The Effect of Limb Salvage Efforts in Different Age Groups: Relationships Between Major and Minor Amputations.

"Limb salvage" efforts, such as performing minor amputations before infections spread proximally from the foot to decrease major lower extremity amputation, are an important part of healthcare today. It is unclear whether these efforts are preventing the number of major amputations and improving patients' quality of life and the cost-effectiveness of the U.S. healthcare system. Rates of non-traumatic lower extremity amputation (NLEA) among patients with diabetes decreased in the early 2000s but rebounded in the 2010s. We analyzed the proportion of major amputations and differences in amputation rates between age groups in Texas. Patient data was extracted from the Texas Hospital Discharge Data Public Use Data File. Population estimates were obtained from the Texas Population Estimates Program from 2011 to 2015 and from intercensal estimates provided by the U.S. Census Bureau from 2006 to 2010. Raw numbers of minor, major, and all NLEA surgeries and the ratio of major amputations to total amputations per year were reported for each age group. Poisson regression and Joinpoint analyses were performed to capture these changes in trends. Rates of amputations increased, with significant decreasing relative prevalence of major amputations. Patients aged 45 to 64 with diabetes are likely driving these increases. Rates of lower extremity amputation in patients with diabetes increased from 2009 to 2015. This holds for all and minor amputations. In contrast, the ratio of major to all amputations decreased from 2010. Utilization of major and minor amputation differs between age groups, remaining stable in the youngest subjects, with minor amputation rates increasing in those aged 45 to 64.

CVP and echo Measurements are Associated with Improved Outcomes in Patients with Gastrointestinal (GI) Hemorrhage: A Retrospective Analysis of the MIMIC- IV Database.

Purpose: Mortality associated with acute Gastrointestinal (GI) hemorrhage in intensive care units (ICU) has remained high in patients suffering from hemodynamic instability. Prompt recognition and rapid assessment of bleeding severity are crucial to improve survival. Central venous pressure (CVP) monitoring is commonly used for early recognition of intravascular imbalances, but its effectiveness in predicting fluid responsiveness is often questioned. Echocardiography (echo) is a rapid, noninvasive method to repeatedly assess cardiac function and fluid responsiveness. This study investigated the impact of CVP and echo measurements on the outcomes of critically ill patients with GI hemorrhage. Methods: The study was based on the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC- IV) database. Patients were divided into four groups according to the usage of CVP and/or echo. The primary outcomes were 7-day, 14-day, 28-day, and overall mortalities after ICU admission. Cox Proportional-Hazards Models were used to elucidate the relationship between CVP/ Echo monitoring and mortality. The severity of illness of patients were adjusted by qSOFA score, SOFA score and base deficit level at admission. Results: Among 1705 eligible patients, 82 patients had both CVP and echo, 85 had CVP only, and 116 had Echo only. The results of survival analysis indicated that, comparing with those without either CVP or echo, the echo utilization was associated with improved mortalities at all time points during ICU stay for patients with moderate GI hemorrhage, and the combined use of CVP and echo was associated with lower 7-day,14-day and overall mortalities for patients with severe GI hemorrhage. Conclusion: Early usage of CVP and echo monitoring or echo alone are associated with lower mortality in the short and long-term when compared to patients without either measurement. Clinicians should consider goal-directed resuscitation guided by echo with/without CVP in patients with GI hemorrhage early after admission to ICU.

Effects of therapeutic ultrasound for knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness and safety of therapeutic ultrasound with sham ultrasound on pain relief and functional improvement in knee osteoarthritis patients. As phonophoresis is a unique therapeutic ultrasound, we also compared the effects of phonophoresis with conventional non-drug ultrasound. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched for randomized controlled trials from inception up to June 2019. REVIEW METHODS: Randomized controlled trials comparing therapeutic ultrasound with sham ultrasound in knee osteoarthritis patients were included. Phonophoresis in the experimental and control groups were compared through conventional ultrasound, and corresponding trials were also included. Two reviewers independently identified eligible studies and extracted data. Risk of bias assessments and therapeutic ultrasound safety assessments were also performed. RESULTS: Fifteen studies including three phonophoresis-related studies with 1074 patients were included. Meta-analyses demonstrated that therapeutic ultrasound significantly relieved pain (P < 0.00001) and reduced the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) physical function score (P = 0.03). In addition, therapeutic ultrasound increased the active range of motion (P < 0.00001) and reduced the Lequesne index (P < 0.00001). Subgroup analysis of phonophoresis ultrasound illustrated significant differences on the visual analogue scale (P = 0.009), but no significant differences on WOMAC pain subscales (P = 0.10), and total WOMAC scores were observed (P = 0.30). There was no evidence to suggest that ultrasound was unsafe treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Therapeutic ultrasound is a safe treatment to relieve pain and improve physical function in patients with knee osteoarthritis. However, phonophoresis does not produce additional benefits to functional improvement, but may relieve pain compared to conventional non-drug ultrasound.

