Incidence and associated factors of surgical site infection in patients undergoing foot and ankle surgery: a 7-year cohort study.

Surgical site infections (SSI) constitute 31% of all hospital-acquired conditions, with ankle and foot surgical procedures showing an incidence of SSI ranging from 0.5% to 6.5%. This study aimed to assess the incidence of both superficial and deep surgical site infections in foot and ankle surgery, along with associated factors. Conducted as a retrospective cohort study, it included 2180 patients undergoing foot and ankle surgery in a private hospital between 2014 and 2020, encompassing elective and trauma cases. Outcome variables comprised SSI, while predictor variables encompassed sex, age, diabetes mellitus, systemic arterial hypertension, smoking, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, and body mass index. Logistic regression models were employed to identify associations between study variables. The incidence of surgical site infections stood at 4% (83/2180), comprising a rate of 2.8% (57/2180) for superficial infections and 1.2% (26/2180) for deep infections. Smoking (OR 2.9, 95%CI 1.4-5.3) and ASA score >2 (OR 3.4, 95%CI 1.2-8.4) emerged as independent factors associated with surgical site infections. The group with deep infections exhibited higher proportions of smokers (p = 0.002), systemic arterial hypertension (p = 0.018), trauma surgery (p = 0.049), and an ASA score >2 (p = 0.011). Overall infection incidence in this cohort reached 4%, with trauma cases, smoking, hypertension, and an ASA score >2 independently linked to deep infections. Surgeons should be cognizant of these risk factors when managing prophylactic antibiotic regimens for patients.

Preoperative education in patients undergoing foot and ankle surgery: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: International guidelines promote preoperative education for patients undergoing orthopedic surgery. However, the evidence sustaining these recommendations comes mainly from studies for hip and knee replacement surgery. Little is known about patients undergoing foot and ankle surgery. We aimed to map and characterize all the available evidence on preoperative education for patients undergoing foot and ankle surgery. METHODS: This study complies with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. We searched eight databases, including MEDLINE, Embase, and CENTRAL. We performed cross-citations and revised the references of included studies. We included studies addressing preoperative education in patients undergoing foot and ankle surgery. We did not exclude studies because of the way of delivering education, the agent that provided it, or the content of the preoperative education addressed in the study. Two independent authors screened the articles and extracted the data. The aggregated data are presented in descriptive tables. RESULTS: Of 1596 retrieved records, only 15 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Four addressed preoperative education on patients undergoing foot and ankle surgery and the remaining 11 addressed a broader population, including patients undergoing foot and ankle surgery but did not provide separate data of them. Two studies reported that preoperative education decreases the length of stay of these patients, another reported that education increased the knowledge of the participants, and the other leaflets were well received by patients. CONCLUSION: This scoping review demonstrates that evidence on preoperative education in foot and ankle surgery is scarce. The available evidence supports the implementation of preoperative education in patients undergoing foot and ankle surgery for now. The best method of education and the real impact of this education remain to be determined.

Combined Achilles Tendon-bone Block Allograft and Flexor Hallucis Longus Tendon Transfer for Long Segment Defects Involving the Insertional Region.

Long-segment disease involving the insertional region of the Achilles tendon can be a challenging problem. These patients often have significant disability and functional problems. Surgical management requires some type of tissue replacement, regional tissue rearrangement or tendon transfer. Various types of allograft tissue as well as synthetic materials have been described. Patients often have residual weakness and functional deficits following surgery. We have utilized an Achilles tendon-bone block allograft in combination with a flexor hallucis longus tendon transfer for long-segment Achilles tendon deficits involving the insertion. A retrospective review was performed on this group of patients to assess complication rates. A chart review was performed on 14 patients who underwent this procedure. The average postoperative follow-up duration was 24.7 months (range 6-48). Postoperatively, all patients exhibited grade 5 muscle strength with manual muscle testing and 12 of 14 patients were able to perform a single limb heel rise. This case series reviews the surgical technique as well as the patient demographics and complication rates. This procedure has been reliable for those patients with long-segment Achilles tendon deficits involving the insertion who desire to resume a high demand occupation or active lifestyle. The complication rate is relatively low.

Posterior Tibial Tendon Allograft Reconstruction for Stage II Adult Acquired Flatfoot: A Case Series.

Surgical treatment for a stage II adult acquired flatfoot has consisted of reconstruction of the diseased posterior tibial tendon with flexor digitorum longus tendon transfer, combined with osteotomies to address the underlying deformity. This case series presents an alternative to tendon transfer using allograft tendon for posterior tibial tendon reconstruction. Four patients who underwent stage II flatfoot reconstruction with posterior tibial tendon allograft transplantation were included. All patients had preoperative radiographs demonstrating flatfoot deformity and magnetic resonance imaging showing advanced tendinopathy of the posterior tibial tendon. Allograft tendon transplant was considered in patients demonstrating adequate posterior tibial tendon excursion during intraoperative assessment. Additional procedures were performed as necessary depending on patient pathology. Postoperatively, all patients remained non-weightbearing in a short leg cast for 6 weeks. Radiographs performed during the postoperative course demonstrated well-maintained and improved alignment. No complications were encountered. Each patient demonstrated grade 5 muscle strength and were able to perform a single-limb heel rise at the time of final follow-up. The average follow-up duration was 19.0 months. Flexor digitorum longus transfer has been studied extensively for stage II adult acquired flatfoot. However, the flexor digitorum longus has been shown to be much weaker relative to the posterior tibial tendon, and concern remains regarding its ability to recreate the force of the posterior tibial tendon. Our results demonstrate that posterior tibial tendon allograft reconstruction combined with flatfoot reconstruction is a reasonable option. This alternative has the advantage of preserving the stronger muscle without disturbing regional anatomy.

Podiatric Resident Performance on a Basic Competency Examination in Musculoskeletal Medicine.

A basic competency examination in musculoskeletal medicine has previously been administered to residents across a variety of medical specialties and has demonstrated that medical school preparation in musculoskeletal medicine might be inadequate. The objectives of the present study were to assess podiatric surgical resident performance on this examination and to assess podiatric surgical residency director opinions of the level of importance of the test subject areas. A total of 117 podiatric surgical residents from 15 residency programs completed the 25-question examination. The residents scored a mean ± standard deviation of 60.32% ± 12.60% (range 22.00% to 92.00%). On the 7 questions rated by podiatric residency directors as ≥8 on a 10-point scale of relative importance, this score improved to 84.92% ± 11.93% (range 39.29% to 100.0%). Senior level residents did not outperform junior level residents (60.76% versus 60.44%; p = .898), and those who had completed a general orthopedics rotation at some point in their education did not outperform those who had not (61.12% versus 58.64%; p = .370). The podiatric residency directors assigned a mean ± standard deviation importance score of 6.97 ± 2.07 out of 10 for the 25 questions and suggested a mean ± standard deviation passing score of 69.14% ± 9.03% for the examination. The results of the present investigation provide original data on podiatric surgical resident performance on a basic competency examination in musculoskeletal medicine. Although the residents scored well for some specific test areas, the overall performance was similar to that of previous iterations of the examination given to general surgery and internal medicine residents. The lower scores compared with those from the orthopedic and physical therapy specialties might indicate a need for improved general musculoskeletal medicine education within the podiatric curriculum.