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Nodular lymphangitis is an infectious disease characterised by the development of inflammatory skin nodules that follow the direction of lymphatic drainage. We present a woman in her 70s with nodular lymphangitis that developed after mild trauma with a cactus. Surgical intervention was performed on a finger abscess with isolation ofNocardia brasiliensisin the microbiological samples. Initial antibiotherapy was modified, treating with cotrimoxazole, firstly intravenous and finally oral, therapy during 3 months with a complete resolution of the infection.

Factitious disorder imposed on another, or medical child abuse, has been rarely reported to have primary ocular presentations. We report an unusual and difficult diagnosis of factitious disorder imposed by a mother on her infant resulting in bilateral blindness. An infant was referred with a history of recurrent periorbital cellulitis and sanguineous discharge associated with seizure-like episodes. Symptoms have been going on for more than 14 months, and child had been treated by different physicians from different specialties without a clear ophthalmic diagnosis. The right eye was previously enucleated at an outside hospital for secondary complications of similar symptoms. He was admitted for exhaustive diagnostic tests and multiple surgical treatments, and his hospital stay was complicated with multiple corneal perforations and apnoeic episodes despite optimal treatment. After suspicion of factitious disease, continuous electroencephalography and video monitoring revealed evidence of the mother inflicting physical harm to her child.

A 56-year-old woman was admitted due to new ulceration and acute digital ischaemia on a background of chronic leg ulcers bilaterally. Vasculitis screening returned strongly positive lupus anticoagulant levels and elevated anticardiolipin antibodies; these remained elevated at repeat testing. A diagnosis of antiphospholipid syndrome was made. Transthoracic echocardiogram identified a mitral valve lesion suggestive of vegetation and mild mitral valve regurgitation. Blood cultures taken throughout her inpatient admission were negative. Mechanical mitral valve replacement was performed 3 months later, and subsequent culture of the excised tissue returned as sterile. Histological examination showed no morphological signs of infective endocarditis.

EGFR inhibitors used in the treatment of metastatic wild-RAS colorectal cancer in combination with chemotherapy are associated with dermatologic side events that are low grade in most cases. We report a case of severe cutaneous toxicity secondary to cetuximab associated with bacterial cellulitis. A 57-year-old woman with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the colon, receiving FOLFIRI and Cetuximab as a first-line treatment, presented with a severe erythematous rash and xerosis resistant to local treatment with moisturizing emollients. Few days later, the patient becomes febrile, and the rash becomes more diffuse with a sandpaper appearance on the face, neck, chest, and flexor creases with exfoliation of large areas of skin. A bacterial cellulitis secondary to a dermatologic severe toxicity of Cetuximab was suspected. The patient started on antibiotics and local treatment with good response. This is a life-threatening cutaneous toxicity of cetuximab with secondary bacterial infection. Early recognition of cutaneous side effects of EGFR inhibitors is important to prevent such type of toxicities.

Dissecting cellulitis of the scalp (DCS) is a rare skin disease and understudied. The aim of the study was to collect the demographic, clinical features and laboratory tests of patients with DCS in a dermatology outpatient clinic. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a department of dermatology in Beijing. Patients whose diagnoses have included DCS were selected from July 2021 to December 2021. DCS patients were stratified according to whether they were follicular occlusion triad (FOT) or not. There were 169 patients with DCS included. All 169 patients were male, and the median patient age was 32 years. The most common comorbidities in this study were seborrheic dermatitis (10.65%). Over 1/3 of patients had elevated white blood cell (WBC) and neutrophil counts, and 12 of 18 patients had dyslipidemia. CD8+ T cell counts increased in 15 of 26 patients while CD4+ T/CD8+ T ratios were all normal. DCS mainly affects men in their thirties. More research about DCS is needed to clarify the clinical significance of laboratory tests.

