Does the shoe-lace technique aid direct closure of fasciotomy wounds after acute compartment syndrome of the lower leg? : A retrospective case-control study

Background & aim: Tibia fractures are relatively common injuries that are accompanied with acute compartment syndrome in approximately 2% to 20% of cases. Although the shoe-lace technique, where vessel loops are threaded in a crisscross fashion and tightened daily, has been widely used, no studies have compared the shoe-lace technique with the conventional one. The aim of this study was to compare the shoe-lace technique with the conventional technique. Materials and Methods: We identified 359 consecutive patients with intramedullary nailed tibia fracture and complete medical records including outpatient data between April 2007 and April 2015 from electronic patient database of our institute. The use of the shoe-lace technique was compared to conventional one (in which wounds were first left open with moist dressings). Main outcome measurement is direct closure of fasciotomy wounds. Results: From 359 consecutive patients with intramedullary nailed tibia fracture, fasciotomy was performed on 68 (19%) patients. Of these, the shoe-lace technique was used in 47 (69%) patients while in 21 (31%) patients, the shoe-lace technique was not applied. Side-to-side approximation was successful in 36 patients (77%) in the shoe-lace+ group and 7 patients (33%) in the shoe-lace– group (p = 0.002). Conclusion: The main finding of our comparative study was that the shoe-lace technique seems to ease direct closure of lower leg fasciotomy wounds, and thus reduces the frequency of free skin grafts. Our finding needs to be confirmed in a high-quality randomized controlled trial.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Mechanically-induced osteogenesis in the cortical bone of pre- to peripubertal stage and peri- to postpubertal stage mice

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Exercise during postnatal development plays a key role in determining adult bone mass and reducing the risk of fracture and osteoporosis later in life. However, the relationship between mechanically-induced osteogenesis and age is unclear. Elevated levels of estrogen during puberty may inhibit periosteal bone formation. Thus, magnitudes of mechanically-induced osteogenesis may be vary with pubertal state.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The present study uses a murine model to examine age-related changes in bone formation at the femoral midshaft with voluntary exercise. Pre- to peripubertal mice aged 3 weeks and peri- to postpubertal mice aged 7 weeks were randomly divided into sedentary and exercised groups and subjected to histomorphometric comparison after 4 weeks of treatment.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Results of the experiment indicate that exercise significantly increased osteogenesis on the periosteal and endocortical surface of the mice in the older age group (<it>P </it>< 0.05). Exercise had no significant effect on bone formation of mice in the younger age group, although exercised mice exhibited more bone growth on average than controls. Endocortical apposition was the primary method of bone formation for all mice in the experiment; however exercised mice in the older age group were able to add more bone on the periosteal surface than age-matched controls and exercised mice in the younger age group (<it>P </it>< 0.05). Medullary area increased with age, but exercised mice in both age groups had smaller medullary cavities relative to overall bone area than controls.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These findings suggest that the amount and location of mechanically-induced osteogenesis differs by age during skeletal development. Late adolescence may be the optimal time to accrue bone mass and maximize bone strength.</p