The Impact of Deep Sternal Wound Infection on Mortality and Resource Utilization: A Population-based Study

Background

Recent national infection control efforts have been directed at reducing postsurgical infection rates, related morbidity, and cost. We sought to evaluate population-level rates of deep sternal wound infection (DSWI) after cardiac surgery, associated mortality, and resource use compared to patients undergoing cardiac surgery without postoperative DSWI relative to historical trends.

Methods

We analyzed the MarketScan ^® Commercial Claims Databases from 2009 to 2013 to identify adult patients who developed DSWI after open cardiac surgery. Patients with and without DSWI were compared. The outcomes of interest included 30-day, 90-day, and 1-year in-hospital mortality. Utilization outcomes, including total hospital days and inpatient costs, were calculated in the time period from the index cardiac surgery through 90 days after DSWI diagnosis.

Results

In this cohort, 176,537 patients underwent one or more cardiac surgery procedures. DSWI occurred in 2835 (1.6 %) patients. One-year mortality for patients with DSWI was 10.7 versus 2.5 % (P < 0.001) in patients without DSWI. Mean hospital days in patients with DSWI were 33 versus 9 days for patients without DSWI (P < 0.001). Mean cost for patients with DSWI was greater than 2.5 times that of patients without DSWI ($211,478 vs $82,089, P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Treatment of DSWI results in substantial morbidity, mortality, and excess cost for treating facilities. The rates of DSWI have not decreased dramatically over the last 10–20 years. Thus, more attention needs to be focused toward understanding treatment variation that exists in patients diagnosed with DSWI.

     

Guideline-discordant care among females undergoing groin hernia repair: the importance of sex as a biologic variable

Hernia - Females suffer higher rates of operative recurrence and chronic pain following groin hernia repair. Guidelines recommend minimally invasive (MIS) groin hernia repair as the preferred...     

A case of slipped capital femoral epiphysis results from hypophosphatemic rickets： treatment and midterm follow-up

In this case, a male patient presented with a clinically and radiographieally unstable slipped capital femoral epiphysis （SCFE） as well as slipped calcaneal epiphysis years. Subsequent thorough at the age of 23 work-up revealed that he had some features of rickets and labo- ratory test demonstrated he had hypophos- phatemia （2.3mg/dl）, normocalcemia, normal vi- tamin D metabolite levels, and secondary hy- perparathyroidism.     

Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS1) Polymorphisms Interact with Financial Hardship to Affect Depression Risk

There is increasing evidence that genetic factors have a role in differential susceptibility to depression in response to severe or chronic adversity. Studies in animals suggest that nitric oxide (NO) signalling has a key role in depression-like behavioural responses to stress. This study investigated whether genetic variation in the brain-expressed nitric oxide synthase gene NOS1 modifies the relationship between psychosocial stress and current depression score. We recruited a population sample of 1222 individuals who provided DNA and questionnaire data on symptoms and stress. Scores on the List of Life-Threatening Experiences (LTE) questionnaire for the last year and self-rated current financial hardship were used as measures of recent/ongoing psychosocial stress. Twenty SNPs were genotyped. Significant associations between eight NOS1 SNPs, comprising two regional haplotypes, and current depression score were identified that survived correction for multiple testing when current financial hardship was used as the interaction term. A smaller three-SNP haplotypes (rs10507279, rs1004356 and rs3782218) located in a regulatory region of NOS1 showed one of the strongest effects, with the A-C-T haplotype associating with higher depression scores at low adversity levels but lower depression scores at higher adversity levels (p=2.3E-05). These results suggest that NOS1 SNPs interact with exposure to economic and psychosocial stressors to alter individual''s susceptibility to depression.     

