Craniofacial Trauma of Equestrian Origin.

Horse riding is a popular yet dangerous sport, often resulting in facial traumas due to unpredictable horse reactions or falls. This retrospective study examines 20 patients. The aim of the study is to analyze maxillofacial traumas of equine origin and discuss prevention strategies. Conducted from 2004 to 2021 at our university hospital's emergency department in France, inclusion criteria encompassed patients with maxillofacial trauma admitted to the emergency department and referred to ENT and/or dentistry post-horse-related accidents. Patients were identified from the Health Data warehouse. While 35 medical files were accessed, 15 did not meet inclusion criteria. Analysis of patient parameters, including age, sex, injury date, circumstances, injury type, management, helmet usage, operative interventions, and potential sequelae, revealed a predominantly female population (16 versus 4) under 48 years old. Traumas were most prevalent in summer (80%) and frequently involved riders on foot (60%). Seventy percent of patients sustained at least 1 facial fracture, with helmet use documented in only 1 case. In conclusion, horse riding can lead to various traumas, often necessitating surgical intervention. Preventive measures such as protective helmets, even for nonmounted riders, are crucial as the literature highlights many injuries occurring due to helmet omission.

Atovaquone exposure and Pneumocystis jirovecii cytochrome b mutations: French data and review of the literature.

Pneumocystis jirovecii is a transmissible fungus responsible for severe pneumonia (Pneumocystis pneumonia [PCP]) in immunocompromised patients. Missense mutations due to atovaquone selective pressure have been identified on cytochrome b (CYB) gene of P. jirovecii. It was recently shown that atovaquone prophylaxis can lead to the selection of specific P. jirovecii CYB mutants potentially resistant to atovaquone among organ transplant recipients. In this context, our objectives were to provide data on P. jirovecii CYB mutants and the putative selective pressure exerted by atovaquone on P. jirovecii organisms in France. A total of 123 patients (124 P. jirovecii specimens) from four metropolitan hospitals and two overseas hospitals were retrospectively enrolled. Fourteen patients had prior exposure to atovaquone, whereas 109 patients did not at the time of P. jirovecii detection. A 638 base-pair fragment of the CYB gene of P. jirovecii was amplified and sequenced. A total of 10 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified. Both missense mutations C431T (Ala144Val) and C823T (Leu275Phe), located at the Qo active site of the enzyme, were significantly associated with prior atovaquone exposure, these mutations being conversely incidental in the absence of prior atovaquone exposure (P < 0.001). Considering that the aforementioned hospitals may be representative of the national territory, these findings suggest that the overall presence of P. jirovecii CYB mutants remains low in France.

The mutations C431T (Ala144Val) and C823T (Leu275Phe) at the cytochrome b (CYB) active site of Pneumocystis jirovecii are associated with patient prior exposure to atovaquone. Conversely, these mutations are incidental in the absence of exposure. Overall, the presence of P. jirovecii CYB mutants remains low in France.

Management of Severe Bleeding in Patients Treated with Direct Oral Anticoagulants: An Observational Registry Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The use of prothrombin complex concentrates and the role of plasma concentration of anticoagulants in the management of bleeding in patients treated with direct oral anticoagulants are still debated. Our aim was to describe management strategies and outcomes of severe bleeding events in patients treated with direct oral anticoagulants. METHODS: We performed a prospective cohort study of 732 patients treated with dabigatran, rivaroxaban, or apixaban hospitalized for severe bleeding, included prospectively in the registry from June 2013 to November 2015. RESULTS: Bleeding was gastrointestinal or intracranial in 37% (212 of 732) and 24% (141 of 732) of the cases, respectively. Creatinine clearance was lower than 60 ml/min in 61% (449 of 732) of the cases. The plasma concentration of direct oral anticoagulants was determined in 62% (452 of 732) of the cases and was lower than 50 ng/ml or higher than 400 ng/ml in 9.2% (41 of 452) and in 6.6% (30 of 452) of the cases, respectively. Activated or nonactivated prothrombin complex concentrates were administered in 38% of the cases (281 of 732). Mortality by day 30 was 14% (95% CI, 11 to 16). CONCLUSIONS: Management of severe bleeding in patients treated with direct oral anticoagulants appears to be complex. The use of prothrombin complex concentrates differs depending on bleeding sites and direct oral anticoagulant plasma concentrations. Mortality differs according to bleeding sites and was similar to previous estimates.

