Single Screw vs. Double Screw Device for Use in Treating Femoral Bone Fractures

Author(s):  
J. E. Ondrake ◽  
K. C. Lifer ◽  
S. P. Haman ◽  
J. E. Marquart ◽  
Hui Shen

Proximal femur fractures commonly occur between the head of the femur and the femoral shaft. As the third most common injury encountered in orthopedic clinics, these fractures are typically treated with medical implants creating internal stabilization of the bone. Over 100 different implants are available for this application. Although the optimal choice for the implants is still controversial, traditional devices which include a single cylindrical screw, such as SHS (Sliding Hip Screw) and IMHS – CP (Intramedullary Hip Screw, Clinically Proven), are widely used to repair the bone fracture. However, the application of the single screw device still suffers technical problems. The head of the femur has the potential to rotate about the screw and the fracture surfaces have potential to slide over each other. In addition, force relaxation can occur, leading to inadequate contact between the fracture surfaces. To attack these problems and prevent possible complications, a new device has been developed. The new device consists of one long screw interlocked with one short screw, creating a cross-sectional figure-eight pattern and offering an integrated, interlocking screw option. The objective of the current study is to compare biomechanical characteristics within the bone caused by the new double screw device verses the traditional single screw device. Experiments were preformed to compare the torsional stiffness of the two devices. 2D and 3D finite element analysis methods were carried out to obtain macroscopic and microscopic responses of each device’s interaction with the fractured bone. The modeled results show a significant difference between the two geometries. The single screw geometry has higher maximum total deformation, equivalent strain, equivalent von Mises stress, and maximum principle stress. The improved rotational stability of the new double screw device may reduce the complication rate of instability of the fracture fragments.

Author(s):  
David Walmsley ◽  
Bruce Nicayenzi ◽  
Paul RT Kuzyk ◽  
Alan Machin ◽  
Habiba Bougherara ◽  
...  

Unstable intertrochanteric fractures are commonly treated with a cephalomedullary nail due to high failure rates with a sliding hip screw. The Omega3 Trochanteric Stabilizing Plate is a relatively new device that functions like a modified sliding hip screw with a proximal extension; however, its mechanical properties have not been evaluated. This study biomechanically compared a cephalomedullary nail, that is, Gamma3 Nail against the Omega3 plate. Unstable intertrochanteric fractures were created in 24 artificial femurs. Experimental groups were as follows: Nail (i.e. Gamma3 Nail) (n = 8), Plate A (i.e. Omega3 plate with four distal non-locking screws and no proximal locking screws) (n = 8), Plate B (i.e. Plate A plus five proximal locking screws) (n = 8), Plate C (i.e. Omega3 plate with three distal locking screws and no proximal locking screws) (n = 8), and Plate D (i.e. Plate C plus five proximal locking screws) (n = 8). All specimens were stiffness tested, while the Nail and Plate D groups were also strength tested. For lateral bending, Plate B was less stiff than the Nail (p = 0.001) and Plate A (p = 0.009). For torsion, Plate A was less stiff than Plate D (p = 0.020). For axial compression, the Nail was less stiff than Plate A (p = 0.036) and Plate B (p = 0.008). Axial strength for the Nail (5014 ± 308 N) was 66% higher than the Plate D construct (2940 ± 411 N) (p < 0.001). All Nails failed by partial or complete cutout through the femoral head and neck, but Plate D failed by varus collapse and deformation of the lag screw. When the cephalomedullary nail is clinically contra-indicated, this study supports the use of the Omega3 plate, since it had similar stiffness in three test modes to the Gamma3 Nail, but had lower strength. Stability of Omega3 plate constructs was not improved with locked fixation proximally or distally.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ripedah Nakana

