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Many different surgical techniques have been used to treat unstable dorsal proximal interphalangeal joint fracture-dislocations. The authors have used the base of the middle phalanx of the second toe base as an alternative autograft to treat this type of injury. This retrospective study assessed the clinical outcomes of this procedure in 11 patients. Range of motion, grip strength, Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score and donor site morbidity were assessed at regular intervals postoperatively. Nine patients had acute injuries and two had chronic injuries. The mean range of motion in the proximal interphalangeal joint at final review was 65° for patients with acute injuries and 41° for patients with chronic injuries. Other outcomes were satisfactory and there were no complications. Level of evidence: IV

Surgical drain tube readings can influence the clinical management of the post-operative patient. The accuracy of these readings has not been documented in the current literature and this experimental study aims to address this paucity.Aliquots (10, 25, 40 and 90 mL) of black tea solution prepared to mimic haemoserous fluid were injected into UnoVac, RedoVac and Jackson-Pratt drain tubes. Nursing and medical staff from a tertiary hospital were asked to estimate drain volumes by direct observation; analysis of variance was performed on the results and significance level was set at 0.05.Doctors and nurses are equally accurate in estimating drain tube volumes. Jackson-Pratt systems were found to be the most accurate for intermediate volumes of 25 and 40 mL. For extreme of volumes (both high and low), all drainage systems were inaccurate.This study suggests that for intermediate volumes (25 and 40 mL), Jackson-Pratt is the drainage system of choice. The accuracy of volume measurement is diminished at the extremes of drain volumes; emptying of drainage systems is recommended to avoid overfilling of drainage systems.