Carin Ottosson

Outcome after minor traffic accidents: a follow-up study of orthopedic patients in an inner-city area emergency room.

This follow-up study of consecutive traffic accident victims aimed to characterize the variation in recuperation time, to estimate the incidence of delayed recovery, and to identify predictors of nonrecovery 1 and 6 months after the accident. This study included 318 of 811 consecutive patients. Whiplash type neck injuries (48%) were the most common, followed by other minor injuries (38%). Self-perceived recovery was reported by 31% and 56% of the patients at 1 and 6 months, respectively. With control for mutual confounding variables in a multivariate model, injury severity, working status, and education were associated, respectively, with 4.5-fold, 3.2-fold and 2.3-fold gradients in odds of recovery not reported at 1 month. At 6 months, only working status (odds ratio [OR], 3.2) and education (OR, 2.3) were associated with the risk of reporting nonrecovery. The authors concluded that social factors are important predictors of outcome 1 and 6 months after minor traffic accidents.

Deliberate self-harm patients in the emergency department: factors associated with repeated self-harm among 1524 patients

Objectives (1) investigate risk factors associated with repeated deliberate self-harm (DSH) among patients attending the emergency department due to DSH, (2) stratify these patients into risk categories for repeated DSH and (3) estimate the proportion of repeated DSH within 12 months. Design A consecutive series of individuals who attended one of Scandinavias largest emergency departments during 2003–2005 due to DSH. Data on sociodemographic factors, diagnoses and treatment, previous DSH at any healthcare facility in Sweden (2002–2005) and circumstances of the index DSH episode were collected from hospital charts and national databases. A nationwide register based on follow-ups of any new DSH or death by suicide during 2003–2006. Main outcome measure Repeated DSH episode or suicide. Results 1524 patients were included. The cumulative incidence for patients repeating DSH within 12 months after the index episode was 26.8% (95% CI: 24.6 to 29.0). Risk factors associated with repeating DSH included previous DSH, female gender, self-injury as a method for DSH and if the self-injury required a surgical procedure, current psychiatric or antidepressant treatment and if the patient suffered from a substance use disorder or adult personality disorder or did not have children under the age of six. Conclusion Patients attending an emergency department due to DSH have a high risk of repeating their self-harm behaviour. We present a model for risk stratification for repeated DSH describing low-risk (18%), median-risk (28% to 32%) and high-risk (47% to 72%). Our results might help caretakers to direct optimal resources to these groups.

Deliberate self-harm patients in the emergency department: who will repeat and who will not? Validation and development of clinical decision rules

Objectives (1) Validate an existing clinical tool for assessing risk after deliberate self-harm (DSH), Manchester Self-Harm Rule, in a new setting and new population, (2) develop a clinical decision rule based on factors associated with repeated self-harm in a Swedish population and (3) compare these rules. Design A consecutive series of 1524 patients attending one of Scandinavias largest emergency departments (ED) due to DSH during a 3-year period were included. Explanatory factors were collected from hospital charts and national databases. A nationwide register-based follow-up of new DSH episode or death by suicide within 6 months was used. We used logistic regression, area under the curve and classification trees to identify factors associated with repetition. To evaluate the ability of different decision rules to identify patients who will repeat DSH, we calculated the sensitivity and specificity. Main outcome measure Repeated DSH or suicide within 6 months. Results The cumulative incidence for patients repeating within 6 months was 20.3% (95% CI 18.0% to 22.0%). Application of Manchester Self-Harm Rule to our material yielded a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 21%. The clinical decision rule based on four factors associated with repetition in the Swedish population yielded a sensitivity of 90% and a specificity of 18%. Conclusions Application of either rules, with high sensitivity, may facilitate assessment in the ED and help focus right resources on patients at a higher risk. Irrespective of the choice of decision rule, it is difficult to separate those who will repeat from those who will not due to low specificity.

Recovery after minor traffic injuries: a randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: To assess the efficacy of an acute multidisciplinary group intervention on self-perceived recovery following minor traffic-related musculoskeletal injuries. Design: Open, randomized controlled trial. Setting: A large inner-city hospital. Participants: 127 patients (≥15 y) with traffic-related acute minor musculoskeletal injuries and predicted to be at risk for delayed recovery were randomized into an intervention group (n = 65) or a control group (n = 62). Intervention: Four 1½-h sessions in open groups with the aim of providing information about injuries in general, calling attention to the importance of self-care and promoting physical activity. In addition, both groups received standard medical care by regular staff. Outcome measures: The main outcome measure was self-reported recovery at 12 mo. Secondary outcome measures were ratings of functional health status (SF-36, SMFA), pain and mental distress on visual analog scales, and self-reported duration of sick leave. Results: At 12 mo, there was a 21.9 percentage point difference: 52.4% of the patients in the intervention group and 30.5% in the control group reported self-perceived recovery (95% confidence interval for the difference 5%–38%; p = 0.03). There were no statistically significant differences between the groups regarding the secondary outcome measures. Conclusion: A simple group intervention may accelerate the self-perceived recovery in selected patients. As we did not find evidence of improvements in the secondary outcome measures, the clinical significance of the treatment benefit remains to be defined.

