American Society of Anesthesiologists classification of physical status as a predictor of wound infection

BACKGROUND: Wound infection occurs when bacterial contamination overcomes the hosts' defences against bacterial growth. Wound categories are a measurement of wound contamination. The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification of physical status may be an effective indirect measurement of the hosts' defence against infection. This study examines the association between the ASA score of physical status and wound infection. METHODS: A retrospective review of a prospective study of antibiotic prophylaxis was carried out. Patients with a documented ASA score who received optimal prophylactic antibiotics were included. The anaesthetist scored the ASA classification of physical status in theatre. Other risk factors for wound infection were also documented. Patients were assessed up to 30 days postoperatively. RESULTS: Of 1013 patients there were 483 with a documented ASA score. One hundred and one may not have received optimal prophylaxis, leaving a database of 382 patients. There were 36 wound infections (9.4%). Both the ASA classification of physical status (P = 0.002) and the wound categories (P = 0.034) significantly predicted wound infection. The duration of surgery, patient's age, acuteness of surgery and the organ system being operated on did not predict wound infection. On logistic regression analysis the ASA score was the strongest predictor of wound infection. CONCLUSION: When effective prophylactic antibiotics were used the ASA classification of physical status was the most significant predictor of wound infection.     

Treating Displaced Distal Forearm Fractures in Children

Abstract Purpose:  Distal forearm fractures are among the most common fractures in children. In the past few years the option of percutaneous pinning has gained more attention in the treatment of unstable fractures. However, it remains unclear in which cases a fracture or its reduction should be considered unstable. Study Design:  In order to evaluate which type of fractures profit most from additional pinning after closed reduction, we performed a retrospective analysis of 225 consecutive cases using the recently published AO pediatric classification of long bone fractures. Results:  After closed reduction, position in the cast was lost in 23% of the cases. The proportion of unstable reductions was much higher in completely displaced fractures. The amount of dislocation was more important than the type of fracture according to the AO classification proposal. Conclusions:  Fully displaced fractures should always be reduced in a setting with pins immediately available. If anatomical reduction cannot be achieved, pinning is advocated. The AO proposal for pediatric long bone fracture classification could be a useful tool to render the diverse studies more comparable. However, the important feature of complete versus subtotal displacement is lacking.     

Benefit of sentinel lymphadenectomy for patients with nonulcerated cutaneous melanomas in the Breslow range between 0.76 and 1 mm: a follow-up study of 148 patients

Sentinel lymphadenectomy (SLNE) is now internationally accepted for the primary treatment of melanomas thicker than 1 mm. But it is still controversial whether also patients with nonulcerated melanomas in the Breslow range between 0.76 and 1 mm should be included. At the authors' department, 87 of such patients (Group A) underwent SLNE in combination with wide local excision (WLE) of their primary melanomas in the years 1995 to 2001. SLN micrometastases were found in 10 of these patients (11.5%). Radical completion lymph node dissections (CLND) were added in 4 of the 10 patients without revealing any further nodal metastases. All the 87 Group A patients remained free from recurrent disease at a median follow-up time of 74 months. The control Group B from the same department encompassed 61 consecutive stage Ia patients with melanomas in the identical Breslow range, who had undergone only WLE of their primaries without SLNE in the years 1987 to 1993 (median follow-up time 115 months). Five of these 61 patients (8.2%) developed melanoma metastases within 12 to 68 (median 19) months of follow-up, 3 of them initially in regional lymph nodes. Four of the 5 individuals died because of the final distant dissemination of the melanoma. Kaplan-Meier comparisons between Groups A and B with log-rank testing showed a significantly worse outcome of Group B with respect to recurrence-free survival (p = 0.01), regional nodal progression (p = 0.041), distant metastasis (p = 0.023) and melanoma-related mortality (p = 0.03). The overall survival was not significantly different, because expiries not related to melanoma predominated in both groups. Our data suggest that SLNE seems to nearly completely eliminate the risk of melanoma recurrences in patients with melanomas between 0.76 and 1 mm thick.     

