Musculoskeletal injuries are common in Cameroon. Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) can effectively manage complex wounds including open fractures, however high cost and unavailability prevent its widespread use. We sought to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy in Cameroon of a low-cost NPWT (LCNPWT) device built from an aquarium pump costing less than $100. We performed a prospective case series including all patients with musculoskeletal injuries managed with LCNPWT at Baptist Hospital Mutengene, Mutengene, Cameroon from 15th March 2021 to 15th March 2022. Patient demographics, wound characteristics, and wound photographs were collected at intake and at each dressing change (performed every 3 days). All treatment was provided inpatient, and outcomes were recorded at hospital discharge. Forty-one patients (mean age 40 years, 58% male) received LCNPWT. The most common injury mechanisms were road traffic-related accidents (n=16, 42%) and gunshots (n=8, 21%). Wound characteristics were recorded for 38 patients of which 24 (63%) had infected wounds and 3 were bacteremic (13%) on presentation. All patients received antibiotics. The average duration of LCNPWT was 5.9 days (standard deviation 3.1 days). For 15 patients with documented outcome data, LCNPWT was successful in achieving wound closure in 12 (80%). Five patients failed limb salvage, with 4 receiving amputations and 1 dying during hospitalization. Eighty-three percent of providers (15 providers) reported LCNPWT as beneficial in managing wounds. Low-cost NPWT device was effective for managing contaminated and complex wounds in a resource-limited setting.
Publications by Year: 2024
2024
PURPOSE: The use of a person's hands is crucial to their ability to succeed at work. Hand pathologies can impact work success by increasing absenteeism (ie, not being able to go to work) and presenteeism (ie, being able to work but in a reduced capacity). In this study, we quantified employed patients' presenteeism and absenteeism following carpal tunnel release or surgical fixation of a distal radius fracture (DRF).
METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, 91 patients (carpal tunnel syndrome [CTS]: n = 62; DRF: n = 29) from June 2022 to December 2023 were included. Baseline patient characteristics and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) were collected. Presenteeism and absenteeism were calculated using the World Health Organization's Health and Work Performance Questionnaire. Questionnaires were sought before surgery and at 3 and 6 months after surgery. Clinical improvement was determined using minimal clinically important difference (MCID) cutoff range estimates. The employee value of lost work was calculated as a percentage of the average patient in each group before surgery and at 6 months after surgery.
RESULTS: The average change in PROMs scores from before to after surgery at 6 months surpassed the low-end MCID estimates for all functional and pain-related PROMs. For patients undergoing surgery for CTS and DRF, retained employee value rose from 85.6% to 130.2% (ie, worked more than expected) and 52.7% to 56.9%, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing surgery for CTS or DRF have clinically appreciable improvement in functional and pain symptoms by 6 months after surgery. However, by 6 months after surgery, carpal tunnel release results in greater than complete employee value recovery, compared with surgical fixation of DRFs in which greater than 40% of the employee value remains lost after surgery. These findings can assist with preoperative expectation setting.
TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic II.
BACKGROUND: Phages are an emerging therapy in the treatment of prosthetic joint infections, though many challenges remain, including an incomplete understanding of optimal phage dosing.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed an in vitro assessment of how phage dosing as measured by multiplicity of infection (MOI) impacts bacterial growth in planktonic and biofilm conditions using a Staphylococcus epidermidis model. Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 35984 was combined in planktonic and biofilm forms with phage vB_SepM_Alex at varying concentrations, and growth was monitored via spectrophotometry.
RESULTS: Planktonic bacterial growth was significantly higher when MOI ≤ 0.01 compared with MOI ≥ 10 (p < 0.05). Biofilms with phage dosing at ≤ 104 plaque-forming units (PFU)/mL had significantly greater spectrophotometer readings than those dosed at 1010 PFU/mL (p < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest lower, not higher, phage dosing is associated with greater bacterial persistence. Our study helps inform the dosing and delivery of this alternative form of antibiosis.