Augusto Sarmiento – författare

This book covers the use of functional braces in the treatment of fractures. The authors' experience with functional bracing of several thousand fractures over the past 30 years clearly confirms the place and role of this treatment modality. Their experience, supported by extensive biomechanical and experimental animal research, indicates that the closed functional treatment of diaphyseal fractures of the tibia, humerus and ulna reliably produces satisfactory results in the majority of patients. The technology required for its implementation is uncomplicated. This reduces the cost of care significantly. An abundant number of representative clinical examples is used to illustrate the technique and to present scientific evaluation as well as clinical supportive data.

At the writing of this book, the United States is in the midst of an intense public debate concerning a widely perceived need for reform of the Health Care Delivery System. The reform is primarily aimed at the provision of medical insurance to a large segment of the population currently deprived of that coverage and to the reduction of the escalating costs of medical care. Solutions to the existing problems have been elusive because the causes of the dilemma are multifactorial, complex, and diffucult to identify clearly. There is, however, general consensus that the use and abuse of technology has played a major role in the growing costs of medical care. The importance of fracture care in the overall financing of the health care reform is significant, since injuries to the musculoskeletal system are responsible for a very large percentage of the general expenditures in this area. The cost is not limited to hospitalization and professional services, but also impacts the economy with tempo­ rary or permanent interruption of individual productivity.

This book discusses the balance between surgical and non surgical orthopaedic care. It begins with a section on general trauma and reconstructive hip surgery, and includes topics such as fractures, ligament injuries, dislocations and osteoarthritis. The following section examines a range of topics, from arthroscopy, MRI and CT scans, Ilizarov technique and infection in surgery, to non surgical issues such as litigation, podiatry and teaching. With more than 260 images and illustrations, this book is a comprehensive guide to both surgical and non surgical aspects of orthopaedics, for training and qualified surgeons.