METACARPAL FRACTURES TREATMENT: COMPARASION BETWEEN KIRSCHNER WIRE AND INTRAMEDULLARY SCREW

ABSTRACT Introduction: Metacarpal fractures are common and can be treated surgically using Kirschner wires (K-wires) or intramedullary fixation with compression screws (IMCS). Objectives: Analyze the postsurgical results from treating the metacarpal extra-articular fractures through the retrograde Kirschner wire technique, and compare it with the intramedullary compression screw fixation. Methods: Retrospective and quantitative studies were to analyze patients’ medical records, and a postsurgical evaluation questionnaire was given to the patients, who were divided into K-wire and IMCS. Results: The period of immobilization with a splint took six weeks for the K-wire group and four weeks for the IMCS group. The average time for consolidation took, respectively, fifty-seven days and forty-seven days. The first group could restart their activities twenty-two days after the other, and the average force value of the treated hand, when compared with its contralateral, was 93.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Between the operated hand and its contralateral, there was a difference of 16° in the total measures of the metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal joint's range of movement among the K-wire group and 5° among the IMCS group. Conclusion: The patients who participated in this study showed excellent results after surgery, and both treatments were proven to be safe and reliable. Evidence level III; Retrospective comparative study

First-year experience of a new skin bank in Brazil

Aim: To report the first year experience of the skin bank opened at the Evangelical University Hospital of Curitiba (HUEC), Brazil in June 2013.Methods: A retrospective statistical and epidemiological study was conducted from data obtained from the activities of the HUEC skin bank from June 2013 to August 2014.Results: The HUEC skin bank harvested tissue from 45 cadaveric donors (46.6% female and 53.3% male), with an average age of 36.42. The white skin-colored donors represented 91% of donations. Most causes of death were of neurological origin (55.6%). Eighty one batches were harvested. The bank processed 31,314.63 cm² of skin for transplantation (41 batches) and 38 batches were discarded. The distributed allografts totaled 28,940.82 cm², with tissue from a single donor benefitting up to 5 patients. A total of 52 transplant procedures were performed (66.6% of recipients were male and 33.3% female), burn victims represented 83.3% of the recipients.Conclusion: The HUEC skin bank provides skin primarily for victims with severe 3rd degree burns, mostly men, and who are treated and transplanted in the HUEC as a result of high demand. The successful outcomes highlight the potential use for other clinical indications