There is no evidence surrounding the benefits, effects or clinical outcomes treating asymptomatic urinary tract colonisation. A series of 558 patients undergoing elective admission for orthopaedic surgery were recruited prior to surgery and were screened for urinary tract infection (UTI). Patients had their urine dipstick tested and positive samples were sent for culture and microscopy. Patients with a positive urine culture were treated with antibiotics prior to surgery; 85% of dipsticks tested were positive, while only 7% of the urine samples were culture positive. Over 36% of patients with a pre-operative UTI show some form of postoperative delayed wound healing or confirmed infection versus 16% in the other subgroup giving a relative risk of wound complications of 2:1 (p<0.02). We have established that patients who present to pre-admission with urinary tract colonisation are a high risk subgroup for wound infection post-operatively.Résumé L'analyse d'urine est une pratique pré-opératoire habituelle en chirurgie orthopédique. Il n'y a pas d'évi-dence à traiter, a priori, les infections du tractus urinaires.Méthode: une série de 558 patients admis en chirurgie orthopédique et hospitalisés avant une intervention chirurgicale ont bénéficié d'une analyse urinaire systématique. Les patients présentant des tests positifs ont bénéficié par ailleurs d'une culture et d'un examen au microscope. Les patients présentant des cultures urinaires positives (plus de 105 colonies par mml) ont été traités par antibiotiques avant l'intervention chirurgicale. Résultats: 85% des analyses étaient positives, 7% seulement présentaient des cultures positives. 36% des patients qui avaient une infection urinaire pré-opératoire ont montré, en post-opératoire des problèmes de cicatrisation ou d'infection, versus 16% dans l'autre sous-groupe ceci donnant, pour cet autre sousgroupe un risque relatif de complications profondes de 2/1 (p<0,02). En conclusion, les cultures d'urine en pré-opératoire doivent être poursuivies chez tous les patients devant bénéficier d'une chirurgie orthopédique d'autant que les patients qui présentaient à l'admission une infection du tractus urinaire étaient à haut risque de complications profondes en post-opératoire.

Both trapeziectomy and the ARPE CMCJ arthroplasty are effective treatment options for thumb CMCJ osteoarthritis. Arthroplasty may offer potential advantages in terms of post-operative function and patient satisfaction. However the risk of complications and requirement for further surgery is greater and must be carefully considered during patient selection and pre-operative counselling.

A prospective study was performed to assess the outcome of conservative treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome and to establish the predictive value of preoperative Boston carpal tunnel questionnaire scores. Sixty-seven patients with 101 symptomatic hands underwent an evidence-based education and conservative therapy regime prior to surgery. All patients were scored using the Boston carpal tunnel questionnaire at presentation and at 3 months. Fifty-eight of 67 patients completed both assessments providing a complete assessment of 89 symptomatic hands. The mean Boston carpal tunnel questionnaire scores improved significantly from 2.45 to 2.12 and throughout the duration of the study 73% of patients improved with conservative treatment and 14% did not require surgery. Severity scoring at presentation was predictive of outcome with conservative therapy. This work suggests that the Boston carpal tunnel questionnaire can be used to identify patients who are likely to respond to conservative treatment.

Thumb carpometacarpal joint (CMCJ) arthritis is a common and painful condition. Thumb CMCJ prosthetic replacement aims to restore thumb biomechanics and improve pain and function. Early reviews demonstrated a lack of high-quality studies, but more recently a significant number of higher-quality studies have been published. This review provides a concise and systematic overview of the evidence to date. A systematic review of several databases was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. Studies evaluating the outcomes of thumb CMCJ prosthetic total joint replacement were included. Data extracted included patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), pain scores, range of motion, strength, survival rates and complications. A total of 56 studies met all inclusion criteria and were analysed. There was one randomized controlled trial, three prospective comparative cohort studies, five retrospective comparative cohort studies, and 47 descriptive cohort studies. The reported studies included 2731 patients with 3048 thumb total CMCJ prosthetic joint replacements. Follow up ranged from 12 months to 13.1 years. In general, good results were demonstrated, with improvements in PROMs, pain scores and strength. Failure rates ranged from 2.6% to 19.9% depending upon implant studied. Comparative studies demonstrated promising results for replacement when compared to resection arthroplasty, with modest improvements in PROMs but at a cost of increased rates of complications. Studies reporting outcomes in thumb CMCJ prosthetic total joint replacement are increasing in both number and quality. Failure, in terms of loosening and dislocation, remains a concern, although in the medium-term follow up for modern implants this issue appears to be lower when compared to their predecessors. Functional outcomes also look promising compared to resection arthroplasty, but further high-quality studies utilizing a standardized resection arthroplasty technique and modern implants, together with standardized core outcome sets, will be of value. Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2021;6:316-330. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.6.200152

These results suggest that a standardized prestructured operative note proforma in trauma surgery is a useful tool in recording the operative data, thus helping to improve the medical care provided. It would also provide medicolegally sound evidence of a procedure when needed and so be more beneficial for the surgeon if routinely used. The authors recommend its regular use in different surgical specialties.