Vascular Assessment of the Lower Extremity with a Chronic Wound.

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) affects many individuals worldwide and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Controversy exists on whether or not to screen asymptomatic patients. Further complicating this is that many patients with a chronic lower extremity wound are often asymptomatic. PAD and traditional noninvasive vascular studies may be inaccurate in providing a correct diagnosis. A review of current and novel vascular assessment modalities along with their benefits and limitations are presented here. A combination of these vascular assessments may help improve accuracy in diagnosis, providing timely care to those patients in need.

Visualization of angiogenesis and vasculogenesis in a late tissue radiation injury of the chest wall treated with adjuvant hyperbaric oxygen therapy using fluorescence angiography.

Adjuvant radiation therapy for breast cancer treatment often involves high doses of radiation, making patients more susceptible to late radiation tissue injury (LRTI), severe complications of which involve necrosis and ulceration. Treatment of such wounds is challenging. One modality that can be utilized is hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) therapy. However, an optimal dose and the objective evidence of its benefit in use as an adjunctive treatment modality is limited. Presented here is a case of a non-surgical candidate in which serial indocyanine green fluorescence angiography (ICGFA) was utilized to determine if it could detect changes in tissue perfusion over the course of treatment. Serial ICGFA allowed for visualization of the current phase of wound healing, angiogenesis and vasculogenesis. Future large studies should be employed to better determine the utility of serial ICGFA to improve HBO2 utilization in patients who are undergoing HBO2 as part of their course of treatment for LRTI.

Is There Adequate Perfusion for Healing? What Routine Noninvasive Vascular Studies are Missing?

INTRODUCTION: Routine noninvasive vascular study results can be affected by a multitude of factors and do not provide information specific to the location of the wound. Results must be extrapolated and may prompt a false sense of security that adequate perfusion for healing exists. CASE REPORT: The case of an 80-year-old Caucasian man, who presented with chronic ulceration of the left lateral malleolus and fifth metatarsal base with concurrent metatarsal osteomyelitis, is presented. Initial routine noninvasive vascular studies were consistent with peripheral vascular disease and chronic lower extremity wounds. Baseline near-infrared imaging (NIRI) assessment with a handheld device provided site-specific rapid assessment of tissue oxygen saturation, which revealed local ischemia, chronic inflammation, and infection. Wound deterioration over the next 2 months prompted repeat noninvasive vascular studies consistent with increased perfusion while rearfoot transcutaneous oximetry pressure measurements were inconclusive. The patient underwent formal vascular evaluation and intervention. Repeat NIRI assessment 5 days postoperatively revealed transition from the chronic inflammatory to the proliferative phase of wound healing. CONCLUSIONS: Serial NIRI assessment in this case highlights its ability to detect factors that led to delayed would healing in the face of unreliable routine noninvasive vascular study results.

Charcot Foot: Clinical Clues, Diagnostic Strategies, and Treatment Principles.

Acute Charcot neuroarthropathy of the foot and ankle is often difficult to diagnose because of limited findings in the patient history, physical examination, imaging, and laboratory studies. Delay in treatment results in the development of rigid foot and ankle deformities, increasing the risk of ulceration, infection, and major lower extremity amputation. Acute Charcot neuroarthropathy should be suspected in any patient 40 years or older with obesity and peripheral neuropathy who presents with an acutely swollen foot following minimal or no recalled trauma and who reports minimal to no pain, particularly if radiography and laboratory markers of infection are normal. Magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography should be performed in these cases. If changes consistent with acute Charcot neuroarthropathy are observed, prompt immobilization and/or referral to a foot and ankle subspecialist is needed to minimize sequelae. Immobilization should continue until lower extremity edema and warmth resolve, and serial radiography shows evidence of osseous consolidation. Intranasal calcitonin salmon may have a role as adjunctive therapy. Although controversial, surgery may be indicated if there is severe dislocation or instability, concern for skin breakdown, or failure of conservative treatment to obtain a stable, plantigrade foot.

The Ability of Fluorescence Angiography to Detect Local Ischemia in Patients With Heel Ulceration.

Heel ulcerations are a significant burden of care in both hospital and long-term care settings. The presence of peripheral arterial disease as a contributing factor to delayed healing is often not recognized, resulting in prolonged healing and high patient morbidity and mortality. Formal vascular evaluation and intervention is often not performed as these patients can have palpable pedal pulses while having localized ischemia of the heel. As routine noninvasive vascular studies can be affected by medial calcinosis and collateralization and do not specifically assess tissue perfusion to the heel, a false sense of security of adequate perfusion for healing can result. Indocyanine green fluorescence angiography (ICGFA) allows for real-time visualization and objective assessment of site specific tissue perfusion not limited by the factors that can make routine noninvasive vascular studies unreliable or unobtainable. A retrospective medical record review of a subset of patients with chronic heel ulceration from a prospective institutional review board-approved study in which serial ICGFA was performed during their treatment course was performed. ICGFA was able to identify local heel ischemia and expedite vascular intervention. ICGFA should be considered as an additional vascular study in patients presenting with chronic, nonhealing heel ulcerations. LEVELS OF EVIDENCE: Level IV: Diagnostic, Case series.