Association Between Opioid Use and Diabetes in Patients With Ankle Fracture Repair.

BACKGROUND: Ankle fractures in patients with diabetes mellitus have long been recognized as a challenge to practicing clinicians. Ankle fracture patients with diabetes may experience prolonged healing, higher risk of hardware failure, an increased risk of wound dehiscence and infection, and higher pain scores pre- and postoperatively, compared to patients without diabetes. However, the duration of opioid use among this patient cohort has not been previously evaluated. The purpose of this study is to retrospectively compare the time span of opioid utilization between ankle fracture patients with and without diabetes mellitus. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using our institution's TriNetX database. A total of 640 ankle fracture patients were included in the analysis, of whom 73 had diabetes. All dates of opioid use for each patient were extracted from the data set, including the first and last date of opioid prescription. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression models were employed to explore the differences in opioid use between patients with and without diabetes after ankle fracture repair. A 2-tailed P value of .05 was set as the threshold for statistical significance. RESULTS: Logistic regression models revealed that patients with diabetes are less likely to stop using opioids within 90 days, or within 180 days, after repair compared to patients without diabetes. Female sex, neuropathy, and prefracture opioid use are also associated with prolonged opioid use after ankle fracture repair. CONCLUSION: In our study cohort, ankle fracture patients with diabetes were more likely to require prolonged opioid use after fracture repair. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, prognostic.

Low-dose metformin treatment in the subacute phase improves the locomotor function of a mouse model of spinal cord injury.

Metformin, a first-line drug for type-2 diabetes, has been shown to improve locomotor recovery after spinal cord injury. However, there are studies reporting no beneficial effect. Recently, we found that high dose of metformin (200 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) and acute phase administration (immediately after injury) led to increased mortality and limited locomotor function recovery. Consequently, we used a lower dose (100 mg/kg, i.p.) metformin in mice, and compared the effect of immediate administration after spinal cord injury (acute phase) with that of administration at 3 days post-injury (subacute phase). Our data showed that metformin treatment starting at the subacute phase significantly improved mouse locomotor function evaluated by Basso Mouse Scale (BMS) scoring. Immunohistochemical studies also revealed significant inhibitions of microglia/macrophage activation and astrogliosis at the lesion site. Furthermore, metformin treatment at the subacute phase reduced neutrophil infiltration. These changes were in parallel with the increased survival rate of spinal neurons in animals treated with metformin. These findings suggest that low-dose metformin treatment for subacute spinal cord injury can effectively improve the functional recovery possibly through anti-inflammation and neuroprotection. This study was approved by the Institute Animal Care and Use Committee at the University of Texas Medical Branch (approval No. 1008041C) in 2010.

Epidemiology of traumatic spinal cord injury in Tianjin, China: An 18-year retrospective study of 735 cases.

Study Design: Hospital-based retrospective studyObjectives: To evaluate the pathogenetic features of traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) during 1999-2016 according to changed injury etiology with time, explore different characteristics of patients suffered a TSCI during 1999-2007 and 2008-2016 in Tianjin, China.Setting: Tianjin Medical University General HospitalMethods: In this study, the medical records of TSCI patients were obtained from Tianjin Medical University General Hospital (TMUGH) from 1st January 1999 to 31th December 2016. Variables were recorded, including age, gender occupation, etiology, the level of injury, America Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) impairment scale, the severity, concomitant injuries, death and its cause. To explore the differences in characteristics by etiology and by two periods, related statistical methods were used to calculate the correlation of some variables. Differences in etiology of TSCI during 1999-2016 were evaluated and differences in epidemiological characteristics were separately compared and analyzed between the 1999-2007 period and the 2008-2016 period.Results: From 1999-2016, 831 TSCI cases were identified and 96 cases were excluded from analyses. The male-to-female ratio was 2.9:1 and the mean age was 49.7±15.2 years, which changed significantly between 1999-2007 (45.1±14.2) and 2008-2016 (51.6±15.2). Traffic accidents (45.8%) were the leading cause of TSCI during the 1999-2007 period, followed by low falls (30.7%). However, the opposite result was observed during the 2008-2016 period. Significant difference was observed compared with thoracic, lumbar and sacral levels, cervical level was the most commonly affected levels and the percentage decreased to a certain degree between 1999-2007 and 2008-2016 (from 84.4% to 68.9%). The proportions of ASIA grades A, B, C, and D were 20.5%, 10.3%, 23.3%, and 45.9%, respectively. The percentage of complete tetraplegia decreased from 22.9% in 1999-2007 to 13.2% in 2008-2016, and the percentage of incomplete paraplegia increased from 9.7% to 27.9%.Conclusion: According to the changes in the epidemiological characteristics of TSCI, relevant health service, laws and regulations, preventative strategies should be readjusted to follow up the changing situation and epidemiological characteristics of TSCI.

