Douglas Pacaccio, +Christopher M. Yakacki, Ken Gall Private Practice, Yorkville,IL, MedShape Solutions Inc, Atlanta, GA, The Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA [email protected] Introduction Tibio-talo-calcaneal (TTC) arthrodesis is a salvage procedure for patients with severe malfunction of the ankle and subtalar joints. Serious ankle disease stems from post-traumatic arthritis...

UNLABELLED Pin tract inflammation and/or infection are common with the use of external fixation devices. Pin sites need to be managed to help prevent complications. There are a variety of regimens proposed for pin care in the literature. The authors present an efficient and simplified approach for addressing pin care protocol using cord locks with the use of compression sponges for external fix...

BACKGROUND Metal pins are used to apply skeletal traction or external fixation devices in the management of orthopaedic fractures. These pins protrude through the skin (described as 'percutaneous') and the way in which they are treated after insertion may affect the incidence of pin site infection. This review set out to summarise the evidence on the effect of pin site care on infection rates. ...

The method of osteogenesis by distraction is a known technique in orthopaedics for the management of bone defects secondary to trauma, infections or tumours. New strategies have been developed for decreasing the external fixator time. The use of the minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis technique is a secure approach through a percutaneous fixation technique in the anterior aspect of the femu...

The management of tibial non-union is challenging with protracted, often arduous, treatments. The purpose of this study was to assess patient-reported outcomes following treatment of tibial non-union in circular external fixators. Twenty-one patients with tibial non-unions who successfully completed treatment at a mean of 10.1 months (range 6-20) in a circular external fixator were sent questio...

Little evidence exists about the incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) with the use of external fixators. We investigated this in a cohort of 207 consecutive patients undergoing 258 elective frame applications by case note review. Case notes were obtained for 84 % of the sample population. The type of surgery, demographic data, thromboembolic risk factors and the i...

Traditional methods of correcting malunited distal humeral fractures in children involve complex wedge osteotomies held with pins or internal fixation devices. These require a large exposure and challenging fixation. We elected to perform simple transverse osteotomies, without wedges, using a lateral incision. These were maintained by the small AO external fixator. Between 1987 and 2004, five c...

Failure of internal fixation following treatment of a fracture or fracture nonunion presents a challenging clinical situation. In certain cases, Ilizarov external fixation may be the preferred method to treat bony injuries that have failed to unite following one or more attempts at internal fixation. This paper reviews the modes of failure following internal fixation, revision internal fixation...