Frequency of Urinary Tract Infection Among Patients Undergoing Implant Fixation for Acute Trauma

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to determine the frequency of urinary tract infection (UTI), identify the isolated bacteria, and assess antibiotic sensitivity in patients undergoing orthopedic implant fixation for hip fractures.

METHODOLOGY

After ethical approval from the institutional review board, this retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the Orthopedic Surgery Department of Dow University Hospital Karachi from June 2022 to June 2023. Through non-probability consecutive sampling, 186 patients above 16 years of age, of either gender, presenting with hip fractures such as intracapsular or extracapsular fractures, who underwent surgical fixation, were included in the study. A urine sample for urinalysis of these patients was sent on admission. Patients who presented with open fractures or those treated with conservative management were excluded from the study. The fracture diagnosis was confirmed on radiographs. All other relevant baseline investigations were also performed before surgery, per protocol, and urine-detailed and cultured reports were followed. In addition, each patient was asked about common symptoms of UTI before surgery and then diagnosed with UTI on positive urine culture and sensitivity (CS).

RESULTS

Out of 186 hip fracture patients, 98 (52.7%) were males and 88 (47.3%) were females, with a mean age of 61.03 ± 16.43 (16-96) years. Pre-operative UTI symptoms were reported by 79 patients, including dysuria (16; 20.3%), polyuria (19; 24.0%), and burning (44; 55.7%). UTI was diagnosed on culture and sensitivity report in 65 (34.9%) patients with Escherichia coli as commonly diagnosed bacteria 35 (53.8%), followed by Enterococcus 8 (12.4%), Klebsiella 7 (10.9%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa 3 (4.7%), and Acinetobacter 2 (3.1%) patients. E. coli was sensitive to amikacin, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, ampicillin, cefixime, ceftriaxone, cefuroxime, ciprofloxacin, colistin, cotrimoxazole, fosfomycin, gentamycin, levofloxacin, meropenem, nitrofurantoin, polymyxin B, and piperacillin-tazobactam.

CONCLUSION

Urinary tract infection is common in patients undergoing orthopedic implant fixation for hip fractures, which can lead to potentially serious outcomes. Overall, hygiene, prompt treatment, and standard protocol should be utilized to treat those infected and minimize the spread.

Outcomes of Osteosynthesis Versus Hemiarthroplasty in Elderly Patients With Arbeitsgemeinschaft Fur Osteosynthesefragen-Orthopedic Trauma Association (AO-OTA) 31A2 Hip Fractures

Background Intertrochanteric femur fractures account for more than half of the cases of hip fractures. These injuries are among the most common fractures in elderly individuals. Elderly patients suffer from other comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus or hypertension and are prone to low surgical tolerance with increased postoperative morbidity and mortality. Although the ideal choice of treatment for intertrochanteric femur fractures in the elderly remains debatable, the use of hemiarthroplasty in elderly patients provides an early mobilization and decreased postoperative morbidity. In this study, we aimed to assess the functional outcomes of bipolar hemiarthroplasty and osteosynthesis in Arbeitsgemeinschaft Fur Osteosynthesefragen-Orthopedic Trauma Association (AO-OTA) 31A2 hip fractures using the Harris Hip Score. Methodology A total of 60 elderly patients with AO/OTA 31A2 hip fractures were divided into two groups and treated with bipolar hemiarthroplasty and osteosynthesis using proximal femoral nail (PFN). Functional scores were assessed at two months, four months, and six months postoperatively using the Harris Hip Score. Results The mean age of the patients was 73.03 ± 7.57 years in the study. The majority of the patients were females, 38 (63.33%), with 18 females in the osteosynthesis group and 20 females in the hemiarthroplasty group. The average operative time was 144.93 ± 9.76 minutes in the hemiarthroplasty group and 86.07 ± 11 minutes in the osteosynthesis group. Blood loss was 263.67 ± 42.95 mL in the hemiarthroplasty group and 84.5 ± 15.05 mL in the osteosynthesis group. The average Harris Hip Score at two months, four months, and six months was 64.77 ± 4.33, 72.67 ± 3.54, and 79.72 ± 2.53, respectively, for the hemiarthroplasty group and 57.83 ± 2.83, 64.13 ± 3.89, and 72.83± 3.89, respectively, for the osteosynthesis group (p < 0.001 for all follow-up scores). One death was encountered in the hemiarthroplasty group. Other complications included superficial infection noted in two (6.67%) patients in both groups. There was one episode of hip dislocation in the hemiarthroplasty group. Conclusions The use of bipolar hemiarthroplasty in intertrochanteric femur fractures in elderly patients can prove to be better in comparison to osteosynthesis, but the use of osteosynthesis can be effective for patients who cannot tolerate major blood loss and longer surgical times.

Comparing Intramedullary Nails Versus Dynamic Hip Screws in the Treatment of Intertrochanteric Hip Fractures on Post-operative Rehabilitation Outcomes:A Systematic Review Protocol

Background: Intertrochanteric hip fractures are treated by fixation with either an intramedullary (IM) Nail or Dynamic Hip Screw (DHS). It is unknown whether one surgery type has better post-operative rehabilitative outcomes for the hip fracture population. This systematic review aims to compare post-operative rehabilitation outcomes of intertrochanteric hip fractures treated via IM Nails versus DHS. Methods: We will conduct a systematic review following the Cochrane Handbook and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) format. A search strategy will be developed, and the following databases will be searched: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. Two reviewers will perform a two-step screening process and data extraction of included studies. Any disagreement will be resolved with a discussion or a third reviewer. Risk of bias and the quality of the studies will also be assessed. A narrative synthesis will be used for the data analysis. Conclusion: This systematic review will provide evidence for orthopaedic surgeons and rehabilitation clinicians to further improve patient rehabilitation outcomes post-hip fracture surgery.

Comparison of intramedullary fixation and arthroplasty for the treatment of intertrochanteric hip fractures in the elderly: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

More and more studies conduct to compare intramedullary fixation (IMF) with arthroplasty in treating intertrochanteric hip fractures, but it remains controversy. The aim of this meta-analysis was to find out whether IMF or arthroplasty was more appropriate for treating intertrochanteric hip fractures in elderly patients.

METHODS

Relevant studies were searched in the electronic databases of PubMed, Embase, and The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from January 1980 to September 2016 with English language restriction. Surgical information and postoperative outcomes were analyzed using RevMan 5.3 version.

RESULTS

A total of 1239 patients from 11 studies which satisfied the eligibility criteria were included. Compared with IMF, the use of arthroplasty reduced implant-related complications (odds ratio [OR]: 2.05, P = .02) and reoperation rate (OR: 7.06, P < .001), and had similar length of hospital stay (weighted mean difference [WMD]: -0.41, P = .63). However, IMF reduced blood loss (WMD: -375.01, P = .001) and transfusion requirement (OR: 0.07, P < .001), shorter operation time (WMD: -18.92, P = .010), higher Harris hip score (WMD: 4.19, P < .001), and lower rate of 1-year mortality (OR: 0.67, P = .02) compared with arthroplasty.

CONCLUSION

The main treatment of intertrochanteric hip fractures is internal fixation using IMF. In the absence of concrete evidence, arthroplasty should be undertaken with caution in carefully selected patient and surgeon should be aware of the increased complexity of doing the arthroplasty in these elderly patients. Further high-quality randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are needed to provide robust evidence and evaluate the treatment options.