Emergency department evaluation and treatment of pediatric orthopedic injuries

"Recovering, not recovered" Hospital disaster resilience: a case-study from the 2015 earthquake in Nepal

Background

Disasters are an increasing threat to human health, but we know little about their impact on health services, particularly in low and middle-income settings. ‘Resilient hospitals’ have been increasingly recognized as a cornerstone of disaster management. While various frameworks of hospital resilience exist, they emerged from pre-disaster considerations, and do not incorporate evidence from post-disaster settings.

Objective

This dissertation investigated the impact of a large-scale sudden onset disaster in a tertiary hospital in Nepal, and explored its resilience mechanisms.

Methodology

This consists of an in-depth case-study combining quantitative data from routinely generated hospital records and qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with hospital staff. We used both advanced statistical methods and mixed inductive and deductive coding to analyze the data.

Results

Most of the admitted earthquake victims required surgical interventions and long hospitalizations, considerably straining the hospital. For six weeks, the average number of daily admissions decreased. During this period, the share of injury-related admissions was particularly high, and such admissions were particularly long compared to the baseline. Admissions due to other conditions relatively decreased and were shorter. We found that the hospital’s resilience was highly dependent on emerging adaptations, in addition to the pre-existing disaster plan. Individual resilience of staff also played a major role, and was influenced by senses of safety, meaningfulness, and belonging.

Conclusion

Hospitals should prepare resources and plan for their known disaster risks, but should also allow for a certain flexibility to innovative adaptions to emerging, unforeseen challenges. Challenges faced by hospital workers should not be undermined, and addressing them will increase hospital resilience.

Prevalence of inadequate vitamin D level and its predictors in children presenting with torus fractures

BACKGROUND

Review of the published articles does not show any study done to see if children with torus fracture are with Vitamin D deficiency. The aim of this study was to determine association of inadequacy of Vitamin D level with torus fracture and its predictors in children in Karachi Pakistan.

METHODS

Patient underage of 13 years came with torus fracture were included in study, and managed non-operatively with below elbow cast. Proforma was made which includes demographic data (age, gender, nutritional status) and exposure to sunlight, dietary habits, kind to apparel and type of accommodation they were living at. All participants underwent measurement of serum vitamin D level.

RESULTS

Out of 558 children presented with limb fractures in emergency department, 190 (34.05%) had torus fracture, with mean age of 6.0 ± 4.2 years. 93 (48.94%) in pre-school group, 59 (31.05%) in school and 38 (20%) were breast-fed. On nutritional status, malnourished were 72 (37.89%), out of which 32 (44.44%) had first-degree malnutrition. On vitamin D level status only 52 (27.36%) participants had Vitamin D within normal range while 86 (45.26%) were found Vitamin D deficient. We found that vitamin D level is directly related to nutritional status, duration of sun exposure maternal vitamin d levels and not significantly related to age, gender, type of accommodation and different fabric types.

CONCLUSION

In this study torus fracture in children is significantly associated with Vitamin D deficiency, with common predictors including nutritional status, maternal Vitamin D level for lactating mothers and duration of exposure of sunlight. Vitamin D supplementation in children can prevent a significant number of fractures via national programs for food fortification and increase the awareness of general population on the importance of sunlight exposure and intake of food rich in Vitamin D.

Assessing the Necessity for the "Joint Above and Below" Radiography Approach for Lower-extremity Long Bone Fractures in Children

OBJECTIVES

A common strategy for evaluation of extremity fractures is the "joint above and below" (JAB) radiograph approach, which includes dedicated imaging of the joint proximal and distal to a fracture independent of clinical suspicion for an injury involving the joint. The incidence of concomitant ipsilateral lower-extremity fractures or dislocations associated with lower-extremity long bone fractures in children has not been commonly reported and represents an evidential gap for determining a radiograph approach. Our purpose was to determine the frequency of and risk factors for concomitant ipsilateral lower-extremity fractures or dislocations.

METHODS

A retrospective study of children aged 1 to 17 years treated at an academic medical center emergency department from 2015 to 2018 with any fracture involving the tibia, fibula, or femur. Children with pathologic fractures, transferred from another facility, and/or designated as a level I trauma were excluded. The primary outcome was the prevalence of a concomitant bony injury (fracture or dislocation) at a distinct site in the same extremity. Differences between the concomitant bony injury group and single injury group were characterized using Fisher exact tests. Regression analysis was used to determine predictors of concomitant bony injuries, including age, sex, and mechanism of injury (with injuries requiring level II or III trauma activation classified as high risk).

