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Folke Lind

Publications and source records attributed to Folke Lind.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

[13 cases of cervical necrotizing fasciitis--all patients survived. Surgery, antibiotics and hyperbaric oxygenation give the best results].

Cervical necrotizing fasciitis is a serious, rapidly progressive infection along fascia planes that sometimes involves skin, subcutaneous tissue and muscle (myositis). The condition, often of dental or pharyngeal origin, is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Thirteen consecutive cases of cervical necrotizing fasciitis treated with hyperbaric oxygen at the Karolinska Hospital during the period 1997-2003 were reviewed. Eight male and five female patients, 33 to 78 years old, were treated according to the Karolinska Hospital guidelines for severe soft tissue infections. All patients recovered. Eleven of thirteen patients required intensive care and eight inotropic drugs. Streptococcus milleri was the predominant pathogen found in initial cultures. Three case reports are presented. Our findings lend further support to the literature on the importance of a prompt multidisciplinary approach with aggressive surgical intervention, broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

Adult↗

Effects of carbon monoxide poisoning on neutrophil responses in patients treated with hyperbaric oxygen.

BACKGROUND: Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning can cause tissue injury. Neutrophil granulocytes have been proposed to contribute to the injury, which may be ameliorated by hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) treatment. We sought to assess the relationship between acute CO poisoning and blood neutrophil count, plasma cytokine, and cortisol responses, as well as the mechanism behind the observed beneficiary effects of HBO2 treatment. METHODS: Eight patients (age 26-82 years) with severe acute CO poisoning were enrolled, concomitant with eight healthy controls (age 27-42 years), in a prospective, controlled, clinical study. The patients were given three HBO2 treatments (2.8 atmospheres absolute, 100 minutes) within the first 24 hours. The controls were given identical simultaneous HBO2 treatments. Venous blood samples were taken before and after each treatment. RESULTS: At the start of the HBO2 treatment, patients displayed significantly higher blood neutrophil counts (p < .0001) and plasma cortisol levels (p = .020) than controls, but the two groups had similar values for interleukin-8, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), neutrophil H2O2 generation, and CD16 and CD18 surface expression. During the observation time, neutrophil H2O2 accumulation declined in patients and in controls (p = .031), whereas the up-regulation of CD18 expression increased (p = .002) in both groups. Moreover, G-CSF levels became significantly higher in patients than in controls (p = .015). G-CSF levels also correlated significantly with neutrophil counts. CONCLUSION: CO poisoning was associated with discrete changes of blood neutrophil counts, cortisol, and G-CSF plasma concentrations. HBO2 treatment modulated neutrophil generation of H2O2 and surface expression of CD18. These changes may be part of the cascade of events leading to the sequelae of CO poisoning and their attenuation by HBO2.

Adult↗

Hyperbaric oxygen treatment of postoperative neurosurgical infections.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical usefulness of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy for neurosurgical infections after craniotomy or laminectomy. METHODS: The study involved review of medical records, office visits, and telephone contacts for 39 consecutive patients who were referred in 1996 to 2000. Infection control and healing without removal of bone flaps or foreign material, with a minimum of 6 months of follow-up monitoring, were considered to represent success. RESULTS: Successful results were achieved for 27 of 36 patients, with a mean follow-up period of 27 months (range, 6-58 mo). One patient discontinued HBO therapy because of claustrophobia, and two could not be evaluated because of death resulting from tumor recurrence. In Group 1 (uncomplicated cranial wound infections), 12 of 15 patients achieved healing with retention of bone flaps. In Group 2 (complicated cranial wound infections, with risk factors such as malignancy, radiation injury, repeated surgery, or implants), all except one infection resolved; three of four bone flaps and three of six acrylic cranioplasties could be retained. In Group 3 (spinal wound infections), all infections resolved, five of seven without removal of fixation systems. There were no major side effects of HBO treatment. CONCLUSION: HBO treatment is an alternative to standard surgical removal of infected bone flaps and is particularly useful in complex situations. It can improve outcomes, reduce the need for reoperations, and allow infection control without mandatory removal of foreign material. HBO therapy is a safe, powerful treatment for postoperative cranial and spinal wound infections, it seems cost-effective, and it should be included in the neurosurgical armamentarium.

Adolescent↗

Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy in treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. Long-term follow-up.

BACKGROUND: The cause of diabetic foot ulcers is multifactorial, e.g., neuropathy and angiopathy, leading to functional disturbances in the macrocirculation and skin microcirculation. Adequate tissue oxygen tension is an essential factor in infection control and wound healing. Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy, daily sessions of oxygen breathing at 2.5-bar increased pressure in a hyperbaric chamber, has beneficial actions on wound healing including antimicrobial action, prevention of edema and stimulation of fibroblasts. The aim of the present study was to investigate the long-term effect of HBO in treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. METHODS: Thirty-eight diabetic patients (30 males) with chronic foot ulcers were investigated in a prospective study. The mean age was 60+/-13 years and the mean diabetes duration 27+/-14 years. All patients were evaluated with measurements of transcutaneous oxygen tension (tcPO(2)), peripheral blood pressure, and HbA(1c). All patients had a basal tcPO(2) value lower than 40 mmHg, which increased to >/=100 mmHg, or at least three times the basic value, during inhalation of pure oxygen. Seventeen patients underwent 40-60 sessions of HBO therapy, while 21 patients were treated conventionally. The follow-up time was 3 years. RESULTS: 76% of the patients treated with HBO (Group A) had healed with intact skin at a follow-up time of 3 years. The corresponding value for patients treated conventionally (Group B) was 48%. Seven patients (33%) in Group B compared to two patients (12%) in Group A went to amputation. Peripheral blood pressure, HbA(1c), diabetes duration, and basal values of tcPO(2) were similar in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Adjunctive HBO therapy can be valuable for treating selected cases of hypoxic diabetic foot ulcers. It seems to accelerate the rate of healing, reduce the need for amputation, and increase the number of wounds that are completely healed on long-term follow-up. Additional studies are needed to further define the role of HBO, as part of a multidisciplinary program, to preserve a functional extremity, and reduce the short- and long-term costs of amputation and disability.

Age of Onset↗