A Detailed Analysis of Workplace Foot and Ankle Injuries.

INTRODUCTION: This study analyzes the incidence rate and median workdays missed due to foot and ankle injuries across age groups, sexes, and industries. METHODS: Workplace injury data from 2003 to 2019 were obtained using the Nonfatal Cases Involving Day Away from Work: Selected Characteristics database provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The data were grouped by injury location (ie, foot, ankle), injury type (ie, fracture, sprain), and industry, and reported with injury incidence rates and median workdays missed. RESULTS: The incidence rate of foot and ankle injuries significantly decreased from 2003 to 2019 (P < .001). With increasing age, the incidence rate of foot and ankle injuries decreased (P < .001) and median workdays missed increased (P < .001). Men had significantly higher rates of foot and ankle injuries (P < .001). Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting (foot=10.23%, ankle=10.41%); construction (foot=8.14%, ankle=8.68%); and transportation and warehousing (foot=11.06%, ankle=13.80%) industries had the highest injury incidence rates. Transportation and warehousing (foot=16.8 days, ankle=16.3 days), mining (foot=44.9 days, ankle=17.1 days), and utilities (foot=26.7 days, ankle=24.4 days) industries had the highest median workdays missed. CONCLUSION: Increased incidence and severity of workplace foot and ankle injuries are associated with male sex and heavy labor industries. Age was positively associated with severity and negatively associated with incidence of workplace ankle injuries. LEVELS OF EVIDENCE: Level III, Retrospective cohort study.

Fungal Periprosthetic Joint Infection: A Review of Demographics and Management.

BACKGROUND: Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is one of the most feared complications of total joint arthroplasty (TJA). Although commonly the result of colonization by Staphylococcal species, a growing number of cases of PJI with fungal pathogens have been reported within the last decade. Although standard treatment with two-stage exchange mirrors that of bacterial PJI, the variability in virulence between fungal species makes for an unpredictable and challenging treatment course. METHODS: A review of Pubmed and Scopus from years 2009 to 2019 was conducted with the search terms fungal, infection, Candida, arthroplasty, periprosthetic, and prosthesis. Publications were reviewed and screened, yielding data for 286 patients with fungal PJI in the hip, knee, shoulder, and elbow prosthetics. RESULTS: Patient comorbidities generally included conditions impairing wound healing and immune response such as diabetes mellitus. Candida species were the most common fungal pathogens identified (85%); 30% had a concomitant bacterial infection. A two-stage exchange was most utilized, with a mean success rate of 65%. Antifungal impregnated spacers were utilized in 82 cases, with a comparatively high success rate (81%). Attempts at debridement with implant retention had substantially lower cure rates (15%). CONCLUSIONS: Two-stage exchange is the favored approach to treating fungal PJI. Debridement with implant retention does not appear adequate to control infection, and retrieval of implanted materials should be prioritized. The use of antifungal impregnated spacers is an important area of ongoing research, with uncertainty regarding the type and quantity of antifungal agent to incorporate, although recent reports support the use of these agents.

Anti-inflammatory coatings of hernia repair meshes: A pilot study.

The current prevalence of postoperative chronic pain from hernioplasty procedures employing polymer mesh is close to 30%. Most of the researchers agree that oxidative stress, resulting from the release of oxidants and enzymes during acute inflammatory response, is a key factor in the development of posthernioplasty complications. This results in both the decrease of the biomechanical properties and stiffening of the polymer fibers of the mesh, leading to chronic pain. Moreover, enhanced activity of inflammatory cells can lead to an excessive deposition of connective tissue around the implant. In this study polypropylene hernia repair meshes coated with vitamin E (α-tocopherol), a known antioxidant, were prepared and characterized. The absorption isotherm of vitamin E on the mesh was characterized and a release profile study yielded a promising results, showing sustained release of the drug over a 10-day period. An animal study was conducted, and histological analysis five weeks after implantation exhibited a reduced host tissue response for a modified mesh as compared to a plain mesh, as evidenced by a higher mature collagen to immature collagen ratio, as well as lower level of fatty infiltrates, neovascularization and fibrosis in the case of modified mesh. These results support the use of α-tocopherol as a potential coating in attempt to reduce the extent of postoperative inflammation, and thereby improve long-term outcomes of hernioplasty. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 589-597, 2018.