RESULTS

During the study period, 241 patients with lower-extremity long bone fractures were included. Complete JAB radiographs, defined as dedicated orthogonal radiographs of the joint proximal to and distal to the fracture site, were taken in 85 (35.3%) of 241 patients. Concomitant bony injuries were found in 9 (3.73%) of 241 patients (95% confidence interval, 1.7-7.0%). No additional concomitant bony injuries were identified at follow-up. When comparing patients with and without concomitant bony injuries, there was no significant difference in age (P = 0.34) and sex (P = 0.73). However, patients with a high-risk injury were more likely to have a concomitant bony injury (P < 0.01; odds ratio, 21.9; 95% confidence interval, 3.6-131.5).

CONCLUSIONS

Concomitant ipsilateral lower-extremity fractures or dislocations are uncommon in children sustaining tibia, fibula, and/or femur fractures. Although the JAB approach to radiographs may be useful in identifying additional injuries in children with lower-extremity injuries resulting from a "high-risk" mechanisms, its overall yield is low. To provide safe, cost-effective care, providers should continue to value clinical suspicion, history, and physical examination findings to guide selection of radiographs in those with lower-extremity long bone fractures as significant fractures can typically be identified with limited imaging in patients with low-risk injury mechanisms.

Open Supracondylar Humerus Fractures in Children

PURPOSE

Supracondylar humerus (SCH) fractures are the most common elbow fracture in children; however, they rarely occur as open injuries. Open fractures are associated with higher rates of infection, neurovascular injury, compartment syndrome, and nonunion. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the treatment and outcomes of open SCH fractures in children.

METHODS

Between 2008 and 2015, four children (1%) had open injuries among 420 treated for SCH fractures at a single center. The mean patient age was six years (range, four to eight years). Two patients had Gustilo-Anderson grade 1 open fractures and two had grade 2 fractures. Tetanus immunization was up-to-date in all. First dose of intravenous antibiotics was given on average 3hr 7min after onset of injury (range, 1hr 38min to 8hr 15min). Time from injury to irrigation and debridement (I&D) and closed reduction and percutaneous pinning (CRPP) was on average 8hr 16min (range, 4hr 19min to 13hr 15min). All patients received 24-hour intravenous antibiotics. Pins were removed at four weeks and bony union occurred by six weeks.

RESULTS

After an average follow-up period of 12 months (range, 6 to 22 months), there were no infections, neurovascular deficits, compartment syndromes, cubitus varus deformities, or range of motion losses. All outcomes were excellent according to the Flynn criteria. Due to the unstable nature of open SCH fractures, a medial pin was used in all four cases. No loss of reduction or ulnar nerve injury occurred.

CONCLUSION

 Open injuries occur in approximately 1% of all SCH fractures in children. The authors recommend urgent intravenous antibiotics, I&D, and CRPP involving a medial pin to treat open SCH fractures. Excellent outcomes based on the Flynn criteria were obtained in four cases.

Clinical and demographic profile of admitted victims in a tertiary hospital after the 2015 earthquake in Nepal

Background

In 2015, an earthquake killing 9,000 and injuring 22,000 people hit Nepal. The Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH), a reference tertiary hospital, was operational immediately after the earthquake. We studied the profile of earthquake victims admitted in TUTH and assessed what factors could influence hospital length of stay.

Methods

An earthquake victim dataset was created based on patient records, with information on sex, age, date of admission and discharge, diagnosis, and surgical intervention. We performed an initial descriptive overview of the earthquake victims followed by a time-to-event analysis to compare length of hospital stay in different groups, using log rank test and cox regression to calculate Hazard Ratios.

Results

There were in total 501 admitted victims, with the peak of admissions occurring on the fifth day after the earthquake. About 89% had injury as main diagnosis, mostly in lower limbs, and 66% of all injuries were fractures. Nearly 69% of all patients underwent surgery. The median length of hospital stay was 10 days. Lower limb and trunk injuries had longer hospital stays than injuries in the head and neck (HR = 0.68, p = 0.009, and HR = 0.62 p = 0.005, respectively). Plastic surgeries had longer hospital stays than orthopaedic surgeries (HR = 0.57 p = 0.006). Having a crush injury and undergoing an amputation also increased time to discharge (HR = 0.57, p = 0.013, and HR = 0.65 p = 0.045 respectively).

