The effect of a surgical safety checklist on mortality, morbidity and cancellation at a South African Tertiary Institute Orthopaedic Department

No Abstrac

Arthroscopic excision of heterotopic ossification in the rectus femoris muscle causing extra-articular anterior hip impingement.

Subspine impingement is an extra-articular hip impingement syndrome that usually occurs when there is abnormal contact between an enlarged or malorientated anterior inferior iliac spine (AIIS) and the distal anterior femoral neck in straight flexion of the hip. We present the case of a 13-year-old boy with a history of left groin pain and loss of range of movement of the hip for over six months following an avulsion fracture of the AIIS during a game of rugby. He was diagnosed with subspine impingement secondary to a large lesion of heterotopic ossification in the rectus femoris; this was dissected and extracted from the muscle in toto arthroscopically. This case highlights the importance of heterotopic ossification after injury as an important cause for subspine impingement in the young adult hip. This is the first report and describes subspine impingement secondary to a large lesion of heterotopic ossification

The effects of a surgical safety checklist on mortality, morbidity and cancellation

Thesis (M.Med.(Orthopaedic Surgery))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2013

Avoiding iatrogenic injury during portal placement in hip arthroscopy.

Hip arthroscopy has gained immense popularity in the treatment of many intra and extra-articular pathologies in and around the hip joint. The anterolateral portal is the most common portal used to establish access at arthroscopy and being the first, it has to be placed blindly under image intensifier guidance. The subsequent portals are placed under direct arthroscopic visualisation. Iatrogenic acetabular labral injury (IALI) has been reported to occur during the first portal placement and its incidence varies from 0.67% to 20%.1–3 We present an easy technique to prevens IALI

Osteosarcoma outcomes at a South African tertiary hospital

Background. Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignant bone tumour. There is a high incidence of late presentation in the developing world, posing additional challenges in the treatment of this aggressive disease.Objective. To evaluate clinical outcomes of patients with osteosarcoma at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH), a tertiary hospital in South Africa, and compare these with similar studies in the developing world.Methods. This was a retrospective study of 61 patients treated at CMJAH between 2007 and 2011, with a minimum follow-up of 1.3 years (range 1.3 - 6.3).Results. An average of 4.5 months elapsed before patients were first seen at the CMJAH tumour unit. Fifty-eight patients (95.1%) initially sought conventional medical care. Three patients (4.9%) presented with pathological fractures. All the patients underwent biopsy, performed an average of 3 weeks after arrival at the tumour unit. In most cases the delay was due to limited access to magnetic resonance imaging. Most patients (n=41, 67.2%) were at Enneking stage 2B, 4 (6.6%) were at stage 2A and 16 (26.2%) were at stage 3. Of the patients, 13 (21.3%) underwent limb salvage procedures, 33 (54.1%) had amputations, 4 (6.6%) refused further treatment and 11 (18.0%) received palliative care only; 55 patients (90.2%) received chemotherapy. Two patients developed local recurrence, one of whom had an amputation and the other further wide excision. Two patients received palliative radiotherapy. Of the patients, 82.0% were HIV-negative, 4.9% HIVpositive and the rest of unknown status. At the time of the study, all but two patients, who came from other countries, were traceable or known to have died. Our overall 1-year and 5-year survival rates were 62.7% (95% confidence interval (CI) 49.1 - 73.9) and 38.1% (95% CI 24.6 - 51.4), respectively. Male patients and those with a higher Enneking stage had a poorer prognosis.Conclusion. Although most patients sought conventional medical care, unacceptable delays worsened survival. However, our survival rates are better than those in other developing countries. We advocate that professional, public and political awareness of osteosarcoma be improved as a matter of urgency, to facilitate rapid tertiary referral and expedite management

Pseudoaneurysm of a branch of the femoral circumflex artery as a complication of revision arthroscopic release of the iliopsoas tendon

Treatment of painful internal snapping hip via arthroscopic release of the iliopsoas tendon is becoming the preferred option over open techniques because of the benefits of minimal dissection and fewer complications. However, complications do occur with arthroscopic techniques as well. We present the case of a 33-year-old woman who presented with painful internal snapping of her right hip and underwent arthroscopic release of the iliopsoas tendon. Following the procedure she continued to complain of pain in her groin and was therefore investigated further with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which revealed a swelling near the femoral circumflex vessels. A computed tomography (CT) angiogram revealed a 15 mm pseudoaneurysm of the femoral circumflex artery, which was successfully treated by selective catheterisation and embolisation. Hip arthroscopists should be sufficiently familiar with the vascular anatomy around the hip and keep this complication in mind when releasing the iliopsoas tendon arthroscopically especially in revision cases with adhesions

Total Hip Arthroplasty in a Low-Income Country: Ten-Year Outcomes from the National Joint Registry of the Malawi Orthopaedic Association.