Introduction. Nonhealing ulcers are difficult to manage because they deviate from the normal wound healing process. The standard treatment with saline dressings is not efficient in treating patients with such wounds; advanced wound care dressings are needed. Chitosan-based advanced wound dressings are gaining popularity because of their unique characteristics, such as absorbency, conformability, and pain alleviation at the wound bed. A case of an ulcer that developed after cellulitis and healed with application of a chitosan-based dressing is presented. Case Report. An 81-year-old female with hypertension was admitted to the hospital with a high-grade fever, generalized weakness, anorexia, and right lower limb pain with redness. Venous insufficiency in the right lower limb in the form of early insufficiency at the right saphenofemoral and saphenopopliteal junctions along with right leg varicosities was evident on color Doppler ultrasound. A diagnosis of cellulitis was made; the patient was treated with antibiotics and discharged from the hospital. The cellulitis progressed, and an incision and drainage of the right leg was performed on the second admission. The patient was admitted twice more, and the wound was surgically debrided twice and antibiotics were administered. During this period, the patient was treated with saline dressing changes for almost 4 weeks. Because the wound was nonhealing and infected during the fourth hospital admission, chitosan-based dressings were used. Daily dressing changes for 10 days resulted in 100% granulation tissue. Later, the patient underwent skin grafting and was eventually discharged. Conclusions. The use of chitosan-based dressings resulted in progression to complete granulation, along with the management of exudate, pain, and Pseudomonas infection. The results of this case suggest patients with nonhealing ulcers may benefit from early use of advanced wound care dressings.

Background The UK has one of the highest rates of recreational drug use and consequent deaths in Europe. Scotland is the “Drug deaths capital of Europe.” Intravenous drug use can result in limb- and life-threatening pathology. This study aimed to characterise limb-related admissions associated with intravenous drug use, outcomes and healthcare expenditure. Methods Retrospective data collection between December 2011 and August 2018. Patients were identified through discharge codes. Admission details were extracted from electronic records and a database compiled. Statistical analyses were performed using Statistical Package for the Social Science, P Results There were 558 admissions for 330 patients (1–9 admissions/patient), mean age 37 years (+/-7.6 SD) and 196 (59.2%; 319 admissions, 57.2%) were male. Three hundred forty-eight (62.4%) admissions were to surgical specialties, predominantly Vascular Surgery (247). Including onward referrals, Vascular ultimately managed 54.8% of admissions. Patients presented with multiple pathologies: 249 groin abscesses; 38 other abscesses; 74 pseudoaneurysms; 102 necrotising soft tissue infections (NSTI); 85 cellulitis; 138 deep venous thrombosis (DVTs); 28 infected DVTs and 70 other diagnoses. Two hundred and seventy-seven admissions (220 patients) required operations, with 361 procedures performed (1–7 operations/admission). There were 24 major limb amputations and 74 arterial ligations. Eleven amputations were due to NSTI and 13 followed ligation (17.6% of ligations). During follow-up 50 (15.2%) patients died, of which 6 (12%) had amputations (OR 3.2, 95% CI 1.04–9.61, P = 0.043). Cumulative cost of acute care was £4,783,241. Conclusions Limb-related sequalae of intravenous drug use represents a substantial surgical workload, especially for Vascular. These are complex, high-risk patients with poor outcomes and high healthcare costs.

Objective To determine the impact of infection (INF) on medical resource utilization (MRU) and cost of care in patients with venous leg ulcers (VLU). Methods We performed a retrospective case-control study of 78 patients followed for a minimum of 12 months with C6 VLUs treated by vascular surgeons, at our wound center. To eliminate minor episodes of INF or incorrectly diagnosed episodes, only patients who had an inpatient admission specifically for INF comprised the INF group, whereas all other admissions were excluded for this group. MRU was defined as the number of clinic visits, Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) visits, and inpatient admissions. The actual cost for treatment was determined using financial data provided by both the hospital and physician organization billing units. The total cost over the 1-year follow-up period comprised individual cost centers: inpatient and outpatient facility fees, physician fees, and visiting nurse services. Mean MRU and cost data were compared using the two-sample t-test between INF and NON-INF. Results Of the 78 patients with C6 VLU, 9 (11.5%) had at least one inpatient admission for INF related to their VLU in the 1-year treatment period, with an additional five recurrent admissions for a total of 14 admissions, whereas 69 NON-INF had three NON-INF-related admissions. There was no difference between INF and NON-INF for usual risk factors, but INF had a greater proportion of congestive heart failure (44%; 13%, P Conclusions INFs in patients with VLU led to an overall increase in MRU and cost of care, with the INF cohort requiring more inpatient admissions, outpatient visits, and VNA services than NON-INF. Given the major impact INF has on cost and MRU, better treatment modalities that prevent INF as well as identifying risk factors for INF in patients with VLU are needed.

