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A compartment syndrome is an increased tissue pressure within a closed osteofascial compartment. This compromises blood flow to the muscles and nerves within that compartment, which -if not treated adequately in an early stage-results in permanent tissue and nerve damage. It most frequently occurs in the lower leg, but can also occur elsewhere when muscles are enclosed in tight fascial compartments, such as the forearm and hand. In this report a patient is described who developed an acute compartment syndrome of the arm after a cable-wakeboard accident in which his arm was strangulated. Cable-wakeboarding is an extreme sport that has become very popular over the last years. Early recognition and treatment of an acute compartment syndrome is of extreme importance since in short term necrotic muscles can lead to severe irreversible complications. Accidents with cable-wakeboarding often occur during the start. This is caused by the strong forces that are on the cable during the start. Strangulation injuries of the arm can cause a compartment syndrome of the arm. Possibly a wet-suit or dry-suit offers some protection. However, the duration of strangulation determines much of the damage. Although diagnosis of a compartment syndrome can be difficult, a high index of suspicion combined with fast and adequate treatment with a fasciotomy improve outcome and prognosis.

Background. In the authors' experience re-epithelialization after successful debridement and granulation can be the most difficult part of the wound closure process. Extracellular matrix products represent a possible solution. However, in studies discussing the effectiveness of extracellular wound matrix (porcine-derived small intestine submucosa [SIS], [OASIS® Wound Matrix, Healthpoint Ltd, Fort Worth, Tex]), a long list of exclusion criteria has been presented. The present study was designed to explore the contraindications of OASIS Wound Matrix.In this study, 32 patients in whom the wounds were fully debrided and granulated were treated with weekly applications of the wound matrix. The exclusion criteria formulated in the reported literature were followed. Seven different outcomes were defined. Various patient and wound characteristics that might influence outcome were recorded.Beneficial outcomes were seen in 80.6 % (n = 25) of the patients. The two main complications seen were infection and hypergranulation tissue. Infection was seen in 7 patients (22.6%). Four patients (57.1%) had an unsuccessful outcome. Hypergranulation tissue occurred in another 7 patients (22.6%) after a couple of applications. They all had a beneficial outcome.Much of the exclusion criteria used in previous reports are too strict. Infection should be the only absolute contraindication for starting treatment with OASIS, and it is a good reason to discontinue treatment with an ECM. Hypergranulation tissue (22.6%) is an easily treatable complication that has no negative influence on outcome. Some wounds (77.4%) had no complications, or had easily treatable complications that did not negatively influence the outcome.

Success rates of Maggot Debridement Therapy (MDT) differ, but range from 70% to 80%. In this article it is argued that wound closure is not always feasible and is not always the aim of the treatment. A patient is described in whom the intent of MDT was not wound closure, but infection removal, reduction of odor, and eventually prevention of a below knee amputation. This succeeded: the pain was diminished, the odor reduced, and the wound showed signs of healing. Still the patient died. In maggot literature, as with other wound treatments, outcome is recorded as closed or as failed. In our opinion, MDT has other indications besides wound closure.

Scaphoid fractures are the most common carpal fractures; their overall incidence is however low. Missing a scaphoid fracture may lead to a non-union with a possible disastrous outcome for the patient; for this reason, treatment of a suspected scaphoid fracture, even without a proven fracture on the first radiograph, has been conservative with plaster treatment. There are many clinical tests developed to diagnose a scaphoid fracture. However not all tests are equally practical, and their sensitivity and specificity are not always known, or are very low. In this study 18 clinical tests were evaluated and a subset of 7 tests remained, which were found to be practical and/or had a high enough sensitivity. A clinical decision protocol was developed using a combination of these seven tests, in order to improve diagnostic accuracy and at the same time reduce unnecessary plaster cast treatment of patients with a suspected scaphoid, who turn out to only have a sprained wrist.

In an earlier study we have proposed a scaphoid decision-protocol in order to improve diagnostic accuracy in case of suspected scaphoid fractures. This pilot study evaluated this protocol. In this pilot study (n = 31) most cases with clinical suspicion of scaphoid fractures reached a positive test result on the combined 7 clinical tests (93.5%). Using this test combination, no scaphoid fractures were missed (no false-negatives; sensitivity 100%), but it also included many patients with no scaphoid fracture. Many of these, however, were found to have another fracture. In total, 48% had a scaphoid fracture, 19% another fracture and 32% no fracture. In the pilot study the proposed protocol seems to be a safe protocol, without missing scaphoid fractures. It leads to a reduction of unnecessary plaster casting of sprained wrists and produces a marked reduction in plain radiographic examinations.