Delayed Primary Closure of Diabetic Foot Wounds using the DermaClose RC Tissue Expander
Podiatry Internet Journal
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Closure of large wounds has been a challenge in podiatric surgery, especially after large defects created by ulcer debridement, metatarsal resection and amputation. The DermaClose RC tissue expander allows for closure of large defects without the need for traditional complex skin closure, tissue grafting or creation of skin and tissue flaps. Skin anchors made of surgical steel clips are used with a tension controller to allow for gentle skin stretching on the subcutaneous planes of the wound or defect. It also has special application in the closure of chronic wounds. Two case reports are presented to describe this technique.
Impact of reduced vancomycin susceptibility on the therapeutic outcome of MRSA bloodstream infections
Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:The aim of this study was to determine whether clinical outcome of patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemia was correlated with vancomycin susceptibility of the corresponding strains. A retrospective study on MRSA bacteraemia was performed at a teaching hospital between January 1998 and October 2005 by linking vancomycin susceptibility profiles of patients’ isolates with hospitalization data.
Rheumatoid arthritis patients’ experiences of wearing therapeutic footwear – A qualitative investigation
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Specialist ‘therapeutic’ footwear is recommended for patients with diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as a beneficial intervention for reducing foot pain, improving foot health, and increasing general mobility. However, many patients choose not to wear this footwear. Recommendations from previous studies have been implemented but have had little impact in improving this situation. The aim of this study was to explore RA patients’ experiences of this footwear to ascertain the factors which influence their choice to wear it or not.
Acute Achilles tendon rupture: minimally invasive surgery versus non operative treatment, with immediate full weight bearing. Design of a randomized controlled trial
BMC MD
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:We present the design of an open randomized multi-centre study on surgical versus conservative treatment of acute Achilles tendon ruptures. The study is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of conservative treatment in reducing complications when treating acute Achilles tendon rupture. At least 72 patients with acute Achilles tendon rupture will be randomized to minimally invasive surgical repair followed by functional rehabilitation using tape bandage or conservative treatment followed by functional rehabilitation with use of a functional bracing system. Both treatment arms use a 7 weeks post-rupture rehabilitation protocol. Four hospitals in the Netherlands will participate. Primary end-point will be reduction in complications other than re-rupture. Secondary end-point will be re-rupturing, time off work, sporting activity post rupture, functional outcome by Leppilahti score and patient satisfaction. Patient follow-up will be 12 month. By making this design study we wish to contribute to more profound research on AT rupture treatment and prevent publication bias for this open-labelled randomized trial. Trial registration: ISRCTN50141196.
Metastatic malignant melanoma in bone marrow with occult primary site- A case report with review of literature
Diagnostic Pathology
Original article: Metastases of malignant melanoma to the bone marrow are very rare; a few case reports are published in the literature with known primary site. Herein we present a case of metastatic malignant melanoma in bone marrow with occult primary site in a 22- year-old -male. Diagnosis was confirmed by morphology and immunohistochemistry. A pertinent review of literature is also presented by using relevant articles indexed in PubMed (National Library of Medicine) database. The search was based on the following terms: metastasis or metastases, malignant melanoma and bone marrow. In this report we discuss a rare case of metastatic malignant melanoma to the bone marrow with an unknown primary. Clinicians must be aware of the varied clinical manifestations of disseminated malignant melanoma even if the primary site is not evident.
The Foot Blog News
TheFootBlog.org
November 2007:
- Girl bone with eight limbs has successfull surgery
- NEWBONE Project: Plastic composites used to replace bone
- Asymtpomatic peripheral artery disease prevalence is rising
- Shock-Absorbing Shoes: Bad for Knees?
- Africa: Fixing Children’s Feet in Remote Places
- STAAR Act Introduced in the House to Combat MRSA
- Chronic Achilles Tendinosis eased by small injection of Dextrose Solution
- Swan-Neck Sign of the Big Toe
- Wrong shoes are danger for diabetics
- Rilonacept shows potential for treatment of chronic gout
Podiatry Related Abstracts
Entrez Pub Med, Wiley Interscience, Ingenta Connect, Blackwell Synergy and more . . .