Conclusions

Hospital stay was particularly long in this sample in comparison to other studies on earthquake victims, indirectly indicating the high burden TUTH had to bear to treat these patients. To strengthen resilience, tertiary hospitals should have preparedness plans to cope with a large influx of injured patients after a large-scale disaster, in particular for the initial days when there is limited external aid.

"Multiligamentous" Injuries of the Skeletally Immature Knee: A Case Series and Literature Review

Multiligamentous knee injuries occur rarely in the pediatric population. Few reports are available in the existing literature; furthermore, no longitudinal studies regarding the choice of treatment and long-term outcomes for this unique population have been published. To fill this knowledge gap, the literature on multiligamentous injuries of the knee in the adult population is commonly used as a guideline in clinical decision making for children and adolescents. However, the developing bone and physis are often weaker than the ligamentous structures of the knee—particularly during periods of rapid growth—and may be the first to fail in the event of injury or trauma. Bony avulsion fractures and peri-physeal fractures, rather than mid-substance ligamentous ruptures, may result. Patients with skeletal immaturity may therefore present with different patterns of multiligamentous injury after acute trauma to the knee. This article describes the clinical presentation, our treatment approach, and short-term outcomes for three pediatric patients with multiligamentous injuries of the knee and reviews the current literature relating to these uncommon injuries.

Epidemiologic pattern of paediatric supracondylar fractures of humerus in a teaching hospital of rural India: A prospective study of 263 cases

PURPOSE

This prospective study aimed to investigate the epidemiologic parameters of supracondylar humeral fractures in children admitted to a teaching institution of a developing country primarily catering to rural population, to find any preventable cause of such injuries.

METHODS

All suspected cases of supracondylar humeral fracture reporting to emergency or outpatients department were analysed for various epidemiologic parameters including age, sex, laterality, time of presentation, associated injuries, neurovascular complications and classification over a period of four years.

RESULTS

We analysed a total of 263 patients and most of the fractures were seen in 5-8-year age group with a mean of 7.9 years. A total of 157 cases were males and non-dominant extremity was involved in 65% of fractures in our series. Fall on outstretched hand was the predominant cause of injury and fall from rooftop was the predominant mode. In all patients, 36.12% reported to our hospital 1 week after injury, 39.92% presented to hospital within 48 h after trauma and the remaining 23.95% presented 48 h to 1 week after trauma. None had a bilateral injury. Gartland type 3 fractures constituted 54.37% of patients, followed by type 1 (23.95%) and type 2 (21.67%).

CONCLUSION

Almost one fourth of supracondylar humeral fractures in children can be prevented by installing railing of rooftops and stairs. It is necessary to educate people on hazards of treatment by traditional bonesetters. Moreover, the children with supracondylar humeral fractures should be screened for associated injuries.

The Use of Intravenous Lidocaine for the Management of Acute Pain Secondary to Traumatic Ankle Injury: A Case Report

Sports-related injuries are a frequent cause of visits to the emergency department (ED) across the United States. A majority of these injuries affect the lower extremities with the ankle as the most frequently reported site. Most sports-related injuries are not severe enough to require inpatient hospitalization; however, they often lead to acute distress and pain which require prompt treatment with analgesics. Approximately 22% of patients who presented to the ED required pharmacotherapy for acute pain management. Opioids have been traditionally used for the management of severe acute pain in the ED; however, there are growing concerns for opioid overuse and misuse. As a result, there is growing controversy regarding the appropriate selection of analgesic agents, optimal dosing, and need for outpatient therapy which has contributed to changes in prescribing patterns of opioids in the ED. Lidocaine, a class 1b antiarrhythmic, has been utilized as an analgesic agent. Its use has been documented for the management of intractable chronic pain caused by cancer, stroke, neuropathies, or nephrolithiasis. However, literature describing the use of intravenous lidocaine for the management of acute pain secondary to trauma is limited to a single case series. This case report describes the use of intravenous lidocaine in a 17-year-old male who presented to the ED in acute distress secondary to ankle dislocation and fracture. This report serves to describe additional clinical experience with intravenous lidocaine for the management of acute pain secondary to ankle fracture in the emergency department.

