Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia after thermal injury: The clinical impact of methicillin resistance

Objective

To evaluate the impact of methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) on mortality and length of stay in burn patients.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

A 750-bed tertiary care university hospital in Cologne, Germany.

Patients

Patients registered in the database of the burn intensive care unit (BICU) between 1989 and 2009 with complete data sets (n = 1688).

Results

Over the 21-year study period, 74 patients with SAB were identified; 33 patients had methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and 41 methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA). Comparing the MRSA with the MSSA population the following parameters were significantly different in the univariate analysis: BMI (27.2 kg/m² vs. 23.6 kg/m²; P = 0.05), extent of deep partial thickness burns (17.8% vs. 9.0% of total body surface area; P = 0.007), antibiotic requirement on admission (45.5% vs. 22.0%; P = 0.046), median length of hospitalization prior SAB (24 days vs. 7 days; P < 0.001), packed red blood cells administration (47.6 units vs. 26.1 units; P = 0.003), intubation requirement (100% vs. 80.5%; P = 0.007), intubation period (43.5 days vs. 26.8 days; P = 0.008), catecholamine requirement (90.9% vs. 61.0%; P = 0.004), sepsis (60.6% vs. 34.1%; P = 0.035) and organ failures (81.8% vs. 39.0%; P < 0.001). Regarding outcome parameters, methicillin resistance was not significantly related with mortality (adjusted OR 1.55, 95% CI 0.56–4.28; P = 0.40) and length of BICU stay after SAB (Kaplan–Meier analysis log-rank test P = 0.32; Cox's proportional hazards regression HR 1.22, 95% CI 0.65–2.27, P = 0.535) in the univariate and multivariate analyses.

Conclusion

Our data suggest that methicillin resistance is not associated with significant increases in mortality and length of BICU stay among burn patients with SAB.     

Reaming versus broaching in cemented hip arthroplasty: mechanical stability in cadaver femora

Introduction We used an experimental hip model to assess the mechanical stability of a hip prosthesis, and compared the femoral medullary canal preparation techniques of reaming and broaching.

Methods 15 pairs of cadaveric femora had a simulated replacement, the right femur with a reaming technique and the left with a broaching technique. Both femurs were radiographed to assess component positioning and cement mantle. The femurs were osteotomized 30 days after the procedure. The shear strength of the interface was studied at 4 different levels along an aluminum rod during push-out tests.

Results The overall mean value of the interface failure load was 15% lower with the reaming technique (6.5 kN for the reaming technique versus 7.7 kN for the broaching technique; p = 0.02).

Interpretation Broaching was superior to reaming for the preparation of the femoral canal, and should be used in order to increase primary stability. Further in vivo studies are required to account for factors such as intramedullary pressure, bleeding and surgical variations, which could not be accounted for in our study.     

Treatment of dysplastic and congenitally dislocated hips with the Zweymueller total hip prosthesis

Uncemented Zweymueller total hip prostheses were implanted in 35 dysplastic or dislocated hips in 33 patients. Sixteen hips were dislocated and 19 hips were dysplastic; in 12 hips, an intertrochanteric or pelvic osteotomy was performed in early childhood. In all cases, the titanium screw socket was implanted at the level of the original cotyloid cavity. Osteotomy of the greater trochanter, shortening osteotomy, or roof acetabuloplasty were not performed. In cases in which the femoral cavity was too narrow for the Zweymueller stem, an anterolateral longitudinal window-shaped osteotomy was performed. In cases of severe dysplasia, cotyloid cavity bone grafts from the resected femoral head were placed medially to reinforce the acetabular bottom. Clinical and radiographic follow-up ranged from 3-8 years. Average Harris hip score improved from 47 points preoperatively to 86.2 points postoperatively. Complications included two primary anterior dislocations, two temporary femoral nerve pareses, and two deep vein thromboses. At longest follow-up evaluation, no revision was indicated in any of the hips. Satisfactory results in this series were attributed to careful patient selection, precise preoperative radiographic planning, and an operative technique that included implantation of the socket at the primary acetabulum and achievement of primary stability using press-fit fixation.     