In vitro study on the deterioration of polypropylene hernia repair meshes.

Despite the relative safety of the procedure, hernia repairs are often associated with chronic post-operative pain. Although this complication has been linked among others to mesh deterioration, details of the processes that lead this deterioration are still unknown. This work aims to bridge this gap by analyzing the chemical, physical and structural alterations in hernia repair meshes exposed to oxidative stress in vitro. Here, we developed a methodology to characterize effect of oxidation stress on structure and properties of polymeric hernia repair meshes. It was shown that structural changes in polypropylene meshes exposed to oxidative stress may involve formation of cross-links between the polymer chains, chain scissions, and hydrogen bonds between the carboxyl groups, which are formed in the material during the oxidation. These effects result in mesh stiffening, ultimately leading to chronic post-operative pain. Moreover, we demonstrated that Composix meshes are more vulnerable to the oxidative stress when compared with UltraPro meshes. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 2225-2234, 2018.

Current screening guidelines overlook a significant number of patients treated for colorectal cancer.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) in adults, beginning at age 50 years and continuing until age 75 years. Screening has led to a decreased incidence of CRC in this subset of patients. Despite these improvements, there has been a significant increase in the incidence of CRC in patients aged 20 to 49 years and those older than age 75 years. We sought to evaluate the appropriateness of the current screening guidelines as it pertained to our patient demographic at Greenville Health System. We retrospectively reviewed the Greenville Health System tumor registry from January 2005 to December 2010. Age at diagnosis, pathologic stage, tumor location, and demographic information were obtained on patients treated for CRC. Data points were stratified across the three age distributions used by the USPSTF. Greater than one-third (34.7%) of patients diagnosed with CRC fell outside of the recommended screening ages. Fifty-eight per cent of patients younger than 50 years old had advanced disease at diagnosis, Stage III or IV, as compared with other groups. Two hundred eight of the 708 patients (29.3%) were diagnosed on screening colonoscopy, whereas 500 patients (70.7%) were found to have CRC on diagnostic colonoscopy or at the time of operation for related complications. There are a significant number of patients who are ultimately treated for CRC that would fall outside the recommended screening parameters at our institution. Re-evaluation of the current CRC screening guidelines and risk factor assessment is needed to account for the changing trends.

Hand-assisted laparoscopic colectomy: a single-institution experience.

The purpose of this study was to examine the results of a single institution experience with hand-assisted laparoscopic colon resection for benign disease. We conducted a retrospective study of consecutive cases performed by experienced laparoscopic surgeons at a single institution. From August 1999 to June 2001, 37 patients underwent hand-assisted laparoscopic colon resection. Seventeen patients were male, and 20 were female. Median patient age was 58 years (range 20-80). Indications for surgery were: polyp (13), uncomplicated diverticular disease (eight), complicated diverticular disease (i.e., colovesicular fistula, phlegmon, etc.) (seven), chronic constipation (four), rectal prolapse (two), ulcerative colitis (one), endometriosis (one), and fecal incontinence (one). Procedures performed were: sigmoidectomy (14), right colectomy (nine), low anterior resection (seven), subtotal colectomy (five), cecectomy (one), and transverse colectomy (one). Variables examined were: conversion to open procedure, operative time, blood loss, time to return of flatus, length of postoperative hospital stay, and complications. There were no deaths. One case was converted to celiotomy (unable to rule out malignancy). The median operative time was 122 minutes (range 32-240) with a median operative blood loss of 132 mL (range 0-300). Return of flatus was noted (median) at postoperative day 3 (range 1-5), and the median length of stay after operation was 4 days (range 2-8). One patient developed a superficial wound infection, and there was one pelvic abscess (drained percutaneously). One patient developed urinary retention. There were no reoperations. In this single-institution experience hand-assisted laparoscopic elective colectomy for benign disease was successful in both straightforward and complicated cases. A low conversion rate to celiotomy and favorable operative times compared with published "pure" laparoscopic results suggest a flatter learning curve for handoscopy while retaining the benefits of "minimally invasive" surgery such as early return of flatus and short postoperative hospital stay. For these reasons hand-assisted laparoscopy should be considered an acceptable technique in elective colon resection for benign disease.