Orthopaedics Flashcards
How long do joint replacements typically last?
10-15 years
What are some of the different types of joint replacement?
- Total-> both articular surfaces
- Hemiarthroplasty
- Partial joint resurfacing-> only part of surface
What are some of the indications for joint replacement?
- Severe OA
- Fractures
- Sepsis
- Osteonecrosis
- Tumours
- RA
How is a total hip replacement performed?
- Head of femur removed + metal/ceramic replacement in with cement or pushed in
- Acetabulum hollowed + replaced by metal with cement or screw
- Spacer between new joint
How is a total knee replacement performed?
- Vertical anterior incision
- Patella rotated out of way
- Articular surfaces, femur + tibia removed
- New metal surface in with cement or by pushing
- Spacer between
How is a total shoulder replacement performed?
- Anterior incision along deltoid + dislocated
- Head of humerus replaced-> metal ball, stem or screws
- Glenoid replaced
- May do reverse-> sphere where glenoid + spacer with cup for humerus
What should be done before total joint replacements?
- Bloods-> include G+S and crossmatch
- Scans
- VTE prophylaxis
- Fasting
What may be done/given during total joint replacements?
- GA or spinal
- Prophylactic antibiotics
- May give tranexamic acid-> minimise blood loss
What may be done after total joint replacements (post op care)?
- Analgesia
- Post op imaging + bloods (eg anaemia)
- VTE prophylaxis
What usually causes joint replacement infection?
- Staph aureus
- More common in revision surgery
What are the risk factors for developing joint replacement infection?
- Prolonged operation
- Obesity
- Diabetes
What are the symptoms of joint replacement infection?
Fever, pain, swelling, erythema, warm
How is joint replacement infection diagnosed?
- Clinically
- X ray
- Bloods
- Cultures-> blood +/- synovial
How is joint replacement infection managed?
- Repeat surgery-> irrigation, debridement, replacement
- Antibiotics
What is a compound fracture?
Skin broken + fracture exposed to air
What is a stable fracture?
Bone sections are in alignment in the fracture
What is a pathological fracture?
Fracture due to abnormality in the bone-> tumour, osteoporosis, Paget’s
What are the different types of fracture?
- Transverse
- Oblique
- Spiral
- Segmental
- Comminuted-> multiple
- Compression-> vertebral spine
- Greenstick
- Buckle-> torus
- Salter-Harris-> growth plate
What is a Colle’s fracture?
- transverse distal radius fracture
- causes ‘dinner fork deformity’ as distal radius displaces posteriorly
What causes a scaphoid fracture?
Fall on outstretched hand
What is a key sign of a scaphoid fracture>
Tender anatomical snuffbox
Why can scaphoid fractures be difficult to heal?
- Retrograde blood supply ie from only 1 directed
- Fracture-> cut off supply
- Avascular necrosis + non-union
What fractures can be obtained in the ankle?
- Lateral malleolus-> distal fibula
- Medial malleolus-> distal tibia
What is the Weber classification system?
- For lateral malleolus fractures
- In relation to syndesmosis (fibrous joint) between tibia + fibula
- More likely to need surgery if disrupted-> affects stability + function
What are the different types of ankle fracture?
- Weber type A-> below ankle + leaves syndesmosis intact
- Weber type B-> at level of joint so syndesmosis intact or partially torn
- Weber type C-> above joint to syndesmosis interrupted
What happens with a pelvic ring fracture?
If fracture in one place will cause fracture elsewhere
What are the risks with a pelvic ring fracture?
Intra-abdominal bleeding from vascular injury or cancellous bone-> shock + death
What cancers commonly cause pathological fractures?
PoRTaBLe
- Prostate
- Renal
- Thyroid
- Breast
- Lung
How can fragility be assessed?
- History + exam
- FRAX score-> risk of fragility fracture over next 10 years
- DEXA scan + T score-> for bone mineral density
What are the side effects of bisphosphonates?
Reflux + oeseophageal erosions, atypical fractures, osteonecrosis of the jaw, external auditory canal problems
Why is it important to get 2 images when taking an X-ray for suspected fracture?
