Role of hospital anxiety and depression on the healing of chronic leg ulcer: A prospective study.

A chronic leg ulcer is a debilitating illness, owing to the local condition of the wound and a decrease in physical activity and productivity, resulting in anxiety and depression among patients. The study aimed to find any association of anxiety and depression in the healing of chronic wounds. A total of 125 patients with chronic leg ulcers were enrolled in the study. HADS questionnaire assessment followed the local wound examination in all patients. A follow-up assessment of the ulcer was done after appropriate local treatment, and data analysed with the HADS scale. In the present study, the ROC curve showed a cutoff value of 14 for the HADS score in predicting ulcer status (non-healing vs healed) after 30 days. A total of 54.4% (68) patients had a HADS score ≥ 14 and 39% (49) were true positive for the non-healing wound at a 1-month follow-up. This study revealed a sensitivity and specificity of 83.1% and 71.2%, respectively (P-value <.001), and diagnostic accuracy of 76.8%, for HADS score > 14 in the detection of non-healing ulcers. Chronic leg ulcers should be subjected to HADS assessment and if found significant corrective measures must be instituted for improving wound healing.

Spontaneous Enteral Migration of a Feeding Jejunostomy Tube: An Unusual Complication.

Established consensus suggests that enteral nutrition is more beneficial in patients with a functioning gut than parenteral nutrition. It helps in early physical rehabilitation from a disease or surgical stress and is associated with fewer complications compared to parenteral nutrition. Jejunal feeding is one of the routine modes of enteral nutrition in patients with gastric dysfunction, either due to surgery or critical illness. Various complications have been reported when using feeding tubes, grouped as mechanical, infectious, gastrointestinal, and metabolic. Here, we report an unusual case of a 47-year male with a history of prepyloric perforation repair leak who presented to us on postoperative day 14 with an enterocutaneous fistula and a feeding jejunostomy tube in situ. He was evaluated and managed conservatively and discharged on enteral feeds, both orally and via a jejunostomy tube. One month after discharge, he presented with features of intestinal obstruction with a missing jejunostomy tube. Radiological investigations suggested enteral migration of the jejunostomy tube, which was managed non-operatively, and the patient was discharged on day three post-admission after per rectal expulsion of the tube.

Negative pressure wound therapy in surgical practice: an Institutional experience from a tertiary centre of North India.

<b>Introduction:</b> Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has been suggested as a gold standard for managing complex wounds and to reduce the time of healing and overall morbidity and mortality of the patient. </br></br> <b>Aim:</b> We have done a retrospective study to observe the outcome in patients managed with negative pressure wound therapy for varied etiologies. </br></br> <b> Methods:</b> Patients with complicated wounds including lower limb wounds post-debridement, upper limb wounds post-debridement, postoperative abdominal wound dehiscence, abdominal and chest abscess wounds post-debridement and amputation stumps, managed with negative pressure wound therapy were studied on the basis of wound outcome, total hospital stay, days of NPWT application and pressure and mode of NPWT. </br></br> <b>Results:</b> A total of 42 patients with complicated wounds were included in the study. Mean hospital stay was 16.2 days and mean NPWT application time was 8.29 days with NPWT being applied on average for 3.91 days post-procedure like debridement or amputation or after wound dehiscence in which debridement was not done. As many as 41.5% of wounds were closed with suturing, 48.8% healed by secondary intention and 9.8% were covered with split-thickness skin grafts. A significant observation was made for lower pressure being used for abdominal wound dehiscence (75 mmHg) compared to other wounds on limbs (mean 98.33 mmHg) (P < 0.001). Re-debridement after the 1st cycle of NPWT was needed in 40% of wounds managed with intermittent mode compared to 6.2% in continuous mode (P = 0.028). </br></br> <b>Conclusion:</b> NPWT can reduce and manage wound complications with improvement in the quality of life of patients when used at an appropriate time with knowledge of its mechanism and functionality.

Modified "parachute technique" of partial penectomy: A penile preservation surgery for carcinoma penis.

Carcinoma penis is a rare malignancy which mostly occurs after the sixth decade of life. It is managed surgically and partial penectomy is the most common procedure done in carcinoma involving the distal penis. Partial penectomy provides the opportunity of preservation of sexual function and enables the patient to micturate in standing position. The conventional technique of neourethra creation in partial penectomy is slitting the urethra dorsally. We propose an alternative approach to neourethra formation. Technique involves ventral slitting of the urethra followed by suturing which begins at the ventral aspect and continued in a parachute fashion toward the dorsal end. This new technique will help primary physicians and surgeons in providing better surgical results in caring for patients with carcinoma penis.

Left Paraduodenal Hernia Presenting as Closed Loop Jejunal Obstruction in a Young Female: An Enigmatic and Perilous Differential of Acute Abdomen.

Internal hernia is a rare cause of intestinal obstruction, accounting for <2% of cases with paraduodenal type being the most common. An internal hernia, mostly acquired, develops due to protuberance of the intestine through a gap in the peritoneum or mesentery formed as a result of an antecedent abdominal operation such as gastric bypass or liver transplant, ischemic injury, peritonitis, or trauma. Paraduodenal hernias (PDHs) are congenital anomalies, secondary to a failed fusion of mesentery with parietal peritoneum along with rotational midgut errors, causing the evolution of potential space for herniation within the left paraduodenal fossa. Primary internal hernias can have a varied clinical presentation and cause significant mortality and morbidity if left untreated. We report the case of a 20-year-old female with chronic pain in abdomen and intestinal obstruction due to left PDH (LPDH). The prompt diagnosis led to timely exploration and reduction of entrapped jejunum, with prudent closure of the hiatus, while circumventing any injury to the adjacent mesenteric circulation. No postoperative ileus arose, and recovery was uneventful.

Great saphenous vein sparing versus stripping in Trendelenburg operation for primary varicose veins: a prospective study.

<b>Objective:</b> The purpose of this study was to compare the outcome of the great saphenous vein (GSV) sparing versus stripping during Trendelenburg operation for varicose veins. <br><b>Methods:</b> This was a prospective randomized study of primary varicose vein patients who underwent Trendelenburg operation. Data of patients operated on over a period of 16 months was collected, including: below knee GSV diameter by Duplex Ultrasound and revised venous clinical severity score (rVCSS), calculated preoperatively and postoperatively at 2^nd, 4^th, and 8^th week. <br><b>Results:</b> A total of 36 patients undergoing Trendelenburg operation were included in the study. Nineteen patients underwent GSV sparing while 17 underwent stripping of GSV till just below the knee after juxtafemoral flush ligation of the great saphenous vein. There was a significant decrease in the below-knee GSV diameter (19% after 2 months) and rVCSS (60.8%) in the sparing group. The stripping group also showed an almost similar decrease in below-knee GSV diameter (19.6% after 2 months) and rVCSS (66.3%). However, no significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of change in GSV diameter (P = 0.467) and rVCSS (P = 0.781). <br><b>Conclusion:</b> Trendelenburg procedure with sparing of GSV can be done routinely for operative management of varicose veins, where surgery is needed.