Three-Part Broken Intramedullary Nail Reconsideration: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

The ball-less technique: A novel technique for the removal of a broken proximal femoral nail anti-rotation. A technical note

OBJECTIVE

We describe a novel technique for removing broken intra-medullary femoral nails METHODS: This technique involves the initial removal of the blade, screw at proximal femur, and proximal part of the broken nail. A hole is then drilled in the remnant nail and a cerclage wire passed into the hole. The distal interlocking screw is then removed, before removing the nail.

RESULTS

In these case studies, the nail was removed from the patients using the technique of drilling a hole into the remnant nail and passing a cerclage wire through for removal, without any complications.

CONCLUSION

The method described is easy, replicable, and requires only a steel drill, cerclage wires, nail extraction hook and slotted hammer.

Removal of a broken cannulated intramedullary nail: review of the literature and a case report of a new technique

Nonunion of long bones fixed with nails may result in implant failure. Removal of a broken intramedullary nail may be a real challenge. Many methods have been described to allow for removal of the broken piece of the nail. In this paper, we are reviewing the different techniques to extract a broken nail, classifying them into different subsets, and describing a new technique that we used to remove a broken tibial nail with narrow canal. Eight different categories of implant removal methods were described, with different methods within each category. This classification is very comprehensive and was never described before. We described a new technique (hook captured in the medulla by flexible nail introduced from the locking hole) which is a valuable technique in cases of nail of a small diameter where other methods cannot be used because of the narrow canal of the nail. Our eight categories for broken nail removal methods simplify the concepts of nail removal and allow the surgeon to better plan for the removal procedure.

Resistance carrying plasmid in a traumatic wound

OBJECTIVE

To isolate and identify antibiotic-resistant bacteria from the exudate of a complex wound and determine if antibiotic resistance genes are chromosomal or plasmid borne.

METHOD

Antibiotic resistant bacteria from wound exudate of a single clinical sample were selected on agar media with ampicillin. A single colony was further screened for resistance to kanamycin by antibiotic-supplemented agar and to other antibiotics by an automated Phoenix instrument. Identification of the isolate was carried out by biochemical profiling and by 16S rDNA analysis.

RESULTS

Approximately 51% of total bacteria in the wound exudate with identical colony morphotype were resistant to 100 microg/ml of ampicillin. A single colony from this population also demonstrated resistance to 50 microg/ml of kanamycin on kanamycin-supplemented agar. Further antimicrobial sensitivity testing by the Phoenix instrument indicated resistance to inhibitory concentrations of amoxicillin-clavulanate, ampicillin-sulbactam, cefazolin, gentamicin, nitrofurantoin, tobramycin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Biochemical and 16S rDNA analysis identified this bacterial isolate as a member of genus Enterobacter. A plasmid preparation from this isolate successfully transferred ampicillin and kanamycin resistance to E. coli competent cells. E. coli transformants displayed two resistance phenotypes and the plasmids from these transformants displayed two different restriction type patterns, with one correlating to ampicillin and kanamycin resistance and the other only to ampicillin resistance.

CONCLUSION

A multiple antibiotic-resistant Enterobacter spp. from the wound fluid of a clinical sample was found to carry an antibiotic-resistant plasmid in a closely related species E. coli. The presence of antibiotic resistance plasmid in Enterobacteria that are part of the normal microbial flora of the human gut and skin could lead to the spread of resistance phenotype and emergence of antibiotic resistant pathogens. This study suggests normal human microbial fl ora could be a potential reservoir for resistance genes.

Removal of a broken intramedullary femoral nail with an unusual pattern of breakage: a case report

To the best of our knowledge, only 3 cases, including the present case, have been reported with a three part broken pattern. However, this is the first case associated with a distal locking screw broken. We report the case of a 31-year-old patient who sustained an open femoral shaft fracture . The fracture was stabilized with a Kuntcher femoral nail. After 7 months of the initial surgery he presented with a three part broken intramedullary nail and the distal locking screw broken. We used a combined technique for the removal of the nail through the nonunion fracture site; we used a pull out technique for the middle fragment and a curved thin hook for the distal fragment. Then we applied bone allograft and stabilized with a cannulated intramedullary femoral nail (Synthes, Oberdorf, Switzerland). After 2 years of follow up the nonunion was consolidated and the patient presented a good clinical outcome. This is of particular interest because it is a unique case and the association with a broken distal locking screw is reported for the first time in this study. A combination of methods through the nonunion site approach and an alternative instrumental is a good method for the removal of a hollow femoral intramedullary nail with this unusual pattern of breakage.