ObjectiveTo evaluate the results and benefits obtained from the topical use of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) in patients with infected wounds.MethodsThis was a retrospective study of 20 patients (17 males and three females, mean age 42 years) with infected wounds treated using NPWT. The infected wounds were caused by trauma. The treatment system used was VAC.® (Vacuum Assisted Closure, KCI, San Antonio, United States) applied to the wound in continuous mode from 100 to 125 mmHg. The parameters related to the wounds (location, number of VAC changes, the size of the defects in the soft parts, and the evolution of the state of the wound), length of hospital stay, length of intravenous antibiotic therapy, and complications related to the use of this therapy were evaluated.ResultsThe mean length of the hospital stay, use of NPWT, and antibacterial therapy were 41 days, 22.5 days, and 20 days respectively. The use of the VAC led to a mean reduction of 29% in the wound area (95.65–68.1 cm2; p < 0.05). Only one patient did not show any improvement in the final appearance of the wound with complete eradication of the infection. No complication directly caused by NPWT was observed.ConclusionNPWT stimulates infection-free scar tissue formation in a short time, and is a quick and comfortable alternative to conventional infected wounds treatment methods.

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Objective: To examine the impact of residual pain on functional outcomes two years after arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction and compare the types of graft used during the procedure (patellar vs. flexor). Method: A retrospective epidemiological study on 129 ACL reconstructions with a mean follow-up of 28 months was conducted. The presence, intensity and location of the anterior pain were investigated. Pain provocation tests were conducted, sensitivity was analyzed and functional scores were applied (IKDC, femoropatellar and SF-36), comparing the results with the type of graft used. Results: Anterior pain was present in 28% of patients with a mean intensity of 2.9 in 10. When pain was present, the functional scores decreased significantly. Abnormalities of knee sensitivity and gait occurred frequently with use of the patellar tendon, but there was no statistical difference regarding the presence of pain. Conclusion: The presence of anterior pain in ACL reconstructions, even if minimal, has a deleterious effect on the final outcome over the medium term. Because of the influence of graft harvesting on the presence of abnormalities of knee sensitivity and gait, choosing the graft should take into account the patient's professional and sports activities.

Objective The research examined Brazilian orthopedists’ degree of knowledge of the World Health Organization Surgical Safety Checklist. Methods A voluntary survey was conducted among the 3231 orthopedists taking part in the 44th Brazilian Congress of Orthopedics and Traumatology in November 2012, using a questionnaire on the use of WHO Surgical Safety Checklist. A statistical analysis was done upon receipt of 502 completed questionnaires. Results Among the 502 orthopedists, 40.8% reported the experience of wrong site or wrong patient surgery and 25.6% of them indicated “miscommunication” as the main cause for the error. 35.5% of the respondents do not mark the surgical site before sending the patient to the operating room and 65.3% reported lack of knowledge of the World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist, fully or partially. 72.1% of the orthopedists have never been trained to use this protocol. Discussion Medical errors are more common in the surgical environment and represent a high risk to patient safety. Orthopedic surgery is a high volume specialty with major technical complexity and therefore with increased propensity for errors. Most errors are avoidable through the use of the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist. The study showed that 65.3% of Brazilian orthopedists are unaware of this protocol, despite the efforts of WHO for its disclosure.