BACKGROUND We aimed to compare the clinical and laboratory characteristics and imaging methods of patients diagnosed with preseptal cellulitis and orbital cellulitis in the pediatric age group. METHODS The study was designed retrospectively, and the medical records of all patients who were hospitalized with the diagnosis of preseptal cellulitis and orbital cellulitis were reviewed. The findings of preseptal cellulitis and orbital cellulitis groups were compared. The risk factors for the development of orbital involvement were analyzed. RESULTS A total of 123 patients were included, 90.2% with preseptal cellulitis and 9.8% with cellulitis. The male gender ratio was 60.2%, and the mean age was 72 ± 43 months. While all patients had eyelid swelling and redness, 20.3% had fever. Ocular involvement was 51.2% in the right eye and 4.9% in both eyes. The most common predisposing factor was rhinosinusitis (56.1%). Radiological imaging (computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging) was performed in 83.7% of the patients. Subperiostal abscess was detected in 7 cases (5.6%) in which three of the cases were managed surgically and four were treated with medically. The levels of C-reactive protein were significantly higher in patients with orbital involvement (P = 0.033), but there was no difference between the presence of fever, leukocyte and platelet values. CONCLUSIONS Rhinosinusitis was the most common predisposing factor in the development of preseptal cellulitis and orbital cellulitis. Orbital involvement was present in 9.8% of the patients. It was determined that high C-reactive protein value could be used to predict orbital involvement.

The characteristics of infections following chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cells targeting CD19 in real-word population are obscure. We analyzed infections' characteristics in the first month among consecutive patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) (n = 60, median age, 69.3 years), treated with commercial CAR-T cells. ECOG performance status (PS) was 2-3 in most patients (58%). Infections were observed in 45% of patients (16, 27%, bacterial infections, and 14, 23%, viral infections). Bacterial infection included clinically documented infection in 7 (Pneumonia, n = 5; periodontal infection, n = 1; and cellulitis, n = 1) and microbiology documented infection (MDI) in 9 patients (Gram-negative rod, n = 5; Gram-positive cocci, n = 3, bacteremia; polymicrobial, n = 1). The most common viral infection was cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation (n = 10, 17%) leading to initiation of anti-CMV treatment in 6 (60%) among these patients. None had CMV disease. In univariate analysis, immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) was associated with higher incidence of bacterial infection (OR=4.5, P = .018), while there was a trend for lower incidence of bacterial infections in patients with chemosensitive disease to bridging therapy (OR=0.375, P = .074). Age or PS was not associated with increased risk of bacterial infection. Increase in C-reactive protein (CRP) prior to fever onset was associated with microbiologically documented infections. We conclude that infections are common in the first month following CAR-T-cell administration, however, were not increased in elderly patients or those presenting with poorer PS. Increase in CRP prior to fever onset could support infection over cytokine release syndrome.

