Gregory A. Mencio

Ketamine sedation for the reduction of children's fractures in the emergency department.

Background: There recently has been a resurgence in the utilization of ketamine, a unique anesthetic, for emergency-department procedures requiring sedation. The purpose of the present study was to examine the safety and efficacy of ketamine for sedation in the treatment of childrens fractures in the emergency department. Methods: One hundred and fourteen children (average age, 5.3 years; range, twelve months to ten years and ten months) who underwent closed reduction of an isolated fracture or dislocation in the emergency department at a level-I trauma center were prospectively evaluated. Ketamine hydrochloride was administered intravenously (at a dose of two milligrams per kilogram of body weight) in ninety-nine of the patients and intramuscularly (at a dose of four milligrams per kilogram of body weight) in the other fifteen. A board-certified emergency physician skilled in airway management supervised administration of the anesthetic, and the patients were monitored by a registered nurse. Any pain during the reduction was rated by the orthopaedic surgeon treating the patient according to the Childrens Hospital of Eastern Ontario Pain Scale (CHEOPS). Results: The average time from intravenous administration of ketamine to manipulation of the fracture or dislocation was one minute and thirty-six seconds (range, twenty seconds to five minutes), and the average time from intramuscular administration to manipulation was four minutes and forty-two seconds (range, sixty seconds to fifteen minutes). The average score according to the Childrens Hospital of Eastern Ontario Pain Scale was 6.4 points (range, 5 to 10 points), reflecting minimal or no pain during fracture reduction. Adequate fracture reduction was obtained in 111 of the children. Ninety-nine percent (sixty-eight) of the sixty-nine parents present during the reduction were pleased with the sedation and would allow it to be used again in a similar situation. Patency of the airway and independent respiration were maintained in all of the patients. Blood pressure and heart rate remained stable. Minor side effects included nausea (thirteen patients), emesis (eight of the thirteen patients with nausea), clumsiness (evident as ataxic movements in ten patients), and dysphoric reaction (one patient). No long-term sequelae were noted, and no patients had hallucinations or nightmares. Conclusions: Ketamine reliably, safely, and quickly provided adequate sedation to effectively facilitate the reduction of childrens fractures in the emergency department at our institution. Ketamine should only be used in an environment such as the emergency department, where proper one-on-one monitoring is used and board-certified physicians skilled in airway management are directly involved in the care of the patient.

The impact of adjacent level disc degeneration on health status outcomes following lumbar fusion

Study Design. A retrospective review of patient outcomes after lumbar spinal fusion. Objective. To determine whether patients with a fusion ending adjacent to a “degenerated disc” (DDD group) had worse clinical outcomes than patients with fusions ending adjacent to “normal” discs (NL group). Summary of Background Data. Although it has been suggested that creating a rigid motion segment adjacent to a degenerated segment may negatively impact clinical outcomes after lumbar fusion, this question has not been addressed to our knowledge in the English literature. Methods. Twenty-five consecutive patients treated with lumbar fusion for degenerative instability who had preoperative lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging, who completed health status questionnaire Short Form 36 (SF-36), and were seen in the office for radiographic follow-up at least 2 years following surgical treatment formed the study group. The magnetic resonance images were reviewed independently by two spine surgeons and rated for the presence of any degenerative changes. Statistical analysis of the SF-36 data was performed with &khgr;2 and Mann-Whitney U testing. Results. Of the 25 patients, 20 were fused adjacent to at least one degenerated level (DDD group), whereas 5 were fused adjacent to a normal level (NL group). At follow-up, SF-36 scores were higher for the DDD group in all eight subgroups, contrary to the research hypothesis. A power analysis demonstrated with at least 98% certainty that if patients in the DDD group had even a 10% lower score in any of the 8 SF-36 subgroups, this study would have detected it. Conclusion. This retrospective review of patients who underwent lumbar fusion for degenerative instability demonstrated no adverse impact on clinical outcomes when the lumbar fusion ended adjacent to a degenerative motion segment. Although a power analysis validated these results with 98% certainty, larger prospective studies are needed to confirm that there is no benefit to include degenerated adjacent segments in a lumbar fusion for degenerative instability.

Open reduction and internal fixation of pediatric forearm fractures.

