Ivor Vanhegan

Sports injuries and illnesses during the London Summer Olympic Games 2012

Background The Olympic Movement Medical Code encourages all stakeholders to ensure that sport is practised without danger to the health of the athletes. Systematic surveillance of injuries and illnesses is the foundation for developing preventive measures in sport. Aim To analyse the injuries and illnesses that occurred during the Games of the XXX Olympiad, held in London in 2012. Methods We recorded the daily occurrence (or non-occurrence) of injuries and illnesses (1) through the reporting of all National Olympic Committee (NOC) medical teams and (2) in the polyclinic and medical venues by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games’ (LOCOG) medical staff. Results In total, 10 568 athletes (4676 women and 5892 men) from 204 NOCs participated in the study. NOC and LOCOG medical staff reported 1361 injuries and 758 illnesses, equalling incidences of 128.8 injuries and 71.7 illnesses per 1000 athletes. Altogether, 11% and 7% of the athletes incurred at least one injury or illness, respectively. The risk of an athlete being injured was the highest in taekwondo, football, BMX, handball, mountain bike, athletics, weightlifting, hockey and badminton, and the lowest in archery, canoe slalom and sprint, track cycling, rowing, shooting and equestrian. 35% of the injuries were expected to prevent the athlete from participating during competition or training. Women suffered 60% more illnesses than men (86.0 vs 53.3 illnesses per 1000 athletes). The rate of illness was the highest in athletics, beach volleyball, football, sailing, synchronised swimming and taekwondo. A total of 310 illnesses (41%) affected the respiratory system and the most common cause of illness was infection (n=347, 46%). Conclusions At least 11% of the athletes incurred an injury during the games and 7% of the athletes’ an illness. The incidence of injuries and illnesses varied substantially among sports. Future initiatives should include the development of preventive measures tailored for each specific sport and the continued focus among sport bodies to institute and further develop scientific injury and illness surveillance systems.

Developing a strategy to treat established infection in total knee replacement: A review of the latest evidence and clinical practice

This review summarises the opinions and conclusions reached from a symposium on infected total knee replacement (TKR) held at the British Association of Surgery of the Knee (BASK) annual meeting in 2011. The National Joint Registry for England and Wales reported 5082 revision TKRs in 2010, of which 1157 (23%) were caused by infection. The diagnosis of infection beyond the acute post-operative stage relies on the identification of the causative organism by aspiration and analysis of material obtained at arthroscopy. Ideal treatment then involves a two-stage surgical procedure with extensive debridement and washout, followed by antibiotics. An articulating or non-articulating drug-eluting cement spacer is used prior to implantation of the revision prosthesis, guided by the serum level of inflammatory markers. The use of a single-stage revision is gaining popularity and we would advocate its use in certain patients where the causative organism is known, no sinuses are present, the patient is not immunocompromised, and there is no radiological evidence of component loosening or osteitis. It is our opinion that single-stage revision produces high-quality reproducible results and will soon achieve the same widespread acceptance as it does in infected hip arthroplasty.

Single stage revision: regaining momentum

In this paper we make the case for the use of single-stage revision for infected knee arthroplasty.

The Morel-Lavallée Lesion as a Rare Differential Diagnosis for Recalcitrant Bursitis of the Knee: Case Report and Literature Review

A 72 year-old-male was referred to our institution with recalcitrant prepatellar bursitis. The injury was sustained after striking his right knee against a post whilst horse riding 9 months ago. Previous treatments included repeated aspiration and excision of the bursa with elastic compression bandaging. A diagnosis of a Morel-Lavallée internal degloving injury was made, and the lesion was satisfactorily managed by an internal quilting procedure to eliminate the potential dead space. A review of the literature reveals 29 published reports of Morel-Lavallée lesions with sufficient information for inclusion. These came from 14 separate countries with a total of 204 lesions in 195 patients. The most common anatomical location was the greater trochanter/hip (36%), followed by the thigh (24%) and the pelvis (19%). Most were managed surgically with evacuation of the haematoma and necrotic tissue followed by debridement, which was often repeated (36%). Conservative treatment with percutaneous aspiration and compression bandaging was the next most common treatment (23%). The knee was the fourth most common region affected (16%), and only 3 other lesions in the literature have been managed with a quilting procedure.

