Augusto Sarmiento – författare

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.

The purpose of this book is to report on my 17 years of experience in the development and implementation of a closed functional method of treatment of certain fractures of long bones of the appendicular skeleton. My personal experiences, clinical results, and the basic concepts underlying the treatment philosophy are reported. Illustrations demonstrating the techniques of application of functional casts and braces are presented in detail as well as a step-by-step description of the management regime and a discussion of the behavior of fractures under this system. Indications and contraindications for the use of this method of treatment are clearly outlined. I consider it important to compile this information for I believe that the system has withstood the test of time and is sufficiently sound to be incorporated in the armamentarium of the orthopaedic surgeon. Also, it may have a favorable socioeconomic impact since it offers a viable alternative in the treatment of frac­ tures.

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.

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.