BACKGROUND According to WHO, It has been reported that there has been a rise in road traffic accidents globally due to many factors. Consequently this has contributed to an increase in fracture of the femur in hospitals. The annual incidence of these Fractures has been estimated to be 10 per 100,000 persons and this incidence has been noticed to be higher among the youths decreasing after the age of 40 and then increasing in the elderly. These fractures are either managed conservatively or operatively. OBJECTIVE the aim of this study was to determine if there is a significant difference in knee joint functional outcome in patients with femur shaft fractures managed operatively and conservatively at Ndola Teaching Hospital at the orthopedics clinic and physiotherapy. This in future might help to place emphasis on government to sensitize the right measures needed to improve on the functional outcome of a knee joint in patients with femur fracture who are treated operatively or conservatively METHODS the method used for the study was a complete enumeration of all patients with femur fractures that were admitted at orthopedic ward, visited the orthopedic clinic and physiotherapy sessions at NTH between the period of July 2019 to September 2019. Data collected will be analyzed using a statistical data software called Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS). The independent variable that will be considered in the study are age, DOI, DOA, femur shaft fractures, treatment and others that that will meet the selection Criteria. The dependent variable will be “Knee Joint Functional Outcome”. RESULTS Results did not show statistically significant difference in knee functional outcome for two methods (conservative or operative). In the current study it was noted that there was much reduction in swelling in the operative in comparison to the conservative group. We may therefore conclude that the operative management promises a better outcome especially when done on time. However it seemed the operative procedure was not preferred for any conservative approach however the study has shown an in depth feasibility study to affirm such findings in order to inform on policy or management paradigim shift. CONCLUSIONS There is need for further intervention in the management of femur fracture which complicates to poor knee joint function


Hand ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 155894472097411
Author(s):  
Luke T. Nicholson ◽  
Kristen M. Sochol ◽  
Ali Azad ◽  
Ram Kiran Alluri ◽  
J. Ryan Hill ◽  
...  

Background: Management of scaphoid nonunions with bone loss varies substantially. Commonly, internal fixation consists of a single headless compression screw. Recently, some authors have reported on the theoretical benefits of dual-screw fixation. We hypothesized that using 2 headless compression screws would impart improved stiffness over a single-screw construct. Methods: Using a cadaveric model, we compared biomechanical characteristics of a single tapered 3.5- to 3.6-mm headless compression screw with 2 tapered 2.5- to 2.8-mm headless compression screws in a scaphoid waist nonunion model. The primary outcome measurement was construct stiffness. Secondary outcome measurements included load at 1 and 2 mm of displacement, load to failure for each specimen, and qualitative assessment of mode of failure. Results: Stiffness during load to failure was not significantly different between single- and double-screw configurations ( P = .8). Load to failure demonstrated no statistically significant difference between single- and double-screw configurations. Using a qualitative assessment, the double-screw construct maintained rotational stability more than the single-screw construct ( P = .029). Conclusions: Single- and double-screw fixation constructs in a cadaveric scaphoid nonunion model demonstrate similar construct stiffness, load to failure, and load to 1- and 2-mm displacement. Modes of failure may differ between constructs and represent an area for further study. The theoretical benefit of dual-screw fixation should be weighed against the morphologic limitations to placing 2 screws in a scaphoid nonunion.


Author(s):  
Darius M. Thiesen ◽  
Dimitris Ntalos ◽  
Alexander Korthaus ◽  
Andreas Petersik ◽  
Karl-Heinz Frosch ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction For successful intramedullary implant placement at the femur, such as nailing in unstable proximal femur fractures, the use of an implant that at least reaches or exceeds the femoral isthmus and yields sufficient thickness is recommended. A number of complications after intramedullary femoral nailing have been reported, particularly in Asians. To understand the anatomical features of the proximal femur and their ethnic differences, we aimed to accurately calculate the femoral isthmus dimensions and proximal distance of Asians and Caucasians. Methods In total, 1189 Asian and Caucasian segmented 3D CT data sets of femurs were analyzed. The individual femoral isthmus diameter was precisely computed to investigate whether gender, femur length, age, ethnicity or body mass index have an influence on isthmus diameters. Results The mean isthmus diameter of all femurs was 10.71 ± 2.2 mm. A significantly larger diameter was found in Asians when compared to Caucasians (p < 0.001). Age was a strong predictor of the isthmus diameter variability in females (p < 0.001, adjusted r2 = 0.299). With every year of life, the isthmus showed a widening of 0.08 mm in women. A Matched Pair Analysis of 150 female femurs showed a significant difference between isthmus diameter in Asian and Caucasian femurs (p = 0.05). In 50% of the cases the isthmus was found in a range of 2.4 cm between 16.9 and 19.3 cm distal to the tip of the greater trochanter. The female Asian femur differs from Caucasians as it is wider at the isthmus. Conclusions In absolute values, the proximal isthmus distance did not show much variation but is more proximal in Asians. The detailed data presented may be helpful in the development of future implant designs. The length and thickness of future standard implants may be considered based on the findings.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abeer Alharbi ◽  
Joharah Alzuwaed ◽  
Hind Qasem

