Protocol for a systematic review and network meta-analysis of the use of prophylactic antibiotics in hand trauma surgery.

BACKGROUND: The use of prophylactic antibiotics in surgery is contentious. With the rise in antimicrobial resistance, evidence-based antibiotic use should be followed. This systematic review and network meta-analysis will assess the effectiveness of different antibiotics on the prevention of surgical site infection (SSI) following hand trauma surgery. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The databases Embase, MEDLINE, CINAHL and CENTRAL, ClinicalTrials.gov and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform will be searched. Abstracts will be screened by two persons independently to identify eligible studies. This systematic review will include both randomised and non-randomised prospective comparative studies in participants with hand and/or wrist injuries requiring surgery; bite injuries will be excluded. The network meta-analysis will compare the use of different prophylactic antibiotics against each other, placebo and/or no antibiotics on the development of SSI within 30 days of surgery (or 90 days if there is an implanted device). The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool 2 will be used to assess the risk of methodological bias in randomised controlled trials, and the Newcastle-Ottowa scale (NOS) will be used to assess the risk of bias in non-randomised studies. A random-effects network meta-analysis will be conducted along with subgroup analyses looking at antibiotic timing, injury type, and operation location. Sensitivity analyses including only low risk-of-bias studies will be conducted, and the confidence in the results will be assessed using Confidence in Network Meta-Analysis (CINEMA). DISCUSSION: This systematic review and network meta-analysis aims to provide an up-to-date synthesis of the studies assessing the use of antibiotics following hand and wrist trauma to enable evidence-based peri-operative prescribing. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42023429618.

The Hand and Wrist: AntImicrobials and Infection (HAWAII) trial.

BACKGROUND: Hand trauma, comprising injuries to both the hand and wrist, affects over five million people per year in the NHS, resulting in 250 000 operations each year. Surgical site infection (SSI) following hand trauma surgery leads to significant morbidity. Triclosan-coated sutures may reduce SSI in major abdominal surgery but have never been tested in hand trauma. Feasibility needs to be ascertained before a definitive trial can be delivered in hand trauma. METHODS: A multicentre feasibility RCT of antimicrobial sutures versus standard sutures involving adults undergoing surgery for hand trauma to evaluate feasibility for a definitive trial. Secondary objectives were incidence of SSI in both groups, hand function measured with patient-reported outcome measures, health-related quality of life and change in employment. Randomization was performed on a 1:1 basis, stratified by age of the patient and whether the injury was open or closed, using a secure, centralized, online randomization service. Participants were blinded to allocation. RESULTS: 116 participants were recruited and randomized (60 intervention, 56 control). Of 227 screened, most were eligible (89.5 per cent), and most who were approached agreed to be included in the study (84.7 per cent). Retention was low: 57.5 per cent at 30 days, 52 per cent at 90 days and 45.1 per cent at 6 months. Incidence of SSI was >20 per cent in both groups. Hand function deteriorated after injury but recovered to near pre-injury levels during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: Risk of SSI after hand trauma is high. A definitive RCT of antimicrobial sutures in hand trauma surgery is feasible, if retention is improved. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN10771059.

The Wire Study-a protocol for a multi-stage feasibility study evaluating K-wire fixation of hand fractures in the UK.

