ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Open injuries of the Achilles tendon, which can be complicated by skin and bone injuries, continue to be a great challenge for surgeons. This study aims to report our experience with treatment of open Achilles tendon defects, focusing on the injury mechanisms, soft tissue coverage and late complications. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed on 31 patients with open Achilles tendon defects between 1999 and 2011. The analyzed factors were injury mechanisms, surgeries, and long follow-up complications. The defect lengths of the Achilles tendons in the study ranged from 1 to 11 cm and the soft tissue defects ranged from 3 × 3 to 12 × 10 cm. Nine types of flaps were used for the coverage of concomitant skin defects. RESULTS: Motorcycle spoke injuries were the most common cause of injury. There was no complete flap loss or rerupture of the reconstructed Achilles tendon. At the latest follow-up, all limbs were preserved and all the patients had regained full walking abilities. The algorithm of one-stage reconstruction was established, according to the defect length of the Achilles tendon and the defect size of skin. Late complications included maximum dorsiflexion loss and failure of heel raising ability on the single reconstructed foot. CONCLUSION: Open Achilles tendon defects are characteristic of concurrent skin and bone injuries and the reconstruction protocols of the different tissues should not be separated.
Subject(s)
Achilles Tendon/surgery , Fascia/blood supply , Plastic Surgery Procedures , Postoperative Complications/physiopathology , Soft Tissue Injuries/physiopathology , Surgical Flaps/blood supply , Tendon Injuries/physiopathology , Achilles Tendon/injuries , Achilles Tendon/physiopathology , Adolescent , Adult , Bicycling , Child , Child, Preschool , Clinical Protocols , Fascia/transplantation , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Motorcycles , Recovery of Function , Retrospective Studies , Soft Tissue Injuries/etiology , Soft Tissue Injuries/surgery , Tendon Injuries/etiology , Tendon Injuries/surgery , Time Factors , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Infection by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a life-threatening condition, and formation of biofilms can lead to treatment failure in a clinical setting. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the in vivo bactericidal effects of a combination of vancomycin (VAN) and fosfomycin (FOS) against MRSA in a rat carboxymethyl cellulose-pouch biofilm model. The results of the time-kill assay showed that the combination therapy was capable of killing at low minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) (½ × MIC VAN +1 × MIC FOS and 1 × MIC VAN + 1 × MIC FOS). In the in vivo study, a synergistically bactericidal effect was observed when using the combination therapy on MRSA embedded in the mature biofilm model. In comparison with the untreated control group and the groups receiving either VAN or FOS alone, the rats treated with combination therapy had lower MRSA colony counts in exudates from the pouch, lower white blood cell and neutrophil counts, and C-reactive protein (CRP) in peripheral blood. Furthermore, histological analysis of the pouch wall indicated combination therapy resulted in disappearance of biofilm-like structures, marked decrease in necrosis, and formation of granular tissue. In conclusion, the combination of VAN with FOS had a synergistic bactericidal effect on chronic MRSA infection embedded in biofilm, providing an alternative approach to treating this condition.
