RESUMEN
Objective: Wound image analysis tools hold promise in helping patients to monitor their wounds. We aim to perform a novel feasibility study on the efficacy of a patient-owned wound surveillance system for diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) care. Methods: This two-institutional, prospective, single-arm pilot study examined patients with DFU. An artificial intelligence-enabled image analysis app calculating the wound surface area was installed and patients or caregivers were instructed to take pictures of wounds during dressing changes. Patients were followed until wound deterioration, wound healing, or wound stability at 6 months occurred and the outcomes of interest included study adherence, algorithm performance, and user experience. Results: Between January 2021 and December 2021, 39 patients were enrolled in the study, with a mean age of 61.6 ± 8.6 years, and 69% (n = 27) of subjects were male. All patients had documented diabetes and 85% (n = 33) of them had peripheral arterial disease. A mean follow-up for those completing the study was 12.0 ± 8.5 weeks. At the conclusion of the study, 80% of patients (n = 20) had primary wound healing whilst 20% (n = 5) had wound deterioration. The study completion rate was 64% (n = 25). Usage of the app for surveillance of DFU healing, as compared to physician evaluation, yielded a sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 20%, positive predictive value of 83%, and negative predictive value of 100%. Of those who provided user experience feedback, 59% (n = 10) felt the app was easy to use, 47% (n = 8) would recommend the wound analysis app to others but only 6% would pay for the app out of pocket (n = 1). Conclusion: Implementation of a patient-owned wound surveillance system is feasible. Most patients were able to effectively monitor wounds using a smartphone app-based solution. The image analysis algorithm demonstrates strong performance in identifying wound healing and is capable of detecting deterioration prior to interval evaluation by a physician. Patients generally found the app easy to use but were reluctant to pay for the use of the solution out of pocket.
RESUMEN
Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) for thyroid storm has recently been upgraded to a category II indication after decades though its recommendation level still remains at Grade 2C according to the American Society for Apheresis (ASFA). In the absence of prospective randomized controlled trials due to the rarity of thyroid storm, retrospective data from case series continue to elevate the clinical evidence supporting TPE as a life-saving modality for complicated thyroid storm patients. We report three cases of life-threatening thyroid storm from Graves' disease rescued by TPE via rapid reduction in circulating thyroid hormones. Each patient underwent TPE when it was judged that other thyroid storm treatment options were futile or unsafe. The first patient received 4 cycles of TPE while the second patient received 9 cycles of TPE, and the third patient received 2 cycles of TPE with satisfactory clinical improvement. Plasma FT4 and TSH receptor antibody levels of the first case declined by 41.3% and >50% respectively right after the first round of TPE; plasma FT4 of the second patient dropped by up to 31.6% during the course of TPE; plasma FT4 and TSH receptor antibody of the third patient declined by 66% and 56.2% respectively after the first cycle of TPE. This demonstrates the safety, efficacy, and feasibility of TPE in thyroid storm especially when other therapeutic interventions are contraindicated. TPE operates via the elimination of serum proteins-bound thyroid hormones, thyroid autoantibodies, cytokines, and catecholamines in addition to increasing unsaturated binding sites for thyroid hormones.