BACKGROUND: Hand fractures are common and sometimes require surgery to restore function. Placement of Kirschner wires (K-wires) is the most common form of surgical fixation. After placement, a key decision is whether to bury the end of a K-wire or leave it protruding from the skin (exposed). A recent systematic review found no evidence to support either approach and a national clinician and surgeon survey demonstrated further uncertainty. We aim to determine the design of a definitive randomised controlled trial assessing the cost and clinical effectiveness of buried versus exposed Kirschner wires for adults with metacarpal or phalangeal fractures. METHODS: We will employ three methodologies: a national service evaluation of current clinical practice, patient and surgeon focus groups and a consensus meeting to finalise the protocol for a randomised controlled trial. For the service evaluation, all outcomes will be summarised using descriptive statistics overall and split by group (buried versus exposed K-wires). Information collected in the patient focus groups will be analysed thematically. The surgeon consensus meeting will address each part of the design in turn and through discussion agree a final protocol. DISCUSSION: The study may be monitored, or audited in accordance with the current approved protocol, Good Clinical Practice (GCP), relevant regulations and standard operating procedures. The Chief Investigator will submit and, where necessary, obtain approval from the above parties for all substantial amendments to the original approved documents. A feasibility study report will be published by the Wire Study Steering committee. Additional members of the steering group and citable collaborators will be listed within the manuscript and their roles identified.

Surgical intervention for paediatric infusion-related extravasation injury: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: This systematic review aims to assess the quality of literature supporting surgical interventions for paediatric extravasation injury and to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to support invasive techniques in children. METHODS: We performed a systematic review by searching Ovid MEDLINE and EMBASE as well as AMED, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and clinicaltrials.gov from inception to February 2019. Studies other than case reports were eligible for inclusion if the population was younger than 18 years old, if there was a surgical intervention aimed at treating extravasation injury and if they reported on outcomes. Study quality was graded according to the National Institutes of Health study quality assessment tools. RESULTS: 26 studies involving 728 children were included-one before-and-after study and 25 case series. Extravasation injuries were mainly confined to skin and subcutaneous tissues but severe complications were also encountered, including amputation (one toe and one below elbow). Of the surgical treatments described, the technique of multiple puncture wounds and instillation of saline and/or hyaluronidase was the most commonly used. However, there were no studies in which its effectiveness was tested against another treatment or a control and details of functional and aesthetic outcomes were generally lacking. CONCLUSION: Surgical management is commonly reported in the literature in cases where there is significant soft tissue injury but as there are no comparative studies, it is unclear whether this is optimal. Further observational and experimental research evaluating extravasation injuries, including a centralised extravasation register using a universal grading scheme and core outcome set with adequate follow-up, are required to provide evidence to guide clinician decision-making.

Central slip extensor tendon injuries: a systematic review of treatments.

This systematic review describes and compares outcomes of operative and non-operative management of central slip extensor tendon injuries. A PRISMA-compliant methodology identified 3785 studies. Of these, 29 underwent full text review. No randomized controlled trials were identified. Nine studies evaluated treatment modalities specific to cohorts with acute central slip injuries in adults. A range of operative and non-operative elements of management was identified although no studies directly compared the two. Where aspects of rehabilitation were studied, this was always after surgery. The evidence base regarding treatment of central slip injury is limited and the roles of different treatment strategies for open as well as closed injuries are not well-supported by evidence.

Outcome of surgical repair of adult digital nerve injury: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: A systematic review to assess the evidence supporting surgical repair of digital nerve injury versus no repair in adults in terms of clinical outcomes. DESIGN: A Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses-compliant systematic review with methodology based on the Cochrane Handbook of Systematic Reviews of Interventions. DATA SOURCES: Databases included OvidMEDLINE, EMBASE, AMED, clinicaltrials.gov and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, searched from inception until 10 November 2018. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Adult digital nerve injury in which either direct repair or no repair was undertaken and an outcome measure was recorded. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Study data extracted included demographics, injury type and extent, timing, treatment details, outcome data and time points, adverse outcomes, hand therapy and return to work. The National Institute of Health quality assessment tool for case series was used to assess risk of bias. RESULTS: Thirty studies were included. One compared surgical repair with non-repair. All studies were case series of between 15 and 110 nerve injuries, with heterogeneous patient, injury and treatment characteristics. Two studies detailed nerve repair without magnification. Static 2-point discrimination (s2PD) was the most commonly reported outcome measure. Return of protective sensation was achieved in most cases in the nerve repair and no nerve repair groups. Repair resulted in better s2PD than no repair, but <25% repaired nerves achieved normal levels. Adverse outcomes were similar between repair and no repair groups. CONCLUSIONS: Only level IV evidence is available to support surgical repair of digital nerves in adults. Return of normal sensibility is uncommon and almost all unrepaired nerves regained protective sensation by 6 months and all patients declined further surgery. There was no difference in adverse outcomes. There is currently a lack of high-quality evidence to support surgical repair of digital nerve injuries in adults and further research is needed. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42017065092.

