The use of orthopaedic classifications as a means of testing the academic ability of trainees has been a common if not ever present factor in every teaching or trauma meeting throughout the UK. The initial consideration for this book arose following regular debates of such classification origins, basics and even false representations. A number of classifications have evolved over the years like classic Chinese whispers, with a number of modifications replacing their original descriptions. Examples of theses include the regularly used Rockwood classification for ACJ dislocations, which is actually a modification of the Allman classification from 1967. However, the Allman classification for clavicle fractures, which originates from the same paper, is almost an endnote within the paper. The commonly referenced Weber classification of ankle fractures was initially described by Danis in 1949. Gartland’s classification of paediatric supracondylar fractures has had a number of modifications, most of which by Wilkins in his book ‘Fractures in children’. Confusingly, he changes his modifications from edition to edition, leading to many mistakes in published literature. These are only a few examples of this failure in referencing. I have attempted in all cases to return to the original papers, although in some cases this was impossible. In some cases (for example Seddon’s classification of nerve injuries) the authors have published their classifications in more than one journal. And in this instance I have given both examples if there are alterations in their description. I have intentionally not included the AO-OTA classifications within this book, as this is well described and copyrighted by the AO foundation. This can be found at their website https://www.aofoundation.org/Documents/mueller_ao_class.pdf.

For each injury I have taken topics of controversy and have attempted to provide the evidence in an unbiased manner wherever possible, for use in exam and testing situations. These topics have been specifically designed around common exam questions. Similarly, I have included in this book soft tissue injuries, not commonly seen in trauma classification books, as I feel it is equally important as osseous injury and just as common to be seen in our trauma clinics.

Chapter 112 – Chronic Achilles Tendon Ruptures Using Allograft Reconstruction. 

Talar Fractures chapter

Drawing chapter

Chapter - Drawings for the FRCS (Tr&Orth)

Conditions of the forefoot.

Chapter - Lateral Ligament Reconstruction.

Chapter 10 – Scarf Osteotomy

Chapter 112 – Chronic Achilles Tendon Ruptures Using Allograft Reconstruction. 

Chapter - conditions of the forefoot

Chapter 16 – Post-operative complications in orthopaedics. 

Background: Patient factors are known to contribute to decision making and treatment of ankle fractures. The presence of poor baseline mobility, diabetes, neuropathy, alcoholism, cognitive impairment, inflammatory arthritis or polytrauma can result in a higher risk of failure or complications. Limited evidence is available on the optimum management for this challenging cohort of patients herein described as complex ankle fractures. This UK multicentre study assessed and evaluated the epidemiology of ankle fractures complicated by significant comorbidity and patient factors and use of specialist surgical techniques such as hindfoot nails (HFN) / tibiotalarcalcaneal (TCC) nails and enhanced open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF).

Patients and methods: A UK-wide collaborative study was performed of adult distal AO43/AO44 fractures, associated with 1 or more of the patient factors listed above. Primary outcomes included patient demographics, comorbidities, surgical technique and implants. Secondary outcomes included surgical complications and early post-operative weight bearing instructions. Statistical analysis was performed to assess patient and fracture characteristics on outcome, including propensity matching.

Results: One-thousand three hundred and sixty patients, with at least one of the above complex factors, from 56 centres were included with a mean age of 53.1 years. 90.2% (1227) patients underwent primary fixation which included 78.9% (1073) standard open reduction internal fixations (ORIF), 3.25% (43) extended ORIF and 8.1% (111) primary HFN / TCC. Overall wound complications and thromboembolic events were similar in the hindfoot nail group and the ORIF group (11.7% vs 10.7%). Wound complications were greater in diabetic patients versus non-diabetic patients independent of fixation method (15.8% vs 9.0%). After propensity matching for comorbidities and fracture type, overall complications were lower in the hindfoot nail (11.8%) and extended ORIF groups (16.7%), than the standard ORIF group (18.6%).

Conclusion: Only a minority of complex ankle fractures are treated with specialised techniques (HFN/TCC or extended ORIF). Though more commonly used in older and frail patients their perceived advantages are often negated by a reluctance to bear weight early. These techniques demonstrated a better complication profile to standard ORIF but hindfoot nail with joint preparation for fusion was associated with more complications than hindfoot nail for fixation.

Introduction: It is only in recent years that major trauma systems and networks have been operating in the UK. High-quality data is available from the Trauma Audit and Research Network (TARN) database, enabling regional analysis. Our aim was to analyse Trauma Team Activations within the Cheshire and Merseyside major trauma network and discuss the implications of these data on resource allocation, training and trauma prevention.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed for all patients requiring Trauma Team Activation (TTA) at a category one adult Major Trauma Centre (MTC) who were submitted to the TARN database from the 1st January 2015 to the 1st January 2020. Data collected included the date and time of arrival, location of injury and Injury Severity Score (ISS) in addition to routine demographic data. Dates of major sporting events and school holidays were obtained.