Temporal characteristics of paediatric supracondylar humerus fractures

Objective

Supracondylar humeral fractures are the most common elbow injury occurring in the paediatric population, accounting for 55–80% of all elbow fractures and 3–18% of all paediatric fractures. They occur most commonly due to a fall from play equipment or furniture. This study aims to determine if any relationship exists between supracondylar humeral fractures and any temporal or injury characteristics. It was hypothesised that an increased incidence of supracondylar fractures would be observed in summer months and on weekends.

Methods

All patients <18 years of age with an isolated distal humerus supracondylar fracture between 2004 and 2014 were included in this study ( n = 569). Patient demographics and fracture characteristic data were collected. Hypothesis testing was performed to assess for any statistically significant relationship between fracture incidence and temporal or injury characteristics. Patients were then divided based on their management (conservative vs. operative) and hypothesis testing was performed to determine whether any difference existed between the management groups with regards to temporal and injury characteristics.

Results

No statistically significant association was noted between fracture incidence and gender, laterality, or day/month/season of injury. Time of injury and presentation to the Emergency Department demonstrated significant results, with highest incidence in the afternoon hours (12:00–17:59).

Conclusions

Unlike previous international studies, no significant difference was noted between day/month/season of injury and incidence of supracondylar fracture. This is thought to be likely due to the difference in climate between Australia and other countries.

Evaluation and management of pulseless pink/pale hand syndrome coexisting with supracondylar fractures of the humerus in children

Elbow region fractures are the most common injuries in children. Among them, supracondylar fractures of the humerus are the most frequent. Massive displacement of the fractured bone causes severe injury to the soft tissue of that particular region. As a result, various types of injuries to the brachial artery such as entrapment, laceration, spasm of the vessel, and the presence of an intimal tear or thrombus formation are usually observed. The main goal of this study was to present our approach to children with supracondylar humerus fractures associated with brachial artery injuries. We would especially like to emphasize the necessity for other conservative or operative treatment concerning pulseless hand symptoms coexisting with supracondylar fractures of the humeral bone in children population. Data from 67 children were evaluated in our study. Supracondylar fractures were classified according to the Gartland's scale. All patients had displaced extension type III injuries. During our follow-up study, we used Flynn's grading system to evaluate functions of the elbow joint, forearm and wrist. Mean follow-up was 18 months; range, 13 months to 4 years. In the follow-up study, very good or good results were achieved in all 32 patients treated conservatively together with 6 patients with pulseless pink hand symptom. Very good or good results were achieved in 88% of 35 patients operated on. Children who, after satisfactory closed reduction, have a well-perfused hand but absent radial pulse do not necessarily require routine exploration of the brachial artery. Conservative treatment should be applied unless additional signs of vascular compromise appear. Thus, exploration of the cubital fossa should be performed only if circulation is not restored by closed reduction.

High-risk chief complaints III: abdomen and extremities

Abdominal and extremity complaints are a frequent reason for presentation to the emergency department. Although these are common complaints, several abdominal and extremity disease entities may be missed or may be subject to delayed diagnosis. This article provides an overview of the diagnosis and management of several high-risk abdominal and extremity complaints, including appendicitis, abdominal aortic aneurysm, mesenteric ischemia, bowel obstruction, retained foreign body, hand and finger lacerations, fractures, and compartment syndrome. Each section focuses primarily on the pitfalls in diagnosis by highlighting the limitations of history, physical examination findings, and diagnostic testing and provides specific risk management strategies.

Child abuse and orthopaedic injury patterns: analysis at a level I pediatric trauma center

BACKGROUND

Child abuse is a serious threat to the physical and psychosocial well-being of the pediatric population. Musculoskeletal injuries are common manifestations of child abuse. There have been multiple studies that have attempted to identify the factors associated with, and the specific injury patterns seen with musculoskeletal trauma from child abuse, yet there have been no large studies that have used prospectively collected data and controlled comparisons. The purpose of our study was to describe the patterns of orthopaedic injury for child abuse cases detected in the large urban area that our institution serves, and to compare the injury profiles of these victims of child abuse to that of general (accidental) trauma patients seen in the emergency room and/or hospitalized during the same time period.

METHODS

This study is a retrospective review of prospectively collected information from an urban level I pediatric trauma center. Five hundred cases of child abuse (age birth to 48 mo) were identified by membership in our institution's Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect database collected between 1998 and 2007. These cases were compared against 985 general trauma (accidental) control patients of the same age group from 2000 to 2003. Age, sex, and injury type were compared.

