Arthroscopic management of elbow stiffness

The elbow is particularly prone to stiffness. Loss of elbow motion is very limiting, and can be the result of trauma, primary osteoarthritis, heterotopic ossification and other conditions. Several exposures have been described for open elbow contracture release. Although a few decades ago elbow arthroscopy was considered only for diagnosis and removal of loose bodies, contemporary arthroscopic techniques allow successful management of the majority of conditions leading to elbow stiffness. Careful patient evaluation, use of advanced imaging studies, and acquisition of appropriate surgical skills are essential for the successful arthroscopic management of the stiff elbow. This expert opinion reviews some fundamentals of elbow stiffness as well as principles for the evaluation and arthroscopic management of the stiff elbow.

Study of soft tissue reconstruction in postburn flexion contracture of the hand

Background: Burn contracture of the hand can leave patients with severe functional and psychological limitations. This study evaluates the severity of the deformity and various reconstructive options in post-burn hand injuries.Methods: This work includes the study of 50 patients who underwent reconstruction for post-burn flexion contracture of the hand, including fingers, in the department of plastic surgery. The patients were treated between April 2007 to April 2009.Results: Males were more commonly affected by burn injuries and thermal burns were more common than electrical burns. The little finger showed higher involvement and contracture release followed by grafting was the commonly done reconstructive procedure.Conclusions: Split thickness skin graft (SSG) were more effective in reconstruction in thermal injuries, while cross finger flaps (CFF) showed more promise in electrical injuries of the hand.

MANAGEMENT OF POST BURN CONTRACTURE OF NECK IN A TERTIARY BURN CARE CENTRE

Background: Post burn contracture is one of the most common problems in our country and usually seen in lower socio-economic people. Burn contractures of the neck can produce a signicant impact on quality of life by reducing a patient's ability to perform activities of daily living Methods: A prospective study was conducted with a sample size of 30 patients with post burn neck contracture conducted for a duration of 24 months. After meticulous surgical planning, patients underwent contracture release and split skin grafting/z-plasty followed by rigorous splintage and physiotherapy. Majority of the patients were in the age group of 11-30 years (63%).70% of the Results: patients sustained burns in the range of 21-40% and 80% were due to ame burns.46.66% (14) of patients had severe contracture while 13.33% (4) had extensive mento-sternal adhesions. 90% of the patients underwent release + SSG while 10% underwent z-plasty. Postoperatively cervico-mental angle of 100-120 degrees was achieved Skin grafting is a simple, reliable and safe operation however postoperative splinting is n Conclusion: ecessary. The use of skin grafts continues to deliver excellent results with adequate restoration of cervico-mental angle.

113 Long-term Reconstructive Surgery of the Burned Hand: 16-year Experience at a Major Burn Center

Introduction Early excision and grafting for deeper hand burns is important for preservation of long-term hand function. Little information exists on long-term reconstructive and revision operations after acute grafting. Limited quantitative data is available on early predictors of this outcome. This study retrospectively examines a cohort of patients who underwent excision and grafting of acute hand burns and details their reconstructive course in the years after injury. Predictors of future reconstructive hand surgery are examined. Methods A retrospective review was conducted using medical records of patients admitted with acute burn injury to a major regional burn center from February 1999 to October 2015 and who subsequently underwent excision and grafting for closure of the acute wound. Information collected included demographics, burn size and etiology, anatomical involvement, grafting, contracture release, local tissue rearrangement, and regional and distant flaps. Regression analysis assessed for demographic and clinical predictors for future contracture release with grafts and/or local tissue rearrangement surgery. Results A total of 704 hands in 532 adults (71% male, median age 40 years, average burn size 14.9% TBSA) met study criteria (Table 1). Ninety-eight patients underwent at least one reconstructive surgery (122 burned hands). Mean length of follow-up was 1000 days. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that male gender was negatively associated (p< 0.001; OR 0.369; 90% CI, 0.233–0.584) with contracture release with graft whereas white race (p=0.030; OR 2.060; 90% CI, 1.192–3.560) and burn size ≥21% TBSA (p< 0.001; OR 3.962; 90% CI, 2.224–7.057) were positively associated. Males had a negative association (p=0.023; OR 0.527; 90% CI, 0.332–0.837) and burn size a positive association with local tissue rearrangement (5–10% TBSA - p=0.041; OR 2.149; 90% CI, 1.161–3.975 and >21% TBSA - p< 0.001; OR 4.230; 90% CI, 7.927). Conclusions Approximately 1 in 6 acutely grafted hands underwent at least one reconstructive surgery of clinically significant contractures, primarily in digits and web spaces. Female gender and burn size were positive predictors of both categories of reconstructive surgery while white race was a positive predictor of release and graft.