Results: 4811 patients were identified. The median age was 57 years; 65.8 % were male. The mean frequency of TTAs was 18.5 per week. Patterns identified include annual peaks during the summer months, October and December, weekly peaks on Thursdays and Sundays and daily peaks between 16:00 and 23:59 with 45.0 % of TTAs occurring between these hours. There were 5.9 additional TTAs per week during the Isle of Man TT races. The median ISS increased from 14 to 23 for TT race TTAs and from 14 to 36 for Manx Grand Prix TTAs. Those injured during the TT races were twice as likely to require surgery and those injured during the MGP required five additional days in intensive care. School holidays did not independently affect major trauma volumes.

Conclusions: Major trauma in Cheshire and Merseyside did follow distinct patterns according to calendar month, day and time. Major motorsport increased trauma volumes and severity; school holidays did not. Such analysis could enable Major Trauma Centres to tailor the supply of trauma services to meet a predictable local demand for the benefit of our staff and patients.

Keywords: Health planning; Multiple trauma; Organizational models; Trauma centers; Trauma prevention; Trauma systems; Workforce; Wounds and injuries.

Sleep posture and movements offer insights into neurophysiological health and correlate with overall well-being and quality of life. Clinical practices utilise polysomnography for sleep assessment, which is intrusive, performed in unfamiliar environments, and requires trained personnel. While sensor technologies such as actigraphy are less invasive alternatives, concerns about their reliability and precision in clinical practice persist. Moreover, the field lacks a universally accepted algorithm, with methods ranging from raw signal thresholding to data-intensive classification models that may be unfamiliar to medical staff. This paper proposes a comprehensive framework for objectively detecting sleep posture changes and temporally segmenting postural inactivity using clinically relevant joint kinematics, measured by a custom-made wearable sensor. The framework was evaluated on wrist kinematic data from five healthy participants during simulated sleep. Intuitive three-dimensional visualisations of kinematic time series were achieved through dimension reduction-based preprocessing, providing an out-of-the-box framework explainability that may be useful for clinical monitoring and diagnosis. The proposed framework achieved up to 99.2% F1-score and 0.96 Pearson's correlation coefficient for posture detection and inactivity segmentation respectively. This work paves the way for reliable home-based sleep movement analysis, serving patient-centred longitudinal care.

Introduction: Morton’s neuroma (MN) is a common compressive neuropathy of the interdigital nerves. Nonoperative management is recommended initially, and many modalities have been described. Cryoablation (CA) has shown promising results; however, there are limited published studies in the literature. The purpose of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of ultrasonography (US)-guided CA in patients

with MN.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was completed for 20 patients (24 MN) between June 2021 and September 2022. All patients had refractory MN symptoms from previous US-guided steroid and local anesthesia injections. CA was performed under continuous US monitoring as a single

outpatient procedure with one cycle for 2 minutes. Telephone follow-up with a 0–10 numerical rating scale was performed at 6 weeks and 3 months post-CA.

Results: The mean size of MN treated was 12.3mm. Technical success was 100%. The mean preprocedure pain score was 8, which reduced to 0 at 6 weeks and 3 months follow-up in the treated MN. There were two cases of fibrosis in the webspace (12.5%) seen on magnetic resonance

imaging (MRI), and 1 residual neuroma was observed (6%). There were no complications observed.

Conclusion: In this series, US-guided CA performed by musculoskeletal radiologists was deemed a safe and effective treatment for MN. Clinical

advantages of the procedure are good patient tolerance, single outpatient procedure, high patient satisfaction and reduced risk of scarring or residual neuroma. Further controlled prospective studies would be beneficial.

Keywords: Cryoablation, Forefoot, Morton neuroma.

Background: Arthrodesis is an effective treatment of midfoot arthritis in reducing pain and improving function. However, there is a known risk of nonunion. Our aim was to compare the outcomes of individual plating vs combined plating for the fusion of both the second and third tarsometatarsal joints (TMTJs). Our primary outcome was bone healing, and secondary outcomes include patient-reported outcome measures.

Methods: All cases underwent primary arthrodesis of the second and third TMTJs. Arthrodesis was performed using either a single “H-shaped” plate (combined plating group) or using two separate plates (individual plating group). The outcome measures were bony union and the Manchester Oxford Foot Questionnaire score (MOX-FQ).

Results: A total of 45 procedures were undertaken with a mean follow-up of 527 days. The combined plating group had 28 cases, and the individual plating group had 17 cases. There were 10 cases (35.71%) of nonunion in the combined plating group and two cases (11.76%) in the individual plating group. Multivariate regression analysis showed a significant relationship of union with the use of the individual plating group [p = 0.047, odds ratio (OR) 5.822]. Patients who had also undergone the first TMTJ fusion had an increased chance of union (p = 0.043, OR 9.896). No other factors showed significance. MOX-FQ scores were superior in the individual group at 6 months postsurgery, although this statistical significance was lost when the nonunions were excluded.

