A national physician survey on prescribing syringes as an HIV prevention measure.

BACKGROUND: Access to sterile syringes is a proven means of reducing the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), viral hepatitis, and bacterial infections among injection drug users. In many U.S. states and territories, drug paraphernalia and syringe prescription laws are barriers to syringe access for injection drug users (IDUs): pharmacists may be reluctant to sell syringes to suspected IDUs, and police may confiscate syringes or arrest IDUs who cannot demonstrate a "legitimate" medical need for the syringes they possess. These barriers can be addressed by physician prescription of syringes. This study evaluates physicians' willingness to prescribe syringes, using the theory of planned behavior to identify key behavioral influences. METHODS: We mailed a survey to a representative sample of physicians from the American Medical Association physician database. Non-responding physicians were then called, faxed, or re-sent the survey, up to four times. RESULTS: Twenty percent responded to the survey. Although less than 1 percent of respondents had ever prescribed syringes to a known injection drug user, more than 60% of respondents reported that they would be willing to do so. Physicians' willingness to prescribe syringes was best predicted by the belief that it was a feasible and effective intervention, but individual and peer attitudes were also significant. CONCLUSION: This was the first nationwide survey of the physician willingness to prescribe syringes to IDUs. While the majority of respondents were willing to consider syringe prescription in their clinical practices, multiple challenges need to be addressed in order to improve physician knowledge and attitudes toward IDUs.

Prisoners favour hepatitis C testing and treatment.

More people with hepatitis C virus pass through incarcerated settings each year than any other venue. The goal of this study was to assess inmates' attitudes towards hepatitis C testing and treatment while incarcerated. We interviewed 153 male and female inmates at the Rhode Island Department of Corrections (RIDOC). Ninety-one per cent of inmates said they would agree to be tested for hepatitis C and 95% said that they would be willing to be treated for hepatitis C while incarcerated. Thirty-three per cent perceived themselves to be at risk for hepatitis C. Inmates were very interested in hepatitis C testing and, if indicated treatment. Inmates' attitudes towards hepatitis C testing and treatment do not pose a major obstacle to implementing comprehensive hepatitis C screening and treatment programme in correctional settings.

Syringe prescription to prevent HIV infection in Rhode Island: a case study.

Injection drug users (IDUs) are a population at high risk for many diseases, including AIDS, and are clearly in need of medical and substance abuse treatment. Access to sterile syringes is critical for lowering the risk of transmission of HIV and other blood-borne pathogens among IDUs. Previously tried strategies include needle exchange programs and changing laws to allow the legal purchase and possession of syringes. An alternative strategy is to have physicians prescribe syringes to IDUs. To the best of our knowledge, this has previously been tried by only a few physicians in rare situations and never on a programmatic basis. This report describes the genesis of physician's syringe prescription in Rhode Island and some of the lessons learned to date. Because of the illicit nature of drug use, a tremendous amount of mistrust and fear on the part of IDUs often leads to poor interaction with the medical establishment. Prescription of syringes by a physician can serve as a tool for reaching out to a high-risk and often out-of-treatment population of drug users. It is a way for the health care community to tap into drug-using networks and bring those populations into a medical care system.

Long-term non-progression of HIV-1 in a patient coinfected with HTLV-II.

A 37-year-old man coinfected with HIV-1 and human T-lymphotropic virus type II presumably through injection drug use had a high CD4+ count and low HIV viral load without anti-retroviral therapy for over six years. As an HIV long-term non-progressor, his case supports the hypothesis that coinfection with HTLV-II does not adversely affect the course of HIV disease.

Community-based programs for safe disposal of used needles and syringes.

OBJECTIVES: To review issues related to discarded syringes in the community and to describe community-based programs for the safe disposal of used needles and syringes. METHODS: We used the medical literature and chain referral to identify community-based syringe disposal programs other than syringe exchange programs (SEPs). We held a workshop in June 1996 involving staff from disposal programs; manufacturers of syringes, sharps containers, and other disposal devices; solid waste companies; public health staff; and researchers. RESULTS: Fifteen programs for the safe disposal of syringes were identified in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Of these, 12 primarily served persons with diabetes who use insulin, and 3 primarily served injection drug users (IDUs). The programs used three major strategies: puncture-resistant containers discarded in trash, community drop boxes, and sharps containers turned in for biohazard disposal at community sites, hospitals, or pharmacies. Participants in the workshop described key points in developing syringe disposal programs. Programs should involve pharmacists, physicians, waste disposal companies, public health departments, hospitals, diabetes educators, persons with diabetes who use insulin, and IDUs. For IDUs, criminal penalties for possession of syringes are a substantial deterrent to participation in community efforts to safely dispose of used syringes. The multiple and sometimes conflicting local, state, and federal laws and regulations concerning medical waste hinder development of multistate or national approaches to the safe disposal of syringes. More information is needed on community-based syringe disposal programs. CONCLUSION: Communities in the United States, Canada, and Australia have developed different approaches to achieve safe disposal of used syringes.