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells stimulated with low-intensity pulsed ultrasound: Better choice of transplantation treatment for spinal cord injury: Treatment for SCI by LIPUS-BMSCs transplantation.

Stem cell transplantation, especially treatment with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), has been considered a promising therapy for the locomotor and neurological recovery of spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. However, the clinical benefits of BMSCs transplantation remain limited because of the considerably low viability and inhibitory microenvironment. In our research, low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS), which has been widely applied to clinical applications and fundamental research, was employed to improve the properties of BMSCs. The most suitable intensity of LIPUS stimulation was determined. Furthermore, the optimized BMSCs were transplanted into the epicenter of injured spinal cord in rats, which were randomized into four groups: (a) Sham group (n = 10), rats received laminectomy only and the spinal cord remained intact. (b) Injury group (n = 10), rats with contused spinal cord subjected to the microinjection of PBS solution. (c) BMSCs transplantation group (n = 10), rats with contused spinal cord were injected with BMSCs without any priming. (d) LIPUS-BMSCs transplantation group (n = 10), BMSCs stimulated with LIPUS were injected at the injured epicenter after contusion. Rats were then subjected to behavioral tests, immunohistochemistry, and histological observation. It was found that BMSCs stimulated with LIPUS obtained higher cell viability, migration, and neurotrophic factors expression in vitro. The rate of apoptosis remained constant. After transplantation of BMSCs and LIPUS-BMSCs postinjury, locomotor function was significantly improved in LIPUS-BMSCs transplantation group with higher level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) in the epicenter, and the expression of neurotrophic receptor was also enhanced. Histological observation demonstrated reduced cavity formation in LIPUS-BMSCs transplantation group when comparing with other groups. The results suggested LIPUS can improve BMSCs viability and neurotrophic factors expression in vitro, and transplantation of LIPUS-BMSCs could promote better functional recovery, indicating possible clinical application for the treatment of SCI.

Comparison of cutting and pencil-point spinal needle in spinal anesthesia regarding postdural puncture headache: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Postdural puncture headache (PDPH), mainly resulting from the loss of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF), is a well-known iatrogenic complication of spinal anesthesia and diagnostic lumbar puncture. Spinal needles have been modified to minimize complications. Modifiable risk factors of PDPH mainly included needle size and needle shape. However, whether the incidence of PDPH is significantly different between cutting-point and pencil-point needles was controversial. Then we did a meta-analysis to assess the incidence of PDPH of cutting spinal needle and pencil-point spinal needle. METHODS: We included all randomly designed trials, assessing the clinical outcomes in patients given elective spinal anesthesia or diagnostic lumbar puncture with either cutting or pencil-point spinal needle as eligible studies. All selected studies and the risk of bias of them were assessed by 2 investigators. Clinical outcomes including success rates, frequency of PDPH, reported severe PDPH, and the use of epidural blood patch (EBP) were recorded as primary results. Results were evaluated using risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) for dichotomous variables. Rev Man software (version 5.3) was used to analyze all appropriate data. RESULTS: Twenty-five randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included in our study. The analysis result revealed that pencil-point spinal needle would result in lower rate of PDPH (RR 2.50; 95% CI [1.96, 3.19]; P < 0.00001) and severe PDPH (RR 3.27; 95% CI [2.15, 4.96]; P < 0.00001). Furthermore, EBP was less used in pencil-point spine needle group (RR 3.69; 95% CI [1.96, 6.95]; P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Current evidences suggest that pencil-point spinal needle was significantly superior compared with cutting spinal needle regarding the frequency of PDPH, PDPH severity, and the use of EBP. In view of this, we recommend the use of pencil-point spinal needle in spinal anesthesia and lumbar puncture.

The treatment strategies for spine fractures in patients with ankylosing spondylitis: A case report.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to explore surgical strategies for effectively treating spine fractures in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and investigate the postoperative outcomes. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 9 patients with AS that was complicated by spine fractures, who underwent surgery at our spine and spinal cord clinic between 2005 and 2012. The surgical methods included posterior instrumentation and bone grafting, with or without decompression. Fracture healing and neurological function recovery were observed postoperatively. The average follow-up period was 45.1 months (range: 24-60). RESULTS: The 9 patients included 7 men and 2 women. Eight patients were treated with long posterior fixation. One patient underwent combined long posterior fixation and anterior bone grafting. The neurological function of these patients improved significantly to varying degrees after surgery, and fracture union and segmental instability of the lumbar vertebrae were radiologically confirmed at the 1-month and 2-year follow-up intervals. Severe surgery-related complications were not observed. CONCLUSIONS: Posterior instrumentation with bone grafting was a satisfying method for treating spine fractures in patients with AS.