Conclusion: This study is the first to report a difference in the union between combined plating and individual plating techniques in arthrodesis of the second and third TMTJs. We believe that individual plates permit a more anatomical reduction and greater compression at the site of

arthrodesis as compared to a dual plate technique, achieving better union results and an early better functional outcome.

Keywords: Arthritis, Fusion, Outcome studies, Plating, Tarsometatarsal joint.

Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery (Asia-Pacific) (2023): 10.5005/jp-journals-10040-1311

Introduction: Chopart injuries can be allocated into 4 broad groups, ligamentous injury with or without dislocation and fracture with or without dislocation, which must occur at the talonavicular joint (TNJ) and/or calcaneocuboid joint (CCJ). Chopart dislocations are comprised of pure-dislocations and fracture-dislocations. We aim to review the literature, to enable evidence-based recommendations.

Methods: A literature search was conducted to identify relevant articles from the electronic databases, PubMed, Medline and Scopus. The PRISMA flow chart was used to scrutinise the search results. Articles were screened by title, abstract and full text to confirm relevance.

Results: We identified 58 papers for analysis, 36 case reports, 4 cohort studies, 4 case series and 14 other articles related to the epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and outcomes of Chopart dislocations. Diagnostic recommendations included routine imaging to contain computed tomography (CT) and routine examination for compartment syndrome. Treatment recommendations included early anatomical reduction, with restoration and maintenance of column length and joint congruency. For both pure-dislocations and fracture-dislocations urgent open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) provided the most favourable long-term outcomes.

Conclusions: Chopart dislocations are a complex heterogenous midfoot injury with historically poor outcomes. There is a relative paucity of research discussing these injuries. We have offered evidence-based recommendations related to the clinical and surgical management of these rare pathologies.

Background: The Tibialis Posterior tendon (TPT) is the only tendon to encounter the distal tibia and is therefore at greatest risk of injury in fractures of the distal tibia. Although TPT injury has been reported rarely with injuries around the ankle, they often have been missed and present late.

Aim: Our aim was to analyse the rate to TPT entrapment in fractures involving the posterior tibia, i.e. Pilon (PLM) and posterior malleolar fractures (PMF).

Methods: A retrospective analysis of PMF and Pilon fractures over an 8-year period was undertaken. Patients who had undergone surgical fixation of their PMF or PLM were identified from 2014 to 2022, using our prospectively collected database. Any fracture which had undergone a preoperative CT was included. Analysis of their pre-operative CT imaging was utilised to identify TPT entrapment, where if < 50% of the tendon cross section was present in the fracture site, this was denoted as a minor entrapment and if ≥ 50% of the tendon was present in the fracture site was denoted as major.

Results: A total of 363 patients were identified for further analysis, 220 who had a PMF and 143 with PLM injury. The incidence of TPT entrapment was 22% (n = 79) with 64 minor and 15 major entrapments. If the fracture line entered the TPT sheath, there was a 45% rate (72/172) of entrapment as compared to 3.7% (7/190) in fractures not entering the sheath (p < .001). There was no significant difference in TPT entrapment in PMF as compared to PML (p = 0.353).

Conclusion: In our assessment, we found significant prevalence of 22% of TPT entrapment in fractures involving the posterior tibia. PMF and PLF had no statistically significant difference in the rate of TPT entrapment. Additionally, we found that there was a significant risk of TPT entrapment when the CT images display the fracture line entering the tendon sheath. We recommend that surgeons consider taking care assessing pre-operative imaging to seek to identify the TPT and to assess intraoperatively where entrapment does occur.

The posterior malleolus of the tibia is commonly accessed surgically through the posterolateral

approach. This approach gives good access to the fibula and lateral aspect

of the posterior tibia, however; there is little known on the vascular risks with this

approach. The aim of this study was to assess and describe the anatomy of the fibular

artery and its branches at the ankle region and relate it to the surgical access of the

posterior malleolus. Eleven cadaveric foot and ankle specimens were dissected in

layers, preserving the fibular artery, anterior tibial artery (ATA), and posterior tibial

artery (PTA). Five distinct variations were found in the fibular artery: variable terminal

branching with a hyperplastic fibular artery; a superficially located fibular artery; variation

in the level and number of anastomoses; variation in the muscular branches; and a

variable anterior perforating branch. The mean proximal distance from a horizontal line

drawn through the medial protuberance of the medial malleolus of the tibia (horizontal

line reference point—HLRP) to the posterior communicating branch of the fibular

artery was 37.93 mm (range 19.03–85.43 mm). The mean proximal distance between

HLRP and the anterior perforating branch of the fibular artery was 44.23 mm (range

35.44–62.32 mm). In 10 specimens, the fibular artery was immobile distal to its anterior

perforating branch. The posterolateral approach specifically puts the fibular artery

at risk and knowledge of its anatomy and variability is important when undertaking this

approach. Understanding the common variations within the ankle's arterial anatomy

can help surgeons protect these vessels from damage during the surgical approach.

