Search Results
The comorbidities of diabetes mellitus were evaluated in an Asian American population with podiatric symptoms living in southern California. The three most common nonpedal complaints in men were blurred vision (73.6%), hypertension (64.1%), and erectile dysfunction (52.3%) and in women were blurred vision (84.5%), incontinence (71.5%), and low-back pain with radiculopathy-like symptoms (56.5%). The most significant finding was that only 3.2% of all patients had any previous knowledge or understanding of the risks of foot infection, ulceration, and amputation secondary to diabetes mellitus. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus in ethnic populations once considered practically exempt continues to rise steadily, and Asians living in the United States are becoming casualties of diabetes mellitus and its complications. (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 93(1): 37-41, 2003)
Triple Arthrodesis Using External Ring Fixation and Arched-Wire Compression
An Evaluation of 87 Patients
From January 1995 to December 2000, 87 patients at a single medical center underwent triple arthrodesis using external rings and arched-wire compression as the method of fixation. A retrospective evaluation was conducted to assess the clinical results of this technique. Eighty-four patients (97%) achieved clinical and radiographic fusion in 6 to 8 weeks. All of the patients were partially weightbearing during the first postoperative week. Thirty-one patients (36%) developed a superficial infection at one or more wire insertion sites, and nine (10%) experienced dehiscence of an incision. Three patients (3%) developed an asymptomatic nonunion. This article describes the use of external ring fixation with arched-wire compression for triple arthrodesis and presents the findings from 87 patients who underwent this technique. (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 94(1): 12-21, 2004)
Background
Toe amputation is the most common partial foot amputation. Controversy exists regarding whether to primarily close toe amputations or to leave them open for secondary healing. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the results of closed toe amputations in diabetic patients, with respect to wound healing, complications, and the need for further higher level amputation.
Methods
We retrospectively reviewed the results of 40 elective or semi-elective toe amputations with primary closure performed in 35 patients treated in a specialized diabetic foot unit. Patients with abscesses or necrotizing fasciitis were treated emergently and were excluded. Patients in whom clean margins could not be achieved due to extensive cellulitis or tenosynovitis and patients requiring vascular intervention were excluded as well. Outcome endpoints included wound healing at 3 weeks, delayed wound healing, or subsequent higher level amputation.
Results
Out of 40 amputations, 38 healed well. Thirty amputations healed by the time of stitch removal at 3 weeks and eight had delayed healing. In two patients the wounds did not heal and subsequent higher level amputation was eventually required.
Conclusions
In carefully selected diabetic foot patients, primary closure of toe amputations is a safe surgical option. We do not recommend primary closure when infection control is not achieved or in patients requiring vascular reconstruction. Careful patient selection, skillful assessment of debridement margins and meticulous technique are required and may be offered by experienced designated surgeons in a specialized diabetic foot unit.
Background
Patients suffering from chronic kidney disease are at greater risk of perioperative and postoperative complications. There is no systematic review study demonstrating whether total joint arthroplasty can be safely performed in patients with chronic kidney disease.
Methods
A literature search was performed in the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, and Cochrane Library databases for information from the earliest date of data collection to September of 2018. Studies comparing the perioperative and postoperative outcomes of no–chronic kidney dysfunction (CKD) patients with those of CKD patients were included. Statistical heterogeneity was quantitatively evaluated by means of the χ2 test, with significance set at P < .10 or I 2 > 50%.
Results
Three articles consisting of 38,209 patients were included (35,363 no-CKD patients and 2,846 CKD patients). The results showed that CKD was related to a greater increase in postoperative infection rate, deep vein thrombosis, readmission, and mortality (P < .1). No differences in length of surgery, length of stay, pulmonary embolism, or revision were observed (P > .10).
Conclusions
Compared with no-CKD patients, CKD patients demonstrated an increased risk of perioperative and postoperative complications.