Background The association between textured surface breast implants and breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma has led to an increase in surgical procedures to exchange textured devices to smooth surface implants. Because patient satisfaction is an integral part of breast reconstruction, the purpose of this study was to compare patient-reported outcomes between smooth and textured implant recipients. Methods Patients aged 18 years or older who underwent implant-based postmastectomy breast reconstruction with either smooth or textured devices from 2009 to 2017 and completed the BREAST-Q patient-reported outcome measure following reconstruction were included in this analysis. The primary outcomes of interest were mean and median BREAST-Q scores and postoperative complications. Results Overall, 1077 patients were included-785 who underwent breast reconstruction with smooth implants and 292 who underwent breast reconstruction with textured implants. No statistical differences were observed between the textured and smooth implant groups for any of the BREAST-Q domain scores at any of the early (3-month) to late (2-year) postoperative time points. Smooth implant recipients reported significantly more rippling (p = 0.003) than textured implant recipients. In contrast, textured implant recipients had a higher rate of cellulitis than smooth implant recipients (p = 0.016). Conclusions These data suggest that postoperative satisfaction with breasts or health-related quality of life following immediate postmastectomy implant-based breast reconstruction is likely independent of implant surface type. However, smooth breast implants may result in more rippling. The authors' findings represent an important aid in counseling patients who have questions about the risks and benefits of replacing their textured implants with smooth surface devices. Clinical question/level of evidence Therapeutic, III.

Introduction: Spider bites are common worldwide. Frequently symptoms resolve without any adverse outcome, but in rare cases the bite can cause severe morbidity. The most typical presentation of Mediterranean recluse spider (Loxosceles Rufescens) bite is a dermatonecrotic lesion of the skin (skin loxoscelism). When the only manifestation of a spider bite is an ulcerated skin lesion, clinical suspicion and differential diagnosis strongly depend on its site. We present the case of an ulcerated wound of the breast, diagnosed as a Mediterranean recluse spider bite. Case presentation: A 79-year-old woman presented a 10cm-wide soft tissue ulceration of her left breast. At first, the diagnostic hypothesis of an ulcerated cancer was ruled out. Two family members revealed a recent history of Mediterranean recluse spider bite and the same clinical diagnosis was made for our patient. A wide excision was performed, with complete resolution of symptoms. Discussion: No specific diagnostic criteria for spider bites are available. Diagnosis is usually clinical. Skin loxoscelism could be easily mistaken for cellulitis, various types of skin infections, cutaneous anthrax, vasculitis, scorpion sting, pyoderma gangrenosum, erythema migrans of Lyme disease or prurigo nodularis. A thorough anamnestic interview is fundamental to raise the diagnostic hypothesis. When possible, a biopsy is recommended and it is extremely important when the ulcer can mimic a cancer, as is the case in breast tissue. Conclusion: We recommend a wide excision of the wound after failure of conservative treatment, in order to obtain local control and to perform histological examination on a more representative specimen.

Group B streptococcus (GBS) is an important pathogen that causes neonatal sepsis and meningitis, which have high mortality and morbidity. Cellulitis is a rare presentation of late-onset neonatal GBS infection. We report the case of an extremely low birthweight infant with facial cellulitis caused by late-onset GBS infection. A 590-g male neonate was delivered by Cesarean section at 23 gestational weeks due to intrauterine GBS infection. Although he was effectively treated with 2 weeks of antimicrobial therapy for early-onset GBS sepsis, he subsequently developed facial and submandibular cellulitis caused by GBS at 44 days of age. He was treated with debridement and antibiotic therapy, and after 2 months his facial involvement had improved, but cosmetic issues remained. Neonatal GBS infection requires a prompt sepsis workup followed by the initiation of empiric antibiotic therapy. Additionally, lifesaving surgical debridement is sometimes necessary for cellulitis, even in premature infants.

A 58-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with a 3-day history of painful, reddish skin lesions over her legs and high-grade fever. Her prior medical and surgical history was unremarkable. She denied a history of similar lesions, and she was not taking any medication prior to the onset of these lesions. (

