title: What do I do when bone hits the ground?
abstract: While performing a distal first metatarsal bunion correction, care is always taken to stabilize the capital fragment during relocation and until fixation is completed. The underlying concern is that one false move could cause the capital fragment to end up on the floor. There are articles relating what surgeons have done when this has happened, but there is no evidence-based literature relating to guidelines or policy for decontaminating dropped bone. This case study relates what happened to me after saying, "Can you pick that up for me please?"
authors.affiliation: Department of Podiatry, VA Central California Health Care System, 2615 E Clinton, Fresno, CA 93703, USA. benjamin.brownell@va.gov
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brownell
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006215:Hallux Valgus / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008682:Metatarsal Bones / Q000601:surgery*; D010027:Osteotomy / Q000379:methods*