scholarly journals Management of ‘low-risk’ ankle fractures in children: a systematic review

2019 ◽  
Vol 101 (8) ◽  
pp. 539-545
Author(s):  
BA Marson ◽  
J Ng ◽  
Y Myint ◽  
DJC Grindlay ◽  
BJ Ollivere

Introduction This study aimed to review the literature to establish whether there is a best treatment for low-risk ankle fractures in children. Materials and methods A systematic review and meta-analysis of trials was undertaken, which compared interventions for ‘low-risk’ ankle fractures in children. A meta-analysis was performed using a random effects model. Results Four trials were identified reporting outcomes from 256 patients. All trials reported results using a device that permitted ankle motion compared with more rigid immobilisation. Overall risk of bias was low for three trials and high for one trial. Two trials assessed time to return to normal function. Patients treated in a splint or with a bandage recovering 6–7.5 days sooner than those treated with rigid immobilisation. One trial demonstrated that children returned to school sooner if treated in a bandage rather than in a cast. Two trials found a higher Activity Scale for Kids performance score at four weeks for children treated with splint compared with rigid immobilisation. There was no clear advantage to any device in patient satisfaction, quality of life or total costs. Discussion There is no clear best treatment for these injuries. Studies had significant limitations and outcomes were heterogeneous, limiting meta-analysis. Conclusion There is a need for a definitive trial to establish the best treatment for ankle fractures and a core outcome set to ensure study findings are consistent and can be analysed in future meta-analyses.

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. e044797
Author(s):  
Caroline Miller ◽  
Jane Cross ◽  
Joel O'Sullivan ◽  
Dominic M Power ◽  
Derek Kyte ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo identify what outcomes have been assessed in traumatic brachial plexus injury (TBPI) research to inform the development of a core outcome set for TBPI.DesignSystematic review.MethodMedline (OVID), EMBASE, CINAHL and AMED were systematically searched for studies evaluating the clinical effectiveness of interventions in adult TBPIs from January 2013 to September 2018 updated in May 2021. Two authors independently screened papers. Outcome reporting bias was assessed. All outcomes were extracted verbatim from studies. Patient-reported outcomes or performance outcome measures were extracted directly from the instrument. Variation in outcome reporting was determined by assessing the number of unique outcomes reported across all included studies. Outcomes were categorised into domains using a prespecified taxonomy.ResultsVerbatim outcomes (n=1491) were extracted from 138 studies including 32 questionnaires. Unique outcomes (n=157) were structured into 4 core areas and 11 domains. Outcomes within the musculoskeletal domain were measured in 86% of studies, physical functioning in 25%, emotional functioning in 25% and adverse events in 33%. We identified 63 different methods for measuring muscle strength, 16 studies for range of movement and 63 studies did not define how they measured movement. More than two-thirds of the outcomes were incompletely reported in prospective studies.ConclusionThis review of outcome reporting in TBPI research demonstrated an impairment focus and heterogeneity. A core outcome set would ensure standardised and relevant outcomes are reported to facilitate future systematic review and meta-analysis.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42018109843.


2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulrahman Alsawadi ◽  
Mustafa Abbas

<span>Wrist torus fractures in children are common. Although it might be simple and straightforward, the management of these injuries remains controversial and depends on the personal experience and preference of the treating physician. The consensus agreement, however, is that these fractures are inherently stable. Some authors argue that splints should replace the traditional method of cast immobilisation. The splints are viewed as easier to use, more convenient and do not require follow up clinics for removal. It has also been argued that splints are more cost-effective than casts. The aim of this systematic review is to examine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of removable splints versus casts in the treatment of torus wrist fractures of children in the current literature. This review followed the Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement for reporting. Comprehensive electronic database search and handsearch were conducted. Studies were considered for review if they were randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trial and compared removable splints and casts for treating torus fractures of distal radius and/or ulna in children. Four papers identified by two reviewers as potentially eligible for inclusion were appraised and two identified for inclusion were further assessed for any risk of bias. Data were narratively presented and discussed as meta-analysis would not have been possible for the identified studies. The limited available data favours the use of splint as a clinically effective and more cost-effective method of immobilisation. However, the findings of the systematic review are limited by the quality of the identified studies. It has been viewed that explanation to patients and parents and involving them in the decision, plus implementation of safety protocol to avoid under-treatment of misdiagnosed fractures and allow easy access of patients to the clinic, is an alternative way to provide safe, convenient and cost-effective treatment. </span>


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. e032389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naqash Sethi ◽  
Arushma Imran Naqash ◽  
Niklas Nielsen ◽  
Janus Christian Jakobsen

