Recognition and Treatment of Wounds in Persons Using Xylazine: A Case Report From New Haven, Connecticut.

BACKGROUND: Xylazine is an α 2 -adrenergic agonist that is commonly used as a veterinary tranquilizer and is increasingly present in the unregulated US drug supply since at least 2019. There are many suspected clinical complications of xylazine use, including unusual skin wounds, atypical overdose presentations, and possible dependence and withdrawal syndromes. However, there are few reports of cutaneous manifestations of xylazine in patients who inject drugs that can guide diagnosis and management in patients with confirmed xylazine toxicology. CASE SUMMARY: We present the cases of 3 stably housed patients in Connecticut with opioid use disorder and intravenous use of fentanyl who presented with atypical, chronic wounds at the site of injection drug use. Xylazine toxicology sent on all 3 patients was positive. All patients were seen by wound care and dermatology, and 1 patient was followed by infectious diseases. Wound care management strategies are discussed as well as harm reduction strategies. For all patients, the dose of their medication for opioid use disorder was increased to decrease frequency of drug use given concern that patients were exposed to a drug supply containing xylazine. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This case report presents wound characteristics that raise the index of suspicion for xylazine-involved injection wounds and might assist in their diagnosis and management. There is urgent need for more reporting of such cases as well as rigorous research to understand the potential impact of xylazine on people who use drugs. Multidisciplinary best practices should be established.

Three-dimensional printed definitive cast for a silicone obturator prosthesis: A clinical report.

For patients with head and neck cancer requiring a maxillectomy, obturator prostheses help with quality of life. These patients routinely require adjuvant oncologic treatments with significant adverse effects. Treatment sequelae can leave patients with difficulty speaking and swallowing, reduced salivary function, reduction in maximal incisal opening, and at risk of osteoradionecrosis. A 55-year-old African-American woman presented with significant trismus and reduction in maximal incisal opening after treatment for squamous cell carcinoma of the left maxillary sinus. She had received a left total maxillectomy with adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation treatments. With her reduced opening, she was no longer able to insert her interim obturator prosthesis, which caused difficulty speaking and nasal regurgitation. A cone beam computed tomography scan was made of the patient's maxillectomy defect. From the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine file, a definitive cast was 3-dimensionally printed to fabricate a flexible silicone obturator prosthesis. This treatment has allowed the patient to return to a functional quality of life and could help other patients in similar situations.