There are a growing number of wound care centers being established globally. The emergence of these centers reflects the increasing incidence and prevalence of chronic wounds as well as the cost to ...the health care systems these patients represent. A systematic approach to the development and implementation of a comprehensive wound care program is necessary to provide quality wound care as well as to establish a financially viable enterprise. A wound care center can take shape in various forms from small free-standing clinics to large hospital-based programs. Regardless of the physical location, the most important factor for the success of the wound care center is a strong commitment by the members of the multidisciplinary team. The capacity to effectively manage certain wounds can be limited by the absence of key specialties within the team. The physical space and financial support from the sponsoring institution are also important components. This article reviews the critical elements to building and sustaining a successful multidisciplinary wound care center.
Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) is a perioperative approach to managing surgical patients. The impact of ERAS on radical cystectomy (RC) outcomes remains understudied.
To review the literature ...regarding ERAS protocols and RC outcomes. The primary outcome was hospital length of stay (LOS).
A systematic review of the articles published from 1970 through 2018 was conducted. Individual patient data (IPD) were requested and a meta-analysis was performed.
A total of 4197 articles were retrieved and 22 (reporting 4048 patients) were selected for the review. LOS followed by 30-d and that followed by 90-d complications were the most common endpoints. ERAS use was associated with reduced morbidity, quicker bowel recovery, and shorter LOS, without affecting mortality. IPD were obtained for 2077 patients from 11 studies. In multivariable models, LOS was associated with ERAS use (regression coefficient: –4.54 95% confidence interval {CI}: –5.79 to –3.28 d with ERAS p < 0.001) and Charlson Comorbidity Index (+1.64 1.38–1.90 d for each point increase, p < 0.001), and varied between hospitals (from –1.59 –3.03 to –0.14 to +4.55 1.89–7.21 d, p < 0.03). Individual ERAS components associated with shorter LOS included no nasogastric (NG) tube (–8.70 –11.9 to –5.53 d, p < 0.001) and local anesthesia blocks compared with regional anesthesia (–3.29 –6.31 to –0.27 d, p = 0.03).
ERAS protocols were associated with reduced LOS and postoperative complication rate. Avoidance of NG tubes and use of local anesthesia blocks were significantly associated with reduced LOS. These findings reflect different components of recovery, which ERAS can optimize and further support documentation of the use of ERAS components when reporting RC outcomes.
Use of enhanced recovery in patients undergoing surgery to remove the bladder is associated with fewer surgical complications and a shorter hospital stay. Avoidance of nasogastric tubes and use of local anesthesia after the operation were associated with a shorter length of stay.
In this systematic review, we found the inclusion of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) components when reporting radical cystectomy outcomes and found that only 0.5% studies control for ERAS when reporting outcomes. In the individual patient data meta-analysis, elimination of bowel preparation and nasogastric tube, and use of regional anesthesia were significantly associated with decreased hospital length of stay. These findings reflect different components of recovery that ERAS can optimize and further support documentation of the use of ERAS components when reporting radical cystectomy outcomes.
BACKGROUND:Negative-pressure wound therapy with instillation is an adjunctive treatment that uses periodic instillation of a solution and negative pressure for a wide diversity of wounds. A variety ...of solutions have been reported, with topical antiseptics as the most frequently chosen option. The objective of this study was to compare the outcomes of normal saline versus an antiseptic solution for negative-pressure wound therapy with instillation for the adjunctive treatment of infected wounds.
METHODS:This was a prospective, randomized, effectiveness study comparing 0.9% normal saline versus 0.1% polyhexanide plus 0.1% betaine for the adjunctive treatment of infected wounds that required hospital admission and operative débridement. One hundred twenty-three patients were eligible, with 100 patients randomized for the intention-to-treat analysis and 83 patients for the per-protocol analysis. The surrogate outcomes measured were number of operative visits, length of hospital stay, time to final surgical procedure, proportion of closed or covered wounds, and proportion of wounds that remained closed or covered at the 30-day follow-up.
RESULTS:There were no statistically significant differences in the demographic profiles in the two cohorts except for a larger proportion of male patients (p = 0.004). There was no statistically significant difference in the surrogate outcomes with the exception of the time to final surgical procedure favoring normal saline (p = 0.038).
CONCLUSION:The authors’ results suggest that 0.9% normal saline may be as effective as an antiseptic (0.1% polyhexanide plus 0.1% betaine) for negative-pressure wound therapy with instillation for the adjunctive inpatient management of infected wounds.
CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:Therapeutic, II.
BACKGROUND:Negative-pressure wound therapy with instillation is a novel wound therapy that combines negative pressure with instillation of a topical solution.
METHODS:This retrospective, historical, ...cohort-control study examined the impact of negative-pressure wound therapy with and without instillation.