Prosthetic joint infection following hip fracture and degenerative hip disorder: a cohort study of three thousand, eight hundred and seven consecutive hip arthroplasties with a minimum follow-up of five years.

PurposeProsthetic joint infections (PJIs) occur on a regular basis and with an increasing incidence. Under reporting of complications to national registries and unreliable ICD-10 coding increases the risk of under estimating the true rate of PJIs after hip arthroplasty. Also, the microbiology and final outcome is less well described, especially for hip-fracture patients operated upon with primary and secondary fracture prostheses. Our aim was to analyse re-operation rate, outcome and microbiology of PJIs following hip arthroplasty in patients operated upon due to hip fractures and degenerative hip disorders.MethodsThis was a single-centre cohort study of 3807 consecutive hip arthroplasties performed between 1996 and 2005. The primary study outcome was to compare the incidence of PJIs. The secondary outcome was to analyse the microbiology and outcome of PJIs.ResultsWe identified 62 PJIs: seven surgical-site PJIs were found in patients operated upon for a degenerative hip disorder, 22 [hazard ratio (HR) 4.3] were found in patients operated upon for a primary fracture and prosthesis and 25 (HR 6.1) in patients operated upon with a secondary fracture and prosthesis. Outcome treatment was unfavourable for hip fracture patients with a high rate of Girdlestone operation performed (22 of 27). Staphylococcal infections dominated in the fracture group, whereas polybacterial infections were more common in patients with degenerative hip disorder.ConclusionsPatients with a displaced femoral neck fracture treated primary or secondary with arthroplasties have a greater risk of PJIs and display worse outcomes compared with patients with a total hip replacement due to degenerative hip disorders.

Hip arthroplasty after failed fixation of trochanteric and subtrochanteric fractures

Background and purpose Hip arthroplasty is an option for elderly patients with osteoporosis for the treatment of failure after fixation of trochanteric and subtrochanteric fractures, either as a total hip arthroplasty (THA) or as a hemiarthroplasty (HA). We analyzed the reoperation rate and risk factors for reoperation in a consecutive series of patients. Methods All patients (n = 88) operated from 1999 to 2006 with a THA (n = 63) or an HA (n = 25) due to failure of fixation of a trochanteric fracture (n = 63) or subtrochanteric fracture (n = 25) were included. Background data were collected from the patient records. A search was performed in the national registry of the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare in order to find information on all reoperations. The follow-up time was 5–11 years. Results The reoperation rate was 16% (14/88 hips). A periprosthetic fracture occurred in 6 patients, a deep prosthetic infection in 5 patients, and a dislocation of the prosthesis in 3 patients. Standard-length femoral stems had an increased risk of reoperation (11/47) compared to long stems (3/41) (HR = 4, 95% CI: 1.0–13; p = 0.06). Interpretation The high reoperation rate reflects the complexity of the surgery. Using long femoral stems that bridge previous holes and defects may be one way to reduce the risk for reoperation.

Translation and validation of the wound‐specific quality of life instrument Cardiff Wound Impact Schedule in a Swedish population

PURPOSE To translate and validate the wound-specific health-related quality of life instrument, the Cardiff Wound Impact Schedule (CWIS) in a Swedish population. METHODS The instrument was first translated into Swedish, using the Standard Linguistic Validation Process. The Swedish version of the CWIS was then tested for its psychometric properties in a Swedish context. A total of 117 patients with acute and hard-to-heal wounds were included. The patients were asked to fill in the Swedish version of the CWIS and the generic instrument SF-36 at baseline and after 1 week. Patients with acute wounds were also asked to fill in both instruments after 6 weeks. RESULTS Face validity and content validity were assessed by patients and an expert group, and judged as good. Criterion validity was calculated with correlation between CWIS and SF-36, reaching moderate to high values. Reliability of the three domains of the CWIS measured with internal consistency and test-retest stability was acceptable to excellent. Internal responsiveness was assessed with standardised response mean and showed moderate to high sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS This study concludes that the Swedish version of CWIS is a valid and reliable tool for measuring health-related quality of life in patients with acute and hard-to-heal wounds.

