Biomedical subjects

K W Bramlett

Publications and source records attributed to K W Bramlett.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1990

Capitello-Condylar total elbow arthroplasty for rheumatoid arthritis.

Twenty-one total elbow arthroplasties using the Capitello-Condylar design of Ewald were performed at the Denver Orthopedic Clinic from 1977 to 1986. Indications for operation included intractable pain unrelieved by medical therapy as well as late state III or IV rheumatoid arthritis. The average total elbow score at 48 months after operation was 89.5 points, including excellent pain and function ratings. Modest gains in motion occurred with lesser gains in patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis than those of the adult variety. Forty percent of the elbows suffered some type of complication although most are successfully manageable. There was one clinical failure due to deep infection in a renal deficient patient.

Adult↗

PubMed1987

Improved treatment of femoral shaft fractures in children. The "pontoon" 90-90 spica cast.

In the past 15 to 20 years, little improvement has been made in the standard treatment of femur fractures in children. Children younger than two years of age or weighing less than 30 pounds are normally treated with skin traction or immobilized in a plaster cast or both. Older or heavier children are often treated with skeletal traction, followed by early or late application of spica cast in the neutral position. A method of spica cast treatment that immobilizes the limb in the 90-90 position using a reinforced cast incorporating a distal femoral traction pin--the pontoon spica--allows for early cast application and discharge from the hospital and encourages early motion of the knee joint. A series of 23 femur fractures in 21 patients were treated with this method. This series is compared with a series of 38 fractures treated with conventional methods. The follow-up period ranged from three to 24 months. The pontoon method provided better results in control of alignment than the conventional method, with no greater discrepancy in leg lengths than generally observed after skin traction and hip spica casts. The average hospital cost reduction was 73%, or approximately $13,334. There were no major complications with the pontoon method, which is now a standard treatment for femoral fractures in children.

Casts, Surgical↗

PubMed1987

Transient osteoporosis.

Six hips in four patients with hip pain, limited range of motion, no antecedent trauma, and normal laboratory studies demonstrated roentgenographic evidence of periarticular osteoporosis. The subchondral cortex was attenuated. There was little or no cartilage loss. The preliminary diagnosis was transient osteoporosis (migratory osteolysis, regional osteoporosis). This problem is most frequently seen in the hip joint in two population groups: men near 40 and women in the third trimester of pregnancy. Other joints may be involved and the process may regress in one joint but recur in another. Diagnosis is based on typical clinical and roentgenographic observations including an aspiration of sterile joint fluid. Radioisotope scanning may be helpful. Bone or synovial biopsy sampling is not necessary. Proper management requires accurate diagnosis and conservative treatment of a cooperative patient. Pain may persist for six months or longer. Treatment consists of analgesics, protection against stress fractures, and physical therapy for prevention of contractures.

Adult↗