A group of British experts has formulated recommendations, approved by the British Society for Children’s Orthopaedic Surgery, aimed at harmonizing and improving orthopedic care for children and young adults with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).
- Non-urgent care should be provided in specialized centers, but fractures can be treated by local trauma units if sufficient medical and anesthetic expertise is available and provided that prior consultation with a specialized center has taken place.
- Immediate mobilization should be prioritized following a fracture.
- All interventions require a multidisciplinary approach, involving the patient and their family.
- Particular attention must be paid to adjusting corticosteroid treatments to prevent adrenal insufficiency and to the risks of cardiopulmonary complications and fat embolism syndrome (FES).
- With regard to anesthetic risks, it is advisable to avoid suxamethonium and volatile agents and to favor total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA).
Additional data collected by experts will enrich the available data and thus support future updates to these recommendations.
