Impact of model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score for mortality in patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study is to evaluate the predictive value of the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score for mortality in stable angina pectoris patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 261 consecutive patients with stable angina pectoris who underwent CABG while not being on anticoagulant therapy. The patients were divided into two groups: survivors and non-survivors. The MELD score was calculated for all patients. The all-cause mortality within postoperative 12 months was the primary end point of the study. RESULTS: The follow-up period was 12 months. The non-survivors were older (72.0±6.1 vs 62.4±8.4, p<0.001). The MELD score was significantly higher in the non-survivors group (7.5±1.2 vs 6.7±0.7, p<0.001). The MELD score (p=0.001) was an independent predictor of postoperative one-year mortality. The addition of MELD score to EuroSCORE II significantly improved the prognostic performance of the EuroSCORE II (EuroSCORE II vs EuroSCORE II plus MELD score: AUCs: 0.792 vs 0.842). CONCLUSION: Our research showed that the MELD score could be useful to predict mortality in patients who have stable coronary artery disease, and are undergoing CABG surgery (Tab. 3, Fig. 2, Ref. 25).

[Rupture of the pectoralis major tendon and other extra-articular tendons of the shoulder : Recognition and treatment]. / Ruptur der Pectoralis-major-Sehne und anderer extraartikulärer Sehnen an der Schulter : Wie erkennen und behandeln?

Ruptures of the pectoralis major (PM) tendon are rare but have increased in recent years, especially during fitness exercising, such as bench pressing. The pathomechanism is an eccentric load under pretension of the PM (falling onto the outstretched arm, injuries during ground combat, boxing and during downward movement when bench pressing). The rupture sequence starts from superior to inferior at the insertion site with initial rupture of the most inferior muscle parts, followed by the sternal part and the clavicular part. Most classifications are based on rupture location, extent and time of injury. In addition to clinical presentation and sonography, magnetic resonance imaging is now established as the gold standard in diagnosing PM pathologies. Surgical management is indicated for all lateral PM ruptures with relevant strength deficits. Treatment in the acute interval (<3 weeks) is the primary goal; however, even in chronic cases or after failed conservative management a secondary operative approach enables notable clinical improvement. Conservative therapy mostly affects patients who have muscular injuries close to the anatomic origin and smaller partial tears. Surgical management aims for anatomic reconstruction of the PM unit with restoration of the original tension to enable optimal strength transmission. Surgical refixation or reconstruction (with autograft/allograft) of acute and chronic PM ruptures shows excellent clinical results with high patient satisfaction. Latissimus dorsi (LD) and teres major (TM) tendon ruptures are rare injuries but can lead to significant impairments in high-performance athletes. In contrast to PM ruptures, LD and TM injuries are primarily treated conservatively with very satisfactory results.

Unexpected positive cultures in presumed aseptic revision spine surgery using sonication.

AIMS: During revision procedures for aseptic reasons, there remains a suspicion that failure may have been the result of an undetected subclinical infection. However, there is little evidence available in the literature about unexpected positive results in presumed aseptic revision spine surgery. The aims of our study were to estimate the prevalence of unexpected positive culture using sonication and to evaluate clinical characteristics of these patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients who underwent a revision surgery after instrumented spinal surgery at our institution between July 2014 and August 2016 with spinal implants submitted for sonication were retrospectively analyzed. Only revisions presumed as aseptic are included in the study. During the study period, 204 spinal revisions were performed for diagnoses other than infection. In 38 cases, sonication cultures were not obtained, leaving a study cohort of 166 cases. The mean age of the cohort was 61.5 years (sd 20.4) and there were 104 female patients. RESULTS: Sonication cultures were positive in 75 cases (45.2%). Hardware failure was the most common indication for revision surgery and revealed a positive sonication culture in 26/75 cases (35%) followed by adjacent segment disease (ASD) in 23/75 cases (30%). Cutibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus epidermidis were the most commonly isolated microorganisms, observed in 45% and 31% of cases, respectively. C. acnes was isolated in 65.2% of cases when the indication for revision surgery was ASD. CONCLUSION: Infection must always be considered as a possibility in the setting of spinal revision surgery, especially in the case of hardware failure, regardless of the lack of clinical signs. Sonication should be routinely used to isolate microorganisms adherent to implants. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2019;101-B:621-624.