Can early follow-up after deliberate self-harm reduce repetition? A prospective study of 325 patients

BACKGROUND Patients who deliberately harm themselves often repeat their self-destructive acts. The objective of this study was to assess whether a follow-up visit within 10 days to a psychiatric consultant could reduce the frequency of repeated deliberate self-harm (DSH). METHODS A cohort of 325 consecutive DSH patients attending two large emergency departments in Stockholm, Sweden, were included and followed for 6 months. Any visit to a psychiatric consultant within 10 days was registered as an early follow-up. Repeated DSH episode within 6 months among the 325 patients was detected via nationwide registers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Repeated DSH within 6 months. RESULTS At 6 months follow-up 22 (24%) of 92 patients with an early follow-up had repeated their DSH acts compared to 58 (25%) of 233 patients without an early follow-up (OR 1.06 (95% CI: 0.60-1.85) p-value 0.85). After adjustment for possible confounders, multivariable analysis showed an OR of 1.22 (95% CI: 0.62-2.38, p-value 0.56). LIMITATIONS Early follow-up was registered as any visit to a psychiatric consultant and no information regarding actions taken at the visit were obtained. CONCLUSION After adjusting for other factors associated with repetition there was an association of patients who were offered and thereafter attended an early follow-up visit and a decreased risk of repeated DSH.

Personality disorders are not associated with nonrecovery in patients with traffic-related minor musculoskeletal injuries.

BACKGROUND Personality disorders (PDs) have been suggested to be one of the determinants that might influence recovery after injuries but has rarely been measured. This study describes the occurrence of PDs among patients with minor traffic-related musculoskeletal injuries and relates these disorders to nonrecovery 12 months after the injury. METHODS This is a single-center, prospective, cohort study. We included patients with minor traffic-related musculoskeletal injuries at a general hospital in Stockholm, Sweden, with a catchment area of 0.6 million people. Structured Clinical Interview II screen questionnaire was used to measure PD. Outcome measure were self-reported recovery at 12 months (yes/no). RESULTS Fifty-one percent of all patients (102 of 200) had at least one PD, and 20% had at least two. The proportion of nonrecovered was 50% (51 of 102) among those with one or more PD compared with 39% (38 of 98) among those without any PD (p = 0.12). Patients with a Cluster A (paranoid, schizoid, and schitzotypal) or Cluster B (borderline, histrionic, narcissistic, and antisocial) PD were associated with nonrecovery. When compared with patients without any PD, patients with a Cluster A or Cluster B PD had an increased risk of nonrecovery (OR: 2.5; 95% CI: 1.0 -5.9 and OR: 2.1; 95% CI: 1.2-3.8, respectively). However, after adjusting for mental health factors at the time of the injury, these associations were no longer significant. DISCUSSION PDs are common among patients with minor traffic-related musculoskeletal injuries. Our study does not support the view that PDs are associated with nonrecovery. The patients mental health status at the time of the crash seems to be more important for nonrecovery than a PD.

Etiology of bone and joint infections: a case series of 363 consecutive patients from an orthopaedic infection unit

ABSTRACT Background: Bone and joint infections remain a clinical challenge with potentially serious consequences. Nevertheless there is a lack of studies with strict criteria for diagnosis and etiology. The primary aim of this study was to determine the causative agents in orthopaedic infections using strict diagnostic criteria for infection and etiology. The secondary aim was to assess the timing of post-operative infections in relation to pathogens and to compare causative bacteria in different parts of the body. Methods: A retrospective registry study of 363 consecutive cases of bone and joint infections was performed. Microbiological data on sampling and culture results were registered. Results: Staphylococcus aureus dominated in both operated (45%) and non-operated (44%) patients, followed in frequency by coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) in operated patients (11%) and beta-haemolytic streptococci in non-operated patients (16%) (p < 0.001). There were no polymicrobial infections in non-surgical cases (p < 0.001). For operated patients, Gram-negative bacilli were observed in 6%, almost exclusively isolated from the lower extremity. Propionibacterium spp. was the most common finding after spinal surgery. In 90/363 (25%), the agent responsible for the infection could not be defined according to the strict criteria used. Conclusion: S. aureus dominated as etiological agent in all bone and joint infections, including operated patient given peri-operative prophylaxis. Improved timing of antibiotic prophylaxis seen after the introduction of the Swedish national project PRISS may have changed this. The number of infections with uncertain etiology was high, stressing the importance of more studies on diagnostics, as well as strict diagnostic algorithms.