Patna : Fracture cases down 30% after prohibition, say doctors

PATNA: Orthopaedics in the state capital believe fracture cases have reduced by almost 30% in the city after prohibition.

Talking to reporters at ‘GOFCON’, an orthopaedics’ conference organised by the Global Orthopaedic Forum under the aegis of Bihar Orthopaedic Association, joint organising secretary Dr Ramit Gunjan said on Saturday the number of polytraumatic cases had reduced and cases of mostly isolated fractures were being reported.

Dr Gunjan underlined the need for awareness among the masses about the importance of medical intervention for every bone-related injury. “Out of 100 cases of fractures, nearly 20% are neglected. The patient commonly visits a doctor only after visiting a ‘bone-setter’. This complicates the case,” he said and added the patient in such cases loses more blood at the time of surgical intervention.

Fractures, if neglected in elderly patients, may cause mortality. Even in paediatric cases where children are believed to be oestrogenic, it is always advisable to visit an orthopaedic. “If trauma to the bone in young ones is neglected, it may lead to deformity,” Dr Gunjan cautioned.

Speaking at the conference, Dr John Mukhopadhayay said arthroplasty in elderly patients was a risky procedure due to the poor quality of bone in such patients. In such cases, osteosynthesis (a surgical procedure where the bone is fixed using metal implants) was better than bone replacement surgery, he added.

Although replacement surgery, Dr Mukhopadhayay said, means that the patient will be up and about sooner than in osteosynthesis, there are complications such as greater exposure during operation and more blood loss which lead to more morbidity among the elderly patients. In osteosynthesis the patient may have to wait for three months, but the procedure is not only cost effective but has fewer chances of morbidity.

At least 600 orthopaedics from all over the country are attending the two-day conference that opened on Saturday. It was also attended by organising chairman Dr R N Singh and organising secretary Dr Amulya K Singh.