunes called Apple Rewind 2011.

While the criteria for picking the winners is probably loosely based on the amount of downloads and the overall popularity, the picks are still solely chosen by Apple’s editorial staff, and thus there is probably an element of bias in the choices. You might remember the criticism we levied at Apple recently about their “Apps for Healthcare Section” — a section in iTunes that made an attempt at categorizing the medical category. Although we personally wouldn’t rank these apps as the top 5, they do list some great medical apps. iMedicalApps

iTunes Links to Apple’s top medical apps for the iPhone and iPad:

Sunday, January 1, 2012

European Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery - open access articles

Original Article

Results of the femur fractures treated with the new selfdynamisable internal fixator (SIF). Milorad Mitkovic, S. Milenkovic, I. Micic, D. Mladenovic and Milan Mitkovic; Online First™, 28 October 2011

Download PDF (2.0 MB)

Original Article

Outcomes following operative and non-operative management of humeral midshaft fractures: a prospective, observational cohort study of 47 patients. J. J. van Middendorp, F. Kazacsay, P. Lichtenhahn, N. Renner and R. Babst, et al.; 2011, Volume 37, Number 3, Pages 287-296

Download PDF (396.2 KB)

Original Article

Implant removal associated complications in children with limb fractures due to trauma. E. A. Gorter, D. I. Vos, C. F. M. Sier and I. B. Schipper; 2011, Volume 37, Number 6, Pages 623-627

Download PDF (259.8 KB)

Original Article

Evaluation of admissions to the Major Incident Hospital based on a standardized protocol. G. M. H. Marres, J. van der Eijk, M. Bemelman and L. P. H. Leenen; 2011, Volume 37, Number 1, Pages 19-29

Download PDF (572.0 KB)

European Orthopaedics and Traumatology - open access articles

Case Report

Range of motion implications of proximal humerus fractures: a case study. Anne J. H. Vochteloo, Peter R. Krekel, Michiel A. J. van de Sande and Jochem Nagels; 2011, Volume 2, Numbers 5-6, Pages 153-156

Download PDF (241.2 KB)

Review

Innovations in total knee replacement: new trends in operative treatment and changes in peri-operative management Stefano Zanasi; 2011, Volume 2, Numbers 1-2, Pages 21-31

Download PDF (610.9 KB)

Case Report

The traumatized ischiopubic synchondrosis: a rare cause of acute hip pain. Justus H. W. Jansen, Aernout R. J. Langeveld and J. A. Niesten; 2011, Volume 2, Numbers 3-4, Pages 79-81

Download PDF (163.4 KB)

Review

The proof for new oral anticoagulants: clinical trial evidence. Menno V. Huisman 2011, Volume 2, Numbers 1-2, Pages 7-14

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Battlefield Acupuncture and Other Stories

The Worst Quackery of 2011: Battlefield Acupuncture - Forbes

Hospitals are Making Room for Alternative Therapies - LA Times

The Power of Acupuncture: Part 1 of 3 (from Navy Medicine Live)

The Power of Acupuncture: Part 2 of 3 (from Navy Medicine Live)

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Secrets of the Operating Room

Fragile egos, obese patients and talking organs: A surgeon's view of what happens under the scalpel. Wall Street Journal

Friday, December 30, 2011

New Ortho Related Kindle Books via Amazon

Best Evidence for Spine Surgery: 20 Cardinal Cases E-Book: 20 Cardinal Cases E-Book by Rahul Jandial and Steven R. Garfin (Feb 1, 2012) - Kindle eBook

Current Management of Lesser Toe Deformities, An Issue of Foot and Ankle Clinics - E-Book (The Clinics: Orthopedics) by John T. Campbell (Dec 28, 2011) - Kindle eBook

Presentation, Imaging and Treatment of Common Musculoskeletal Conditions E-Book: MRI-Arthroscopy Correlation by Timothy G. Sanders and Mark D. Miller (Dec 15, 2011) - Kindle eBook

Shoulder Instability: A Comprehensive Approach E-Book: A Comprehensive Approach E-Book by Matthew T Provencher and Anthony A Romeo (Dec 15, 2011) - Kindle eBook

Operative Techniques in Orthopaedic Surgery by Sam W. Wiesel (Dec 14, 2011) - Kindle eBook

Orthopedic Imaging: A Practical Approach by Adam Greenspan (Dec 7, 2011) - Kindle eBook

Master Techniques in Orthopaedic Surgery: Orthopaedic Oncology and Complex Reconstruction by Franklin H. Sim, Peter F.M. Choong and Kristy L. Weber (Dec 7, 2011) - Kindle eBook

JSCM publishes revised International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury

The 2011 revision of the International Standards for the Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) was published in the November 2011 issue of the Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine. The accompanying reference article by Steven Kirshblum et al clarifies the modifications to this newest revision. Both are available for free download via http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/maney/scm (#6, Nov 2011). Eurekalert!