Spontaneous fracture of the sternum in a child being treated in a Boston brace for kyphoscoliosis

Summary We report a child who suffered from short stature of unknown aetiology and rigid thoracolumbar kyphoscoliosis and developed a symptomatic spontaneous fracture of the sternum while being treated in a Boston brace. Modification of the brace was followed by uneventful healing of the sternal fracture. To our knowledge no mention has been previously made of this extremely rare complication, but the spine surgeon who treats complex spinal deformities in early childhood with braces should be aware of this potential complication, particularly if they are associated with rigid rotational kyphosis.     

Analysis of Survival Rates Following Primary Surgery of 178 Consecutive Patients with Oral Cancer in a Large District General Hospital

Purpose

The aim of this study is to present the survival rates in patients treated for oral cancer with primary surgery in a large district general hospital. We discuss the influence of the most significant prognostic factors on survival and compare our results with larger centres specializing in the management of oral cancer.

Methods

All patients diagnosed with oral cancer from 1995 to 2006 and were treated in the Department had their details entered prospectively onto a computerized database. Demographic details of patients, type of treatment, pathological stage of tumor (TNM), local and regional recurrence rate, overall survival, disease specific survival and incidence of involved margins were recorded and calculated.

Results

Of the 178 patients, 96 (54 %) were alive and free of oral cancer 5 years after surgery. Forty-four patients died of oral cancer (24.7 %) but 38 (21.3 %) died of other causes. The overall survival rate after primary surgery in relation to stage was: I 84 %, II 71 %, III 36 % and IV 28 %.

Discussion

As almost half of our patients presented with advanced cancer and had discouraging survival rates, we emphasize the need for early recognition of the disease. Advanced disease signifies difficulty in obtaining clear margins which actually indicates a higher recurrence rate. 25 % of our patients died of oral cancer within 5 years of surgery which highlights the poor prognosis that recurrence carries after treatment. Effective educational campaign with purpose to raise oral cancer awareness and earlier referral may result in improvement of survival.

     

Comparative study of apical sealing ability of a new resin-based root canal sealer

The purpose of this study was to compare the microleakage of two root canal sealers, Fibrefill (resin-based sealer) and calciobiotic root canal sealer (CRCS; calcium hydroxide-based sealer), with and without the presence of smear layer. The model used for the measurement of microleakage was a fluid transport model.Sixty human extracted teeth were used in this study. The teeth were divided into four groups and treated as follows. In group A, the smear layer was left intact, and canals were obturated with gutta-percha and Fibrefill. In group B, the smear layer was removed, and canals were obturated with gutta-percha and Fibrefill. In group C, the smear layer was left intact, and the canals were obturated with gutta-percha and CRCS. In group D, the smear layer was removed, and canals were obturated with gutta-percha and CRCS. Microleakage was measured at 7 days, 1 month, and 2 months.The results showed that the Fibrefill groups with and without smear layer leaked significantly less than the CRCS groups at all experimental times. No significant difference was found between the groups of same materials, but the microleakage values were less when the smear layer was removed.     

Clinical dimensions of auditory hallucinations in schizophrenic disorders

BACKGROUND: Auditory hallucinations occupy, along with delusional beliefs, the center stage of active or "positive" psychotic clinical psychopathology. During the last decade, several sets of auditory hallucinations' clinical features were subjected to multivariate statistical analyses to disclose major dimensions of psychotic patients' overall hallucinatory experience and behavior. However, these studies failed, to a large extent, to provide satisfactory external validations of the thereby extracted factors. METHODS: We investigated the major clinical dimensions of verbal auditory hallucinations in a sample of 100 inpatients with schizophrenic disorders. Patients (61 men and 39 women) were examined before the initiation of antipsychotic treatment and their assessment included 18 major clinical features of auditory hallucinations. Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Global Assessment Scale, and Mini-Mental State Examination were used as external validators. RESULTS: Principal component analysis resulted in the extraction of 5 factors interpreted as the dimensions of severity of auditory hallucinations, emotional and behavioral impact, rate of their intrusion in self-consciousness, delusional elaboration, and similarity to ordinary auditory perception, respectively. The second and third factors extracted in our study correlated with short duration of illness, whereas the first, fourth, and fifth ones correlated with chronicity. Our second factor correlated with clinical severity of patients' current mental state, the fifth factor with severity of their cognitive impairment, and the first and fourth ones with lower clinical depression despite patients' chronicity. CONCLUSION: The findings of our study contribute to the further elucidation of the major clinical dimensions of auditory hallucinations and the testing of their external validity.