Humerus shaft fracture associated with traumatic radial nerve palsy: An international survey among orthopedic trauma surgeons from Latin America and Asia/Pacific

Need for early exploration of radial nerve in humeral shaft fractures with radial nerve palsy

INTRODUCTION

Radial nerve palsy (RNP) associated with humeral shaft fracture (HSF) is the most common nerve complication in long bone fractures. There is still controversy over the need for immediate exploration of the radial nerve (RN) in HSF with RNP. The purpose of the current study was to determine which situations of HSF with RNP require early exploration of the RN.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This is a retrospective study that included 55 patients who had visited the emergency department of the current authors' hospital and had been diagnosed with HSF between March of 2005 and September of 2015. Of these 55 patients, 14 (25.4%) had been diagnosed with HSF with RNP. We reviewed the medical records of those 14 patients and their radiographs to evaluate each fracture's type, location, pattern, energy of trauma, status of RN injury, and time until recovery from RNP.

RESULT

All the 14 RNP patients had suffered high-energy trauma. Three had fractures in the proximal third (21.4%), six in the middle third (42.9%), and five in the distal third (35.7%). The three patients (21.4%) with incomplete recovery of RNP all had proximal third fractures; two of these three patients had RN transection.

CONCLUSION

Early exploration of the radial nerve should be considered in patients with radial nerve palsy associated with proximal third humeral shaft fracture, regardless of the fracture patterns caused by the high-energy trauma.

Demographics and clinical features of humeral shaft fractures: The Latin American multicentre prospective study (HSF-LAMPS)

PURPOSE

To present transversal data (demographic and clinical) on isolated humeral shaft fractures (HSFs) in Latin American countries.

METHODS

Patients were enrolled between December 2015 and April 2017 at 11 medical institutions from six Latin America countries.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

Age ≥18 years and a closed, isolated 12A, 12B, or 12C fracture (Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen/Orthopaedic Trauma Association (AO/OTA) classification). The patients' demographic, comorbidity, and other baseline data were recorded. The outcome measures included the basal results of the research and the associations among the demographic factors, fracture features, and type of treatment applied.

RESULTS

A total of 123 patients were included. There was a preponderance of men (61.8%), whose mean age was significantly lower than that of the women (31.48 vs. 60.55). Overweight or obesity was present in 61.0% of women; 56.1% of patients were sedentary, 75.6% were nonsmokers, and 74.0% had no chronic disease. The type or treatment (operative/nonoperative) was not significantly associated with the patient's or fracture's characteristics. Falls and traffic accidents were the main causes of HSFs. Intramedullary nailing treatment was performed significantly more often in women, elderly patients, patients who did not participate in sports, and patients participating in only home activities. Minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis was performed significantly more frequently in men and in those who were self-employed. Open reduction internal fixation was performed significantly more often when the cause of the fracture was a traffic accident and when radial nerve palsy was present.

CONCLUSION

The demographics and etiological differences observed in comparison to the current literature show the importance of regional studies for both preventive measures and educational guidance.

Effects of Different Volatile Anesthetics on Cytokine and Chemokine Production After Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Patients Undergoing Living-Donor Kidney Transplant

OBJECTIVES

Renal transplant is the treatment of choice for patients with end-stage renal disease. Ischemiareperfusion damage is a major cause of early renal dysfunction during the perioperative period. Ischemic hypoxic damage increases local inflammation, leading to secretion of cytokines and chemokines. Anesthetic conditioning is a widely described strategy to attenuate ischemia-reperfusion injury. Here, we compared the effects of desflurane and sevoflurane on serum proinflammatory cytokines and urine chemokines in living-donor kidney transplant recipients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Eighty donor-recipient couples were included in this randomized study. Anesthesia maintenance was provided by desflurane or sevoflurane. Patient demographic characteristics, immunologic data, clinical data, and hemodynamic parameters were recorded. Tumor necrosis factor α, interleukins 2 and 8, chemokines 9 and 10, and serum creatinine levels were studied from pretransplant, posttransplant days 1 and 7, and posttransplant months 1 and 3 sample results. Estimated glomerular filtration rates were calculated. Acute rejection episodes and graft loss within 6 months posttransplant were recorded.

RESULTS

Seventy donor-recipient couples completed the study. There were no significant differences in demographic, immunologic, and clinical data between desflurane and sevoflurane groups (P > .05). Tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin 2, chemokine 9, and chemokine 10 levels were similar preoperatively and on postoperative days 1 and 7 and months 1 and 3 (P > .05). Serum interleukin 8 levels were significantly higher in patients who received sevoflurane on postoperative days 1 (P = .045) and 7 (P = .037). No significant differences were detected in serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate between groups (P > .05). No graft loss occurred within 6 months posttransplant.

CONCLUSIONS

Although sevoflurane seemed to produce higher interleukin 8 levels posttransplant, both desflurane and sevoflurane had similar effects on posttransplant kidney function. We suggest that both agents have protective effects on ischemic-reperfusion damage in living-donor kidney transplant recipients.

Chronic Osteomyelitis after Seven Years Neglected Bone Exposed in 12-Year-Old Boy: A Case Report

BACKGROUND:

Access to modern medicine is still limited in some rural areas in Indonesia. This is mostly due to lack of people’s knowledge and concern for their health, especially in orthopaedic cases. Osteomyelitis is generally described as infection and inflammation of the bone, which results in local bone destruction, necrosis, and apposition of new bone. Chronic post-traumatic osteomyelitis (CPTO) is a complex condition and one of the most challenging problems in orthopaedic surgery that cause considerable morbidity.

CASE PRESENTATION:

We present a case of chronic post-traumatic osteomyelitis with radial nerve injury, in which radical surgical debridement and broad-spectrum antibiotic administration were done. A 12-year-old boy with a history of falling from the three-meter-high tree had swollen, deformed, and neglected humerus bone exposed. After stabilisation in the emergency room, surgical limb amputation was scheduled, yet the family refused this medical care and chose debridement instead.

CONCLUSION:

This case is an important addition to the literature about chronic post-traumatic osteomyelitis with neglected bone exposed and the lacking of society’s concern in regards to orthopaedic cases.