RESULTS:One hundred forty-two patients (negative-pressure wound therapy, n = 74; therapy with instillation, 6-minute dwell time, n = 34; and therapy with instillation, 20-minute dwell time, n = 34) were included in the analysis. Number of operative visits was significantly lower for the 6- and 20-minute dwell time groups (2.4 ± 0.9 and 2.6 ± 0.9, respectively) compared with the no-instillation group (3.0 ± 0.9) (p ≤ 0.05). Hospital stay was significantly shorter for the 20-minute dwell time group (11.4 ± 5.1 days) compared with the no-instillation group (14.92 ± 9.23 days) (p ≤ 0.05). Time to final surgical procedure was significantly shorter for the 6- and 20-minute dwell time groups (7.8 ± 5.2 and 7.5 ± 3.1 days, respectively) compared with the no-instillation group (9.23 ± 5.2 days) (p ≤ 0.05). Percentage of wounds closed before discharge and culture improvement for Gram-positive bacteria was significantly higher for the 6-minute dwell time group (94 and 90 percent, respectively) compared with the no-instillation group (62 and 63 percent, respectively) (p ≤ 0.05).
CONCLUSION:The authors’ results suggest that negative-pressure wound therapy with instillation (6- or 20-minute dwell time) is more beneficial than standard negative-pressure wound therapy for the adjunctive treatment of acutely and chronically infected wounds that require hospital admission.
CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:Therapeutic, III.
Transmetatarsal amputation (TMA) is a durable and important functional limb salvage option. We have presented our results in identifying the angiographic predictors of TMA healing using ...single-institution retrospective data.
Consecutive patients within our institution who had undergone TMA and lower extremity arteriography from 2012 to 2020 were included. Patients whose TMA had healed were compared with those whose TMA had not healed. Using pre- and perioperative patient factors, in addition to the Global Limb Anatomic Staging System (GLASS) and evaluation of the tibial runoff vessels, multivariate analysis was used to define the predictors of TMA healing at 30 days and 1 year. For those patients who had undergone an intervention after TMA, including repeat interventions, the postintervention GLASS stage was calculated. All patients were followed up by the vascular surgeon using standard ultrasound surveillance and clinical examinations. Once the predictors had been identified, an analysis was performed to correlate the 30-day and 1-year limb salvage rates.
A total of 89 patients had met the inclusion criteria for the study period. No difference was found in the GLASS femoropopliteal or infrapopliteal stages for those with a healed TMA and those without. After multivariate regression analysis, the presence of a patent pedal arch vs a nonintact arch had a 5.5 greater odds of TMA healing at 30 days but not at 1 year. Additionally, the presence of a patent arch was strongly associated with limb salvage at both 30 days (86% vs 49%; P < .01) and 1 year (79% vs 49%; P < .01).
In the present series of patients who had undergone TMA and arteriography, with appropriate GLASS staging, we found patency of the pedal arch was a significant predictor of healing and limb salvage. The GLASS femoropopliteal and infrapopliteal stages did not predict for TMA healing.
Chronic lower extremity wounds affect up to 13% of the US population. Transmetatarsal amputation (TMA) is frequently performed in patients with chronic forefoot wounds. TMA allows limb salvage and ...preserves functional gait, without need for prosthesis. Traditionally, when tension-free primary closure is not possible, a higher-level amputation is performed. This is the first series to evaluate the outcomes of local and free flap coverage of TMA stumps in patients with chronic foot wounds.
A retrospective cohort of patients who underwent TMA with flap coverage from 2015 through 2021 was reviewed. Primary outcomes included flap success, early postoperative complications, and long-term outcomes (limb salvage and ambulatory status). Patient-reported outcome measures using the Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS) were also collected.
Fifty patients underwent 51 flap reconstructions (26 local, 25 free flap) after TMA. Average age and body mass index were 58.5 years and 29.8 kg/m 2 , respectively. Comorbidities included diabetes n = 43 (86%) and peripheral vascular disease n = 37 (74%). Flap success rate was 100%. At a mean follow-up of 24.8 months (range, 0.7 to 95.7 months), the limb salvage rate was 86.3% ( n = 44). Forty-four patients (88%) were ambulatory. The LEFS survey was completed by 24 surviving patients (54.5%). Mean LEFS score was 46.6 ± 13.9, correlating with 58.2% ± 17.4% of maximal function.
Local and free flap reconstruction after TMA are viable methods of soft-tissue coverage for limb salvage. Applying plastic surgery flap techniques for TMA stump coverage allows for preservation of increased foot length and ambulation without a prosthesis.
Therapeutic, IV.
