Time and Travel Burden Associated with Hexapod-Assisted Correction of Lower Extremity Deformity
Journal Title: Journal of Orthopaedic Science and Research - Year 2023, Vol 4, Issue 2
Abstract
Background: Hexapod devices, colloquially referred to as frames, are powerful tools to correct lower extremity deformity. However, patients who undergo treatment with frames are followed closely to ensure that clinical and radiographic correction are satisfactory. Depending on the size of the state and the number of surgeons that offer frame treatment, patients may need to travel a long distance and frequently, to obtain care. We sought to characterize the number of clinical and surgical encounters, as well as the cumulative driving distance, for frame patients treated at a single academic health center. Methods: All patients treated with a hexapod frame for any etiology by three pediatric orthopaedic surgeons at a single children’s hospital over an 8-year period were investigated. Patients were queried for demographic data, number of non-surgical and surgical clinical encounters and number of days in the frame. Driving distance was calculated from the patients address to the academic health system address. Results: Thirteen patients qualified for inclusion (10 male, 3 female). Mean age at frame application was 14.6 years (range 4-31). Mean time in the frame was 150.5 days (range 90-207). Throughout the course of their frame treatment, patients had a mean of 16 non-surgical (range 5-26) encounters and a mean of 3 (range 2-6) surgical encounters. Mean one-way driving distance between the treating institution and the patient’s home was 77 miles (range 20-212 miles). When two way driving distance was multiplied by the total number of encounters for each patient, the mean distance driven was 2616 miles (range 862-7632 miles). Conclusion: In this cohort of patients with a lower extremity frame, there were on mean 16 non-surgical and 3 surgical encounters, with a mean driving distance during the treatment program of 2600 miles. When agreeing to undertake a hexapod-assisted program for lower extremity pathology, patients should be counseled about the temporal and financial nature of this strategy, so they are aware of the large commitment needed.
Authors and Affiliations
Sarah Bradley, Matthew A Dow, Sara Van Nortwick, Ryan McFadden, Robert F Murphy
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP717025
- DOI https://doi.org/10.46889/JOSR.2023.4204
- Views 67
- Downloads 0
Radiation-Induced Bilateral Hip Osteonecrosis and Acetabular Fractures
The case report talks about the surgical treatment of bilateral hip osteonecrosis after radiotherapy. The literature is poor on the subject even if a cause-effect correlation is described between radiotherapy and bone ne...
Operative Treatment of Peritrochanteric Osteoporotic Fractures with Proximal Femur Locking Compression Plate: A Consecutive Study
Advances in modern medical science have increased life expectancy and the incidence of peritrochanteric fractures. Conventional implants such as sliding hip screws and angular blade plates can be used to effectively trea...
Electromagnetic Fields (Including Microwaves) Can Lower the Immune Response and Even Change The DNA
This article was written to draw attention to the experimentally found facts that external electromagnetic fields (like microwaves) can not only lower the immune response; it can even change the type of species. This is...
Relationship Between Nurses' Practices Regarding Fall Prevention among Elderly Women and Their personal Characteristics
Background: According to recent research conducted internationally, the reported rate of falls among older adults varies from 4% to 35% and rises progressively with age. Aim of Study: assess relationship between nurse...
Top Major Traumas in Benghazi
This work is done to study different aspects of the topic; in any case, during our assortment and investigation of the information, we observed the presence of other shocking issues sharing largely the road traffic acc...