Abstract Background The Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia is expanding the country’s telemedicine services by using advanced technology in health services. In doing so, an e-health application (app), Seha, was introduced in 2018 that allows individuals to have face-to-face visual medical consultations with their doctors on their smartphones. Objective This study evaluated the effectiveness of the app in improving healthcare delivery by ensuring patient satisfaction with the care given, increasing access to care, and improving efficiency in the healthcare system. Methods A cross-sectional study design was used to assess the perceptions of users of the Seha app and non-users who continued with traditional health services. The data were collected using an online survey via Google Forms between June 2020 and September 2020. Independent t tests and chi-square (χ2) tests were conducted to answer the research questions. Results There was a significant difference between users and non-users in terms of ease of access to health services (t =  − 9.38, p < 0.05), with app users having a higher mean score (4.19 ± 0.91) than non-users (3.41 ± 1.00); satisfaction with health services (t =  − 6.33, p < 0.05), with users having a higher mean score (3.96 ± 0.91) than non-users (3.45 ± 0.94); and efficiency (only one visit needed for treatment) (t =  − 3.20, p < 0.05), with users having a higher mean score (3.71 ± 0.93) than non-users (3.45 ± 0.93). There were significant associations between the use of the Seha app and age (χ2 = 8.79, p < 0.05), gender (χ2 = 22.19, p < 0.05), region (χ2 = 19.74, p < 0.05), and occupation (χ2 = 22.05, p < 0.05). There were significant relationships between the three items (on access, satisfaction, and efficiency) and experiencing technical issues (t = 4.47, t = 8.11, and t = 3.24, respectively, p < 0.05), with users who faced technical problems having significantly lower mean scores for all three items. Conclusion This study provided evidence that the Seha app improved the delivery of healthcare in Saudi Arabia. Users of the app had a better health experience in terms of their perceived ease of access to healthcare services; their satisfaction with healthcare services; and the efficiency of the system, measured by the number of required doctor visits. Other factors that appeared to influence the use of the app included age, gender, usual source of care, and technical difficulties.


Author(s):  
Chang Park ◽  
Kapil Sugand ◽  
Arash Aframian ◽  
Catrin Morgan ◽  
Nadia Pakroo ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction COVID-19 has been recognized as the unprecedented global health crisis in modern times. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of COVID-19 on treatment of neck of femur fractures (NOFF) against the current guidelines and meeting best practice key performance indicators (KPIs) according to the National Hip Fracture Database (NHFD) in two large central London hospitals. Materials and methods A multi-center, longitudinal, retrospective, observational study of NOFF patients was performed for the first ‘golden’ month following the lockdown measures introduced in mid-March 2020. This was compared to the same time period in 2019. Results A total of 78 cases were observed. NOFFs accounted for 11% more of all acute referrals during the COVID era. There were fewer overall breaches in KPIs in time to theatre in 2020 and also for those awaiting an orthogeriatric review. Time to discharge from the trust during the pandemic was improved by 54% (p < 0.00001) but patients were 51% less likely to return to their usual residence (p = 0.007). The odds ratio was significantly higher for consultant surgeon-led operations and consultant orthogeriatric-led review in the post-COVID era. There was no significant difference in using aerosol-generating anaesthetic procedures or immortality rates between both years. Conclusion The impact of COVID-19 pandemic has not adversely affected the KPIs for the treatment of NOFF patients with significant improvement in numerous care domains. These findings may represent the efforts to ensure that these vulnerable patients are treated promptly to minimize their risks from the coronavirus.