The serum level of C-reactive protein alone cannot be used for the diagnosis of prosthetic joint infections, especially in those caused by organisms of low virulence.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and characteristics of C-reactive protein (CRP)-negative prosthetic joint infection (PJI) and evaluate the influence of the type of infecting organism on the CRP level. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of all PJIs affecting the hip or knee that were diagnosed in our institution between March 2013 and December 2016 was performed. A total of 215 patients were included. Their mean age was 71 years (sd 11) and there were 118 women (55%). The median serum CRP levels were calculated for various species of organism and for patients with acute postoperative, acute haematogenous, and chronic infections. These were compared using the Kruskal-Wallis test, adjusting for multiple comparisons with Dunn's test. The correlation between the number of positive cultures and serum CRP levels was estimated using Spearman correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Preoperative CRP levels were normal (< 10 mg/l) in 77 patients (35.8%) with positive cultures. Low-virulent organisms were isolated in 66 PJIs (85.7%) with normal CRP levels. When grouping organisms by species, patients with an infection caused by Propionibacterium spp., coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS), and Enterococcus faecalis had significantly lower median serum CRP levels (5.4 mg/l, 12.2 mg/l, and 23.7 mg/l, respectively), compared with those with infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus spp. (194 mg/l and 89.3 mg/l, respectively; p < 0.001). Those with a chronic PJI had statistically lower median serum CRP levels (10.6 mg/l) than those with acute postoperative and acute haematogenous infections (83.7 mg/l and 149.4 mg/l, respectively; p < 0.001). There was a significant correlation between the number of positive cultures and serum CRP levels (Spearman correlation coefficient, 0.456; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The CRP level alone is not accurate as a screening tool for PJI and may yield high false-negative rates, especially if the causative organism has low virulence. Aspiration of the joint should be used for the diagnosis of PJI in patients with a chronic painful arthroplasty, irrespective of CRP level. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2018;100-B:1482-86.

A positive bacterial culture during re-implantation is associated with a poor outcome in two-stage exchange arthroplasty for deep infection.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to identify the incidence of positive cultures during the second stage of a two-stage revision arthroplasty and to analyse the association between positive cultures and an infection-free outcome. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This single-centre retrospective review of prospectively collected data included patients with a periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) of either the hip or the knee between 2013 and 2015, who were treated using a standardised diagnostic and therapeutic algorithm with two-stage exchange. Failure of treatment was assessed according to a definition determined by a Delphi-based consensus. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the predictors of positive culture and risk factors for failure. The mean follow-up was 33 months (24 to 48). RESULTS: A total of 163 two-stage revision arthroplasties involving 84 total hip arthroplasties (THAs) and 79 total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) were reviewed. In 27 patients (16.6%), ≥ 1 positive culture was identified at re-implantation and eight (29.6%) of these subsequently failed compared with 20 (14.7%) patients who were culture-negative. The same initially infecting organism was isolated at re-implantation in nine of 27 patients (33.3%). The organism causing re-infection in none of the patients was the same as that isolated at re-implantation. The risk of the failure of treatment was significantly higher in patients with a positive culture (odds ratio (OR) 1.7; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.0 to 3.0; p = 0.049) and in patients with a higher Charlson Comorbidity Index (OR 1.5; 95% CI 1.6 to 1.8; p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Positive culture at re-implantation was independently associated with subsequent failure. Surgeons need to be aware of this association and should consider the medical optimisation of patients with severe comorbidities both before and during treatment. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2017;99-B:1490-5.

High failure rates in treatment of streptococcal periprosthetic joint infection: results from a seven-year retrospective cohort study.