The London 2012 Summer Olympic Games: an analysis of usage of the Olympic Village ‘Polyclinic’ by competing athletes

Background The London 2012 Summer Olympic Games involved 10 568 elite athletes representing 204 competing nations. To manage the varied healthcare needs of this diverse population, a Polyclinic was constructed in the athletes’ village. Aim This work aims to summarise the usage of the Polyclinic by competing athletes and the facilities available to them. Methods All Polyclinic encounters were entered into a database from which data were exported for the time frame 28 July–12 August 2012, inclusive to cover the first to last full day of competition. Only Polyclinic data involving accredited athletes were analysed. All types of encounters were collected for analysis, not just sports-related issues. Results There were a total of 3220 encounters within the Polyclinic. This figure combines medical consultations, radiology/pathology investigations and prescriptions dispensed. Of these 3220 encounters, there were 2105 medical consultations; musculoskeletal comprised the greatest number (52%), followed by dental (30%) and ophthalmic (9%). The most frequently used imaging modality was MRI and diagnostic CT was used the least. After correction for multiple entries, Africa provided the largest proportion of athletes attending the Polyclinic (44%) and Europe the least (9%). Peak usage of all facilities was seen around days 9 and 10 of competition, reflecting the busiest time of the competition and the largest number of athletes in the village. Conclusions The Polyclinic managed a wide variety of both sports-related and non-sports-related injuries and illnesses. The breadth of specialists available for consultation was appropriate as was the ease of access to them. The radiology department was able to satisfy the demand, as were the pharmacy and pathology services. We would recommend a similar structure of facilities and available expertise in one clinic when planning future mass participation sporting events.

Management of acute anterior shoulder dislocation

Shoulder dislocation is the most common large joint dislocation in the body. Recent advances in radiological imaging and shoulder surgery have shown the potential dangers of traditional reduction techniques such as the Kochers and the Hippocratic methods, which are still advocated by many textbooks. Many non-specialists continue to use these techniques, unaware of their potential risks. This article reviews the clinical and radiographic presentation of dislocation; some common reduction techniques; their risks and success rate; analgesia methods to facilitate the reduction; and postreduction management. Many textbooks advocate methods that have been superceded by safer alternatives. Trainees should learn better and safer relocation methods backed up by the current evidence available.

Elbow injuries at the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games: demographics and pictorial imaging review.

OBJECTIVE Elbow injuries in Olympic sports and their imaging findings have not been described previously. The main objective of this article is to analyze the demographic data on imaging of elbow injuries at the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games and to review the spectrum of imaging findings. CONCLUSION Elbow injuries were seen in a wide variety of sports. Judo and weight-lifting contributed nearly half of all injuries, with only a surprisingly small number of injuries seen in throwing athletes. Knowledge of elbow anatomy coupled with awareness of types of elbow injuries and their prevalence in various sports will contribute toward improving diagnostic accuracy, handling of workload, and overall provision of services at similar major international sporting events in the future.

An In Vitro Comparison of the Primary Stability of 2 Tapered Fluted Femoral Stem Designs

BACKGROUND Proximal bony deficiencies present a biomechanical challenge to achieving primary stability in revision hip arthroplasty. Long tapered fluted stems have been engineered to span these defects but concerns of early subsidence are well documented. This work aimed primarily to investigate the issue of subsidence with this design using a cadaveric model. A secondary aim was to compare the stability of 2 versions of this design. METHODS Seven pairs of cadaveric femora were obtained, dual emission x-ray absorpitometry scanned, with calibration radiographs taken for digital templating. Each bone was potted according to the ISO standard for fatigue testing and a Paprosky type 3 defect was simulated. The established cone-conical Restoration Modular (Stryker) system and a novel design with a chamfered tip and flute configuration (Redapt, Smith & Nephew) were examined. Movement at the stem-bone interface was measured using radiostereometric analysis and micromotion transducers. RESULTS All restoration stems and 85% of the Redapt stems achieved stability by recognized criteria, micromotion < 150 μm and migration less than 2 mm. A Fisher exact test comparing the proportion of stems which were stable or unstable was not significant, P = .055. Mean axial subsidence (SD) was 0.17 mm (0.32) and 0.1 mm (0.131) for the Restoration and Redapt stems respectively. CONCLUSION This study has demonstrated minimal subsidence in the immediate post-operative period using tapered fluted stems. Both designs achieved excellent stability despite simulation of Paprosky type 3 bony defects in the cadaveric model. This geometry appears satisfactory for use in revision surgery in the presence of significant proximal bony deficiencies.