Hani S. Shakhatreh MD
Background: Proximal femur fractures represent a challenging medical problem worldwide. In recent years numerous reports have documented. a progressive increase in the incidence of hip fractures. In Jordan, this problem has not received sufficient attention, and to my knowledge, this is the first study to address the problem.
Objective: To analyze the predisposing factors involved in the occurrence of proximal femur fractures seen at a major medical center in Jordan.
Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducts of all patient admitted with hip fractures to King Hussein Hospital and the Royal Jordanian Rehabilitation Center at the King Hussein Medical Center over a 2 year period (1 January 1995 to 31 December 1996). We determined the associated chronic diseases and medications, mechanisms of injury, types of fractures and other circumstances in order to suggest preventive measures to decrease the incidence of this clinical problem.
Results: We identified 216 cases of fracture: 43% occurred in people over the age of 80 years, 95% were due to low energy injuries (falls), and 69.5% occurred in females. Two or more co-morbid medical conditions were present in 70% of the cases.
Conclusion: Since fractures of the hip in the study population in Jordan occurred predominantly as low energy injuries in the elderly, preventive measures should focus on fall avoidance.
Petri T. Kovanen, MD, PhD and Matti Manttari, MD, FESC
Eran E. Weinmann, MD and Arie Bass, MD
Patrick Sorkine, MD, Ron Ben Abraham, MD, Shlomo Brill, MD and Oded Szold, MD
In recent years liver transplantation was shown to be the only clinically effective method of treating acute or chronic hepatic failure due to various causes. However, this ultimate therapeutic approach is limited by the growing disparity between organ donation and the number of patient on the waiting list.
Factors such as high cost, morbidity, and the need for lifelong immunosuppression accelerated the research on alternative methods to support the failing liver. Recently, new technologies incorporating hepatocytes and extracorporal circulation devices were introduced for liver support systems and their role in the treatment of acute liver failure.
Rasmi Magadle, MD, Paltiel Weiner, MD, Alexander Sotzkover, MD and Noa Berar-Yanay, MD
Robert Slater, DPM Yoram Ramot, MD and Micha Rapoport, MD
Ofer Levy, MD, Marcel Topilski, MD, Eli Brazowski, MD, Michael Yaron, MD and Moshe Tishler, MD
Aharon Kessel, MD, Elias Toubi, MD, Theo Dov Golan, MD, Aurora Toubi, MD, Jorge G. Mogilner, MD and Michael Jaffe, MB ChB, CPD, CH
Haim Mayan, MD, Rami Kantor, MD, Arie Wollner, MD and Zvi Farfel, MD
Paul E. Slater, MD, MPH, Alex Leventhal, MD, MPH, MPA and Emilia Anis, MD, MPH