J S Heydemann | PubMed Health

PubMed1986

Short-term preventive antibiotics.

In a study of the duration of antibiotic prophylaxis in elective surgery, 466 procedures were surveyed over a four-year period. It is difficult to prove the efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis when the rate of infection is so low, and, although not statistically significant, there is no difference in the infection rate whether the antibiotics are given intraoperatively only or for 48 hours, three days, or seven days. Per 100,000 patients, the cost savings of giving antibiotics intraoperatively rather than for 48 hours would have been $7,700,000; with the reduction from seven days to one-dose antibiotics, the savings would have been $29,700,000.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Management of myelomeningocele kyphosis in the older child by kyphectomy and segmental spinal instrumentation.

Kyphosis in the myelomeningocele patient population causes significant problems such as skin breakdown, recurrent infection, and decreased function. Kyphectomy has proved to be a satisfactory means of correcting the deformity, but postoperative stabilization to prevent recurrence of deformity continues to be a problem. Twelve patients with myelomeningocele kyphosis, measuring an average of 124 degrees, were managed by posterior kyphectomy and segmental spinal instrumentation. After operation, the curves measured an average of 32.8 degrees. With a follow-up period, 6-57 months, only one patient lost correction. The loss of correction was secondary to rod failure. Straight midline incision, ignoring previous incisions, can be used to approach the spine without risk of increased wound complications. Adequate immediate stable correction can be achieved by kyphectomy and segmental spinal instrumentation with anterior fixation to the pelvis that thus allows the patient to proceed more quickly to an improved functional level.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Tumoral calcinosis in a child.

Tumoral calcinosis is a rare benign tumor found adjacent to large joints, restricting motion and sometimes eroding through the skin. We report a case of this disease in a 9-month-old treated with surgical excision.

Axilla↗