Background: Single-centre studies suggest that successive Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related "lockdown" restrictions in England may have led to significant changes in the characteristics of major trauma patients. There is also evidence from other countries that diversion of intensive care capacity and other healthcare resources to treating patients with COVID-19 may have impacted on outcomes for major trauma patients. We aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the number, characteristics, care pathways, and outcomes of major trauma patients presenting to hospitals in England.

Methods and findings: We completed an observational cohort study and interrupted time series analysis including all patients eligible for inclusion in England in the national clinical audit for major trauma presenting between 1 January 2017 and 31 of August 2021 (354,202 patients). Demographic characteristics (age, sex, physiology, and injury severity) and clinical pathways of major trauma patients in the first lockdown (17,510 patients) and second lockdown (38,262 patients) were compared to pre-COVID-19 periods in 2018 to 2019 (comparator period 1: 22,243 patients; comparator period 2: 18,099 patients). Discontinuities in trends for weekly estimated excess survival rate were estimated when lockdown measures were introduced using segmented linear regression. The first lockdown had a larger associated reduction in numbers of major trauma patients (-4,733 (21%)) compared to the pre-COVID period than the second lockdown (-2,754 (6.7%)). The largest reductions observed were in numbers of people injured in road traffic collisions excepting cyclists where numbers increased. During the second lockdown, there were increases in the numbers of people injured aged 65 and over (665 (3%)) and 85 and over (828 (9.3%)). In the second week of March 2020, there was a reduction in level of major trauma excess survival rate (-1.71%; 95% CI: -2.76% to -0.66%) associated with the first lockdown. This was followed by a weekly trend of improving survival until the lifting of restrictions in July 2020 (0.25; 95% CI: 0.14 to 0.35). Limitations include eligibility criteria for inclusion to the audit and COVID status of patients not being recorded.

Conclusions: This national evaluation of the impact of COVID on major trauma presentations to English hospitals has observed important public health findings: The large reduction in overall numbers injured has been primarily driven by reductions in road traffic collisions, while numbers of older people injured at home increased over the second lockdown. Future research is needed to better understand the initial reduction in likelihood of survival after major trauma observed with the implementation of the first lockdown.

Background

There has been scant investigation on the relationship between the distal aspect of the medial longitudinal arch and pes planus deformity. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the reduction and stabilization of the distal aspect of the medial longitudinal arch through fusion of the first metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ) can subsequently improve pes planus deformity parameters. This could be useful in both further understanding the role of the distal medial longitudinal arch in patients with pes planus and planning operative intervention in patients with multifactorial medial longitudinal arch problems.

Methods:

A retrospective cohort study was undertaken between January 2011 and October 2021, including patients undergoing first MTPJ fusion with a pes planus deformity on weightbearing preoperative radiographs. These were compared to postoperative images, and multiple pes planus measurements were taken for comparison.

Results:

A total of 511 operations were identified for further analysis, with 48 feet meeting the inclusion criteria. There was a statistically significant reduction identified between the pre- and postoperative measurements of Meary angle (3.75 degrees, 95% CI 2.9-6.47 degrees) and talonavicular coverage angle (1.48 degrees, 95% CI 1.09-3.44 degrees). There was a statistically significant increase between the pre- and postoperative measurements of calcaneal pitch angle (2.32 degrees, 95% CI 0.24-4.41 degrees) and medial cuneiform height (1.25 mm, 95% CI 0.6-1.92 mm). Reduced intermetatarsal angle was significantly associated with an increase in first MTPJ angle postfusion. Many of the measurements made were found “almost perfectly” reproducible by the Landis and Koch description.

Conclusion:

Our results demonstrate that fusion of the first MTPJ is associated with improvement of medial longitudinal arch parameters of a pes planus deformity but not to levels considered to be clinically normal. Therefore, the distal aspect of the medial longitudinal arch could, to some degree, be a feature in the pes planus deformity etiology.

Introduction: Sternal fractures (SF) are uncommon injuries usually associated with a significant mechanism of injury. Concomitant injury is likely, and a risk of mortality is substantial.

Aim: Our aim in this study was to identify the risk factors for mortality in patients who had sustained sternal fractures.

Methods: We conducted a single centre retrospective review of the trust's Trauma Audit and Research Network Database, from May 2014 to July 2021. Our inclusion criteria were any patients who had sustained a sternal fracture. The regions of injury were defined using the Abbreviated Injury Score. Pearson Chi-Squared, Fisher Exact tests and multivariate regression analyses were performed using IBM SPSS.