Platelet-melanoma cell interaction is mediated by the glycoprotein IIb- IIIa complex

A human malignant melanoma cell line (M3Dau) was observed by electron microscopy to interact directly with human platelets and induced platelet aggregation. Fab fragments of a monoclonal antibody MoAb (LYP18), directed against the platelet glycoprotein (GP) IIb-IIIa complex, inhibited platelet-melanoma interactions and platelet-platelet aggregation. M3Dau melanoma cells bind LYP 18 and synthesize IIb-IIIa- like GPs. When the melanoma cells were preincubated with LYP 18, tumor- platelet interaction did not occur, suggesting that the interaction may be mediated by the IIb-IIIa-like GPs present on the melanoma cell surface. Glanzmann's thrombasthenic platelets, lacking GPIIb and IIIa, did not interact with melanoma cells, indicating that the platelet GPIIb-IIIa complex is also necessary for the platelet-melanoma cell interaction. This work demonstrates the importance of the IIb-IIIa-like GPs, present on M3Dau melanoma cells, in mediating tumor-platelet interactions.     

Metabolic activity of phagocytosing granulocytes in chronic granulocytic leukemia: ultrastructural observation of a degranulation defect

The functional capacities of granulocytes in patients with chronic granulocytic leukemia are still a subject of controversy, probably due to the heterogeneity of the abnormalities observed from patient to patient. For a better definition of these abnormalities, 14 patients with untreated chronic granulocytic leukemia were studied. The patients were divided into three groups on the basis of the functional activities of their phagocytosing granulocytes. In four patients (group I), the granulocytes were normal in respect to particle ingestion, nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT)-stimulated reduction, cyanide-insensitive oxygen (O2) consumption, superoxide anion (O2-)-stimulated production, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production, and iodination. They also had a normal myeloperoxidase (MPO) content. In four patients (group III), the granulocytes were significantly defective in all of these activities. In the six remaining patients (group II), all the initial metabolic steps of the phagocytosing granulocytes (ingestion, NBT reduction, O2 consumption, O2-production, H2O2 production) were normal, as were the MPO content of the granulocytes, while iodination was strikingly decreased. These metabolic features suggested a degranulation defect which was observed ultrastructurally in the only patient studied among these six. The phagocytosing granulocytes of this patient did not degranulate and no deposits of MPO activity were seen in the phagosomes.     

转化生长因子β1在大鼠纤维化腹膜组织中的表达及作用

目的:检测转化生长因子β1在腹膜透析大鼠腹膜内表达,并探讨其在腹膜纤维化中的意义。方法:实验于2005-06/2006-03在中南大学湘雅二医院肾内科实验室完成。①实验材料:雄性SD大鼠,体质量180～240g,由中南大学湘雅二医院动物实验中心提供。②实验方法:将28只大鼠按随机数字表随机分为4组,每组7只。正常对照组不予任何干预;生理盐水组腹腔注射20mL生理盐水;低糖透析液组腹腔注射20mL1.5%葡萄糖透析液;高糖透析液组腹腔注射20mL4.25%葡萄糖透析液,均为1次/d。4周后,向大鼠腹腔注射4.25%葡萄糖腹膜透析液20mL,4h后于大鼠右下腹缓慢插入带有多个侧孔的10号静脉留置针,缓慢低位引流腹透液,量取引流液。③实验评估:取大鼠壁层腹膜组织,以苏木素-伊红染色,镜下测量腹膜厚度,采用免疫组织化学方法检测大鼠腹膜中转化生长因子β1及纤连蛋白。结果:28只大鼠均进入结果分析。①高糖透析液组、低糖透析液组超滤量均明显低于正常对照组与生理盐水组,并且高糖透析液组超滤量明显少于低糖透析液组(P均<0.05)。②高糖透析液组腹膜明显增厚,表面粗糙,间皮细胞肿胀,脱落,间皮下有大量血管生成以及胶原纤维沉积,还可见单核细胞等炎症细胞浸润,与其他组比较,腹膜厚度明显增加(P<0.05)。③高糖透析液组转化生长因子β1、纤连蛋白表达量均明显高于其他组;低糖透析液组转化生长因子β1、纤连蛋白表达量均明显高于正常对照组与生理盐水组(P<0.05)。④大鼠腹膜组织转化生长因子β1蛋白与纤连蛋白表达量、腹膜厚度之间呈明显的正相关(r=0.86,0.83,P<0.05)。结论:葡萄糖透析液可诱导腹膜组织转化生长因子β1明显上调,腹膜转化生长因子β1高表达与腹膜透析腹膜纤维化密切相关。