Duration of postoperative fibrinolysis after total hip or knee replacement: a laboratory follow-up study.

INTRODUCTION: Hyperfibrinolysis is observed during and immediately after major orthopedic surgery. The kinetics and duration of this phase should be defined to adjust the duration of antifibrinolytic treatment with tranexamic acid (TXA). OBJECTIVE: We aimed to quantify the duration of postoperative fibrinolysis and to assess the biological impact of TXA administration. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fourteen patients undergoing total hip replacement (THR) and 10 patients undergoing total knee replacement (TKR) with tourniquet were included in an observational, prospective, single-center study. Among these patients, 7 THR patients and 5 TKR patients received TXA (15mg/kg IV intraoperatively, followed by continuous infusion of 15mg/kg/h until end of surgery, then every 4hours until 16±2hours after surgery). D-dimers, euglobulin lysis time (ELT), and thrombin generation time (TGT) were measured prior to surgery as well as 6, 18 and 24hours (H) after. RESULTS: No significant difference in ELT was observed between the groups. In contrast, D-dimers significantly increased postoperatively in patients not treated with TXA (p<0.001), while such an increase was prevented in patients receiving TXA, as measured at H0, H6, H18 and H24 after THR, and at H6 and H18 after TKR (p<0.001). No significant between-group change in TGT, was observed (peak thrombin and endogenous thrombin potential) all along the study. CONCLUSION: This study shows that fibrinolysis peaked 6hours after end of surgery and maintained about 18hours after surgery, as evidenced by an increase in D-dimers. When administered for up to 16±2hours after surgery, TXA reduced postoperative fibrinolysis.

Pharmacological agents: antifibrinolytics and desmopressin.

This article provides an overview of the scientific evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of antifibrinolytic agents and desmopressin to reduce surgical blood loss. The synthetic derivatives of lysine are the only antifibrinolytics available in clinical practice since the withdrawal of aprotinin. There is evidence that the prophylactic use of lysine analogues is efficacious in reducing perioperative blood loss in cardiac and major orthopaedic surgery. The impact on exposure to blood transfusion is, however, variable. There is no evidence at present that they improve the overall outcome. Lysine analogues appear to be well tolerated in coronary artery bypass surgery, but less is known regarding their risk-benefit profile in special patient groups. Further studies are needed to elucidate the best compromise between dosing regimen, efficacy and safety in various clinical settings. Desmopressin may reduce excessive bleeding and transfusion requirements in some specific patient populations with acquired platelet dysfunction, but this needs to be validated in future studies.

Should new oral anticoagulants replace low-molecular-weight heparin for thromboprophylaxis in orthopaedic surgery?

Current anticoagulant provision is dominated by parenteral low-molecular-weight heparin and oral vitamin K antagonists (VKAs), which indirectly inhibit several steps of the coagulation pathway. Two unmet needs for anticoagulation are safety and ease of use. Safety relates primarily to the incidence of major bleeding, which remains the key concern of orthopaedic surgeons and anaesthetists, over and above any efficacy advantage, and convenience of use, which centres on oral administration replacing the need for injections or monitoring platelets or coagulation with VKA. Recent research efforts towards identifying small-molecule inhibitors of coagulation enzymes as novel therapies for thrombotic disorders have been particularly successful in developing orally available molecules to directly inhibit the key proteases, factors IIa and Xa. Of the new oral anticoagulants in development, dabigatran etexilate (BIBR 1048) and rivaroxaban (BAY 59-7939), which inhibit factors IIa and Xa, respectively, are the most advanced and were approved in Europe in 2008. Based on the available data, we can conclude that dabigatran etexilate is non-inferior to enoxaparin in terms of efficacy and safety, and two different doses (220 and 150 mg/day) have now been approved. The 150 mg/day dose is intended for elderly patients and those with moderate renal impairment, which allows clinicians to decrease the risk of bleeding in the increasing number of fragile patients undergoing major orthopaedic surgery. In conclusion, rivaroxaban is superior in efficacy to enoxaparin, even with the US enoxaparin dosing regimen (30 mg b.i.d.), without significant differences in safety.