Results: A total of 249 patients were identified to have sustained a SF. There were 19 patients (7.63%) who had died. The most common concomitant injuries with SF were Rib fractures (56%), Lung Contusions (31.15%) and Haemothorax (21.88%). There was a significant increase in age (59.93 vs 70.06, p = .037) and admission troponin (36.34 vs. 100.50, p = .003) in those who died. There was a significantly lower GCS in those who died (10.05 vs. 14.01, p < .001). On multi regression analysis, bilateral rib injury (p = 0.037, OR 1.104) was the only nominal variable which showed significance in mortality.

Conclusion: Sternal Fractures are uncommon but serious injuries. Our review has identified that bilateral rib injuries, increase in age, low GCS, and high admission troponin in the context of SF, were associated with mortality.

Keywords: Major trauma; Sternal fracture; Thoracic injury.

Sleep behaviour and in-bed movements contain rich information on the neurophysiological health of people, and have a direct link to the general well-being and quality of life. Standard clinical practices rely on polysomnography for sleep assessment; however, it is intrusive, performed in unfamiliar environments and requires trained personnel. Progress has been made on less invasive sensor technologies, such as actigraphy, but clinical validation raises concerns over their reliability and precision. Additionally, the field lacks a widely acceptable algorithm, with proposed approaches ranging from raw signal or feature thresholding to data-hungry classification models, many of which are unfamiliar to medical staff. This paper proposes an online Bayesian probabilistic framework for objective (in)activity detection and segmentation based on clinically meaningful joint kinematics, measured by a custom-made wearable sensor. Intuitive three dimensional visualisations of kinematic timeseries were accomplished through dimension reduction based preprocessing, offering out-of-the-box framework explainability potentially useful for clinical monitoring and diagnosis. The proposed framework attained up to 99.2% F1-score and 0.96 Pearson’s correlation coefficient in, respectively, the posture change detection and inactivity segmentation tasks. 

Aims

To determine whether platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection improves outcomes two years after acute Achilles tendon rupture.

Methods

A randomized multicentre two-arm parallel-group, participant- and assessor-blinded superiority trial was undertaken. Recruitment commenced on 28 July 2015 and two-year follow-up was completed in 21 October 2019. Participants were 230 adults aged 18 years and over, with acute Achilles tendon rupture managed with non-surgical treatment from 19 UK hospitals. Exclusions were insertion or musculotendinous junction injuries, major leg injury or deformity, diabetes, platelet or haematological disorder, medication with systemic corticosteroids, anticoagulation therapy treatment, and other contraindicating conditions. Participants were randomized via a central online system 1:1 to PRP or placebo injection. The main outcome measure was Achilles Tendon Rupture Score (ATRS) at two years via postal questionnaire. Other outcomes were pain, recovery goal attainment, and quality of life. Analysis was by intention-to-treat.

Results

A total of 230 participants were randomized, 114 to PRP and 116 to placebo. Two-year questionnaires were sent to 216 participants who completed a six-month questionnaire. Overall, 182/216 participants (84%) completed the two-year questionnaire. Participants were aged a mean of 46 years (SD 13.0) and 25% were female (57/230). The majority of participants received the allocated intervention (219/229, 96%). Mean ATRS scores at two years were 82.2 (SD 18.3) in the PRP group (n = 85) and 83.8 (SD 16.0) in the placebo group (n = 92). There was no evidence of a difference in the ATRS at two years (adjusted mean difference -0.752, 95% confidence interval -5.523 to 4.020; p = 0.757) or in other secondary outcomes, and there were no re-ruptures between 24 weeks and two years.

Conclusion

PRP injection did not improve patient-reported function or quality of life two years after acute Achilles tendon rupture compared with placebo. The evidence from this study indicates that PRP offers no patient benefit in the longer term for patients with acute Achilles tendon rupture.

Bone Joint J 2022;104-B(11):1256–1265.

Background

Multiple authors have highlighted the increased incidence of occult posterior malleolar fractures (PMFs) with spiral tibial shaft fractures, although other reported associated risks of intra-articular extension have been limited. The aim of our study is to investigate both PMFs and non PMFs intra-articular extensions associated with tibial diaphyseal fractures to try to determine any predictive factors.

Methods 

We undertook a retrospective review of a prospectively collected database. The inclusion criteria for this study were any patient who had sustained a diaphyseal tibial fracture who had undergone surgery during the study period who had also undergone a CT scan in addition to plain radiographs. The study time period for this study was between 01/01/2013-9/11/2021. 