Lower extremity salvage in the setting of nonhealing wounds requires a multidisciplinary approach for successful free tissue transfer. Patients with comorbidities including diabetes mellitus and ...peripheral vascular disease were previously considered poor candidates for free tissue transfer. However, amputation leads to functional decline and severely increased mortality. The authors present their institutional perioperative protocol in the context of 200 free tissue transfers performed for lower extremity salvage in a highly comorbid population.
The authors reviewed an institutional database of 200 lower extremity free tissue transfers performed from 2011 to 2019. Demographics, comorbidities, wound cause and location, intraoperative details, flap outcomes, and complications were compared between the first and second 100 flaps. The authors document the evolution of their institutional protocol for lower extremity free tissue transfers, including standard preoperative hypercoagulability testing, angiography, and venous ultrasound.
The median Charlson Comorbidity Index was 3, with diabetes mellitus and peripheral vascular disease found in 48 percent and 22 percent of patients, respectively. Thirty-nine percent of patients tested positive for greater than three hypercoagulable genetic conditions. The second group of 100 free tissue transfers had a higher proportion of patients with decreased vessel runoff (35 percent versus 47 percent; p < 0.05), rate of endovascular intervention (7.1 percent versus 23 percent; p < 0.05), and rate of venous reflux (19 percent versus 64 percent; p < 0.001). Flap success (91 percent versus 98 percent; p < 0.05) and operative time (500 minutes versus 374 minutes; p < 0.001) improved in the second cohort.
Standardized evidence-based protocols and a multidisciplinary approach enable successful limb salvage. Although there is a learning curve, high levels of salvage can be attained in highly comorbid patients with improved institutional knowledge and capabilities.
Therapeutic, III.
Approximately half of patients with atrial fibrillation and with risk factors for stroke are not treated with oral anticoagulation (OAC), whether it be with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) or novel OACs ...(NOACs); and of those treated, many discontinue treatment. Leaders from academia, government, industry, and professional societies convened in Washington, DC, on December 3-4, 2012, to identify barriers to optimal OAC use and adherence and to generate potential solutions. Participants identified a broad range of barriers, including knowledge gaps about stroke risk and the relative risks and benefits of anticoagulant therapies; lack of awareness regarding the potential use of NOAC agents for VKA-unsuitable patients; lack of recognition of expanded eligibility for OAC; lack of availability of reversal agents and the difficulty of anticoagulant effect monitoring for the NOACs; concerns with the bleeding risk of anticoagulant therapy, especially with the NOACs and particularly in the setting of dual antiplatelet therapy; suboptimal time in therapeutic range for VKA; and costs and insurance coverage. Proposed solutions were to define reasons for oral anticoagulant underuse classified in ways that can guide intervention and improve use, to increase awareness of stroke risk as well as the benefits and risks of OAC use via educational initiatives and feedback mechanisms, to better define the role of VKA in the current therapeutic era including eligibility and ineligibility for different anticoagulant therapies, to identify NOAC reversal agents and monitoring strategies and make knowledge regarding their use publicly available, to minimize the duration of dual antiplatelet therapy and concomitant OAC where possible, to improve time in therapeutic range for VKA, to leverage observational data sets to refine understanding of OAC use and outcomes in general practice, and to better align health system incentives.
Split-thickness skin grafts can provide effective autologous wound closure in patients with dysvascular comorbidities. Meshing the graft allows for reduced donor site morbidity and expanded coverage. ...This study directly compares outcomes across varying meshing ratios used to treat chronic lower extremity wounds. Patients who received split-thickness skin grafts to their lower extremity for chronic ulcers from December 2014 to December 2019 at a single center were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were stratified by meshing ratios: nonmeshed (including pie crusting), 1.5:1, and 3:1. The primary outcome was clinical "healing" as determined by surgeon discretion at 30 days, 60 days, and the latest follow-up. Secondary outcomes included postoperative complications, graft loss, ulcer recurrence, progression to amputation, and mortality. A total of 321 patients were identified. Wound sizes and location differed significantly, with 3:1 meshing applied to the largest wounds (187.8 ± 157.6 cm
; 1.5:1 meshed, 110.4 ± 103.9 cm
; nonmeshed 38.7 ± 55.5 cm
; p < .0001) mostly of the lower leg (n = 18, 75%; 1.5:1 meshed, n = 23, 43.4%; nonmeshed n = 62, 25.7%; p < .0001). Meshed grafts displayed a significantly higher proportion of healing at 30 and 60 days, but no differences persisted by the final follow-up (16.5 ± 20.5 months). Longitudinally, nonmeshed STSG was associated with most graft loss (46, 19.1%; p = .011) and ulcer recurrence (44, 18.3%; p = .011). Of the 3 meshing ratios, 3:1 exhibited the lowest rates of complications. Our results suggest that 3:1 meshing is a safe option for coverage of large lower extremity wounds to minimize donor site morbidity.
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