Sedation protocols for Ponseti clubfoot Achilles tenotomy Journal of Children’s Orthopaedics
The Influence of Foot Orthoses on the Function of a Child with Developmental Delay Pediatric Physical Therapy
The trajectory of the centre of pressure during barefoot running as a potential measure for foot function. Gait Posture
The effect of community-prescribed ankle-foot orthoses on gait parameters in children with spastic cerebral palsy Journal of Children’s Orthopaedics
Subtalar neutral position as an offset for a kinematic model of the foot during walking Gait Posture
MR imaging features of foot involvement in patients with psoriasis. Eur J Radio
Foot drop and lymphomas Eur J Int Med
BILATERAL FOOT DROP AFTER INTESTINAL SURGERY: PERONEAL NEUROPATHY UNABATED IN ELDERLY PATIENTS Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Are foot posture and functional health different in children with growing pains? Pediatrics International
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: A recent article in Medscape Orthopaedics by Dr. Robert Glatter, MD sheds some light on evidence-based approach to plantar fasciitis and supports many of the already known etiology, diagnostic and treatment approaches identified by podiatrists in the podiatric literature. 
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:Foot complications are common in diabetic patients and are considered one of the most expensive diabetes (DM) complications to treat. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors for foot complications among diabetic patients in Al-Ain district, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The study was part of a general cross-sectional survey carried out to assess the prevalence of DM complications in Al-Ain district, UAE. A sample of 513 diabetic patients with a mean age of 53 years (SD: +/- 13) were randomly selected during 2003/2004. All completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire and underwent medical assessment including foot examination and assessment of presence of peripheral neuropathy (PN) and peripheral vascular disease (PVD). 
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: A single-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate vacuum-compression therapy (VCT) for the healing of diabetic foot ulcers. Eighteen diabetic patients with foot ulcers were recruited through simple nonprobability sampling. Subjects were randomly assigned to either an experimental or a control group. Before and after intervention, the foot ulcer surface area was estimated stereologically, based on Cavalieri’s principle. The experimental group was treated with VCT in addition to conventional therapy for 10 sessions. The control group received only conventional therapy, including debridement, blood glucose control agents, systemic antibiotics, wound cleaning with normal saline, offloading (pressure relief), and daily wound dressings. The mean foot ulcer surface area decreased from 46.88 +/- 9.28 mm (2) to 35.09 +/- 4.09 mm(2) in the experimental group (p = 0.006) and from 46.62 +/- 10.03 mm(2) to 42.89 +/- 8.1 mm(2) in the control group (p = 0.01). After treatment, the experimental group significantly improved in measures of foot ulcer surface area compared with the control group (p = 0.024). VCT enhances diabetic foot ulcer healing when combined with appropriate wound care. 
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:The surgeon must determine the pathologic elements that need correction. Close observation for an increased HV angle, increased IM angle, pronation of the first toe, increased DMAA, enlarged medial eminence, and subluxation of the sesamoids must be performed. While there are a large number of procedures available for the management of HV, no one method sufficiently corrects all HV deformities. The upper limits of deformity correction for each procedure vary with the surgeon and their familiarity with each procedure. Ultimately, the surgeon must attempt to maintain a flexible first MTP joint and preserve the normal weightbearing pattern of the forefoot. Patient education also can be assistive in avoiding aggravating activities and making better choices in shoe wear. Tracings of the weightbearing foot and the shoe can be used to demonstrate to patients the size differences between the natural size and shape of the foot and that of the shoe, both pre- and postoperatively. 
Original article: The optimal management of chronic ruptures of the Achilles tendon is surgical reconstruction. Reconstruction of the Achilles tendon using peroneus brevis has been widely reported. Classically, these procedures involve relatively long surgical wounds in a relatively hypovascular area which is susceptible to wound breakdown. We describe our current method of peroneus brevis reconstruction for the Achilles tendon using two para- midline incisions. This technique allows reconstruction of the Achilles tendon using peroneus brevis preserving skin integrity over the site most prone to wound breakdown, and can be especially used to reconstruct the Achilles tendon in the presence of previous surgery. 
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