Twenty-six skeletally immature patients with 27 displaced, diaphyseal forearm fractures treated by open reduction and internal fixation were reviewed. The mean age of the patients at the time of injury was 11.5 years (range, 4-15). Indications for surgery included open fractures (10), unacceptable closed reduction (14), and loss of reduction (three). Anatomic or near anatomic fixation was achieved with either compression plates or intramedullary wires. The average time to union was 3.5 months. The average length of follow-up was 39 months (range, 9-98). All but three patients regained full range of motion equal to that of the uninjured extremity. Three complications occurred, including one deep infection resulting in delayed union, one nonunion with failure of hardware, and one proximal radioulnar cross-union. We conclude that open reduction and internal fixation is indicated and can be safely performed in children with open or unstable or both-bone forearm fractures when closed treatment methods have failed. Fixation is reliably achieved with compression plating or intramedullary nailing.

Anesthesia and analgesia for the ambulatory management of fractures in children.

The goal of anesthesia in the ambulatory management of fractures in children is to provide analgesia and relieve anxiety in order to facilitate successful closed treatment of the skeletal injury. Numerous techniques short of general anesthesia are available. These methods include blocks (local, regional, and intravenous), sedation (conscious and deep), and dissociative anesthesia (ketamine sedation). Important factors in choosing a particular technique include ease of administration, efficacy, safety, cost, and patient and parent acceptance. Local and regional techniques, such as hematoma, axillary, and intravenous regional blocks, are particularly effective for upper-extremity fractures. Sedation with inhalation agents, such as nitrous oxide, and parenterally administered narcotic-benzodiazepine combinations, are not region-specific and are suitable for patients over a wide range of ages. Ketamine sedation is an excellent choice for children less than 10 years old. With any technique, proper monitoring and adherence to safety guidelines are essential.

DTI-based muscle fiber tracking of the quadriceps mechanism in lateral patellar dislocation

To determine the feasibility of using diffusion tensor MRI (DT‐MRI) ‐based muscle fiber tracking to create biomechanical models of the quadriceps mechanism in healthy subjects and those with chronic lateral patellar dislocation (LPD).

Decline of Bone and Joint Infections Attributable to Haemophilus Influenzae Type b

Haemophilus influenzae has been a major cause of infectious diseases in children and has been attributed as a significant cause of septic arthritis and osteomyelitis in children. With the advent of widespread vaccination, the incidence of Haemophilus influenzae meningitis and other infections has been well documented. This is thought to be the first report that documents the effect of vaccination on bone and joint infections. One hundred sixty-five cases of acute hematogenous osteomyelitis or septic arthritis treated at the Department of Orthopaedics at Vanderbilt University in the years before and after the advent of the Haemophilus influenzae vaccine to assess whether vaccination affected the incidence of these diseases. The data indicate that the Haemophilus influenzae vaccine has reduced to near 0 the incidence of bone and joint infections because of Haemophilus influenzae. These findings suggest that coverage of Haemophilus influenzae as part of the empiric antibiotic coverage may be no longer needed in the management of acute hematogenous osteomyelitis and septic arthritis in children.

Popliteal fossa block for postoperative analgesia after foot surgery in infants and children

The efficacy of a popliteal fossa block (PFB) was evaluated after foot and ankle surgery in children. With the child still anesthetized, a PFB was performed with 0.75 ml/kg of 0.2% ropivacaine. Postoperative analgesia was assessed by using an objective pain score, assigned at 2-h intervals. Patients with scores of > or =3 received intravenous nalbuphine. PFBs were performed in 20 children ranging in age from 0.5 to 12 years and in weight from 6 to 41 kg. In five patients, the PFB block was supplemented with a saphenous nerve block at the ankle. The PFB was unsuccessful in one patient. The remaining 19 patients required no analgesic agents during the first 8 postoperative hours. Eight patients required no analgesic agents during the first 12 postoperative hours. The duration of the analgesia varied from 8 to 12 hours. PFB provides effective analgesia after foot and ankle surgery in children.

Video-assisted thoracoscopic diskectomy and fusion.

Thoracoscopic diskectomy has been described in adults as an alternative to thoracotomy for access to the anterior spine for correction of scoliosis, but its use in children for correction of spinal deformities has not been reported. Eight patients have undergone video-assisted thoracoscopic diskectomy with fusion before posterior instrumentation. In five patients, the posterior fusion and instrumentation followed the thoracoscopic procedure under the same anesthesia; in three patients it was staged and performed 1 week later. The mean time required for the thoracoscopic procedure was 174 minutes. Intraoperative bleeding requiring transfusion developed in one patient. No other complications occurred. The authors conclude that the minimally invasive approach for access to the thoracic cavity for anterior diskectomy and fusion will be the preferred approach because of the potential for significant reduction in postoperative discomfort and complications such as atelectasis and pneumonia. Postoperative hospitalization may not be decreased, however, because the patient must still recover from the open posterior instrumentation and fusion operation.

Safety of topical vancomycin for pediatric spinal deformity: nontoxic serum levels with supratherapeutic drain levels.

