Accidental adrenaline auto-injector-induced digital ischaemia: a proposed treatment algorithm.

Increased numbers of adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) are in circulation in the UK. The rate of accidental auto-injection injuries has increased during this time. Various treatment strategies are described in the literature. We present the case of a 32-year-old, right-hand-dominant man who sustained an unintentional AAI injury to the volar aspect of his right thumb. On presentation to the emergency department, the thumb was ischaemic. There was no improvement with simple conservative measures (warm soaks). The patient was referred to our tertiary hand surgery service and a digital block using 2% lidocaine promoted reversal of ischaemia within 2 hours with no long-term sequelae. Phentolamine rescue, on standby, was not necessary in this case. In this case report, we highlight the therapeutic challenges associated with managing AAI injury and propose an evidence-based treatment algorithm to prevent risk of severe adverse outcomes such as digital necrosis.

Cutibacterium (Propionibacterium) acnes Infection of the Native Wrist Joint.

Cutibacterium (Propionibacterium) acnes (C. acnes, previously known as P. acnes) is an anaerobic organism that commonly colonizes the human skin. After Staphylococcus spp. and Streptococcus spp., it is a common organism associated with deep prosthetic shoulder joint infections. We describe the case of rapidly progressive arthropathy of the native wrist secondary to infection with C. acnes. Diagnosis was made on prolonged enrichment cultures. The patient went on to complete a long-term course of oral sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim with clinical improvement. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report in the literature that C. acnes has been the main causative organism implicated in infection of the native wrist joint. It is imperative to request and wait for results of prolonged enrichment cultures to aid microbiological diagnosis in such cases.

Improving consent in patients undergoing surgery for fractured neck of femur.

Background Neck of femur fractures and their subsequent operative fixation are associated with high rates of perioperative morbidity and mortality. Consenting in this setting is suboptimal with the Montgomery court ruling changing the perspective of consent. This quality improvement project assessed the adequacy of consenting against British Orthopaedic Association-endorsed guidance and implemented a series of changes to improve the documentation of risks associated with surgery for fractured neck of femur. Methods Seventy consecutive patients who underwent any operative fixation of a neck of femur fracture were included over a 6-month period at a single centre. Patients unable to consent or without electronic notes were excluded. Consent forms were analysed and the documented potential risks or complications associated with surgery were compared to British Orthopaedic Association-endorsed guidance. A series of changes (using the plan, do study, act (PDSA) approach) was implemented to improve the adequacy of consent. Results Documentation of four out of 12 potential risks or complications was recorded in <50% of cases for patients with intracapsular fractures (n=35), and documentation of seven out of 12 potential risks or complications was recorded in <50% of cases for patients with extracapsular fractures (n=35). Re-audit following raising awareness and attaching consent guidance showed 100% documentation of potential risks or complications in patients with intracapsular and extracapsular fractures (n=70). A neck of femur fracture-specific consent form has been implemented which will hopefully lead to sustained improvement. Conclusions Consenting patients with fractured neck of femur for surgery in the authors' unit was suboptimal when compared to British Orthopaedic Association-endorsed consent guidance. This project has shown that ensuring such guidance is readily available has improved the adequacy of consent. The authors hope that introduction of a neck of femur fracture-specific consent form within their unit will lead to sustained adequate documentation of risks associated with surgery.

Optimizing postoperative handover to the intensive care unit at a tertiary centre.

BACKGROUND: Comprehensive handover of patients transferred from operating theatre to the intensive care unit is crucial in ensuring ongoing quality and safety of care. Handover in this setting poses unique challenges, yet few studies have considered or tested approaches to improve the process. A quality improvement project was undertaken to assess and improve the quality of information transfer during the handover of postoperative patients to the general intensive care unit at a tertiary centre. METHODS: This quality improvement project considered all postoperative patients aged 18 years and over, using the plan-do-study-act (PDSA) approach, over a 3-month period in 2015. Baseline audit encompassing intraoperative details (allergies, grade of intubation, estimated blood loss, difficulties and complications) and the postoperative plan (analgesia, thromboprophylaxis, antibiotics and their proposed duration and nutrition) was undertaken to define the extent of the clinical problem. Changes were implemented over two cycles, centred around a novel checklist, and the transfer of information was re-audited after each cycle. RESULTS: Baseline audit (n=30) revealed a need for improvement across all domains. In PDSA cycle 1, a novel checklist was introduced which led to global improvement across all areas with performance exceeding 70% in all but three out of nine domains (n=33). Engaging key stakeholders (PDSA cycle 2) resulted in overall improvement from baseline but decreased performance in just under half of domains in comparison to PDSA cycle 1 (n=31). CONCLUSIONS: Successful implementation of a series of simple interventions resulted in more effective handover of postoperative patients admitted to an intensive care unit. Sustained long-term improvement is a major challenge and can only be achieved with the global engagement of all staff and incorporation of changes into routine clinical practice.

What can we learn from RELAX-AHF compared to previous AHF trials and what does the future hold?

Each year in the USA there are over 1 million hospital admissions directly related to heart failure (HF). With similar rates across Europe, this places a huge economic burden on healthcare systems globally. Hospitalisation for HF is associated with poor clinical outcomes with 25% of patients being readmitted with signs and symptoms of HF within 1 month of discharge and 10-20% dying in the 6 months after discharge. Although hospital admission could be a sign of disease progression, it is also possible that some of the treatments given acutely for example, inotropic therapy, may result in neurohormonal, haemodynamic and other effects accelerating end-organ damage and contributing to these poor outcomes after discharge. In contrast to the treatment of chronic heart failure (CHF), clinical trials conducted over the past decade in patients with acute HF (AHF) have failed to show significant reductions in morbidity or mortality despite some agents causing beneficial changes in symptoms. As such, the current treatment of patients hospitalised with HF is mainly based on consensus rather than clinical evidence and has changed little over time. We review RELAX-AHF in the context of the other key, large-scale AHF trials conducted over the past 15 years and compare and contrast study design and outcomes in an attempt to determine which factors might be associated with a successful trial in the future.