Complications of hand surgery

Hand surgery involves the surgical treatment of hand conditions and encompasses small bone fixation, arthroscopy, joint replacement and reconstruction of tendon and nerves. Complications following surgery to the hand may be due to patient factors, surgical decisions and the complex anatomy of the hand. Here we describe the complications associated with common surgical interventions for both elective and traumatic injuries to the hand. Following hand surgery, a balance between immobilisation and early range of motion is offset by the risk of wound complications, non-union of fractures and tendon re-rupture with stiffness and reduced range of motion of the digits. Superficial infection is relatively common following procedures to the hand, however long-term sequelae are rare. Implant failure, subsidence, instability and reduced range of motion are seen following arthroplasty procedures. Complex regional pain syndrome offers a significant challenge following injury to the hand and specifically after surgical procedures. Surgeons should consider the risk of particular surgical techniques, other perioperative factors and patient factors that may contribute to the development of complications following hand surgery. Patients should be adequately counselled in order to make an informed decision regarding the management of their condition.     

No excess of DR*3/4 in Ashkenazi Jewish or Hispanic IDDM patients

The gene frequencies, haplotype relative risks, and zygotic assortments of HLA-DR in three ethnically defined samples of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) patients were determined in a prospective family study. Although DR3 and DR4 were positively associated with IDDM in the probands of 123 northern European, 94 Ashkenazi Jewish, and 49 New York Hispanic families, significant excess of DR*3/4 heterozygotes was observed only among the probands from families of northern European ancestry. There was also a significant decrease in the frequency of Bw62,DR4 haplotypes derived by northern European patients from their mothers compared with their fathers. This difference, together with data reported in the literature, suggests that the expressivity of the susceptible genotype(s) in IDDM patients may be modified by protective maternal effects associated with Bw62,DR4 and probably other DR4 haplotypes. Samples of IDDM patients from populations with high frequencies of these modifiers should have different DR-gene frequencies contributed by fathers and mothers, capable of accounting for the observed Hardy-Weinberg disequilibrium. We postulate that, because the mechanism of action of these modifiers is distinct from that of the susceptibility gene, the difference must be considered in devising strategies for elucidation of the mode of inheritance of the disease and for understanding the molecular nature of the susceptibility.     

The effects of exercise on lipogenic enzyme activity and glyceride synthesis by liver homogenates of diabetic rats

The purpose of this study was to determine if exercise ameliorates the elevated levels of triglycerides in diabetic rats and also to determine if the capacity of liver to synthesize glycerides correlates with changes in plasma triglyceride levels. Forty female rats were divided into four groups: sedentary control, sedentary diabetic, exercised control, and exercised diabetic. Diabetes was induced by intravenous injection of alloxan (40 mg/kg), and control rats were sham-dosed with physiologic saline. All rats remained sedentary in their cages for the first week after the injections. The exercised groups were exercised for seven consecutive days for 2 h/d at 20 m/min (0 grade). All rats were killed 24 hours after the last exercise bout. Blood glucose levels were significantly higher in the diabetic group than the nondiabetic counterparts, but exercise did not affect glucose levels in either the diabetic or nondiabetic groups. Exercise, however, significantly lowered plasma triglyceride and free fatty acid levels in both diabetic and nondiabetic rats. The activities of the five enzymes involved in fatty acid synthesis were all depressed in the diabetic rats compared to controls, and exercise had no effect on the activities of the enzymes. The capacity of liver to synthesize total lipids, diglycerides, or triglycerides was not different in the diabetic rats from that of nondiabetic rats, and exercise did not change that. Only phospholipid synthesis from glycerol-3-phosphate was affected by diabetes. It is concluded that exercise ameliorates the elevations in plasma triglyceride levels that result from diabetes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Calcium paradox in skeletal muscles: physiologic and microscopic observations

Immersion of rat hemidiaphragms in Ca2+-free Krebs solution (KS) containing Ca2+ chelator in vitro leads to separation of basal lamina from the plasma membrane, as well as transient contracture and rapid loss of twitch response [calcium paradox (CP) phase 1]. Subsequent immersion in regular KS results in necrosis of muscle fibers accompanied by slowly increasing contracture (CP phase 2). This contracture could be prevented or reduced by using either Ca2+-free KS or calcium channel blockers, but not by dantrolene sodium, implying that after drastic reduction of extracellular and sarcolemmal Ca2+ during CP phase 1, the sarcolemma has lost its ability to control normal Ca2+ fluxes. Contracture did not develop at 21 degrees C. CP is a convenient model to study calcium-induced muscle cell death and the role of Ca2+ in maintaining sarcolemmal integrity.     

18 Graduate Medical Education and Knowledge Translation: One Problem-Specific Approach in Residency

Traditional graduate medical education approaches to improving clinical performance based upon the latest research have included Journal Club and didactic lectures. Unfortunately, these educational interventions have rarely been demonstrated to change practice behavior or improve patient-important outcomes. Using a structured approach to identifying a gap between best-evidence knowledge and clinical practice, an illustrative one-year residency-wide translational research project was developed in a four year emergency medicine training program. Step one (assigned to the second year residents): identify and quantitatively justify a Knowledge Translation (KT) deficit within our institution. They identified steroids in adult bacterial meningitis as an unequivocal therapeutic option. Based upon a structured one-year chart review, they next demonstrated that only 7% of meningitis patients received pre-antimicrobial steroids. The next step (assigned to the first year residents): identify and quantify the physician "leaks" within the pipeline of information from publication to bedside utilization via an online survey. The third year residents hypothesized plugs for these information leaks, including examples of other specialties or institutions which have successfully navigated this specific clinical scenario. Finally, at an end-of-year Journal Club, the fourth year residents formulated a protocol for the appropriate use of steroids in suspected adult meningitis and brought together individuals from within the institution contributing to the best-practice leak. Knowledge Translation involves multiple stages beyond simple evidence awareness and usually involves continuation beyond the emergency department. The Washington University KT project offers a structured, multidisciplinary example of moving beyond contemplation to implementation of an unequivocal therapy.