Pills are just as effective as intravenous (IV) injections in tackling bone infections, a study led by Oxford-based researchers has found. The findings, published on 30 January in The New England Journal of Medicine, challenge the long-held belief that injections into the vein are the best way to give antibiotics for bone and joint infections, … Read more
Largest-ever clinical trial in hip fracture fixation reaches key milestone
A randomised controlled trial comparing extracapsular hip fracture fixation devices, conducted by Oxford University and supported by NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, has reached a key milestone, with the 1000th patient recruited completing their one-year follow-up Recruitment for the World Hip Trauma Evaluation 4 (WHITE4) began in June 2016 and involved 10 centres in the … Read more
Prof Duncan Richards appointed to key new Clinical Therapeutics role
A newly appointed professor at the University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS) will lead Oxford’s answer to the key global challenge of how to determine quickly which potential new therapies have the properties to become important medicines. Professor Duncan Richards (pictured right), who has been appointed the new Climax … Read more
New clinical tool will help patients with acute ankle sprain
Patients arriving at hospital emergency departments with acute ankle sprains can expect more timely advice and follow-up care in future after researchers in Oxford developed a new tool that will aid clinical decisions on treatment. Ankle sprains are very common and represent up to 5 per cent of all A&E admissions in the UK; between … Read more
Research for better shared decision-making in knee surgery
New research by a team at the University of Oxford, supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, provides a robust basis for informed shared decision-making and consent on keyhole knee surgery. An innovative study, published today in the Lancet, using 20 years’ worth of data covering around 700,000 arthroscopic partial meniscectomies (APM), or keyhole … Read more
Partial knee replacements better for many patients and cheaper for NHS
Researchers at the University of Oxford have found that many more patients could be given a partial knee replacement instead of a total knee replacement, resulting in improvements in their quality of life and lower costs for the healthcare system. The researchers from the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS) used routinely collected … Read more
Study confirms close contact casting offers alternative to surgery in unstable ankle fractures in older people
A study has confirmed that a new form of casting offers an alternative to invasive surgery in older people who have unstable ankle fractures. The study comparing initial treatment with close contact casting (CCC) and the usual open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) surgery was conducted by researchers at the University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department … Read more
Oxford study questions value of common shoulder surgery
A study funded by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre has found that decompression surgery does not reduce shoulder pain any more than placebo surgery for people with shoulder impingement. The results of the first placebo-controlled trial in shoulder surgery were published in The Lancet on Tuesday 21st November. The study was jointly led by … Read more