RESULTS

Victims of child abuse were on average younger than accidental trauma patients in the cohort of patients under 48 months of age. There was no difference in sex distribution between child abuse and accidental trauma patients. When the entire cohort of patients under 48 months were examined after adjusting for age and sex, the odds of rib (14.4 times), tibia/fibula (6.3 times), radius/ulna (5.8 times), and clavicle fractures (4.4 times) were significantly higher in child abuse versus accidental trauma patients. When regrouping the data based on age, in patients younger than 18 months of age, the odds of rib (23.7 times), tibia/fibula (12.8 times), humerus (2.3 times), and femur fractures (1.8 times) were found to be significantly higher in the child abuse group. Yet, in the more than 18 months age group, the risk of humerus (3.4 times) and femur fractures (3.3 times) was actually higher in the accidental trauma group than in the child abuse group.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients who present to an urban level I pediatric trauma center and are victims of abuse are generally younger, and have an equal propensity to be male or female. It is important for the clinician to recognize that the age of the patient (younger or older than 18 mo and/or walking age) is an important determinant in identifying injury patterns suspicious for abuse. Patients below the age of 18 months who present with rib, tibia/fibula, humerus, or femur fractures are more likely to be victims of abuse than accidental trauma patients. Yet, when patients advance in age beyond 18 months, their presentation with long bone fractures (ie, femur and humerus) is more likely to be related to accidental trauma than child abuse.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

level III, prognostic study.

Accuracy of emergency room physicians' interpretation of elbow fractures in children

Elbow fractures in children can be difficult diagnoses for inexperienced physicians to make. The purpose of this prospective study was to determine the accuracy of radiograph interpretation of elbow fractures in children by emergency room (ER) physicians. Thirty fractures were analyzed. The ER physician's radiograph interpretation was compared to the final interpretation by the treating staff pediatric orthopedic surgeon. Accuracy rates were determined for overall agreement and by fracture subtype. Overall accuracy of ER physicians' interpretation was 53% (16/30). This study underscores the importance of educating ER physicians and residents in children's fracture interpretation to optimize patient outcomes. Orthopedists need to be vigilant when taking care of these patients to prevent unnecessary complications.

[Therapeutically effect of the physical procedures on the elbow contractures in children with supracondylar humerus fractures]

Supracondylar humerus fractures are the most common fracture around the elbow in the pediatric population. These fractures in children may lead to functional disturbance with loss or reduction of range of motion in the elbow joint. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the physical therapy on the range of the motion of the elbow joint in the post-traumatic elbow contractures in the childhood after supracondylar fractures. We analyzed in this research 34 children (average age 8.57+/-2.94 years) with elbow contractures that were treated by physical therapy after orthopedic treatment. Functional outcome was presented in degree from 1 to 3 (Flynn). The difference in the grade at the beginning and the end of the therapy is statistically significant (t=16.38, p<0.001). 91.18 %, of the children had excellent result. Complex of various therapeutically physical procedures can significant improve range of motion of the elbow joint.

Pediatric upper extremity injuries

The pediatric musculoskeletal system differs greatly from that of an adult. Although these differences diminish with age, they present unique injury patterns and challenges in the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric orthopedic problems.

Inadequate analgesia in emergency medicine

Review of emergency department pain management practices demonstrates pain treatment inconsistency and inadequacy that extends across all demographic groups. This inconsistency and inadequacy appears to stem from a multitude of potentially remediable practical and attitudinal barriers that include (1) a lack of educational emphasis on pain management practices in nursing and medical school curricula and postgraduate training programs; (2) inadequate or nonexistent clinical quality management programs that evaluate pain management; (3) a paucity of rigorous studies of populations with special needs that improve pain management in the emergency department, particularly in geriatric and pediatric patients; (4) clinicians' attitudes toward opioid analgesics that result in inappropriate diagnosis of drug-seeking behavior and inappropriate concern about addiction, even in patients who have obvious acutely painful conditions and request pain relief; (5) inappropriate concerns about the safety of opioids compared with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that result in their underuse (opiophobia); (6) unappreciated cultural and sex differences in pain reporting by patients and interpretation of pain reporting by providers; and (7) bias and disbelief of pain reporting according to racial and ethnic stereotyping. This article reviews the literature that describes the prevalence and roots of oligoanalgesia in emergency medicine. It also discusses the regulatory efforts to address the problem and their effect on attitudes within the legal community.

