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Biomedical subjects

Michael J Bosse

Publications and source records attributed to Michael J Bosse.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Functional outcomes following trauma-related lower-extremity amputation.

BACKGROUND: The principal aims of this study were to examine functional outcomes following trauma-related lower-extremity amputation and to compare outcomes according to the amputation levels. We hypothesized that above-the-knee amputations would result in less favorable outcomes than would through-the-knee or below-the-knee amputations. A secondary aim was to examine the factors, in addition to amputation level, that influence outcome, including the type of soft-tissue coverage, selected patient characteristics, and the technological sophistication of the prosthetic device. METHODS: A cohort of 161 patients who had undergone an above-the-ankle amputation at a trauma center within three months following the injury was followed prospectively at three, six, twelve, and twenty-four months after the injury. The Sickness Impact Profile, a self-reported measure of functional status, was used as the principal measure of outcome. Secondary outcomes included pain; degree of independence in transfers, walking, and climbing stairs; self-selected walking speed; and the physician's satisfaction with the clinical, functional, and cosmetic recovery of the limb. Longitudinal multivariate regression techniques were used to determine whether outcomes differed according to the level of amputation after we controlled for covariates. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the scores on the Sickness Impact Profile between the patients treated with above-the-knee and those treated with below-the-knee amputation. However, patients with a below-the-knee amputation performed better than did patients with an above-the-knee amputation on the timed test for walking speed (p = 0.04). Patients with a through-the-knee amputation had worse regression-adjusted Sickness Impact Profile scores (p = 0.05) and slower self-selected walking speeds (p = 0.004) than did patients with either a below-the-knee or an above-the-knee amputation. Differences according to the level of amputation were most pronounced for physical function. In general, physicians were less satisfied with the clinical, cosmetic, and functional recovery of the patients with a through-the-knee amputation. Except for problems encountered with insufficient gastrocnemius coverage of the stump in many patients with a through-the-knee amputation, neither the soft-tissue coverage nor the technological sophistication of the prosthesis correlated with outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Severe disability accompanies above-the-ankle lower-extremity amputation following trauma, regardless of the level of amputation. Clinicians should critically evaluate the need for a through-the-knee amputation in patients with a traumatic injury. The results of this study also underscore the need for controlled studies that examine the relationship between the type and fit of prosthetic devices and functional outcomes.

Amputation, Surgical↗

Current treatment of gunshot wounds to the hip and pelvis.

Gunshot wounds to the pelvis can result in injuries to various organ systems. These injuries require the care of a multispecialty trauma team at a trauma center. Orthopaedic care includes wound treatment, fracture stabilization, and infection prophylaxis. Wound care is determined by the personality of the injury, and not solely based on the velocity of the missile. Antibiotic treatment usually is indicated for patients with gunshot wounds to the pelvis, but is controversial in patients with low-energy wounds. Fractures are treated based on their stability. Regional consideration of pelvic gunshot wounds includes injuries with associated abdominal viscus injury, intraarticular bullets, and retained bullets in the spinal canal.

Hip Injuries↗

Evaluation of a cleanser for petroleum-contaminated skin.

BACKGROUND: Extremity injuries contaminated with petroleum products pose clinical dilemmas. This project was designed to evaluate the efficacy of a dioctyl sulfosuccinate (DS) solution for cleansing petroleum-contaminated skin. METHODS: One hundred Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to a contamination protocol followed by a cleansing procedure. Four petroleum contaminants and five cleansing solutions were selected. The protocol consisted of shaving, initial punch biopsy, contamination, precleansing punch biopsy, standardized scrub protocol, and postcleansing punch biopsy. Biopsy samples were analyzed for petroleum residue using fluorometry. RESULTS: The 10% DS solution had the highest reduction of crude oil, grease, and tar: 99.6 +/- 0.4% (mean +/- SD) contaminant reduction for crude oil, 99.8 +/- 0.2% for grease, and 99.8 +/- 0.2% for tar. The other cleansers showed less efficacy (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Concentrated DS appears to be significantly more effective at cleaning petroleum products from skin than the commonly chosen surgical and commercial cleansers.