BACKGROUND Sarcomatoid carcinoma is a rare tumor that can occur in different organs and anatomical locations. Colonic sarcomatoid carcinoma, also known as carcinosarcoma, is an extremely rare tumor, with only 32 cases reported world-wide. The pathogenesis and guidelines for treatment are poorly understood due to the rarity and invasiveness of the disease. CASE REPORT A 77-year-old woman presented with worsening lower abdominal pain and associated fever after having initially been diagnosed with stump appendicitis and associated phlegmon 3 weeks prior, which was treated with antibiotics. Repeat imaging revealed an extraluminal versus perforated colonic mass with associated phlegmon. The patient's condition continued to worsen, with development of obstructive-like symptoms, resulting in operative intervention involving a R2 right hemicolectomy, stapled ileo-colostomy, and partial omentectomy. The patient had an uneventful remainder of her hospitalization other than continued lower abdominal pain. After initial discharge, the patient presented to an outside hospital due to continued deterioration of health, with findings of an additional mass, likely secondary to the previous lymphadenopathy. Ultimately, goals of care were discussed, and the decision was made to provide palliative care, and the patient died due to her illness 32 days after the initial procedure. CONCLUSIONS Carcinosarcoma is an extremely rare tumor with scant research guiding treatment guidelines. Current guidelines gathered from previous case reports suggest treating colorectal carcinosarcoma as adenocarcinoma. Additional research and studies are needed to establish appropriate therapeutic guidelines for carcinosarcoma.

Cellulitis is one of the most important troubling complications of breast cancer treatment. Therefore, elucidating the risk factors for cellulitis in patients that have undergone breast cancer treatment is crucial. This is a retrospective medical record study among 523 patients who had received breast cancer treatment and were referred to the Lymphedema Clinic. Data on age, height, weight, BMI (body mass index), education level, arm dominance, history of previous surgery, axillary lymph node dissection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy were noted. The time between operation and onset of lymphedema, duration of lymphedema, history of cellulitis, and number of cellulitis attacks were recorded. Circumference measurements were taken at four points on the upper limb. Univariate analysis showed that longer duration of lymphedema, larger circumference of the unaffected arm and larger circumference of the arm with lymphedema were associated with higher risk of cellulitis (p=0.008, p=0.007, p0.001, respectively). The incidence of cellulitis was higher in patients with lymphedema than patients who had no lymphedema (p0.001). Moreover, the frequency of cellulitis was higher in patients with lower education level (p=0.015). It was deter-mined that patients with cellulitis needed more compression garments (p0.001) and multi-layered bandage therapy (p0.001) than those without. Regression analysis revealed that presence of lymphedema (p=0.036), duration of lymphedema (p=0.048), radiotherapy (p=0.01) and educational level (0.019) are significantly associated with developing upper extremity cellulitis. It is important to consider these risk factors for the prevention and management of cellulitis in patients who undergo treatment for breast cancer. Early detection and treatment of lymphedema also remains essential for these patients.

lt;bgt;Introduction:lt;/bgt; As a rule, the treatment of pilonidal cysts is based on a surgical approach. Surgical treatment depends on the form of the disease and surgeonapos;s preferences regarding the method. The treatment process does not consider preoperative treatment that would affect the structural components of the skin involved in the pathological process. The results of surgical treatment remain unsatisfactory, leading to a significant number of recurrences and long-term healing of the postoperative wound.lt;/brgt;lt;/brgt;lt;bgt; Materials and methods:lt;/bgt; Morphological examination of the pieces of skin with altered sacrococcygeal tissues after radical surgical treatment of 46 patients with pilonidal cyst of the sacrococcygeal region was performed, and 46 patients with acne inversa of the intergluteal cleft, groin and scalp were selected. The sex distribution of patients with pilonidal cysts was as follows: 43 (91.3%) male patients, 3 (6.5%) female patients. Among 46 patients with acne inversa and dissecting cellulitis, the distribution was as follows: 32 (69.6%) male patients and 14 (30.4%) female patients. Patients with pilonidal cysts of the sacrococcygeal region underwent surgical treatment according to the developed method of economical median resection using sutures with internal fixation.lt;/brgt;lt;/brgt;lt;bgt; Results:lt;/bgt; Considering and comparing the morphological picture observed in the pathomorphological examination of histological specimens in patients with pilonidal cysts, acne inversa, dissecting cellulitis, the similarity of changes in most patients is noteworthy. "Acne inversa" was first described in 1839 by Velpeau, who originally called the disease "hydradenitis suppurativa", believing that inflammatory changes occur in the sweat glands [1-3]. In 1854, surgeon Verneuil described this disease, and later it was named after him. We observed chronic proliferative inflammation in different layers of the dermis and subcutaneous tissue (the main focus is in the subcutaneous tissue, but closely related to the dermis and epidermis).lt;/brgt;lt;/brgt;lt;bgt;Discussions:lt;/bgt; Pilonidal cyst of the sacrococcygeal region, especially without hair in the cavity of the cyst, can be considered as a type of acne inversa with appropriate location. We believe that the use of local and systemic retinoids, namely isotretinoin, in the treatment of patients with this disease other than surgery, together with other groups of drugs traditionally used in the treatment of pilonidal cysts, may be promising in the treatment of pilonidal cysts.

