martin kirschner (1879-1942), versatile german surgeon who had his scientific research and academic interests addressed topics which are covered by several specialities such as general surgery, orthopaedic surgery, neurosurgery, anesthesiology and plastic surgery. he also was the editor of five medical journals and autjor of 249 articles and eight textbooks. his greatest and lasting contributio...

A sixty-year-old man was admitted due to chest pain. He had a history of pelvic bone fracture fixation with Kirschner wire about 20 years earlier. On examination, we detected a Kirschner wire that had migrated into the right ventricle. Without cardiopulmonary bypass, we removed the migrating Kirschner wire via median sternotomy. The patient recovered without complications and was discharged on ...

Orthopedic wires and pins are regularly used for the treatment of dislocations and bone fractures. Migration of these metallic fixation devices into the spinal canal is an uncommon complication. We present a 35-year-old man who underwent thoracic spinal canal migration of a Kirschner wire. The patient had undergone treatment of acromioclavicular joint dislocation with Kirschner wire fixation. T...

A 44-year-old woman was admitted to the emergency service with dyspnea, chest pain, and vomiting. Cardiac tamponade due to right ventricular penetration of a Kirschner wire was detected as a late complication of wire placement in the sternoclavicular joint. Clinicians should be aware of wire migration with cardiac penetration as a late complication of Kirschner wire placed in any part of the body.

A century ago, in 1909, Martin Kirschner (1879-1942) introduced a smooth pin, presently known as the Kirschner wire (K-wire). The K-wire was initially used for skeletal traction and is now currently used for many different goals. The development of the K-wire and its insertion devices were mainly influenced by the change in operative goals and by the introduction of antibiotics. The first versi...

The aim of this study was to find out whether discharging pin sites following Kirschner-wire fixation of distal radial fractures warrant early wire removal. In a prospective study of 50 patients with a closed distal radial fracture treated by manipulation and either percutaneous or mini-incision Kirschner-wiring, we identified 14 patients (28%) with discharging pin sites. All of the cases were ...

We report a case of intrathoracic migration of a Kirschner wire used for inveterate anterior right shoulder luxation penetrating the spinal canal through the right Th8 nerve root foramen. The migration was asymptomatic. The treatment involved removing the pin via posterolateral thoracotomy. The postoperative course was uneventful. Intrathoracic migration of Kirschner wires should be expected in...

In foot and ankle patients, the use of Kirschner wires is common, and the population in the typical foot and ankle practice has higher rates of comorbidities associated with infection. This study assessed national trends regarding the use of postoperative prophylactic antibiotic therapy in patients undergoing foot and ankle surgery treated with percutaneous Kirschner wires. Attending physicians...

PURPOSE To assess treatment outcomes of young patients with medial epicondylar fracture of the elbow using standard operative protocols. METHODS 24 consecutive patients with medial humeral epicondylar fracture underwent surgery by one of the 3 methods: (1) 2 parallel Kirschner wires, (2) 2 parallel Kirschner wires plus a tension-band wire, and (3) a screw plus an anti-rotation Kirschner wire....