Background:
There is an increased prevalence of foot ulceration in patients with diabetes, leading to hospitalization. Early wound closure is necessary to prevent further infections and, ultimately, lower-limb amputations. There is no current evidence stating that an elevated preoperative hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level is a contraindication to skin grafting. The purpose of this review was to determine whether elevated HbA1c levels are a contraindication to the application of skin grafts in diabetic patients.
Methods:
A retrospective review was performed of 53 consecutive patients who underwent split-thickness skin graft application to the lower extremity between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2015. A uniform surgical technique was used across all of the patients. A comparison of HbA1c levels between failed and healed skin grafts was reviewed.
Results:
Of 43 surgical sites (41 patients) that met the inclusion criteria, 27 healed with greater than 90% graft take and 16 had a skin graft that failed. There was no statistically significant difference in HbA1c levels in the group that healed a skin graft compared with the group in which skin graft failed to adhere.
Conclusions:
Preliminary data suggest that an elevated HbA1c level is not a contraindication to application of a skin graft. The benefits of early wound closure outweigh the risks of skin graft application in patients with diabetes.
Ciclopirox 8% Nail Lacquer Topical Solution for the Treatment of Onychomycosis in Patients with Diabetes
A Multicenter, Open-Label Study
Background: An open-label, noncomparative study was conducted to assess the safety and efficacy of ciclopirox 8% nail lacquer topical solution in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Methods: Forty-nine diabetic patients with distal subungual onychomycosis were treated once daily for 48 weeks with ciclopirox 8% nail lacquer, a topical nail solution approved for the treatment of patients with mild-to-moderate onychomycosis.
Results: Treatment resulted in clinical improvement in 63.4% of patients. Most patients (85.7%) had a mycologic outcome of improvement or cure, with 54.3% attaining mycologic cure. Consideration of mycologic and clinical outcomes generated a treatment outcome of improvement, success, or cure in 84.4% of patients. Moreover, patients experienced improvement in the diseased area of the nail (63.4%), nail surface (56.1%), nail color (48.8%), and nail thickness (65.9%). Ciclopirox 8% nail lacquer was safe, with treatment-related adverse events limited to infection in one patient, which resolved in 15 days; the patient completed the study. No treatment-related serious adverse events were observed.
Conclusion: Ciclopirox 8% nail lacquer is a safe and effective treatment for distal subungual onychomycosis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus receiving insulin or oral hypoglycemic therapy. (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 97(3): 195–202, 2007)
Background
Although an increased prevalence of plantar verrucae has been associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, human papillomavirus (HPV) typing studies have not been published about this patient population. We sought to determine the prevalence of HPV types in plantar verrucae of HIV-positive (HIV+) and HIV-negative (HIV–) individuals.
Methods
Thirty-nine plantar verruca lesions in 17 individuals were examined. Nine participants were HIV+ and eight were HIV–. Detection of HPV was performed by polymerase chain reaction using two sets of primers: MY09/MY11. The type of HPV was determined by hybridization to 38 different HPV types. Clinical types of verrucae were correlated to the HPV strain identified in each lesion.
Results
Of the 39 plantar verruca samples, 38 typed to HPV-2, HPV-27, and HPV-57 strains in HIV+ and HIV– individuals. Specifically, a large proportion of the samples from HIV– individuals typed as HPV-27 (87.5%), and HPV-2 was the predominant type identified in HIV+ individuals (50%). No rare or atypical HPV types were found in either group. We identified HPV-2 and HPV-27 in 96% of verruca plantaris clinical type. Mosaic warts typed to HPV-27 and HPV-57, and 80% of punctate verrucae typed to HPV-57.
Conclusions
This study presents an increased prevalence of HPV-2, HPV-27, and HPV-57 in plantar verrucae in this study population and provides insight into the occurrence of these types in HIV+ and HIV– individuals.
Background
Although Kirschner wire implantation is popular for treating toe deformities, complications frequently occur. To prevent pin-tract infection and difficult Kirschner wire extraction, several implants have been developed to improve treatment outcomes.
