A newbie looking for a good place to get pointers.

[Prometheus]

Hi i'm new in this forum.. anyway i can get tech tips, discuss ortho surgeries?

For example, i'll be doing a supracondylar nail from synthes tommorow.. Its a new system for me... any tips?

Anywhere we can discuss xrays and cases?

[OrthoDoc]

The only tip I have is to make sure you tie a suture around the proximal interlock screw so you don't lose it in the soft tissue when you're putting it in. Of course, you need to always ask yourself: Is it worth it to go through the knee? Can this case be done with an antegrade nail, etc....?

[BoneBlaster]

Or you could just use the Trigen Knee Nail with the capture device built into the screwdriver (so you never lose a screw in soft tissue!). Personally, I don't think that there is an easier system to use than the Trigen for IM nails.

[Prometheus]

and i thought i was the only oe who tied the absorbable suture around the endcap and screws. I usually only do it in obese patients though.

This is a supracondylar fracture with a long butterfly fragment.. we could have done a long condylar butress plate but the incision would be enormous. A MIPO surgery would have been good, but we lack expertise and also the implant. Large incisions also usually result in poor rehabilitation. We decided doe a patella splitting incision with a mathys solid retrograde nail. Long nail, we did ap locking at the level of lesser trochanter.

I had previously done a short cannulated zimmer nail, but the jig was extremely maleable, leading to difficul guided locking.. It iwas really difficult to freehand lock, and now i have all but given up on the zimmer retrigrade shortnail system

Anyway,, someone else stole the operation.. i was on call and someone else did the case instead as it was an elective case.

I did get to do another interesting case though, which i will start another topic