Antebrachiometacarpal arthrodesis in five dogs.

CASE REPORTS: Five dogs (4 with severe carpal contracture, 1 with a chronically infected carpal joint) underwent antebrachiometacarpal arthrodesis. Excision of all carpal bones, except the accessory carpal bone, was done, either because of persistent infection or to allow the manus to be arthrodesed in a functional position. All five dogs developed varying degrees of soft tissue swelling of the surgical site following surgery. All five arthrodeses achieved complete osseous union within 4-67 weeks. The immediate postoperative distal radiometacarpal frontal plane angulation ranged from 1° to 19° (mean ± SD: 7 ± 8°). The immediate postoperative distal radiometacarpal sagittal plane angulation ranged from 6° to 26° (mean ± SD: 17 ± 9°). Plate coverage of the secured metacarpal bone(s) ranged from 75% to 87% (mean ± SD: 80 ± 4%). Infection necessitated plate removal in four dogs, 3-17 (mean ± SD: 8 ± 6) months following surgery and 0-15 (mean ± SD: 5 ± 7) weeks following radiographic documentation of complete osseous union. CONCLUSION: Despite one dog having marked elbow incongruency and degenerative joint disease and one dog having an ipsilateral radial nerve deficit, all five dogs improved and had acceptable limb function at the time of the final evaluation, which ranged from 25 to 296 (mean ± SD: 99 ± 111) weeks following surgery.

Retrospective evaluation of the efficacy of isolating bacteria from synovial fluid in dogs with suspected septic arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of synovial fluid culture in obtaining the causative organism from dogs with suspected septic arthritis. METHODS: In this retrospective evaluation, synovial fluid cytology and microbiology submissions from dogs with suspected septic arthritis from March 2007 to August 2011 were reviewed. Synovial fluid cytology consistent with joint sepsis was identified. Cultures of synovial fluid from dogs with clinical histories and abnormalities consistent with septic arthritis were used to evaluate the efficacy of bacterial isolation. RESULTS: In total, 36 dogs met the inclusion criteria. Initial aerobic cultures of joint fluid yielded bacterial growth in 44% of these dogs. All anaerobic cultures were negative. In 19% of the dogs with positive cultures, antibiotics had been administered prior to arthrocentesis compared with 10% of dogs with negative cultures. There was no association between culture efficacy and the administration of antimicrobial treatment prior to synovial fluid culture or recent surgery involving the affected joint (P=0.637 and P=0.106, respectively). CONCLUSION: Culture of synovial fluid from dogs with suspected septic arthritis has a low yield, necessitating a more effective means of identifying bacteria from suspected septic joints in dogs.

Milk as a vehicle for oral medications: hidden osmoles.

OBJECTIVE: Once critically ill, preterm infants have transitioned to enteral or oral feedings, it is common to mix oral medications with milk feedings. The osmolality of oral and intravenous drugs were tested in the 1980s and many were found to exceed the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended limit (400 mOsm kg(-1) H(2)O). Many new milks and medications have entered the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) since then. The objective of this study was to measure the osmolality of common milk-medication combinations administered in the NICU. STUDY DESIGN: Common milk-medication mixtures were analyzed for osmolality by freezing point depression. RESULT: Only Elecare (30 kcal per oz) exceeded AAP recommendations for osmolality in its unadulterated state. The addition of multivitamins alone resulted in an osmolality that exceeded 400 mOsm kg(-1) H(2)O. The cumulative addition of other medications resulted in some osmolalities >1000 mOsm kg(-1) H(2)O. CONCLUSION: The coadministration of medications with milk products should be evaluated as a potential contributor to gastrointestinal intolerance of feedings in preterm infants.

Biodegradation of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes in gas-condensate-contaminated ground-water.

The rate and extent of biodegradation of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) in ground-water was studied in samples from a contaminated site which contained total BTEX concentrations of up to 20 000 microg litre(-1). All compounds were rapidly degraded under natural aerobic conditions. Elevation of incubation temperature, supply of organic nutrients or addition of inorganic fertiliser did not increase the rate or extent of biodegradation and it appeared that oxygen supply was the factor limiting BTEX degradation at this site. Attempts to increase the dissolved oxygen concentration in the ground-water by the addition of hydrogen peroxide to give a final concentration of 200 mg litre(-1) resulted in the complete inhibition of biodegradation. No biodegradation occurred under anaerobic conditions except when nitrate was provided as a terminal electron acceptor for microbial respiration. Under denitrifying conditions there was apparent biodegradation of benzene, toluene, ethyl-benzene, m-xylene and p-xylene but o-xylene was not degraded. Degradation under denitrifying conditions occurred at a much slower rate than under oxygenated conditions.

Human factors in air force aircraft accidents.

Advances have been made in the design and reliability of Air Force aircraft; however, there continues to be materiel failure accidents. The design of man has not changed, although training programs have been improved to reduce accidents caused by human error. This study was conducted to determine the human factors causation of aircraft accidents. A review of 545 aircraft accidents revealed that over 50% were caused by human error. These errors involved supervision, limited experience, and errors in judgment. Since materiel factors in accidents have remained relatively constant, more emphasis must be placed on training and selection of our aircrews and supervisors.