Intravenous Opioid Medication with Piritramide Reduces the Risk of Pneumothorax During CT-Guided Percutaneous Core Biopsy of the Lung.

PURPOSE: CT-guided percutaneous core biopsy of the lung is usually performed under local anesthesia, but can also be conducted under additional systemic opioid medication. The purpose of this retrospective study was to assess the effect of intravenous piritramide application on the pneumothorax rate and to identify risk factors for post-biopsy pneumothorax. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and seventy-one core biopsies of the lung were included in this retrospective single center study. The incidence of pneumothorax and chest tube placement was evaluated. Patient-, procedure- and target-related variables were analyzed by univariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The overall incidence of pneumothorax was 39.2% (67/171). The pneumothorax rate was 31.5% (29/92) in patients who received intravenous piritramide and 48.1% (38/79) in patients who did not receive piritramide. In multivariable logistic regression analysis periinterventional piritramide application proved to be the only independent factor to reduce the risk of pneumothorax (odds ratio 0.46, 95%-confidence interval 0.24, 0.88; p = 0.018). Two or more pleura passages (odds ratio 3.38, 95%-confidence interval: 1.15, 9.87; p = 0.026) and prone position of the patient (odds ratio 2.27, 95%-confidence interval: 1.04, 4.94; p = 0.039) were independent risk factors for a higher pneumothorax rate. CONCLUSION: Procedural opioid medication with piritramide proved to be a previously undisclosed factor decreasing the risk of pneumothorax associated with CT-guided percutaneous core biopsy of the lung. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4: small study cohort.

Multidisciplinary Treatment of Fracture-Related Infection Has a Positive Impact on Clinical Outcome-A Retrospective Case Control Study at a Tertiary Referral Center.

OBJECTIVES: Fracture-related infection (FRI) is a major complication in orthopedic and trauma surgery. The management and choice of treatment can be difficult depending on multiple factors. Therefore, we implemented a weekly multidisciplinary team discussion to determine diagnostic and treatment strategies in FRI patients and aimed to analyze its effect on clinical outcomes. METHODS: Clinical outcomes of FRI patients treated before and after implementation of a structured multidisciplinary treatment (MDT) approach with a weekly case discussion were compared at a follow-up of 12 months. RESULTS: In total, n = 117 were eligible for enrolment, whereby n = 58 patients (72.4% male, mean age 56.7 ± 16.8 years) constituted the MDT group and n = 59 patients (72.9% male, mean age 55.0 ± 16.5 years) the control group. In the MDT group more cases were treated with local antibiotics (67.2% vs. 27.1%, p < 0.001) and significant less amputations (3.4% vs. 6.8%, p = 0.014), as well as less revision surgeries (1.5 ± 1.2 (0-5) vs. 2.2 ± 1.2 (0-7), p = 0.048) were performed. A trend towards less debridement, antibiotics and implant retention (DAIR) procedures, lower rates of recurrence of infection and less treatment failures in the MDT group was observable, even though not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: An MDT approach providing a patient tailored treatment concept in the treatment of FRI patients appears to be beneficial for the affected patients. Quality and efficacy of implemented MDT meetings should further be evaluated to provide sufficient evidence to further implement this valuable tool in clinical practice and decision making.

Transcranial Doppler sonography and the effect of haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in sickle cell disease.

BACKGROUND: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most prevalent monogenetic diseases worldwide and one of the most serious complications is stroke. Transcranial Doppler (TCD) demonstrated to be highly predictive for an imminent stroke by measuring blood flow velocities in the basal cerebral arteries. Currently, the only curative therapy for SCD is hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The aim of this study is to verify the correlation between blood flow velocities and stroke including the effect of HSCT. METHODS: In our retrospective single-center study a total of 26 sickle cell patients (HbSS, HbSß+-thalassemia, HbSSα-thalassemia minima, HbSSα-thalassemia minor and HbSC) were analyzed between 2010 and 2016. The highest time averaged maximum mean blood flow velocity (TAMMV) measured was documented and evaluated with respect to SCD genotype and effect of HSCT. Acute and symptomatic as well as silent strokes were recorded as separate parameters. RESULTS: In our study, ten patients had normal blood flow velocities before HSCT (six HbSS and four HbSß+-thalassemia patients) and 13 patients presented with abnormal TCD (eight HbSS, three HbSSα-thalassemia minima, one HbSSα-thalassemia minor and one HbSC). Thirteen of 26 study participants (ten HbSS and three HbSß+-thalassemia patients) received HSCT. In two patients, TAMMV in basal cerebral arteries remained "normal", in one they remained conditional and in one TAMMV was reduced to normal. Four of 26 study participants (15.4%), including all patients with HbSS genotype, presented with a stroke, but none had "abnormal" TAMMV with TCD performed after the onset of stroke in each case. At the time we performed the TCD, the patients had already suffered the stroke. CONCLUSION: In our study, none of the patients with stroke displayed abnormal blood flow velocities in TCD. Yet, HSCT at this stage of the disease still had a positive effect on TAMMV. Further studies are needed whether this effect converts into reduced stroke risk at all or only selected SCD patients undergoing HSCT.