2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 250-5
Author(s):  
Sultan A.M. Saghir ◽  
Amer A. Almaiman ◽  
Aishah K.A. Shatar ◽  
Norris Naim ◽  
Huda S. Baqir

Background: The fast and outpatient setting for a determination of the hemoglobin (Hb) level is a well-recognized prerequisite to detect anemia in blood donors. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of the HemoCue methods (HemoCue B-Hb and HemoCue-301) against Coulter LH-750 as a reference method for Hb determination.Methods: This study was an experimental cross-sectional study. It includes 455 blood samples that were collected from volunteer blood donors between January 15, 2010 and February 15, 2011. The performance of the three methods and their comparisons were assessed using the analysis of coefficients of variation (CV), linear regression, and mean difference. Correlation coefficient and Bland–Altman plots were drawn to compare the two HemoCue measurements and the automated cell analyzer against each other and to evaluate their results. The Hb concentrations were compared using the concordance correlation coefficient.Results: The findings exhibited that the CV for the three methods Coulter LH-750, HemoCue B-Hb, and HemoCue-301 were 0.60%, 0.72%, and 0.92%, respectively. A statistically significant difference was observed between the means of the Hb measurements for the three methods (p<0.001). The HemoCue B-Hb and HemoCue-301 methods showed the best agreement, and the Coulter LH-750 method gave a lower Hb value compared with the two HemoCue methods. The results showed a positive correlation of HemoCue Hb results compared with the reference method.Conclusion: All three methods provide a good agreement for Hb determination. The new device HemoCue-301 was found to be more accurate compared with HemoCue B-Hb and Coulter LH-750.


2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Rahul Shrestha ◽  
Subin Byanjankar ◽  
Rajeev Dwivedi ◽  
Ruban Raj Joshi ◽  
Mahesh Raj Ghimire

Introduction: Both bone diaphysis fracture of forearm is common in children of hilly area in Nepal because the children climbs tree and cliff for playing and cutting grass. Close reduction and casting is the preferred method of treatment these fractures but the chances of re-displacement is very high. Intramedullary nailing with titanium elastic nails or rush pins is widely accepted these days with good outcome. Titanium nails are popular in western world but is costly whereas rush pins are cheap and are preferred in developing world. The aim of this study was to evaluate the functional outcome of intramedullary rush pin for pediatric both bone fracture of forearm. Methods: In this retrospective, observational study done from 1st of February 2017 to 31st of March 2017, a total of sixty patients with both bone fractures of forearm were treated with intramedullary rush pin and followed up for six months for evaluation of functional outcome. T-test and Chi-square tests were done. Results: Closed reduction and internal fixation was done in 48 (80%) patients. Mean age of the patients was 9.23 year (SD=2.77). Fifty-six (93.3%) patients were male with a significant difference (p<0.001). With price et al. grading system, 49 (81.7%) patients had excellent results, nine (15%) had good and two (3.3%) patients had fair results. There was no major complication. Mean time to implant removal was 24.16 weeks (SD=1.62) from the time of surgery with range of 20 to 28 weeks. Among transverse and oblique fractures, patients with transverse fracture were likely to have better outcome (p=0.04). Conclusion: Intramedullary nailing with rush pin gives excellent to good functional outcome in majority of the cases without major complications at low cost for management of both bone fractures of forearm in children.


Author(s):  
Reza Dashtestani

This study focused on the acceptance level of higher education stakeholders of teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) of online courses in Iran and pre-service teachers’ learning achievement in online courses. Three cohorts of participants who were teaching or learning in online courses included pre-service teachers of TEFL (n=104), TEFL university instructors (n=23), and heads of TEFL departments (n=10). A questionnaire was designed. The Kruskal Wallis test was used to detect differences among the perspectives of the participants. Semi-structured interviews were also utilized. Results indicated that there were significant differences among the perspectives of the three groups of participants about online courses. The pre-service teachers appeared to be relatively positive about online learning, while the university instructors and heads of departments showed a lower level of satisfaction. The participants pointed out several challenges, including the lack of rigor of online courses, the incredibility of the certificates, the lack of technological infrastructures, technical problems, the impractical content of the lessons, the lack of human interaction, the low competence levels of online learning students, and employers’ lack of interest in employing graduates of online courses. The participants also mentioned that pedagogical and technological training was required for both university instructors and pre-service teachers of TEFL. The comparison of pre-service teachers’ mid-term and final scores in the online courses showed a significant difference and improvement of students’ learning achievement in online courses with medium to large effect sizes. In the interviews, the participants also confirmed that online courses could improve student learning.


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