Orthopedic pitfalls in the ED: pediatric supracondylar humerus fractures

Supracondylar humerus fractures are the most common fracture around the elbow in the pediatric population. They are the result of a fall on an outstretched arm and are seen primarily in the first decade of life. The diagnosis of these fractures can be subtle and, if missed, can result in vascular, structural, or neurologic injuries. Prompt diagnosis and treatment of these injuries is important to improved clinical outcome. The emergency physician needs to remain vigilant for this diagnosis to avoid this orthopedic pitfall. This review article examines the clinical presentation, diagnostic technique, and management options applicable to the emergency physician in the treatment of supracondylar humerus fractures.

Osteonecrosis of the hip (Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease) in human immunodeficiency virus-infected children

OBJECTIVE

Osteonecrosis of the hip has been reported in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected adults; whether this is related to HIV infection or its treatment is unknown. There has been 1 report of osteonecrosis among HIV-infected children. Specifically, avascular necrosis of the hip consistent with Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease (LCPD) was reported in 3 HIV-infected children with AIDS from Spain in 1992. We evaluated the prevalence and incidence of LCPD, the pediatric equivalent of adult osteonecrosis of the hip, in HIV-infected children participating in a prospective cohort study of long-term outcomes in HIV-infected and HIV-exposed children-Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group (PACTG) protocol 219.

METHODS

PACTG 219 enrolled 2014 HIV-infected and 849 HIV-exposed, uninfected children between April 1993 and September 2000. Children had periodic examinations with collection of clinical and laboratory data. The database was reviewed for reports of LCPD and other bone disorders. A prevalent case was defined as LCPD diagnosis preceding PACTG 219 enrollment and an incident case had to have occurred between enrollment and September 2000. A case-control study (matching on age, gender, and race/ethnicity, which are known to be associated with risk of LCPD and HIV infection status) was performed to investigate factors possibly associated with LCPD.

RESULTS

Six cases of LCPD (4 prevalent cases reported at study entry; 2 diagnosed during 5837 person-years of follow-up) were observed; LCPD was seen only in children with perinatal HIV infection. LCPD prevalence was 199 per 100 000 compared with an estimated general pediatric population prevalence of 23 per 100 000. Based on age-adjusted general population rates, the expected number of prevalent cases at PACTG 219 study entry would have been 0.44; the age-adjusted LCPD prevalence rate ratio was 9.0 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 8.3-9.7) for HIV-infected children compared with the general population. LCPD incidence was 34 per 100 000 person-years (95% CI: 0.42-124) compared with the estimated general population incidence of 6 per 100 000 person-years (95% CI: 5-7). Based on age-adjusted general population rates, the expected incidence of LCPD in PACTG 219 would have been 0.42; the age-adjusted relative risk of LCPD in HIV-infected PACTG 219 children was 4.8 (95% CI: 0.56-10.4). No cases were observed in uninfected children during 1919 person-years of follow-up on PACTG 219; the age-adjusted expected number of cases was 0.09. Median onset age was 7 years; 67% were of Hispanic or black race/ethnicity and 33% were female. Four of the 6 LCPD cases had received antiretroviral therapy before diagnosis; treatment was primarily with nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, and 2 had received protease inhibitors. Three of the LCPD cases had corticosteroid exposure before the diagnosis, but only 1 child had systemic exposure and the remaining 2 had topical exposure exclusively. In the case-control study, antiretroviral and corticosteroid therapy, CD4 cell percentage, birth weight, height for age and gender percentile, and triglyceride levels were not significantly associated with LCPD. However, the case-control study had limited power to evaluate possible associations.

CONCLUSION

Similar to HIV-infected adults, children with perinatal HIV infection have an increased risk for osteonecrosis of the hip, and clinicians should be alert to this diagnosis when HIV-infected children present with limp or hip pain. Whether LCPD is attributable to HIV infection itself, HIV-associated complications that could predispose to hypercoagulopathy, HIV-related therapies, or to the growth abnormalities in HIV-infected children is unknown and deserves additional evaluation.

Orthopedic pitfalls in the ED: pediatric growth plate injuries

Musculoskeletal injuries are frequently the reason children and adolescents seek care in the emergency department. In the skeletally immature patient, injury to the open growth plate can occur. When missed or mismanaged, these injuries can result in growth plate arrest. The emergency physician needs to remain vigilant for these injuries. This review article examines the clinical presentation, diagnostic techniques, and management options applicable to the emergency physician.