Protocol for a systematic review of venous coupler devices versus hand-sewn anastomosis for microsurgical free flap reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: A patent microvascular anastomosis is of paramount importance in free tissue transfer. Anastomotic coupler devices provide an alternative to technically demanding hand-sewn venous anastomosis. Various advantages of these devices have been discussed but previous systematic reviews had methodological flaws or did not perform a meta-analysis. This review aims to evaluate the quality of the evidence and quantify the efficacy and safety of venous couplers compared to hand-sewn anastomosis. METHODS: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis will be performed. A comprehensive search strategy has been developed and will be applied to the databases MEDLINE and Embase from inception to October 2018. All clinical studies using anastomotic coupler devices for venous anastomoses in free tissue transfer will be eligible for inclusion. Screening of studies and data extraction will be performed independently by two authors. Our primary outcome is anastomotic venous thrombosis. Secondary outcomes will include time to complete the venous anastomosis, tearing of veins, anastomotic leakage, flap loss/failure and fiscal outcomes. The risk of bias for included studies will be assessed by using the ROBINS-I tool, and recommendations based on the evidence will be made using the GRADE approach. Descriptive statistical analyses will be used and if two or more studies report the same outcome, data will be pooled for comparative analysis. A direct comparison meta-analysis will be performed if possible. DISCUSSION: There has been no comparison of coupled and hand-sewn venous anastomoses using a robust and validated methodology preceded by a protocol and performing meta-analysis. Included studies are expected to be mainly observational and prone to bias; however, there is value in summarising the evidence, assessing its risk of bias and performing meta-analysis to guide clinicians. By using a broad approach including all types of flaps, we foresee inherent differences regarding the unit of analysis and different anatomic sites. This will limit the validity of our conclusions but is unavoidable. We will seek unpublished data from authors and perform subgroup analysis where appropriate. Limitations and areas of uncertainty will be discussed to guide future research. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42018110111.

Adult necrotising enterocolitis-pig-bel disease: a Pacific disease in London.

Adult necrotising enterocolitis secondary Clostridium perfringens type C-pig-bel disease-is rarely seen outside of Pacific populations, with the highest incidence being in Papau New Guinea. We present the first reported case of pig-bel disease in a previously well patient without diabetes following food poisoning since 1996. In this case, the enterotoxin-induced disease necessitated emergency laparotomy and bowel resection following the failure of medical treatment and worsening septic shock. We hypothesise that obstruction secondary to a sigmoid diverticular stricture complicated by infection-related oedema led to colonic stasis and rapid progression of disease and bowel loss. Following bowel resection, several parenteral antibiotic agents and prolonged intensive care, this patient survived this severe infective process and was discharged home.

An unusual suspect causing behavioural problems and pituitary failure in a child.

A 9-year-old boy presented with feeding and behavioural problems and was diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. By age 11 he was becoming increasingly disinhibited and was refusing almost all oral food intake. Believing the cause to be psychogenic, he was placed in an inpatient eating disorder facility. After 3 days of continuous vomiting and minimal intake, he was admitted back to hospital for further investigations. A hypovolaemic hypernatraemia prompted an MRI brain scan, revealing several tumour masses with suprasellar and pituitary involvement. Histological investigation revealed primary, non-malignant germ-cell tumours. The tumours were treated with craniopharyngeal radiotherapy and permanent pituitary hormone replacement.