Methods
Patients who had undergone an interphalangeal fusion by two-component implant for the treatment of toe deformities were included. Thirty-one toes of 21 patients were evaluated retrospectively. American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) forefoot scores were used in clinical evaluation.
Results
The mean operation duration per toe was 16.4 min (range, 13–26 min). The average AOFAS forefoot score was 42.76 (range, 23–57) preoperatively and 88.76 (range, 70–95) at 34.4 months (range, 26–46 months) after surgery. Mean follow-up was 14.8 months (range, 12–19 months). Compared with before surgery, the AOFAS score was increased significantly after surgery (P = .03 by t test). Three minor complications were encountered. In one patient an infection was observed. After the implants were removed (first month) she was treated successfully by debridement and antibiotic agents and, finally, Kirschner wire placement. The second patient had a fissure fracture at the proximal phalanx, but routine follow-up did not change. In the third patient, the locking mechanism had become loose (detected on day 1 radiography); it was remounted under fluoroscopy without opening the wound. No patients had a cutout, loss of alignment, recurrence, or persistent swelling.
Conclusions
Outcomes of arthrodesis using the two-component implant were found to be safe and reliable, especially for hammer toe and fifth toe deformities.
Background:
Partial foot amputations (PFAs) are often indicated for the treatment of severe infection, osteomyelitis, and critical limb ischemia, which consequently leads to irreversible necrosis. Many patients who undergo PFAs have concomitant comorbidities and generally present with a severe acute manifestation of the condition, such as gangrenous changes, systemic infection, or debilitating pain, which would then require emergency amputation on an inpatient basis.
Methods:
The purpose of this study was to track the recent prevalence of PFAs and to investigate the current demographic trends of the physicians managing and performing PFAs, specifically regarding medical degree and specialty. Doctors of podiatric medicine are striving to achieve parity with their allopathic and osteopathic surgical counterparts and become a more prominent part of the multidisciplinary approach to limb salvage and emergency surgical treatment. This study evaluated 4 years (2009–2012) of PFA data from the Pennsylvania state inpatient database in the two most populated areas of Pennsylvania: Philadelphia and Allegheny counties. Statistics on medical schools were obtained directly from the accrediting bodies of allopathic, osteopathic, and podiatric medical schools. The goal of this study was to evaluate the general trends of patients undergoing a PFA and to quantify the upswing of podiatric surgeons intervening in the surgical care of these patients.
Results:
The number of partial foot amputations in the United States rose from 2006 to 2012. Podiatric surgeons performed 46% of theses procedures for residents of Philadelphia County from 2009 to 2012. In Allegheny County podiatric physicians performed 42% of these procedures during the same time frame.
Conclusions:
Partial foot amputations are increasing over time. Podiatric Surgeons perform a significant share of these operations. This share is increasing in the most populated areas of Pennsylvania.
“Step Up for Foot Care”
Addressing Podiatric Care Needs in a Sample Homeless Population
Background
Studies have shown that lower-extremity problems in the homeless population have significant public health and economic implications. A combined community service and research project was performed to identify and address the foot and ankle care needs in a sample homeless population in San Francisco, California.
Methods
A 37-question survey regarding general demographic characteristics, foot hygiene practices, associated risk factors, and self-reported lower-extremity pathologic conditions was completed by 299 homeless individuals who met the inclusion criteria. The service project included education on proper foot care and the distribution of footwear.
Results
The participants demonstrated mostly good efforts regarding foot hygiene but had high-risk factors, including smoking, alcohol use, and extended hours on their feet. More than half of the homeless individuals surveyed experienced foot pain. Approximately one in five had edema and neuropathic symptoms. The most commonly reported foot problems were dermatologic, but these conditions could pose serious sequelae in the setting of risk factors. The community service project was well received by the homeless community.
Conclusions
This study demonstrates lack of resources and high-risk factors for lower-extremity complications in the homeless individuals studied. It is important in the realm of public health to keep lower-extremity health in mind because it plays an important role in preventing the spread of infection and lowering the social economic burden.
