The international journal of lower extremity wounds
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Int J Low Extrem Wounds · Dec 2013
Case ReportsSeptic nonunions of lower limb long bones: don't neglect Propionibacterium acnes!
We report 3 clinical cases of septic nonunions of lower limb long bones in which the pathogenicity of Propionibacterium acnes was retained after several weeks of poor outcome. The patients had fractures that were treated by internal fixation, without initially suspected infection. The diagnosis of delayed union coincided with the onset of treatment. ⋯ The presence of P acnes is regularly interpreted as contamination of samples during collection or handling in the laboratory. A multidisciplinary decision to make the diagnosis of surgical site infection with P acnes and specific antibiotic treatment for several months led to consolidation in all the patients. The ability of bacteria of the genus Propionibacterium to cause insidious surgical site infections should not be underestimated, and more extensive sample incubation is essential to diagnose such infections.
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Int J Low Extrem Wounds · Jun 2013
Multicenter StudyThe performance of serum inflammatory markers for the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with osteomyelitis.
Serum inflammatory markers, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), white blood cells (WBC), and procalcitonin (PCT), have been used for the diagnosis of foot infections in patients with diabetes. However, little is known about their changes during treatment of patients with foot infections. The aim of this prospective study was to examine the performance of serum inflammatory markers for the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with osteomyelitis. ⋯ The sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of osteomyelitis of CRP (cutoff value >14 mg/L) were 0.85 and 0.83, of ESR (cutoff value >67 mm/h) 0.84 and 0.75, of WBC (cutoff value >14 × 10(9)/L) 0.75 and 0.79, and of PCT (cutoff value >0.30 ng/mL) 0.81 and 0.71, respectively. All values declined after initiation of treatment with antibiotics; the WBC, CRP, and PCT values returned to near-normal levels at day 7, whereas the values of ESR remained high until month 3 only in patients with bone infection. From the inflammatory markers, ESR is recommended to be used for the follow-up of patients with osteomyelitis.
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Int J Low Extrem Wounds · Mar 2013
ReviewUpdate on the diabetic foot 2012: the 14th biennial Malvern Diabetic Foot Conference, May 9-11, 2012.
The 14th biennial Malvern Diabetic Foot Conference was held in May 2012. Physicians, podiatrists, nurses, orthotists, surgeons, radiologists, and other professionals attended to reflect on the diabetic foot. ⋯ Over the 3 days, topics such as epidemiology, neuropathy, screening, vascular disease, prevention, and management among others were discussed. The conference has been an excellent platform from which to share new and ongoing research and it will without a doubt improve the treatment of the diabetic foot across the world.
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Int J Low Extrem Wounds · Mar 2013
Comparative StudyThe application of distally pedicled peroneus brevis muscle flaps and retrograde neurocutaneous accompanying artery flaps for treatment of bony and soft-tissue 3-dimensional defects of the lower leg and foot.
To investigate the clinical effect of distally pedicled peroneus brevis muscle flaps and retrograde neurocutaneous flaps on treatment of bone and soft-tissue 3-dimensional defects of the lower leg and foot, the authors retrospectively studied all the patients admitted in their center in 3 consecutive years with bone and soft-tissue defects from March 2008 to February 2011; 21 patients suffering from traumatic and osteomyelitis were treated with peroneus brevis muscle flaps, for obliterating the hole-shaped bony defects after osteomyelitis debridement, and neurocutaneous flaps, for repairing associated soft-tissue defects. After thorough debridement, the average size of soft-tissue defects was 2 cm × 2 cm to 13 cm × 9 cm and that of bony defects was 2 cm × 2 cm × 2 cm to 6 cm × 3 cm × 3 cm. ⋯ Recurrence of osteomyelitis was not observed in any of the patients. In conclusion, distally pedicled peroneus brevis muscle flaps and retrograde neurocutaneous flaps are simple, safe, reliable, and suitable for clinical treatment of hole-shaped bony defects and reconstruction of soft-tissue defects within a single stage, especially when the 2 defects are located in different 3-dimensional spaces.
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Int J Low Extrem Wounds · Sep 2012
Case ReportsA successful rescue of systematic inflammatory response syndrome resulting from severe wound infection.
This article reports a critical case of systematic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) due to wound infection. By intensive local wound treatment including debridement, topical negative pressure, and topical antibiotics, SIRS was effectively controlled, vital signs stabilized, and the wound healed in 45 days. This case reflects the close association between wound infection and SIRS while highlighting early diagnosis of local pathology and local treatment.