Results

Out of 764 diaphyseal fractures identified 442 met the inclusion criteria. A total of 107 patients had PMF extensions (24.21%) and a further 128 patients (28.96%) had intra-articular extensions that were not PMF’s. On multivariate analysis, spiral tibial fracture subtypes of the AO/OTA classification (OR 4.18, p <0.001) and medial direction of tibial spiral from proximal to distal (OR 4.38, p <0.001) were both significantly associated with PMF. Regarding intra-articular fractures multivariate analysis showed significant associations with non-spiral (OR 4.83, p <0.001) and distal (OR 15.32, p <0.001) tibial fractures and fibular fractures that were oblique (OR 2.01, p=.019) and at the same level as tibia fracture (OR 1.83, p=.045) or no fracture of the fibular (OR 7.02, p < 0.001). 

Conclusion

In our study, distal tibial articular extension occurs in almost half of tibial shaft fractures. There are very few fracture patterns that are not associated with some type of intra articular extension, and therefore, a low threshold for preoperative CT should be maintained. 

The Bone & Joint JournalVol. 104-B, No. 8, 2022

Aims

The purpose of this study was to determine the weightbearing practice of operatively managed fragility fractures in the setting of publically funded health services in the UK and Ireland.

Methods

The Fragility Fracture Postoperative Mobilisation (FFPOM) multicentre audit included all patients aged 60 years and older undergoing surgery for a fragility fracture of the lower limb between 1 January 2019 and 30 June 2019, and 1 February 2021 and 14 March 2021. Fractures arising from high-energy transfer trauma, patients with multiple injuries, and those associated with metastatic deposits or infection were excluded. We analyzed this patient cohort to determine adherence to the British Orthopaedic Association Standard, “all surgery in the frail patient should be performed to allow full weight-bearing for activities required for daily living”.

Results

A total of 19,557 patients (mean age 82 years (SD 9), 16,241 having a hip fracture) were included. Overall, 16,614 patients (85.0%) were instructed to perform weightbearing where required for daily living immediately postoperatively (15,543 (95.7%) hip fracture and 1,071 (32.3%) non-hip fracture patients). The median length of stay was 12.2 days (interquartile range (IQR) 7.9 to 20.0) (12.6 days (IQR 8.2 to 20.4) for hip fracture and 10.3 days (IQR 5.5 to 18.7) for non-hip fracture patients).

Conclusion

Non-hip fracture patients experienced more postoperative weightbearing restrictions, although they had a shorter hospital stay. Patients sustaining fractures of the shaft and distal femur had a longer median length of stay than demographically similar patients who received hip fracture surgery. We have shown a significant disparity in weightbearing restrictions placed on patients with fragility fractures, despite the publication of a national guideline. Surgeons intentionally restrict postoperative weightbearing in the majority of non-hip fractures, yet are content with unrestricted weightbearing following operations for hip fractures.

Foot Ankle Surgery 2022

Abstract

Background

Trimalleolar fractures are generally considered to have inferior outcomes among ankle injuries. Historically, emphasis was placed on the size of the posterior malleolar fracture (PMF) to guide surgical decision-making and predict outcomes. Recent studies have suggested that the morphology of the PMF fragment is more important than its size. The aim of this systematic review was to determine if the outcomes of trimalleolar fractures depend on the morphology of the PMF as per the Haraguchi classification system after surgical fixation.

Methods

A systematic literature search was conducted in the electronic databases of PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Ovid. Title and abstracts were screened, and data from eligible studies were extracted. Meta-regression and pooled analysis was performed using appropriate computer software.

Results

11 studies with 597 patients were included in the final analysis. Pooled mean AOFAS score was 87.43 (95% CI 84.24 to 90.62) after a mean follow-up of 31.6 months. Univariate and multivariate meta-regression analysis demonstrated that as the percentage of Haraguchi type 1 patients increased, there was a statistically significant improvement in outcome scores. A similar trend was noted for Haraguchi type 3 fractures, and a reverse trend was observed for Haraguchi type 2 injuries, although neither were statistically significant.

Conclusion

Our review suggests that the outcomes of trimalleolar fractures after surgical fixation may depend on the morphology of the PMF, with Haraguchi type 1 fractures having overall superior functional outcomes than Haraguchi type 2 and 3 injuries. Future studies need to done to conclusively prove or refute these findings.

Foot and Ankle Surgery 2022

Foot and Ankle Surgery 2022

Abstract

Objectives: The primary aim was to determine the differences in COVID-19 infection rate and 30-day mortality in patients undergoing foot and ankle surgery between different treatment pathways over the two phases of the UK-FALCON audit, spanning the first and second UK national lockdowns.

Setting: This was an ambispective (retrospective Phase 1 and prospective Phase 2) national audit of foot and ankle procedures in the UK in 2020 completed between 13th January 2020 and 30th November 2020.

Participants: All adult patients undergoing foot and ankle surgery in an operating theatre during the study period were included from 46 participating centres in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Patients were categorised as either a green pathway (designated COVID-19 free) or blue pathway (no protocols to prevent COVID-19 infection).