IntroductionFever is an integral part of the inflammatory response and has therefore likely a physiological role in fighting infections. Nevertheless, whether fever in itself is beneficial or harmful in adults is unknown. This protocol for a systematic review aims at identifying the beneficial and harmful effects of fever control interventions in adults.Methods and analysisThis protocol for a systematic review was conducted following the recommendations of Cochrane, GRADE and the eight-step assessment suggested by Jakobsen and colleagues for better validation of meta-analytical results in systematic reviews. We plan to include all relevant randomised clinical trials comparing any fever control intervention with placebo, sham or no intervention in adults. We plan to search CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, LILACS, BIOSIS, CINAHL, Scopus and Web of Science Core Collection to identify relevant trials. Any eligible trial will be assessed and classified as either at high risk of bias or low risk of bias, and our primary conclusions will be based on trials at low risk of bias. We will perform our meta-analyses of the extracted data using Review Manager 5.3 and Trial Sequential Analysis. For all our outcomes, we will create a ‘Summary of Findings’ table based on GRADE assessments of the certainty of the evidence.Ethics and disseminationNo formal approval or review of ethics is required for this systematic review as individual patient data will not be included. This systematic review has the potential to highlight (1) whether one should believe fever to be beneficial, harmful or neither in adults; (2) the existing knowledge gaps on this topic; and (3) whether the recommendations from guidelines and daily clinical practice are correct. These results will be disseminated through publication in a leading peer-reviewed journal.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42019134006


2021 ◽  
pp. 026921632110401
Author(s):  
Meera R Agar ◽  
Najma Siddiqi ◽  
Annmarie Hosie ◽  
Jason W Boland ◽  
Miriam J Johnson ◽  
...  

Background: Trials of interventions for delirium in various patient populations report disparate outcomes and measures but little is known about those used in palliative care trials. A core outcome set promotes consistency of outcome selection and measurement. Aim: To inform core outcome set development by examining outcomes, their definitions, measures and time-points in published palliative care studies of delirium prevention or treatment delirium interventions. Design: Prospectively registered systematic review adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Data sources: We searched six electronic databases (1980–November 2020) for original studies, three for relevant reviews and the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform for unpublished studies and ongoing trials. We included randomised, quasi-randomised and non-randomised intervention studies of pharmacological and non-pharmacological delirium prevention and/or treatment interventions. Results: From 13/3244 studies (2863 adult participants), we identified 9 delirium-specific and 13 non-delirium specific outcome domains within eight Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials (COMET) taxonomy categories. There were multiple and varied outcomes and time points in each domain. The commonest delirium specific outcome was delirium severity ( n = 7), commonly using the Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale (6/8 studies, 75%). Four studies reported delirium incidence. Non-delirium specific outcomes included mortality, agitation, adverse events, other symptoms and quality of life. Conclusion: The review identified few delirium interventions with heterogeneity in outcomes, their definition and measurement, highlighting the need for a uniform approach. Findings will inform the next stage to develop consensus for a core outcome set to inform delirium interventional palliative care research.


Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 1899
Author(s):  
Alessandro Rizzo ◽  
Margherita Nannini ◽  
Annalisa Astolfi ◽  
Valentina Indio ◽  
Pierandrea De Iaco ◽  
...  

Background: Although the use of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) appears to be increasing over the past few years, several clinical trials and previous meta-analyses failed to determine whether AC could improve clinical outcomes in uterine leiomyosarcoma (uLMS). The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to compare AC (with or without radiotherapy) versus observation (obs) after primary surgery in early stage uLMS. Materials and Methods: Randomized controlled (RCTs) and non-randomized studies (NRSs) were retrieved. Outcomes of interest were as follows: distant recurrence rate, locoregional recurrence rate and overall recurrence rate. Results about distant recurrence rate, locoregional recurrence rate and overall recurrence rate were compared by calculating odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs); ORs were combined with Mantel–Haenszel method. Results: Nine studies were included in the analysis, involving 545 patients (AC: 252, obs: 293). Compared with obs, AC did not reduce locoregional and distant recurrence rate, with a pooled OR of 1.36 and 0.63, respectively. Similarly, administration of AC did not decrease overall recurrence rate in comparison to obs. Conclusion: According to our results, AC (with or without radiotherapy) did not decrease recurrence rate in early stage uLMS; thus, the role of AC in this setting remains unclear.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (14) ◽  
pp. 4982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pietro Gentile ◽  
Aris Sterodimas ◽  
Jacopo Pizzicannella ◽  
Laura Dionisi ◽  
Domenico De Fazio ◽  
...  

Stromal vascular fraction (SVF) containing adipose stem cells (ASCs) has been used for many years in regenerative plastic surgery for autologous applications, without any focus on their potential allogenic role. Allogenic SVF transplants could be based on the possibility to use decellularized extracellular matrix (ECM) as a scaffold from a donor then re-cellularized by ASCs of the recipient, in order to develop the advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMP) in fully personalized clinical approaches. A systematic review of this field has been realized in accordance with the Preferred Reporting for Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses-Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines. Multistep research of the PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, Pre-MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Clinicaltrials.gov, Scopus database, and Cochrane databases has been conducted to identify articles and investigations on human allogenic ASCs transplant for clinical use. Of the 341 articles identified, 313 were initially assessed for eligibility on the basis of the abstract. Of these, only 29 met all the predetermined criteria for inclusion according to the PICOS (patients, intervention, comparator, outcomes, and study design) approach, and 19 have been included in quantitative synthesis (meta-analysis). Ninety-one percent of the studies previously screened (284 papers) were focused on the in vitro results and pre-clinical experiments. The allogenic use regarded the treatment of perianal fistulas, diabetic foot ulcers, knee osteoarthritis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, refractory rheumatoid arthritis, pediatrics disease, fecal incontinence, ischemic heart disease, autoimmune encephalomyelitis, lateral epicondylitis, and soft tissue defects. The information analyzed suggested the safety and efficacy of allogenic ASCs and ECM transplants without major side effects.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document