Because it’s easy to miss things if just one is taken
How are fractures managed?
- Mechanical realignment
- Closed reduction-> manipulation
- Surgery
- Fix bone-> external cast, K wires, intramedullary nails or wires, screws, plates + screws
- May need trauma meeting + plan if complex
What are the immediate complications of fractures?
Damage to structures, haemorrhage, compartment syndrome, fat embolism, VTE
What are the long-term complications of fractures?
Delayed union, malunion, non-union, avascular necrosis, infection, instability, stiffness, contractures, arthritis, pain
When do fat embolisms usually occur?
24-72 hours after long bone fracture
What is fat embolism?
Globule released into circulation + gets lodged in BVs-> obstruction
How can fat embolism be prevented?
Early operation to fix fractures
How are fat embolisms managed?
- Supportive
- Monitor for multi-organ failure
What is Gurd’s criteria?
For diagnosis of fat embolism
- Major-> respiratory distress, petechial rash, cerebral involvement
- Minor-> jaundice, thrombocytopaenia, fever, tachycardia
What are the major risk factors for NOF#?
Older, osteoporosis, female
When should surgery be performed in NOF#?
Within 48 hours
What is the 30 day mortality for NOF#?
5-10%
What is the anatomy of the hip joint?
- Femur (head + neck)
- Greater trochanter (lateral)
- Lesser trochanter (medial)
- Intertrochanteric line
- Shaft
- Capsule-> fibrous + attaches to rim of acetabulum + IT line
What is the blood supply to the head of the femur?
- Medial + lateral circumflex femoral arteries
- Join neck proximal to intertrochanteric line
When can avascular necrosis of the femoral head occur?
Intra-capsular NOF#-> damage + remove blood supply
What is an intracapsular NOF#?
Break in NOF within hip joint capsule-> proximal to intertrochanteric line
What is the Garden classification system?
For intracapsular NOF#
- Grade I-> incomplete fracture + non displaced
- II-> complete + non-displaced
- III-> partially displaced
- IV-> fully displaced
What is a non-displaced intracapsular NOF# and how should it be managed?
- May have intact blood supply
- Internal fixation
What is a displaced intracapsular NOF# and how should it be managed?
- Blood supply disrupted
- Head of femur needs removing + replacing
When is hemi-arthroplasty performed?
More risky patients-> co-morbidities or limited mobility
When is total hip replacement performed?
Patient is able to walk independently + is fit for surgery
What is extra-capsular NOF# and how is it managed?
- Distal to intertrochanteric line
- Blood supply intact
- Don’t need head of femur replacement
What is intertrochanteric NOF# and how is it managed?
- Between lesser + greater trochanters
- Dynamic hip screw-> through head + neck with plate and barrel to outside shaft
What is sub-trochanteric NOF# and how is it managed?
- Distal to lesser trochanter (within 5cm)
- Intramedullary nail
How does NOF# usually present?
- Often 60+ and after fall
- Pain in groin/hip + can radiate to knee
- Unable to weight bear
- Shortened + abducted + externally rotated leg
How is NOF# investigated?
- AP + lateral X ray views
- Shenton’s line on AP hip disrupted-> curving line formed by medial border of femoral neck
- CT/MRI when -ve X ray but suspect
When should patients mobilise after surgery to fix NOF#?
Immediately-> allow mobilisation + rehabilitation
What is compartment syndrome?
- Increased pressure in fascia compartment
- Cut off blood flow to compartment
- Muscles, nerves + BVs surrounded by fascia (fibrous connective tissue sheet)
What causes acute compartment syndrome?
Acute injury-> bleeding + tissue swelling
How does acute compartment syndrome present?
- Legs, forearm, feet, thigh, buttocks
- 5P’s-> pain, paraesthesia, pale, high pressure, paralysis (late)
- Pain disproportional + worsened by passive muscle stretches
How can you tell the difference between acute compartment syndrome and limb ischaemia?
- Disproportionate pain
- Not pulseless
How is acute compartment syndrome managed?