Results: 10,846 patients were included, 6644 from phase 1 and 4202 from phase 2. Over the 2 phases the infection rate on a blue pathway was 1.07% (69/6470) and 0.21% on a green pathway (9/4280). In phase 1, there was no significant difference in the COVID-19 perioperative infection rate between the blue and green pathways in any element of the first phase (pre-lockdown (p = .109), lockdown (p = .923) or post-lockdown (p = .577)). However, in phase 2 there was a significant reduction in perioperative infection rate when using the green pathway in both the pre-lockdown (p < .001) and lockdown periods (Odd's Ratio 0.077, p < .001). There was no significant difference in COVID-19 related mortality between pathways.

Conclusions: There was a five-fold reduction in the perioperative COVID-19 infection rate when using designated COVID-19 green pathways over the whole study period; however the success of the pathways only became significant in phase 2 of the study, where there was a 13-fold reduction in infection rate. The study shows a developing success to using green pathways in reducing the risk to patients undergoing foot and ankle surgery.

Foot and Ankle Specialist. 2022

Abstract

Background: To determine the reliability of Delta PP (difference in medial and lateral proximal phalanx wall length) compared with HIA (hallux interphalangeal angle) in the assessment of HVI (hallux valgus interphalangeus) in both preoperative and postoperative radiographs.

Methods: This was a retrospective observational study of 186 feet with hallux valgus. The number of cases required to adequately power the study was 128. Preoperative and postoperative hallux alignment were evaluated by 2 different radiological parameters, Delta PP and HIA. Interobserver variability was assessed independently by 2 authors and compared using a intraclass correlation coefficient.

Results: The intraclass correlation coefficient was more than 0.8 for all parameters, thus both HIA and Delta PP measurement provide reliable and reproducible data. Mean HIA significantly increased following surgical correction of hallux valgus. In comparison, the mean Delta PP decreased after correction. This postoperative increase in HIA indicates that preoperative HIA underestimates the magnitude of HVI and therefore is an inaccurate tool for measuring HVI's contribution to the TVDH (total valgus deformity of the hallux) and to preoperative planning. However, the Delta PP was a greater determinant of the phalanx deformity's contribution to the TVDH.

Conclusion: The outcome of our study shows that both HIA and Delta PP are reproducible when assessing the HVI deformity; however, Delta PP quantifies the amount of correction obtained more precisely. The additional benefit of measuring the Delta PP is that it allows for accurate planning in determining the dimensions of the medial-based wedge of the Akin osteotomy that needs to be resected.

J Foot Ankle Surg 2021

Abstract

First metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ) arthrodesis is currently the gold standard technique for advanced hallux rigidus. This retrospective study aimed to identify the risk factors for nonunion after first MTPJ arthrodesis with a dorsal locking plate and compression screw construct. Between April 2014 and April 2019, 165 consecutive patients (28 men and 137 women; mean age, 60 (range, 28-84) years) who underwent 178 primary first MTPJ arthrodeses were retrospectively reviewed. All arthrodeses were performed using either a dorsal locking plate with an integrated compression screw (Anchorage CP plate, Stryker, n = 97) or a dorsal locking plate (Anchorage V2 plate, Stryker, n = 81) with a separate compression screw (4 mm cannulated ACE screw). Union was defined as bone bridging across the fusion site on at least 2 of the 3 standard foot radiographs (anteroposterior, lateral, oblique) and no MTPJ movement or pain during clinical examination. Potential risk factors for nonunion were analyzed with the use of univariate and multivariate analyses. The overall nonunion rate was 6.2% (11 of 178 cases). The risk factors identified in the univariate analysis included preoperative hallux valgus deformity, postoperative residual hallux valgus deformity, and diabetes (p < .05). Multivariate analysis confirmed that postoperative residual hallux valgus deformity (odds ratio 6.5; p= .015) and diabetes (odds ratio 7.4; p = .019) are independent risk factors for nonunion after first MTPJ arthrodesis. Diabetes is the most important independent risk factor for nonunion after first MTPJ arthrodesis with a dorsal locking plate and compression screw construct. A residual postoperative hallux valgus deformity is associated with a significantly increased risk for nonunion. It is therefore crucial to correct the hallux valgus deformity to a hallux valgus angle of less than 20°.

Foot Ankle Surgery 2021

Abstract

Background: This study investigated the completeness, accuracy, quality and clinical outcomes of the British Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (BOFAS) registry - Ankle Arthrodesis pathway.

Methods: An observational study using retrospective data derived from the BOFAS registry. Adults aged ≥18 years with a record of undergoing ankle arthrodesis in the UK from 2014 to 31/10/2019 were included. Accuracy of data capture and completeness were explored using means, SD, medians and IQR for continuous variables and frequencies for categorical variables. The pre and post treatment pathway was evaluated by analysing Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) including MOXF-FQ scores for pain/walking/standing/social interaction; NRS pain; EQ-5D-5L; and EQ-5D-5L-Health VAS at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months.