Analysis of Variance↗

Psychological distress associated with severe lower-limb injury.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the psychological morbidity associated with limb-threatening injuries. It was hypothesized that a substantial proportion of patients who sustain a severe lower-limb injury will report serious psychological distress. METHODS: Adult patients who were admitted to one of eight level-I trauma centers for treatment of an injury threatening the lower limb were enrolled during their initial hospitalization. Patients were recontacted at three, six, twelve, and twenty-four months after the injury and asked to complete the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), a fifty-three-item, self-reported measure of psychological distress. Patients who screen positive on the BSI are considered likely to have a psychological disorder and should receive a mental health evaluation. Longitudinal regression techniques were used to model positive case status (i.e., likely to have a psychological disorder) as a function of patient, injury, and treatment characteristics. RESULTS: Of the 569 patients enrolled, 545 (96%) completed at least one BSI and 385 (68%) completed all four. Forty-eight percent of the patients screened positive for a likely psychological disorder at three months after the injury, and this percentage remained high (42%) at twenty-four months. Two years after the injury, almost one-fifth of the patients reported severe phobic anxiety and/or depression. While these two subscales reflected the highest prevalence of severe psychological distress, none of the BSI subscales reflected the prevalence expected from a normal sample (i.e., 2% to 3%). Factors associated with a likely psychological disorder included poorer physical function, younger age, non-white race, poverty, a likely drinking problem, neuroticism, a poor sense of self-efficacy, and limited social support. Relatively few patients reported receiving any mental health services following the injury (12% at three months and 22% at twenty-four months). CONCLUSIONS: Severe lower-limb injury is associated with considerable psychological distress. More attention to the psychological as well as the physical health of patients who sustain a limb-threatening injury may be needed to ensure an optimal recovery following these devastating injuries.

Adolescent↗

An analysis of outcomes of reconstruction or amputation after leg-threatening injuries.

BACKGROUND: Limb salvage for severe trauma has replaced amputation as the primary treatment in many trauma centers. However, long-term outcomes after limb reconstruction or amputation have not been fully evaluated. METHODS: We performed a multicenter, prospective, observational study to determine the functional outcomes of 569 patients with severe leg injuries resulting in reconstruction or amputation. The principal outcome measure was the Sickness Impact Profile, a multidimensional measure of self-reported health status (scores range from 0 to 100; scores for the general population average 2 to 3, and scores greater than 10 represent severe disability). Secondary outcomes included limb status and the presence or absence of major complications resulting in rehospitalization. RESULTS: At two years, there was no significant difference in scores for the Sickness Impact Profile between the amputation and reconstruction groups (12.6 vs. 11.8, P=0.53). After adjustment for the characteristics of the patients and their injuries, patients who underwent amputation had functional outcomes that were similar to those of patients who underwent reconstruction. Predictors of a poorer score for the Sickness Impact Profile included rehospitalization for a major complication, a low educational level, nonwhite race, poverty, lack of private health insurance, poor social-support network, low self-efficacy (the patient's confidence in being able to resume life activities), smoking, and involvement in disability-compensation litigation. Patients who underwent reconstruction were more likely to be rehospitalized than those who underwent amputation (47.6 percent vs. 33.9 percent, P=0.002). Similar proportions of patients who underwent amputation and patients who underwent reconstruction had returned to work by two years (53.0 percent and 49.4 percent, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with limbs at high risk for amputation can be advised that reconstruction typically results in two-year outcomes equivalent to those of amputation.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Split depression tibial plateau fractures: a biomechanical study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the biomechanical characteristics of four different fixation constructs for split depression fractures of the lateral tibial plateau (OTA classification 41B3.1). DESIGN: Laboratory investigation using a cadaveric simulated split depression tibial plateau fracture model. SETTING: Split depression tibial plateau fractures were created, reduced, and instrumented in a matched pair design. Specimens were tested for stiffness using a materials testing machine. INTERVENTION: Tibias were instrumented with an L-buttress plate, four 3.5-millimeter subchondral raft screws with an antiglide plate, an L-buttress plate with cancellous allograft, or four 3.5-millimeter subchondral raft screws placed through a periarticular plate. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Vertical subsidence of the lateral tibial plateau was measured for the entire construct and for the local depression. The relative medial and lateral condylar tilt with central loading was also measured. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the four fixation methods for overall longitudinal stiffness of the proximal tibial fracture fixation construct (range, 2,026 to 2,666 newtons per millimeter). The local depression stiffness for the raft-periarticular plate and raft-antiglide plate were 425 newtons per millimeter and 342 newtons per millimeter, respectively, versus 243 newtons per millimeter and 210 newtons per millimeter for the two large fragment buttress constructs. There was no significant difference between the local depression stiffness for the two raft constructs. There was no significant difference between the local depression stiffness for the two buttress plate constructs. Local depression stiffness was found to be significantly greater for the raft-periarticular plate construct when compared with the large fragment buttress plate construct without bone graft (p = 0.0314). Condylar tilt data showed a significant difference between the medial tilt observed in the prefracture specimen and the lateral tilt observed after fixation (p less-than-or-equal 0.017) for all constructs. CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant difference in the overall construct stiffness between the four fixation constructs. Fixation constructs with a raft of subchondral screws were more resistant to local depression loads. This supports the use of a raft construct when a central depression is a significant component of the overall fracture pattern. Condylar tilt data showed a persistent weakness in the postfixation lateral plateau regardless of fixation construct when compared with the intact specimen. This supports the current clinical practice of delayed weight-bearing for ten to twelve weeks.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗