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Despite enthusiasm from healthcare providers, hospitals are slow to adopt tablet systems

Its no secret that healthcare providers are adopting tablets at a rapid pace – one survey found that over 25% of physicians own a tablet and that was nearly nine months ago.

This trend, both with tablets and smartphones, has generally been bottom-up; physicians, PA’s, NP’s, nurses, and other healthcare providers are buying consumer devices and bringing them into the clinical world.
However, as Eric Yablonka, CIO of University of Chicago Hospitals put it, “This is not ‘nice to have stuff’ anymore, this is life saving stuff now.” iMedicalApps

The Year in Review: BMP-2 Saga Prompts Change

As part of the Year in Review series, MedPage Today reporters are revisiting major news stories and following up with an analysis of the impact of the original report, as well as subsequent news generated by the initial publication. Here's what has happened with the bone morphogenetic protein-2 saga (BMP-2) since last May when we published an article about a critical review of the product. MedPage Today

Coursemart Neuroanatomy iPad e-book has some good features, but lacks in important areas

Price

$47.95 for 540 days (rental)

Likes

Large number of medical titles
Can be viewed on multiple devices
Offline and online reading
Annotation and search functions

Dislikes

Poor image and text quality
Cannot ‘turn off’ labels on figures
No jump links in the text to figures or other parts of the book
No integrated media (videos) into the text
Book is rented, not owned
Not much different from reading a PDF iMedicalApps

Open source licensing defuses copyright law's threat to medicine

Enforcing copyright law could potentially interfere with patient care, stifle innovation and discourage research, but using open source licensing instead can prevent the problem, according to a physician – who practices both at the University of California, San Francisco and the San Francisco VA Medical Center – and a legal scholar at the UC Hastings College of Law.

“For a long time, doctors have been able to ignore copyright, but that is changing in a dramatic way,” said John Newman, MD, PhD, of UCSF and SFVAMC.

“The exercise of copyright is creating a threat to basic medical care,” said Robin Feldman, JD, professor of law and Director of the Law and Bioscience Project at UC Hastings.

They discuss the issue in a “Perspective” in the Dec. 29 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. MedicalXpress

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Wartime spine injuries: understanding the improvised explosive device and biophysics of blast trauma.

The improvised explosive device (IED) has been the most significant threat by terrorists worldwide. Blast trauma has produced a wide pattern of combat spinal column injuries not commonly experienced in the civilian community. Unfortunately, explosion-related injuries have also become a widespread reality of civilian life throughout the world, and civilian medical providers who are involved in emergency trauma care must be prepared to manage casualties from terrorist attacks using high-energy explosive devices. Treatment decisions for complex spine injuries after blast trauma require special planning, taking into consideration many different factors and the complicated multiple organ system injuries not normally experienced at most civilian trauma centers. Therefore, an understanding about the effects of blast trauma by spine surgeons in the community has become imperative, as the battlefield has been brought closer to home in many countries through domestic terrorism and mass casualty situations, with the lines blurred between military and civilian trauma. We set out to provide the spine surgeon with a brief overview on the use of IEDs for terrorism and the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and also a perspective on the biophysics of blast trauma.

Kang DG, Lehman RA Jr, Carragee EJ. Spine J. 2011 Dec 22. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 22197184

"How did this ever get published?"

Meals RA. J Hand Surg Am. 2012 Jan;37(1):1-2. No abstract available. PMID: 22196289 PDF

The High Cost of Failing Artificial Hips

The most widespread medical implant failure in decades — involving thousands of all-metal artificial hips that need to be replaced prematurely — has entered the money phase.

Medical and legal experts estimate the hip failures may cost taxpayers, insurers, employers and others billions of dollars in coming years, contributing to the soaring cost of health care. The financial fallout is expected to be unusually large and complex because the episode involves a class of products, not a single device or just one company. NYTimes

Shoulderdoc App Fluidly Conveys A Heavy Dose of Shoulder Information

The Shoulderdoc app is the accompanying app to Shoulderdoc. This website is every shoulder surgeon’s guilty pleasure. It contains more information on shoulder surgery and treatments than one can find in one place on the web.