Results: Mean age of the study population (n = 186) was 62.3 (±12.9) years and 65% of the study cohort were male. Completeness of data collection was disappointing but variables such as BMI (62.4%) smoking status (82.3%) were reasonably well recorded. PROMs scores were well recorded at baseline but rapidly declined at 6 and 12-months intervals. Reductions in MOXFQ and NRS pain scores by 12 months following surgery were statistically significant (p = 0.001 and p = 0.008), illustrating that most patients demonstrated reductions in pain intensity, improved walking/standing ability, and social interaction.

Conclusion: These findings illustrate the potential effectiveness of surgery on all outcomes following ankle arthrodesis that merits evaluation in a clinical trial; but also demonstrated the difficulties in obtaining representative data sets. The analyses strongly suggest that with the improvements in data quality greater resources would bring, the BOFAS registry would become a valuable tool.

Foot Ankle Specialist 2021

This study reviews the current evidence on the indications and outcomes of the posterolateral approach in the treatment of posterior malleolar fractures. PubMed and Google Scholar search engines were used to construct a review of the literature for all studies detailing the posterolateral approach for posterior malleolar fracture fixation. A total of 11 studies met our inclusion criteria. In total, 332 fractures were identified. Overall superficial infection occurred in 4.5%, skin necrosis in 4.5%, and nerve injury in 4.5%. Hardware irritation that required removal occurred in 13.6%. None of the hardware removals involved posterior malleolus fixation. A total of 51 (15.4%) cases of arthritis were reported, follow-up ranged from a mean of 5.3 months to a mean 7.9 years. Regardless the majority of patient reported outcomes were excellent/good at final follow-up. Thresholds for joint reduction were not uniformly described or even quantified at all in some of the included studies. Variable indications for fixation were reported without reference to posterior malleolus fracture morphology. The posterolateral approach provides a satisfactory approach for fracture reduction with similar complication rates to that reported for other ankle fracture approaches. Further research is required on posterior malleolus fracture morphology, optimal fracture fixation and longer term functional and radiological outcomes

Bone Joint Open 2021, PMID:33829856

Abstract

Aims: The primary objective was to determine the incidence of COVID-19 infection and 30-day mortality in patients undergoing foot and ankle surgery during the global pandemic. Secondary objectives were to determine if there was a change in infection and complication profile with changes introduced in practice.

Methods: This UK-based multicentre retrospective national audit studied foot and ankle patients who underwent surgery between 13 January and 31 July 2020, examining time periods pre-UK national lockdown, during lockdown (23 March to 11 May 2020), and post-lockdown. All adult patients undergoing foot and ankle surgery in an operating theatre during the study period were included. A total of 43 centres in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland participated. Variables recorded included demographic data, surgical data, comorbidity data, COVID-19 and mortality rates, complications, and infection rates.

Results: A total of 6,644 patients were included. Of the operated patients, 0.52% (n = 35) contracted COVID-19. The overall all-cause 30-day mortality rate was 0.41%, however in patients who contracted COVID-19, the mortality rate was 25.71% (n = 9); this was significantly higher for patients undergoing diabetic foot surgery (75%, n = 3 deaths). Matching for age, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade, and comorbidities, the odds ratio of mortality with COVID-19 infection was 11.71 (95% confidence interval 1.55 to 88.74; p = 0.017). There were no differences in surgical complications or infection rates prior to or after lockdown, and among patients with and without COVID-19 infection. After lockdown the COVID-19 infection rate was 0.15% and no patient died of COVID-19.

Conclusion: COVID-19 infection was rare in foot and ankle patients even at the peak of lockdown. However, there was a significant mortality rate in those who contracted COVID-19. Overall surgical complications and postoperative infection rates remained unchanged during the period of this audit. Patients and treating medical personnel should be aware of the risks to enable informed decisions. Cite this article: Bone Joint Open 2021;2(4):216-226.

Foot Ankle Surg 2021, PMID:33785283

Surgery 2021, DOI: 10.1016/j.surge.2021.02.007

Journal of Trauma and Orthopaedics 2021, 9(1):28-30

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This was the discovery of the new ligament in the foot which completely changed the management of midfoot injuries.

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This article has recetly been included in essential reading for the American boards

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Biography illustrated on the Bone Joint Research website following article (http://www.bjr.boneandjoint.org.uk/site/includefiles/Author_feature.xhtml)

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BOFAS Registry Annual Report 2023.

Annual report from the BOFAS Registry 2022

Annual report from the BOFAS Registry 2021

Annual report form the BOFAS Registry 2020

Annual registry report from BOFAS 2019