Tumescent local anesthesia as an alternative to general anesthesia in release of post-burn neck contracture and skin graft harvesting: A comparative study

Background: Anesthetic management of severe post burn neck contracture is difficult, demanding due to fixed flexion deformity of neck, incomplete oral occlusion and insufficient mouth opening leading to difficulty in intubation. Patients undergoing contracture release, skin graft harvest under general anesthesia (GA) were compared with patients undergoing the same surgery under tumescent local anesthesia (TLA) technique. Methodology: Twenty-one patients with post burn neck contracture undergoing contracture release with split skin grafting under GA were compared with twenty-one patients undergoing the same surgery under TLA. Post-operative pain and satisfaction were assessed using 10 cm VAS (Visual Analogue Scale). Results: Demographic profile was comparable in both groups. Changes in intra-operative vital parameters remained insignificant. The average volume of tumescent solution used was 254.76 + 49.05ml. Blood loss was significantly decreased, postoperative pain relief was more than sixteen hours in thirteen patients and extended beyond twenty-four hours in six patients in the TLA group. Time for the first rescue analgesia was significantly lesser in the GA group and the average dose of injection tramadol used in the GA group was significantly higher within the first 24 h. Overall satisfaction in the TLA group was significantly higher than in the GA group. Conclusion: TLA can be used as sole technique for release of post burn neck contracture and harvest of split skin grafts with less blood loss and significantly better postoperative pain relief avoiding complications of general anesthesia. Key words: Tumescent local anesthesia; Post burn neck contracture; Skin graft harvest; General anesthesia Citation: Prasad MK, Jain P, Varshney RK, Khare A, Jheetay GS. Tumescent local anesthesia as an alternative to general anesthesia in the release of post-burn neck contracture and skin graft harvesting: A comparative study. Anaesth. Pain intensive care 2021;25(1):34–39. DOI: 10.35975/apic.v25i1.1434 Received: 18 February 2020, Reviewed: 16 March 2020, Accepted: 30 April 2020

Extension Contracture Post Total Knee Replacement: A Case Report

BACKGROUND: Stiffness is a common problem after knee arthroplasty and need for further procedure. Patients who experience this problem usually have poor outcome. Flexion contracture is the most reported case in most case reports; however, we reported a rare case of patient with extension contracture after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). CASE REPORT: A 62-year-old woman was presented with a 3-month history of right TKA. After 3 month she came to the hospital and complained that she could not flex the knee. Nevertheless, she could still walk. On the right knee, there was quadriceps hypotrophy. There was no active and passive range of motion (ROM), because it was fixed at 0°. We performed medial parapatellar approach for knee arthrotomy and we added lateral parapatellar arthrotomy to release the contracture. The fibrotic tissues were removed. The flexion and extension of the knee were evaluated and we managed to get 0–130° of flexion-extension ROM. In the ward, the patient was treated using continuous passive motion (CPM) for 1 week and the CPM was maintained within the range of 0–130°. Six months after surgery, the patient could walk normal with ROM range between 0 and 100°. CONCLUSION: Stiff knee is a common problem after TKA. Close observation and proper rehabilitation can prevent stiff knee. Close manipulation, manipulation under anesthesia, arthroscopy debridement, and open contracture release are the option of this problem.