Patients with renal cell carcinoma nodal metastases can be accurately identified: external validation of a new nomogram

Outcome of patients with renal cell carcinoma nodal metastases (NM) is substantially worse than that of patients with localized disease. This justifies more thorough staging and possibly more aggressive treatment in those at risk of or with established NM. We developed and externally validated a nomogram capable of highly accurately predicting renal cell carcinoma NM in patients without radiographic evidence of distant metastases. Age, symptom classification, tumour size and the pathological nodal stage were available for 4,658 individuals. The data of 2,522 (54.1%) individuals from 7 centers were used to develop a multivariable logistic regression model-based nomogram predicting the individual probability of NM. The remaining data from 2,136 (45.9%) patients from 5 institutions were used for external validation. In the development cohort, 107/2,522 (4.2%) had lymph node metastases vs. 100/2,136 (4.7%) in the external validation cohort. Symptom classification and tumour size were independent predictors of NM in the development cohort. Age failed to reach independent predictor status, but added to discriminant properties of the model. A nomogram based on age, symptom classification and tumour size was 78.4% accurate in predicting the individual probability of NM in the external validation cohort. Our nomogram can contribute to the identification of patients at low risk of NM. This tool can help to risk adjust the need and the extent of nodal staging in patients without known distant metastases. More thorough staging can hopefully better select those in whom adjuvant treatment is necessary. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Proposal for a new definition of true cardia carcinoma

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: It remains controversial whether cardia carcinoma should be categorized and treated as esophageal cancer or gastric cancer. The purpose of this study was to develop a reasonable definition of cardia carcinoma. METHODS: Patients with Siewert type II carcinomas were divided into two subgroups: 25 patients with a tumor center within 1 cm of the esophagogastric junction (EGJ) (type IIA) and 22 patients with tumor center 1-2 cm aboral of the EGJ (type IIB). Patients with subcardia carcinomas, 40 with invasion to the EGJ (type III) and 110 without (type IIIe-), were used as controls. RESULTS: The patients with type IIB carcinomas showed no different characteristics from those with type III or type IIIe- carcinomas, except for the stage of the disease. On the other hand, those with type IIA carcinomas were associated with a higher male/female ratio, higher incidences of elevated appearance, differentiated histology, and mediastinal node metastasis, and a significantly lower survival rate as compared with patients with subcardia carcinomas. Multivariate survival analysis revealed that type IIA is a significant prognostic determinant, but that type IIB is not. CONCLUSION: Type IIA carcinomas should be treated as true cardia carcinoma; type IIB as subcardia carcinoma. Our results should be confirmed by a prospective study.     

Functional entrapment of the popliteal artery

A case of functional entrapment missed at the initial angiogram is presented. The imaging of popliteal artery entrapment syndrome and functional entrapment is discussed. The importance of appropriate imaging is emphasized. The classification of popliteal artery entrapment syndrome is discussed and it is proposed that functional entrapment is added to the existing classification in the interest of consistent reporting.     

踝关节骨折的治疗进展

尽管对旋转暴力型踝关节骨折的研究已经相当深入并且基本治疗策略已较为成熟,但向纵深和细微发展,还存在较多的争议,有进一步研究的必要。如某些骨折类型的手术指征并未获得广泛的认同,如何精准评估下胫腓联合的损伤还值得深入探讨,在下胫腓联合固定和后踝固定方面也还存在不同意见。随着技术的进步,可吸收内固定及微创技术的应用可望在骨折治疗中取得更好的结果,但对其手术经验和远期治疗效果还需更多的观察与总结。     

慢性肾炎系膜细胞周期调控蛋白的表达与中医证型关系

为探讨中医证型与慢性肾炎周期控蛋白表达的关系，对３２例慢性肾炎患者进行中医辩证分型，并将肾活检标本分别行常规病理检查及Ｐ２７、ＰＣＮＡ的免疫组化检查。结果：Ⅰ级病理损害以Ｐ２７表达最高，Ⅲ组病理损害以ＰＣＮＡ表达最高，Ｐ２７／ＰＣＮＡ比值与病理分级的等级相关分析ｒ＝－０．６９８４，呈负相关；中医证型与病理分级、Ｐ２７／ＰＣＮＡ比值与病理分级的等级相关分析ｒ分别为０．６９１４、０．６１７４，呈正相关。结论：Ｐ２７、ＰＣＮＡ作为诊断慢性肾炎的系膜细胞增殖或抑制，有其实用性；中医证型与病理分级程度密切相关；进一步推测中医证型的转化，其病理基础与Ｐ２７、ＰＣＮＡ表达相关。