Cementless femoral components should be made from cobalt chrome.

Before 1982, the authors performed 177 primary total hip arthroplasties using a single-sized, extensively porous-coated cobalt-chrome femoral prosthesis. The current status of 122 of these arthroplasties is known. Two femoral prostheses have been revised for late symptomatic loosening, 2 for stem fracture, and 1 for infection. From 1982 to 1984, 227 primary arthroplasties were performed using the same stem in multiple sizes. Of these cases, 171 are available for followup. One stem (0.6%) has been revised for symptomatic loosening. Large osteolytic femoral lesions (average size, 8.1 cm2) developed in 3 patients, associated with an unusually large amount of polyethylene wear of their acetabular components. These patients have been treated by exchange of the polyethylene liner within the porous-coated acetabular component and allografting of the osteolytic lesions. The femoral components were not exchanged because osteolysis had not eroded the integrity of the supporting bone-implant interface to a point where loosening occurred. Before 1987, 193 patients with loose femoral components were treated with revision total hip arthroplasty, also using an extensively porous-coated cobalt-chrome femoral stem of similar design. Ten (5.7%) patients have required rerevision of the femoral prosthesis. Six of these 10 rerevisions were performed because of symptomatic loosening. Ninety-three percent of the patients in the primary series had relief of their preoperative pain and have improved functional ability; 94.2% are satisfied with their results. In the revision series, 89.1% of the patients are free of pain and function better than preoperatively, and 89.6% are fully satisfied with their results.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Outcome of revision hip arthroplasty done without cement.

Between 1980 and 1986, ninety-three femoral revision arthroplasties without cement were performed on ninety-one patients who had symptomatic loosening of a stemmed femoral component of a total hip prosthesis. Eighty-one of these patients (eighty-three hips) were followed for at least five years (range, five to thirteen years; mean, nine years). Forty-three hips also had a revision of a cemented acetabular component with use of a hemispherical, porous-coated implant inserted without cement. The results are presented in a traditional manner in terms of implant survivorship, radiographic evaluation for stability of the implant, and standardized hip scores. Changes due to the treatment are presented as outcomes in terms of the physician's criteria for the success of the operation, the patient's criteria for the success of the operation, and the patient's economic status. No hips that needed additional operations were excluded, and we reported the outcome regardless of any interim operative procedures (including re-revisions). At the latest follow-up examination, nineteen (23 per cent) of the eighty-three hips had had an additional operation, including seventeen hips (20 per cent) for which re-revision had been necessary. In ten (12 per cent) of the eighty-three hips, the re-revision had involved an index implant. The rate of re-revision of the index femoral component was 10 per cent and the rate of mechanical loosening of that component was 11 per cent. The rate of re-revision of the index acetabular component was 7 per cent and the rate of mechanical loosening of that component was 11 per cent.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Porous-coated total hip replacement.

Fifteen years of clinical experience with porous-coated prostheses demonstrated the durability of this type of fixation. This experience was documented by clinical follow-up study of the 393 cases treated by the senior author before 1985. Only six of these femoral components have been revised: three for loosening, two for stem breakage, and one for infection. Thus, the revision rate for the porous-coated stems was 1.5%. Porous-coated acetabular components were used in 227 of the arthroplasties. Five of these porous-coated cups have been revised: four for malposition leading to dislocation and one for late loosening secondary to osteolysis. Thus, the revision rate for these porous-coated acetabular components was 2.2%. Twenty bipolar and 146 cemented acetabular components were used in the remaining 166 cases treated before 1985. Eleven (7.5%) of the cemented acetabular components were revised. Revisions of the porous-coated components were rare in the first ten postoperative years. The clinical data were supplemented with analysis of postmortem specimens from 15 patients. Mechanical testing of the femoral specimens showed the relative micromotion at the porous surface to be exceptionally small (less than 40 microns). Seven of these postmortem retrievals involved cases with unilateral arthroplasties. In these cases, the contralateral normal femur also was removed, and a prosthesis identical to that in the in vivo implanted side was inserted to simulate the immediate postoperative condition. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) of the seven paired femora demonstrated that bone remodeling can be expected to produce a 5%-52% loss of periprosthetic bone mineral content, with the greatest loss occurring in the more osteoporotic patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Revision total hip arthroplasty. Long-term results without cement.

The authors present their results for cementless femoral revision arthroplasty using extensively porous coated implants. Patients have been prospectively followed for 5 to 11 years (mean 7.4 years). The revision rate was 5.7%, and the radiographic loosening rate was 1.1%, to give a mechanical failure rate of only 6.9%. As a result of the revision procedure, the pain level was improved for 89.1% of the patients, walking status was improved for 82.8% of the patients, and functional level was improved for 88.5% of the patients. These results compare very favorably with any reports on revision arthroplasty using cement with a similar length follow-up.