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Infected nonunion of long bones may require intravenous antibiotics over a lengthy period which may result in a high rate of complications. This study aims to assess the efficacy of local antibiotics used as a replacement to prolonged intravenous therapy. Thirteen patients with infected nonunion of long bones who failed at least one previous surgery were included. The infection was treated through extensive debridement, application of antibiotic-impregnated calcium sulphate pellets and the bone stabilized with external fixation. These patients were monitored for union and infection by clinical signs, laboratory values, and radiographs over a period of 24 months. The results support an eradication of infection and union in all patients with no antibiotic-associated complications. Local antibiotic delivery using calcium sulphate pellets provides an effective method for treatment of nonunion in long bones and is free of the complications from the intravenous route.

Introduction: Current mortality predictive tools, in the setting of completed or impending pathologic fractures, are nonspecific. Clinical decision making and mortality prediction in research would benefit from creation of a high-fidelity scoring system for calculating the risk of 30-day postoperative mortality. The purpose of this study is to develop a validated research and clinical tool that is superior to existing methods in estimating postoperative mortality risk after fixation of pathologic fractures.Methods: One thousand two hundred nineteen patients who underwent fixation for either completed or impending pathologic fractures in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (2012 to 2018) database were analyzed. Multivariable logistic regression with diagnostics was used to develop a predictive model in a derivation cohort and then validated in a validation cohort. Area under the curve (AUC) from receiver operator curve analysis was used to assess accuracy. A score was derived and compared with the American Society of Anesthesiologists classification and modified five-component frailty index (mF-I5). The score was validated in an exclusive cohort of patients who underwent fixation for pathologic fractures at a tertiary care center.Results: Of 1,219, a total of 177 (15%) patients did not survive beyond 30 days postoperatively. AUC for our predictive model was 0.76 in the derivation and 0.75 in the validation National Surgical Quality Improvement Program cohorts. The derived Pathologic Fracture Morbidity Index included seven data points: anemia, alkaline phosphatase . 150 U/L, albumin , 3.5 mg/dL, pulmonary disease, recent weight loss, functional dependence, and white blood cell count .12,000. The PFMI (AUC = 0.75) was more accurate than ASA (AUC = 0.60) or mF-5 (AUC = 0.58) (P , 0.01). The AUC for PFMI in predicting 30-day mortality in the exclusive cohort (N = 39) was 0.74.