AIMS: To investigate the outcomes of treatment of streptococcal periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) involving total knee and hip arthroplasties. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Streptococcal PJI episodes which occurred between January 2009 and December 2015 were identified from clinical databases. Presentation and clinical outcomes for 30 streptococcal PJIs in 30 patients (12 hip and 18 knee arthroplasties) following treatment were evaluated from the medical notes and at review. The Kaplan-Meier survival method was used to estimate the probability of infection-free survival. The influence of the biofilm active antibiotic rifampin was also assessed. RESULTS: The infection was thought to have been acquired haematogenously in 16 patients and peri-operatively in 14. The median follow-up time for successfully treated cases was 39.2 months (12 to 75), whereas failure of the treatment occurred within the first year following treatment on every occasion. The infection-free survival at three years with 12 patients at risk was 59% (95% confidence interval 39% to 75%). Failure of the treatment was observed in ten of 22 PJIs (45%) treated with a two-stage revision arthroplasty, two of six (33%) treated by debridement and prosthesis retention, and in neither of the two PJIs treated with one-stage revision arthroplasty. Streptococcal PJI treated with or without rifampin included in the antibiotic regime showed no difference in treatment outcome (p = 0.175). CONCLUSION: The success of treatment of streptococcal PJI in our patient cohort was poor (18 of 30 cases, 59%). New therapeutic approaches for treating streptococcal PJI are needed. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2017;99-B:653-9.

Assessment of clinical improvement and quality of life before and after tonsillectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To assess clinical improvement and quality of life measures in patients who had undergone tonsillectomy for recurrent acute and chronic tonsillitis between March 2004 and March 2005. METHOD: A retrospective survey of all adults and children who had undergone tonsillectomy for recurrent acute and chronic tonsillitis. Patients were asked to compare their symptoms for the 12-month period before and after tonsillectomy. RESULTS: A review of 100 patients revealed that, following tonsillectomy: their days off work (or school) due to sore throat reduced by 95.3 per cent (from a mean of 27.6 to 1.3 days; confidence intervals 89.7 and 99.6 per cent); their visits to their general practitioner due to sore throat reduced by 95.6 per cent (from a mean of 7.9 to 0.4 visits; confidence intervals 93.8 and 95.1 per cent); and more than 90 per cent reported improved feelings of well-being, general health and energy. CONCLUSION: We conclude that tonsillectomy is of benefit for patients with recurrent acute and chronic tonsillitis. Tonsillectomy significantly reduced general practitioner attendances and resulted in an improved feeling of health and well-being.

Moyamoya syndrome with protein S deficiency.

Moyamoya disease is a cerebrovascular disease with progressive occlusion of both internal carotid arteries and of their branches and formation of a new vascular network at the base of the brain. Because of the angiographic appearance, it is named as moyamoya. The clinical features are cerebral ischaemia, recurrent transient ischaemic attacks, sensorimotor paralysis, convulsions and migraine-like headaches. A 10-year-old child who acutely developed hemiparesis, weakness and aphasia was found to have moyamoya disease and heterozygous protein S deficiency. This case shows us that during the thromboembolic events the coexistence of protein S deficiency and moyamoya should be investigated.

Nasal midazolam effects on childhood acute seizures.

Sixteen children, aged from 2 months to 14 years, with a diagnosis of acute seizures and seen at Dr. Sami Ulus Child Health and Disease Center, were included in this study. Midazolam (5 mg/mL) 0.2 mg/kg was administered intranasally in 30 seconds by an injector. The heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation were recorded at 0, 5, and 10 minutes after administration. The seizures of three (18.7%) patients terminated within 1 minute, of seven (43.7%) patients in 1 to 2 minutes, and of three (18.7%) patients in 2 to 5 minutes. However, three (18.7%) patients did not respond to treatment. As a result, it was concluded that intranasal midazolam administration is easy and effective. The half-life of midazolam is shorter than diazepam, and midazolam has fewer complications when compared with diazepam. It is easier to use in nasal drop and spray forms.