We describe our 10-year experience performing total hip arthroplasty (THA) in patients enrolled in the National Joint Registry of the Malawi Orthopaedic Association. Eighty-three THAs were performed in 70 patients (40 male and 30 female) with a mean age of 52 years (range, 18 to 77 years). The cohort included 24 patients (14 male and 10 female; mean age, 52 years [range, 35 to 78 years]) who were human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive. The main indications for surgery were osteonecrosis (n = 41 hips) and osteoarthritis (n = 26 hips). There were no deaths perioperatively and no early complications at 6 weeks. Forty-six patients (59 THAs) were seen at 10 years postoperatively, with a mean Harris hip score (HHS) of 88 (range, 41 to 91) and a mean Oxford Hip Score (OHS) of 46 (range, 25 to 48). Five hips (8% of 59) were revised due to loosening (n = 4) and fracture (n = 1). There were no infections or dislocations. Fourteen patients died, including 4 HIV-positive patients, of unknown causes in the follow-up period, and 10 patients were lost to follow-up. In the group of 24 HIV-positive patients, there were no early complications, and the mean HHS was 88 (range, 76 to 91) at >10 years. Our 10-year experience and long-term outcomes after primary THA in a low-income setting show that good results can be achieved within a controlled hospital environment, thereby establishing a benchmark against which other hospitals and registries in similar low-income countries can compare their results. Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence

Pseudoaneurysm of a branch of the femoral circumflex artery as a complication of revision arthroscopic release of the iliopsoas tendon

Treatment of painful internal snapping hip via arthroscopic release of the iliopsoas tendon is becoming the preferred option over open techniques because of the benefits of minimal dissection and fewer complications. However, complications do occur with arthroscopic techniques as well. We present the case of a 33-year-old woman who presented with painful internal snapping of her right hip and underwent arthroscopic release of the iliopsoas tendon. Following the procedure she continued to complain of pain in her groin and was therefore investigated further with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which revealed a swelling near the femoral circumflex vessels. A computed tomography (CT) angiogram revealed a 15 mm pseudoaneurysm of the femoral circumflex artery, which was successfully treated by selective catheterisation and embolisation. Hip arthroscopists should be sufficiently familiar with the vascular anatomy around the hip and keep this complication in mind when releasing the iliopsoas tendon arthroscopically especially in revision cases with adhesions

The unpredictable outcomes of bilateral simultaneous fractures of neck of femur: Case series

Bilateral simultaneous fractures of Neck of Femur (NOF) are rare. They result amongst others from trauma, metabolic disease, electro-convulsion and simple falls. We report two cases of 40-year-old and 74-year-old females who presented with bilateral simultaneous fractures of NOF post simple falls. Both patients had staged bilateral fracture fixation; right Total Hip Replacement (THR) and cannulated screws to the left hip for the 40-year old while the 74-year old had bilateral THR. The 40-year old had multiple post-operative complications of pneumonia, deep venous complications (DVT) and failure of cannulated screws leading to conversion to a THR while the 74 year-old did not have any complications at 1-year follow-up. Osteoporosis was the underlying disease for the 70 year old while for the 40 year old no underlying disease process was found despite thorough medical workup. We advocate for thorough medical work-up to diagnose, treat and prevent future fracture fixation complications and progression of the disease process

Development of a Lower Limb Arthroplasty Service in a Developing Country: Lessons learned after the first 100 cases (joints)

There is emerging evidence that total hip arthroplasty (THR) can be safely practiced in developing countries but scant evidence of safety of total knee replacement (TKR). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the outcomes of these procedures focusing on procedure related complications. This is a retrospective study of the first 100 arthroplasties (92 patients) consisting of 58 TKR and 42 THR with a minimum follow-up of 26 months (range of 26 to 47 months). Major complications included deep infection in one TKR and dislocation of one THR and one TKR.  Two patients died in the second post-operative week from cardiac events following TKR. Blood transfusion rate for hips and knees was 13.7% and 5.6% respectively.  THR can be safely performed in less than ideal circumstances in developing countries in carefully selected patients. More importantly this study demonstrates that TKR can be safely practiced under the same circumstances