Amputation Following Hand Escharotomy in Patients with Burn Injury.

OBJECTIVE: Hand burns are commonly seen in patients with burn injury. In the past, focus was on lifesaving measures, but with advances in burn care during the last century, the paradigm shifted to digital salvage and eventually to functional digital salvage. Good outcomes are heavily dependent on the care that is rendered during the initial management of the burn. METHODS: A retrospective medical record review was conducted through the Central Illinois Regional Burn Center Patient Registry. Patients with burn injury treated with upper extremity and hand escharotomy between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2005, were included in the study. RESULTS: We identified a total of 34 patients with 57 burned hands. Six hands required delayed amputation of digits despite recognition of neurovascular compromise and escharotomy, yielding a 10% amputation rate. No correlation could be drawn with regard to total body surface area, age, or sex. CONCLUSION: Important principles in the acute phase include early splinting, recognition of the need for escharotomy and complete escharotomy when necessary, early excision and grafting, and involvement of occupational therapy for splinting and to guide both active and passive exercises. Although uncommon, some extremity burns may require subsequent amputation despite prompt attention and optimal treatment. In our case series, the need for amputation after successful escharotomies of salvageable digits was associated with full-thickness and electrical burns.

Postapproval clinical experience in the treatment of Dupuytren's contracture with collagenase clostridium histolyticum (CCH): the first 1,000 days.

Dupuytren's contracture is a benign fibromatosis of the palmar and digital fascia of the hand of uncertain etiology, resulting in nodules and cords beneath the skin of the palm of the hands that may lead to the development of contractures. Surgical intervention is often considered when metacarpophalangeal (MP) joint contracture is 30° or more, or when there is any degree of proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint contracture. Collagenase clostridium histolyticum (CCH) is a nonsurgical, minimally invasive enzymatic drug indicated for the treatment of adult patients with Dupuytren's contracture (DC) and palpable cord. CCH has been available for approximately 3.5 years, and postapproval experience indicates that the effectiveness of CCH is equivalent to or better than efficacy observed in clinical trials, as seen by lower injection rates to achieve clinical success. Postapproval experience has shown a risk-benefit profile that favors CCH for patients not indicated for surgery based on current recommendations and shows also that treating earlier-stage vs later-stage joint contracture results in significantly better outcomes on average. Postapproval surveillance reveals a safety profile similar to that observed in clinical trials. Nonserious adverse events are mainly local reactions; tendon rupture, a serious adverse event, is reported rarely in the clinical practice setting and at a lower rate than in clinical trials. Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) training is designed to mitigate benefit vs risk to achieve safe and effective use of CCH.

Acute abdomen secondary to ascaris lumbricoides infestation of the small bowel.

Ascariasis is a helminthic infection commonly found in tropical climates. It often propagates in communities of low socioeconomic status secondary to contamination of the soil and water supply with human feces. We present a case report of a 42-year-old Asian-Indian female presenting with a long-standing history of severe recurrent postprandial epigastric pain, requiring multiple hospital admissions. Ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), and nuclear biliary scan were negative. She underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy that suggested ischemia. Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and mesenteric angiography were inconclusive. As conservative treatment had been unsuccessful, a small bowel series was performed. The radiographs demonstrated characteristic findings of Ascaris lumbricoides infestation. Although the prevalence, diagnosis, and subsequent treatment of an acute abdomen secondary to Ascaris lumbricoides infestation is commonly seen in developing countries, clinicians in developed countries may not consider this entity when faced with a patient with similar symptoms. We frequently care for immigrants from developing countries and our own citizens who visit the countries where ascariasis is endemic. Therefore, heightened awareness of Ascaris lumbricoides infection (ALI) presenting as an acute abdomen is necessary. The diagnosis requires an experienced radiologist and knowledge by the clinician of treatment options and of when a surgeon should be involved.