- Orthopaedic emergency
- Manometry to measure pressure
- Escalate, remove dressings, elevate leg to heart
- Emergency fasciotomy-> within 6 hours
- Debride any necrotic tissue-> few times over few days
What causes chronic compartment syndrome?
Exertion-> pressure rise-> blood flow restricted-> symptoms + resolved at rest
What are the symptoms of chronic compartment syndrome?
Pain, numb + paraesthesia on exertion
How is chronic compartment syndrome managed?
- Not emergency
- Needle manometry
- Fasciotomy
What bacteria usually causes osteomyelitis?
Staph aureus infection
What causes osteomyelitis?
- Inflammation of bone + marrow
- Haematogenous-> pathogen in blood seeds in bone
- Direct contamination-> fracture or operation
- Can be acute or chronic
What are the risk factors for osteomyelitis?
Open fracture, operations, diabetes, ulcers, PAD, IVDU, immunosuppression
How does osteomyelitis present?
Fever, pain, tenderness, erythema, swelling, systemic symptoms
How is osteomyelitis investigated?
- MRI best
- Bloods-> inflammatory
- Cultures of blood + bone
- X-ray-> periosteal reaction (change to surface), localised osteopenia, destruction
How is acute osteomyelitis managed?
- Surgical debridement
- 6 weeks of flucloxacillin-> may + rifampicin or fusidic acid in 1st 2 weeks
- If prosthetic-> may need revision surgery
How is chronic osteomyelitis managed?
- Surgical debridement
- 3+ months of antibiotics
- If prosthetic-> may need revision surgery
What is osteosarcoma?
A common bone cancer
What is chondrosarcoma?
Cartilage cancer
What is Ewing sarcoma?
Bone + soft tissue cancer that presents mostly in kids
What is rhabdomyosarcoma?
Skeletal muscle cancer
What is sarcoma?
Connective tissue cancer
What is leiomyosarcoma?
Smooth muscle cancer
What is liposarcoma?
Adipose/fat tissue cancer
What is synovial sarcoma?
Cancer of soft tissues around joints
What is angiosarcoma?
Cancer of blood or lymph vessels
What is Kaposi’s sarcoma?
- Red/purple raised skin lesions
- Due to HHV 8
- Often in end stage HIV
How does sarcoma present?
- Growing, painful, large lump
- Swelling and persistent pain
How is sarcoma investigated?
- X ray for bony lumps
- US for soft tissue lumps
- CT/MRI-> more detail + look for mets (esp lungs)
- Biopsy + histology
- Staging-> TNM or grade 1-4
How is sarcoma managed?
- MDT + specialist centres
- Surgery
- Radiotherapy
- Chemo
- Palliative
When should acute back pain improve?
Within 1-2 weeks
When should sciatica improve?
In 4-6 weeks
What are the causes of mechanical back pain?
- Muscle/ligament sprain
- Facet joint dysfunction
- SIJ dysfunction
- Herniated disc
- Spondylolisthesis-> anterior displacement of vertebrae
- Scoliosis
- Degenerative change
What are the potential causes of neck pain?
- Muscle/ligament strain
- Torticollis-> unilateral stiffness + pain due to spasms
- Whiplash
- Cervical spondylosis-> degenerative change
What are the red flag/serious causes of back pain?
- Spinal fracture
- Spinal infection
- Cauda equina
- Spinal stenosis
- Ankylosing spondylitis-> eg age <40 with morning stiffness
- Cancer
How does back pain in ankylosing spondylitis present?
Stiff in the morning or rest, age <40, gradual onset, night pain
How does back pain in cancer present?
Gradual, night pain, weight loss, local tenderness, age 50+ usually
How does cauda equina present?
- Bilateral symptoms, saddle anaesthesia, urinary retention, incontinence, reduced anal tone on PR, back pain
- LMN signs-> reduced tone + reflexes
How does back pain in infection present?
Local tenderness, IVDU, fever
How is back pain investigated?
- Clinical
- STaRT Back screening tool
- Xrays + CT-> fractures
- Emergency MRI in suspected cauda equina
- Ankylosing spondylitis-> inflammatory markers, XR, MRI