Prospective comparison of contrast-enhanced computed tomography versus magnetic resonance venography in the detection of occult deep pelvic vein thrombosis in patients with pelvic and acetabular fractures.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the rate of pelvic vein thrombosis following acetabular or pelvic fracture identified by enhanced computed tomography venography or magnetic resonance venography. DESIGN: Prospective evaluation of computed tomography venography and magnetic resonance venography in patients with pelvic and acetabular trauma as a screening tool for deep vein thrombosis. SETTING: Level I trauma center. RESULTS: Thirty patients with pelvic or acetabular fractures and who met the study criteria were prospectively screened with magnetic resonance venography and computed tomography venography to determine preoperative presence of pelvic venous thrombosis. Pelvic deep vein thrombosis was detected by computed tomography venography in two patients (7%) and by magnetic resonance venography in four patients (13%). Invasive selective pelvic venographies were performed on the five subjects who tested positive on either one or both screening tests. Only one computed tomography venography case was validated by invasive pelvic venography. The false-positive rate for computed tomography venography was 50%, and the false-positive rate for magnetic resonance venography was 100%. CONCLUSIONS: We cannot recommend the sole use of either computed tomography venography or magnetic resonance venography to screen and direct the treatment of asymptomatic thrombi in patients with fracture of the pelvic ring because of the high false positive rates. If these studies are used as screening tools, confirmation of the presence of thrombosis with selective venography should be performed prior to initiating invasive treatment with a vena cava filter. Clinical decisions based solely on one of these imaging techniques may result in inappropriate aggressive treatment due to the high false-positive rate.

Acetabulum↗

The use of the NEO-five factor inventory to assess personality in trauma patients: a two-year prospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the usefulness and validity of a brief personality assessment for orthopaedic trauma patients. METHODS: The NEO-Five Factor Inventory was evaluated within the context of the Lower Extremity Assessment Project, a prospective study of patients with severe lower extremity trauma admitted to eight level I trauma centers. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: The NEO-FFI was administered to 557 adults and 416 of their significant others. At 2 years postinjury, the NEO-FFI was readministered to 396 patients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Main outcome measures were as follows: (a) agreement between patient and significant other scores; (b) stability of personality traits over two years; and (c) the relationship of the measured NEO-FFI traits with patient characteristics and health habits. RESULTS: There was fair to moderate agreement between assessments of personality provided by the patients themselves and their significant others, with intraclass correlation coefficients ranging from 0.44 to 0.54 for the different domains of personality. Patient assessments on the NEO-FFI were found to be robust with no significant changes in four of the five personality domains at 2 years postinjury. We also found that personality traits of patients are related to patient characteristics and behaviors in the directions that were expected. CONCLUSIONS: The NEO-FFI is a brief, valid, and stable measure of underlying personality traits that is practical for use in a trauma setting. Its use in both outcomes research and patient evaluation should be encouraged. In cases in which patients cannot complete the test, evaluations by significant others may be useful.

Adolescent↗

Factors influencing the decision to amputate or reconstruct after high-energy lower extremity trauma.

BACKGROUND: Factors thought to influence the decision for limb salvage include injury severity, physiologic reserve of the patient, and characteristics of the patient and their support system. METHODS: Eligible patients were between the ages of 16 and 69 with Gustilo type IIIB and IIIC tibial fractures, dysvascular limbs resulting from trauma, type IIIB ankle fractures, or severe open midfoot or hindfoot injuries. Data collected at enrollment relevant to the decision-making process included injury characteristics and its treatment, and the nature and severity of other injuries. Logistic regression and stepwise modeling were used to determine the effect of each covariate on the variable salvage/ amputation. RESULTS: Of 527 patients included in the analysis, 408 left the hospital with a salvaged limb. Of the 119 amputations performed, 55 were immediate and 64 were delayed. The multivariate analysis confirmed the bivariate analysis: all injury characteristics remained significant predictors of limb status with the exception of bone loss; and soft tissue injury and absence of plantar sensation were the most important factors in accounting for model validity. CONCLUSION: Soft tissue injury severity has the greatest impact on decision making regarding limb salvage versus amputation.

Adolescent↗

Timing of closure of open fractures.

Traditionally, closure of open fractures after initial debridement has been delayed to minimize the risk of complications, particularly infection. This practice developed before the widespread use of systemic antibiotics, local antibiotic bead pouches, advanced debridement methods, and improved fracture stabilization techniques. Current evidence indicates that infections after treatment of open fractures frequently are not caused by initial contaminating organisms but often are acquired in the hospital. Recent studies comparing primary with delayed closure have not demonstrated an increased rate of complications. Considering the improvements in open fracture wound care, the increasing incidence of resistant nosocomial infections, and the cost implications of a dogmatic delayed-closure strategy, wound care protocols for open fractures should be reevaluated. Because of lack of data specifically addressing the timing of closure of such wounds, studies comparing primary versus delayed closure are needed.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