Abstract AIMS To verify the incidence of injuries in professional soccer athletes in Aracaju-SE and to identify associated factors. METHODS This was an observational, prospective cohort study involving 39 healthy athletes, followed for seven months and evaluated on four occasions (start on preseason and two evaluations with three months of interval between each) through data collection sheet and orthopedic physical examination. RESULTS Participants were 20 athletes from Club Sportivo Sergipe and 19 from Associação Desportiva Confiança, with mean age of 26 years (CI 95%: 25.2-28 years), and mean career time of 9.6 years (CI 95%: 7.9-11.3 years). The 13 (2.4 / 1000 hours) diagnosed injuries occurred almost exclusively in the lower limbs and thigh muscle stretch was the most common injury. Injuries were mostly mild to moderate (69%). There was no significant association with any of the variables analyzed. CONCLUSION Low incidence of injuries was observed in this study. Predominantly, lesions occurred on non-rainy days and were due to trauma. Lower limbs were the most affected location and thigh stretch was the most common injury.

OBJETIVO: Estabelecer se há correlação entre o momento da cirurgia e a ocorrência de complicações intra e pós- operatórias no tratamento das fraturas trocanterianas do fêmur no idoso. MÉTODO: Estudo retrospectivo avaliando o histórico de 281 pacientes operados entre 2000 e 2009 no Hospital das Clinicas da FMRP-USP. As variáveis avaliadas foram: sexo, idade, data, mecanismo do trauma, momento da admissão, tipo da fratura, complicações pré e pós- operatórias, tempo entre o trauma e a cirurgia, horário e duração da cirurgia, implante utilizado, Tip Apex Distance (TAD), tempo de hospitalização, re-operações. De acordo com o horário da cirurgia os casos foram divididos em dois grupos: Horário Comercial (7:00 - 17:00) x Horário Plantão (17:01 - 6:59). RESULTADOS: Houve um predomínio de cirurgias no horário comercial, na proporção aproximada de 5:1. O intervalo de tempo médio entre a data do trauma e a cirurgia foi de três dias. Não houve diferença estatística entre os grupos (hora comercial x plantão) relacionada ao TAD médio, tipo da fratura, implante, complicações sistêmicas e mortalidade em um ano. O tempo médio entre o trauma e a cirurgia foi três dias. CONCLUSÕES: Para pacientes que são admitidos ou operados com mais de 24 horas decorridas do trauma, o horário da cirurgia não se mostrou uma variável relevante, no que diz respeito à ocorrência de complicações per operatórias. Em nossa realidade, é preferível realizar a fixação destas fraturas em horário comercial, dispondo de completa infra-estrutura de recursos humanos e técnicos.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to verify if there is any relationship between the time of surgery and per operative complications in the treatment of intertrochanteric femoral fractures. METHOD: The records of 281 patients operated between the years of 2000 and 2009 were evaluated retrospectively. The variables taken into account were sex, age, date and mechanism of injury, time of admission, type of fracture (AO classification), pre and post-operative complica- tions, delay between trauma and surgery time, time and duration of surgery, implant used, Tip Apex Distance (TAD), and hospital stay. The cases were divided according with the start time of surgery into two groups: usual working hours (7:00 - 17:00) x non-usual working hours (17:01 - 6:59). RESULTS: Most of the surgeries were performed during working hours, at an approximate ratio of 5:1. The average time between trauma and surgery was three days. There was no statistical difference between groups (working vs. non-working hours) in relation to the average TAD, type of fracture, implant, clinical complications and mortality in one year. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that for patients that are not admitted or operated within the first 24 hours from trauma, the time of surgery is not a relevant variable, regarding to per-operative complications. In our reality, there is no reason for operating such patients out of working hours, when all necessary resources are available.