Effect of ankle versus thigh tourniquets on post-operative pain in foot and ankle surgery

BACKGROUND Tourniquets are commonly used in elective extremity orthopaedic surgery to reduce blood loss,improve visualization in the surgical field,and to potentially reduce surgical time.There is a lack of consensus in existing guidelines regarding the optimal tourniquet pressure,placement site,and duration of use.There is a paucity of data on the relationship between the site of a tourniquet and postoperative pain in foot and ankle surgery.AIM To explore the relationship between tourniquet site and intensity of post-operative pain scores in patients undergoing elective foot and ankle surgery.METHODS Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data on 201 patients who underwent foot and ankle surgery in a single institution was undertaken.Intraoperative tourniquet duration,tourniquet pressure and site,and postoperative pain scores using Visual Analogue Score were collected in immediate recovery,at six hours and at 24 h post-op.Scatter plots were used to analyse the data and to assess for the statistical correlation between tourniquet pressure,duration,site,and pain scores using Pearson correlation coefficient.RESULTS All patients who underwent foot and ankle surgery had tourniquet pressure of 250 mmHg for ankle tourniquet and 300 mmHg for thigh.There was no correlation between the site of the tourniquet and pain scores in recovery,at six hours and after 24 h.There was a weak correlation between tourniquet time and Visual Analogue Score immediately post-op(r=0.14,P=0.04)but not at six or 24 h post-operatively.CONCLUSION This study shows that there was no statistically significant correlation between tourniquet pressure,site and postop pain in patients undergoing foot and ankle surgery.The choice of using a tourniquet is based on the surgeon's preference,with the goal of minimizing the duration of its application at the operative site.

Clinical Observation of Double Tube Laryngeal Mask in Fast-Track Anesthesia for Limb Orthopedic Surgery in Children with Cerebral Palsy

Objective: To compare and analyze the effect and safety of double tube laryngeal mask and endotracheal intubation general anesthesia in fast track anesthesia for limb orthopaedic surgery in children with cerebral palsy. Methods: 78 children with cerebral palsy undergoing limb orthopedic surgery were randomly divided into laryngeal mask group and intubation group, with 39 cases in each group. The perioperative hemodynamic indexes, anesthesia effect related indexes, anesthesia related complications or adverse reaction rates of the two groups were observed and compared between the two groups. Results: When the two groups of children entered the room, there was no significant difference in MAP and HR (P > 0.05);MAP and HR of children in the intubation group were higher than those in the laryngeal mask anesthesia group (P Conclusion: Laryngeal mask is used to establish the airway of intravenous general anesthesia in limb orthopaedic surgery of children with cerebral palsy, which is conducive to the stability of children’s circulatory and respiratory system, to reduce the impact of narcotic drugs on children, to reduce the incidence of postoperative anesthesia related complications, and to improve the anesthetic effect. It meets the requirements of fast track anesthesia, and can be widely used in clinical practice.

Combined effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine decoction and low-molecular-weight heparin calcium on the postoperative deep venous thrombosis in patients with lower limb fracture

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the combined effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) decoction and low-molecular-weight heparin calcium on deep vein thrombosis(DVT) induced by surgery in patients with lower limb fracture.METHODS: Totally 86 hospitalized patients with DVT after surgery of lower limb fracture between September 2012 and January 2015 were recruited and randomly divided into control group and observation group, 43 cases in each group. The patients in the control group were treated with subcutaneous injection of low-molecular-weight heparin calcium, and those in the observation group were additionally given Danshen Injection and TCM decoction. The differences between two groups in occurrence rate, medication time, therapeutic effects,recurrence rate of thrombosis, activated partial thromboplastin time(APTT), and prothrombin time(PT) were compared.RESULTS: The occurrence rate of DVT in observation group(4.65%, 2/43) was lower than that in control group(27.91%,12/43)(P<0.05). The medication time of observation group was(6.15±2.94) d, shorter than(9.76±3.12) d in the control group(P<0.05). In observation group, 2 cases of DVT were cured(2/2); in the control group, 9 cases presented therapeutic effects and the total effective rate was 75.00%(9/12). The improvement of APTT and PT in the observation group was better than that in the control group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION: Integrative TCM decoction plus low-molecularweight heparin calcium is superior to applicaton of low-molecularweight heparin calcium alone in reducing and treating DVT in the postoperative patients with lower limb fracture.

Expandable endoprostheses in skeletally immature patients:Where we are

Approximately 45 percent of malignant bone tumors are seen under the age of 16 and one of the important results of growth plate sacrification in patients with immature skeletons is limb inequality.Until the early 1990s,the treatment options for these patients were rotationplasty or amputation.Multimodal approaches that combine imaging,chemotherapy,and surgical techniques have enabled the development of limb-preserving methods with satisfactory results.In order to overcome inequality problems,expandable prostheses have been developed in the 1980s.Extendable endoprosthesis replacements have been improved over the years and are now an established and safe alternative.Noninvasive prostheses appear to be advantageous compared to minimally invasive expandable prostheses that require multiple surgical procedures,but the complication rate remains high.Therefore,although expandable prostheses are not the definitive answer to the treatment of bone sarcomas in skeletally immature children,they are still a suitable interim choice until full adulthood is achieved.Due to reported high complication rates,the procedures require significant experience and are recommended for use only in specialized cancer centers.

Myeloid sarcoma with ulnar nerve entrapment:A case report

BACKGROUND Myeloid sarcoma(MS) is relatively rare,occurring mainly in the skin and lymph nodes,and MS invasion of the ulnar nerve is particularly unusual.The main aim of this article is to present a case of MS invading the brachial plexus,causing ulnar nerve entrapment syndrome,and to further clinical understanding of the possibility of MS invasion of peripheral nerves.CASE SUMMARY We present the case of a 46-year-old man with a 13-year history of well-treated acute nonlymphocytic leukaemia who was admitted to the hospital after presenting with numbness and pain in his left little finger.The initial diagnosis was considered a simple case of nerve entrapment disease,with magnetic resonance imaging showing slightly abnormal left brachial plexus nerve alignment with local thickening,entrapment,and high signal on compression lipid images.Due to the severity of the ulnar nerve compression,we surgically investigated and cleared the entrapment and nerve tissue hyperplasia;however,subsequent pathological biopsy results revealed evidence of MS.The patient had significant relief from his neurological symptoms,with no postoperative complications,and was referred to the haemato-oncology department for further consultation about the primary disease.This is the first report of safe treatment of ulnar nerve entrapment from MS.It is intended to inform hand surgeons that nerve entrapment may be associated with extramedullary MS,as a rare presenting feature of the disease.CONCLUSION MS invasion of the brachial plexus and surrounding tissues of the upper arm,resulting in ulnar nerve entrapment and degeneration with significant neurological pain and numbness in the little finger,is uncommon.Surgical treatment significantly relieved the patient’s nerve entrapment symptoms and prevented further neurological impairment.This case is reported to highlight the rare presenting features of MS.