Study Design. Retrospective cohort analysis. Objective. To establish if drain levels exceed the minimum inhibitory concentrations for common pathogens (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus, and Propionibacterium acnes—2 &mgr;g/mL; Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterococcus faecalis—4 &mgr;g/mL). Evaluate the safety of topical vancomycin in pediatric patients undergoing spinal deformity surgery and determine if postoperative serum levels approach toxicity (25 &mgr;g/mL). Summary of Background Data. The application of topical vancomycin powder has decreased postoperative wound infections in retrospective analyses in the adult population with minimal local and systemic risks. The safety and efficacy of vancomycin powder has not been completely evaluated in the pediatric population after deformity surgery. Methods. Topical vancomycin powder (1 g) was applied during wound closure after instrumented posterior spinal fusion. All patients received intravenous perioperative antibiotics and a subfascial drain was used. Serum and drain vancomycin levels were collected immediately postoperatively and during the first 2 postoperative days (PODs). Complications were recorded. Results. The study population consisted of 25 patients with a mean age of 13.5 years (9.5–17.1 yr) and mean ± standard deviation body weight of 44.5 ± 18 kg. Underlying diagnoses included: adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (12), neuromuscular scoliosis (10), and kyphosis (3). Mean serum vancomycin levels trended downward from 2.5 &mgr;g/mL (POD 0) to 1.9 &mgr;g/mL (POD 1) to 1.1 &mgr;g/mL (POD 2). Mean drain levels also trended downward from 403 &mgr;g/mL (POD 0) to 251 &mgr;g/mL (POD 1) to 115 &mgr;g/mL (POD 2). No vancomycin toxicity or deep wound infections were observed. One patient with neuromuscular scoliosis developed a superficial wound dehiscence that was managed with dressing changes. Conclusion. Topical application of vancomycin powder in pediatric spinal deformity surgery produced local levels well above the minimum inhibitory concentration for common pathogens and serum levels below the toxicity threshold (25 &mgr;g/mL). There were no deep wound or antibiotic related complications. Level of Evidence: 3

Complications and outcomes of diaphyseal forearm fracture intramedullary nailing: a comparison of pediatric and adolescent age groups.

Background: Flexible intramedullary nailing (IMN) has become a popular technique for the management of unstable or open forearm fractures. Recent publications have suggested an increased incidence of delayed union and poor outcomes in older children and adolescents. The objective of this study was to review forearm fractures treated with IMN, comparing the rate of complications and outcomes between the 2 age groups. Our hypothesis was that IMN is an effective technique with a similar rate of complications in both age groups. Methods: An Institutional Review Board-approved retrospective review was conducted of pediatric forearm fractures treated from 1998 to 2008 at a single institution. Over the study time period, 4161 pediatric forearm fractures were managed nonoperatively (92%) and 353 were treated operatively with plate, cross-pin, or intramedullary fixation (8%). Patients with inadequate follow-up, cross-pin, or plate fixation were excluded. Medical records were reviewed for indications and complications. Complications were graded with a modification of the Clavien-Dindo classification. Outcomes were judged by a new grading system. Results: A total of 205 forearm fractures treated with IMN in 203 patients were identified. The mean age was 9.7 years (range, 1.7 to 16.2 y) and mean follow-up was 42 weeks. Operative indications were failure of closed treatment in 165 (80%) and open fracture in 40 (20%). Mean time from injury to IMN was 5.9 days (range, 0 to 25 d). Single bone IMN was performed in 40 of 185 both bone fractures (26%); there were 20 single-bone forearm fractures treated with IMN. Open reduction was required in 61/165 (37%) of closed fractures. Asymptomatic delayed union (grade 1 complication) was observed in 9 fractures (4%). More severe complications were noted in 17% (grade 2 to 4 complications). Postoperative compartment syndrome occurred in 3 isolated forearm fractures with a significant younger mean age (6.0 vs. 10 y, P=0.031). Overall, complications were significantly more frequent in children older than 10 years of age (25/101) as compared with younger children (13/104, P=0.031). In particular, delayed union was more common in children over the age of 10 years (9/101 vs. 1/104, OR=9.99, P=0.009). Outcomes were good or excellent in 91% of fractures. There was no statistical association of patient age with a fair or poor outcome. Conclusions: IMN is an effective technique for pediatric forearm fractures with good to excellent outcomes in 91%. Complications are not infrequent with this technique, with complications of grade 2 to 4 severity in 17%. There was a 2-fold increase in the rate of complications in children over the age of 10 years. Compartment syndrome was more common in younger children. Patients and families should be counseled about the risks preoperatively. Level of Evidence: Level III—retrospective comparative study.