Transitioning patients from teeth to implants

One major obstacle to treatment with implants is the transitional phase between a tooth supported occlusion and an implant supported occlusion. This is of particular concern when a patient with a failing dentition has not worn a removable prosthesis before and is planning to have a reconstruction supported by implants.     

Lateral plantar artery bypass grafting: defining the limits of foot revascularization

We placed 20 bypass grafts to the lateral plantar artery in 18 extremities to salvage feet with wet (12) or dry (six) gangrene; 15 grafts were implanted in men (75%), and five were implanted in women (25%). The median age was 65 years. All except two patients had diabetes; eight were treated with insulin. One patient had Buerger's disease, and another had vasculitis with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. History of smoking (65%), hypertension (53%), heart disease (71%), and osteomyelitis in the foot (35%), were noted. Cultures were positive in 15 gangrenous feet, 11 with gram-negative bacilli. Four long femoroplantar bypasses were placed. Ten short grafts were placed from the popliteal artery, and six jump grafts were placed distal to a femoropopliteal or tibial bypass. Hospital stay ranged from 8 to 38 days (median 16 days), and there were two in-hospital deaths. Transmetatarsal or button toe amputations were performed in nine feet. There were two below-knee amputations, one with a patent graft, for a foot salvage rate of 89% at 2 months. In four instances the gangrenous ulcers took longer than 6 months to heal; all other wounds healed within 6 months. The primary and secondary patency rates were 85% at 1 month, and 73% at 3 months and thereafter. Four of five graft failures occurred in the two legs with repeat bypass graftings. All patients with successful revascularization are able to walk, and seven returned to work full time.     

Laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair: optimal technical variations and results in 1700 cases

A follow-up series of 1700 laparoscopic inguinofemoral herniorrhaphies by a single surgical team is presented (1381 patients). Two standard techniques were used: transabdominal preperitoneal (1452 cases) and totally extraperitoneal (248 cases). Mean follow-up was 5.3 years. There were 348 patients with bilateral hernias, 121 with recurrent hernias, and 27 with incarcerated hernias. Numerous technical variations were used as the study progressed. A SurgiPro mesh (USSC, Norwalk, CT) with staple/tack fixation was used in all patients. Average operating time was 41 minutes for unilateral repairs, and 97.3 per cent of the procedures were outpatient procedures. Five recurrences were reported. The postoperative permanent neuropathy rate was found to be negligible, but a 5.1 per cent rate of uncomplicated ipsilateral postoperative seromas is reported. All patients were instructed to return to unrestricted physical activities on postoperative day one. Ninety per cent of the patients were able to do so within 5 days versus 93 per cent in 7 days. Ninety-six per cent of all patients felt minimal pain and discomfort after 72 hours. There was no significant difference in recovery or morbidity between the transabdominal preperitoneal and totally extraperitoneal repairs. To date laparoscopic inguinal herniorrhaphy continues to be a difficult procedure with a significant learning curve. The reported surgical performance data and the described optimal technical variations make this procedure a viable and competitive repair in the surgical management of inguinofemoral hernia.     

Clinically unrecognized myocardial infarction in the Western Collaborative Group Study

The occurrence of silent and other clinically unrecognized myocardial infarction prior to the study was observed in 42 men and in 31 new cases of infarction during a four and a half year follow-up of 3,182 men, aged 39 to 59 years, participating in an epidemiologic study of coronary heart disease. Among subjects aged 39 to 49 years, a statistically significantly higher frequency of unrecognized infarction occurred in those with a parental history of coronary heart disease, higher annual income, fasting serum triglycerides exceeding 150 mg./100 ml. and in those who exhibited the Type A behavior pattern, compared with subjects without such attributes. A higher frequency also was observed in the younger subjects who were cigarette smokers compared with former smokers and nonsmokers of cigarettes and in those with elevated blood pressure compared to those with normal pressure, but these differences were not statistically significant.

A significantly higher incidence of unrecognized infarction also was observed in all subjects with elevated serum beta/alpha lipoprotein ratios compared to those with lower ratios. This appears to be particularly striking since there were no significant differences in the incidence of such infarction among subjects with elevated serum cholesterol levels compared to those with low levels.

Most cases of unrecognized infarction were associated with the Type A behavior pattern, and this was independent of the blood pressure, serum lipid or lipoprotein levels, cigarette smoking, parental history or any of the other factors under study.     

Hollywood quits--behind the scenes of a Hollywood-based smoking cessation program

OBJECTIVES: To develop, implement, and assess the efficacy of a comprehensive, evidence-based smoking cessation program for entertainment industry workers and their families. METHODS: Study participants were recruited from 5 outpatient medical clinics and a worksite setting. Tobacco use data were collected during the initial counseling visit and at 6-month follow-up. Univariate and multivariate regressions were used in analysis. RESULTS: More than 50% of participants (n=470) self-reported 7-day abstinence at follow-up. The majority of participants used combination cessation medications, with more than 50% still using at least 1 medication at 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: This evidence-based smoking cessation program using behavioral counseling and combination pharmacotherapy was successful with entertainment industry workers.