Monitoring negative pressure wound therapy for diabetic foot ulcers using WhatsApp.

Foot complications of patients with diabetes could lead to amputations and early death. Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) are usually difficult to treat and impose huge financial burden. Monitoring wound progress is the mainstay of any treatment and alternatives to face-to-face consultations such as tele-medicine have been proposed. Very few papers explored the utility and effectiveness of monitoring DFU through instant messaging application such as WhatsApp. The aim of this study is to evaluate the validity of WhatsApp in monitoring diabetic wounds treated with negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT). Twenty-two patients were prospectively recruited. All patients had an initial face-to-face consultation and debridement. Dressings were changed twice per week at patient's residence and media files were sent by the wound nurse via Short Message Service (SMS). A subsequent face to face consultation was scheduled whenever a complication was suspected. The primary outcomes were the percentages of accurate cases a) where a new or recurrent infection was suspected, and a b) where a debridement was thought to be needed. Complete healing of the defect using NPWT was achieved in 10 patients and a skin graft procedure was needed in another 4 patients. Five patients needed further surgical debridement. Failure to heal was observed in 3 patients. Out of the seven cases where a new infection was suspected, five (71.5%) were confirmed on face-to-face consultation. No confirmed cases of infection were observed during follow-up for those estimated as clean. Out of the 11 cases where debridement was favored based on WhatsApp media files, confirmation of a needed debridement was recorded in 8 (73%) cases. NPWT monitoring of for diabetic foot and leg ulcers using WhatsApp application was found to be an excellent method to document and track the wound process and complications. The excellent specificity and high sensibility should encourage for common use by healthcare. The results of this study could be also valuable for patients living in rural areas and in case of future pandemics.

Rod angulation does not reflect sagittal curvature in adult spinal deformity surgery: comparison of lumbar lordosis and rod contouring.

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study. OBJECTIVE: Relationship between rod and spinal shape in the sagittal plane in adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery. BACKGROUND: Corrective surgery for adult spinal deformity (ASD) involves the use of contoured rods to correct and modify the spinal curvatures. Adequate rod bending is crucial for achieving optimal correction. The correlation between rods and spinal shape in long constructs has not been reported previously. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of a prospective, multicenter database of patients who underwent surgery for ASD. The inclusion criteria were patients who underwent pelvic fixation and had an upper instrumented vertebra at or above T12. Pre- and post-operative standing radiographs were used to assess lumbar lordosis at the L4S1 and L1S1 levels. The angle between the tangents to the rod at the L1, L4, and S1 pedicles was calculated to determine the L4S1 and L1S1 rod lordosis. The difference between the lumbar lordosis (LL) and the rod lordosis (RL) was calculated as ΔL = LL-RL. The correlation between this difference (ΔL) and various characteristics was analyzed using descriptive and statistical methods. RESULTS: Eighty-three patients were included in the study, resulting in 166 analyzed differences (ΔL) between the rod and spinal lordosis. The values for rod lordosis were found to be both greater and lesser than those of the spine but were mostly lower. The range for total ΔL was -24 °-30.9 °, with a mean absolute ΔL of 7.8 ° for L1S1 (standard deviation (SD) = 6.0) and 9.1 ° for L4S1 (SD = 6.8). In 46% of patients, both rods had a ΔL of over 5 °, and over 60% had at least one rod with a ΔL difference of over 5 °. Factors found to be related to a higher ΔL included postoperative higher lumbar lordosis, presence of osteotomies, higher corrected degrees, older age, and thinner rods. Multivariate analysis correlated only higher postoperative L1S1 lordosis with higher ΔL. No correlation was found between a higher ΔL and sagittal imbalance. CONCLUSIONS: Variations between spinal and rod curvatures were observed despite the linear regression correlation. The shape of the rod does not seem to be predictive of the shape of the spine in the sagittal plane in ASD long-construct surgeries. Several factors, other than rod contouring, are involved in explaining the postoperative shape of the spine. The observed variation calls into question the fundamentals of the ideal rod concept.

Intrathecal Baclofen Therapy for Refractory Spasticity: A Case Series.

BACKGROUND: Management of refractory spasticity symptoms remains a challenging task for clinicians. Intrathecal baclofen (ITB) therapy has emerged as a promising option for treating this condition. This study evaluates the effectiveness of ITB therapy in managing refractory spasticity symptoms. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted on 34 patients with refractory spasticity symptoms who underwent ITB therapy at a single institution. The patients' demographics, clinical characteristics, and dosages were recorded. The primary outcome measures were the reduction in pain, improvement in mobility, decrease in spasm frequency, and alleviation of spasticity. RESULTS: ITB therapy successfully reduced pain, improved mobility, decreased spasm frequency, and alleviated spasticity. The mean daily administered dose was 245 µg (range: 88-510 µg, standard deviation:104). However, it was observed that the appropriate dosage of ITB therapy was patient-specific and time-sensitive. Moreover, side effects were observed when an incorrect dose was administered. CONCLUSIONS: ITB therapy is an effective and safe option for managing refractory spasticity symptoms. However, the appropriate dosage should be individualized and monitored closely to avoid side effects. This study highlights the importance of carefully considering the potential risks and benefits of ITB therapy for each patient.

Clinicodemographic characteristics of extraosseous ewing sarcoma: A comparative meta-analysis of pediatric and adult patients.

Background: Evidence suggests different presentation patterns and prognosis of extraosseous Ewing Sarcoma (EES) based on age. Thus, we carried out this study to test the difference between children and adult EES cases regarding clinicodemographic characteristics and prognosis. Methods: A total of 4 databases were explored yielding 18 relevant studies for data synthesis. Outcomes included the comparison of demographic and clinical characteristics as well as prognosis between children and adults with EES. Log odds ratio (logOR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were pooled across studies. Statistical models/methods were selected based on heterogeneity. Results: Our analysis included a total of 1261 children and 1256 adults. When we compared these two age categories, we did not observe a significant difference in the risk of developing EES [logOR = -0.13; 95% CI: -0.65: 0.39; I2 = 88.42%]. No significant differences regarding gender, tumor location, and size (≤5 vs. >5 cm), EWSR1 positivity, or management modality. We did not observe significant difference regarding clinical outcomes, such as 5-year overall survival and event-free survival, recurrence, mortality, no evidence of disease, and secondary metastasis. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the absence of an association between the age category of patients and the incidence of EES, as well as its clinical outcomes.