Total Contact Cast Use in Patients With Peripheral Arterial Disease: A Case Series and Systematic Review.

INTRODUCTION: As the majority of diabetic foot ulcerations (DFUs) occur on the plantar foot, excessive pressure is a major contributing factor to delayed healing. The gold standard for offloading is the total contact cast (TCC); yet, TCC use is contraindicated in patients with ischemia. Lower extremity ischemia typically presents in the more severe end stages of peripheral arterial disease (PAD). As PAD exists on a severity spectrum from mild to severe, designation of a clear cutoff where TCC use is an absolute contraindication would assist those who treat DFUs on a daily basis. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to determine if a potential cutoff value for PAD where TCC use would be an absolute contraindication could be ascertained from a retrospective case series and a systematic literature review of patients with PAD in which treatment included TCC use. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective cases series and systematic review of patients with mild to moderate PAD treated with a TCC was performed. All reports of TCC use in patients with PAD and a neuropathic ulceration that included results of noninvasive vascular studies were included. RESULTS: Results suggested that TCC use is a viable treatment modality for pressure-related DFUs in patients with an ankle pressure ≥ 80 mm Hg, a toe pressure ≥ 74 mm Hg, an ankle-brachial index ≥ 0.55, or a toe-brachial index ≥ 0.55. CONCLUSIONS: Vascular evaluation, individual risk/benefit analysis, close follow-up, and patient education are essential components of TCC use in these patients. Repeat vascular evaluation is recommended if the wound fails to progress towards resolution with TCC use.

Outcomes Achieved With Use of a Prefabricated Roll-On Total Contact Cast.

BACKGROUND: The total contact cast (TCC) is considered the gold standard for offloading of plantar diabetic foot ulcerations, yet its use remains suboptimal for a variety of reasons. Prefabricated TCC systems have been developed to help enhance TCC use. The primary objective of this study was to determine if healing rates obtained with use of a prefabricated roll-on TCC were similar to those reported with conventional TCC use. Secondary outcomes measured were the incidence of iatrogenic ulceration, amputation, and recurrent ulceration, and patient tolerance of the device. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed on all patients in whom TCC was used for treatment of an ulceration at our institution from April 2013 to December 2016. Seventy patients (132 ulcerations) were identified. RESULTS: An 85.6% healing rate was achieved. Five subjects (7.1%) sustained 11 iatrogenic ulcerations. All resolved with local treatment and continued casting. Thirteen subjects (18.6%) underwent amputation. No amputation occurred because of TCC application technique or use. Fifteen ulcerations (12 subjects, 17.1%) recurred. Greater than 70% resolved with re-initiation of TCC use. Forty-three subjects (61.4%) tolerated use of the prefabricated roll-on TCC. CONCLUSION: Similar healing rates and reduced rates of iatrogenic ulceration, amputation, and recurrent ulceration were attained with use of a prefabricated roll-on TCC. These results, good patient tolerance, and the reduced administrative and clinical time related to supply acquisition, training, and proper application supports use of this device as a viable alternative to a conventional TCC for treatment of plantar neuropathic foot ulcerations. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, case series.

The EXPLORE Trial: A Feasibility Study Using Fluorescence Angiography to Evaluate Perfusion in the Oxygen-Rich Environment.

INTRODUCTION: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is defined as breathing 100% oxygen at a pressure ≥1.4 atmospheres absolute (ATA). Adjunct HBOT is one modality used for treatment of certain complex wounds. The resulting increase in oxygen delivery to wounded tissue has been associated with reduced edema, reduced inflammation, improved infection control, increased collagen deposition, and increased angiogenesis. However, there remains a relative paucity of evidence supporting the use of HBOT in the treatment of certain acute and chronic, non-healing wounds. This feasibility study was undertaken to evaluate the ability of fluorescence angiography to provide real-time visualization and objective assessment of changes in local tissue perfusion over a standard course of HBOT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This single-center, prospective, feasibility study included a total of 34 subjects with wounds of various etiologies deemed eligible for treatment with adjunct HBOT. Fluorescence angiography was performed pre- and post-HBOT sessions 1, 5, 10, 15, and 20. The imaging sequences were analyzed to determine the effects of HBOT on local tissue perfusion to the wounds. RESULTS: A total of 22 subjects received a minimum of 10 HBO sessions with associated pre- and post-fluorescence angiography performed and analyzed. Fluorescence angiography was able to provide both real-time visualization and objective assessment of changes in tissue perfusion over the course of adjunct HBOT. CONCLUSION: The results of this feasibility study suggest that serial fluorescence angiography can detect short- and long-term changes in wound area tissue perfusion associated with HBOT. These findings may assist in the selection and monitoring of patients undergoing HBOT.