Shoulderdoc is the brainchild of Dr. Leonard Funk, a specialist shoulder surgeon in the UK. Dr. Funk has spent the last decade feeding his main website with a plethora of useful shoulder related content. I like the concept of having a “go to” shoulder site where I can quickly find all of the latest feeds of articles, patient education topics and latest trends. I’ve always found the site to be updated frequently, the content to be good and referenced well. I do have a few hang-ups about the site, though. iMedicalApps

NSF gives $1.2 million grant for diabetes app that uses smartphone camera to prevent limb amputations

Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Massachusetts recently received a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a smartphone diabetes app. This app will guide patients with diabetes as well as foot ulcers on how to manage their disease. iMedicalapps

Sepsis Guide is a well-designed and up-to-date app for critical care practitioners

Sepsis is the bread and butter of any critical care physician, hospitalist, and emergency room physician. In sepsis management, early diagnosis and aggressive intervention are critical. Guidelines like the Rivers protocol highlight the use of fluid rehydration, early antibiotics, and above all else recognition of sepsis at the earliest possible point. iMedicalApps

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

International Orthopaedics [Epub ahead of print]

1. Steps in the undertaking of a systematic review in orthopaedic surgery. Sambunjak D, Franić M. Int Orthop. 2011 Dec 24. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 22198362

2. Infection and revision strategies in total disc arthroplasty. Gerometta A, Rodriguez Olaverri JC, Bittan F. Int Orthop. 2011 Dec 24. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 22198361

3. The relevance of the anatomical basis of fracture for the subsequent treatment of the anterior humeral circumflex artery and the axillary nerve. Chen YF, Zhu NF, Zhang CQ, Wang L, Wei HF, Lu Y. Int Orthop. 2011 Dec 24. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 22198360

Carpal tunnel syndrome diagnosed by general practitioners: an observational study.

In these 187 patients, EDX confirmed CTS clinical diagnosis in 180. In 40 (17%), the neurologists disagreed with the clinical diagnosis of CTS because signs and symptoms were not those of clinical CTS. We showed that general practitioners are very well capable of making a clinical diagnosis of CTS. Therefore, direct referral of patients by general practitioners for nerve conduction studies to have their diagnosis of CTS confirmed is a desirable and time-saving procedure. Claes F, Bernsen H, Meulstee J, Verhagen WI. Neurol Sci. 2011 Dec 24. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 22198648

Position Change of the Neurovascular Structures around the Carpal Tunnel with Dynamic Wrist Motion.

It is appropriate to transect the ligament greater than 4 mm apart from the lateral margin of the hook of the hamate without placing the edge of the scalpel toward the ulnar side. We would also recommend not transecting the transverse carpal ligament in the ulnar flexed wrist position to protect the ulnar neurovascular structure. Kwon JY, Kim JY, Hong JT, Sung JH, Son BC, Lee SW. J Korean Neurosurg Soc. 2011 Oct;50(4):377-80. Epub 2011 Oct 31. PMID: 22200022

Monday, December 26, 2011

Indications for bullet removal: overview of the literature, and clinical practice guidelines for European trauma surgeons

In summary, there are only a few clear indications for bullet removal. These include bullets found in joints, CSF, or the globe of the eye. Fragments leading to impingement on a nerve or a nerve root, and bullets lying within the lumen of a vessel, resulting in a risk of ischemia or embolization, should be removed. Rare indications are lead poisoning caused by a fragment, and removal that is required for a medico-legal examination. In all other cases the indication should be critically reviewed. T. Dienstknecht, K. Horst, R. M. Sellei, A. Berner, M. Nerlich and T. C. Hardcastle. European Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery. Online First Dec 2011

Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma: epub ahead of print

Functional Outcomes in Elderly Patients With Acetabular Fractures Treated With Minimally Invasive Reduction and Percutaneous Fixation

Cemented Versus Uncemented Hemiarthroplasty for Displaced Femoral Neck Fractures: A Prospective Randomized Trial With Early Follow-up

Factors Influencing Functional Outcomes After Distal Tibia Shaft Fractures

Twenty-One-Year Follow-Up of Supination-External Rotation Type II-IV (Orthopaedic Trauma Association Type B) Ankle Fractures: A Retrospective Cohort study

Twenty-two-Year Follow-up of Pronation External Rotation Type III-IV (OTA type C) Ankle Fractures; A Retrospective Cohort Study

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