Objectives Anecdotal evidence suggests that oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) should be suspected in patients presenting with symptoms of peritonsillar abscess (PTA) or cellulitis (PTC). The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of OPSCC in patients presenting with symptoms of PTA/PTC. Method, Setting and Participants We retrospectively identified all adults with a coded diagnosis of PTA or PTC who presented between 2012-2016 inclusive, across six ENT units in ——–. Records were compared to that of the centralised regional head and neck cancer database. The clinical records of a subset of patients were reviewed for the purposes of data validation. Results A total of 1975 patients with PTA/PTC were identified. Three patients were subsequently diagnosed with OPSCC. None of the three actually had an objective underlying diagnosis of PTA/PTC on the same side. The prevalence of OPSCC in patients admitted with symptoms of PTA/PTC was 0.15%, or approximately 1:650 admissions. The records of 510 patients who presented over a one-year period (2016) were reviewed in even greater detail. There were 298 patients with PTA (59.4%), 151 with PTC (29.1%) and 61 had an alternative diagnosis (11.9%). High risk features (age ≥40, tonsillar asymmetry or tonsillar lesion) were present in 106 patients (24%). Urgent follow up was expedited for 77 patients (73%). Conclusion This study estimates the risk of OPSCC in patients with peritonsillar symptoms. The prevalence is low, even in a region with a relatively heavy disease burden. Clinicians should, however, retain a high level of suspicion in patients with persistent symptoms.

Background Ophthalmologic complaints are common in the emergency department. The utility of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) as an accessible, noninvasive modality to evaluate ocular pathology is of great value—particularly in settings where resources are limited or where ophthalmologic consultation may not be readily available. Case Report A 21-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with periorbital edema, erythema, and drainage that was worsening despite topical and oral antimicrobial therapy. Mild proptosis was present on examination. POCUS was performed to investigate her symptoms further. A modified ocular ultrasound revealed prominence and edema of the retro-orbital soft tissue with echogenic fat, consistent with the diagnosis of orbital cellulitis. These findings were corroborated with computed tomography imaging. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This?: Few reports describe the utility of POCUS in evaluating patients for orbital cellulitis. This case emphasizes the value of POCUS in assessing patients presenting to the emergency department with ocular complaints and demonstrates ultrasound-specific findings that may lead the clinician toward the diagnosis of orbital cellulitis. © 2021 Elsevier Inc.

Objectives Little is known regarding the differences in microbiology associated with cellulitis or abscess with or without lymphangitic streaking. The objective of our study is to assess whether there are differences in the pathogens identified from wound cultures of patients with paronychia with and without associated lymphangitis. Methods Retrospective cross-sectional study at a tertiary pediatric emergency department over 25 years. We opted to assess patients with paronychia of the finger, assuming that these cases will have a greater variety of causative pathogens compared to other cases of cellulitis and soft tissue abscess that are associated with nail biting. Case identification was conducted using a computerized text-screening search that was refined by manual chart review. We included patients from 1 month to 20 years of age who underwent an incision and drainage (I&D) of a paronychia and had a culture obtained. The presence or absence of lymphangitis was determined from the clinical narrative in the medical record. We excluded patients treated with antibiotics prior to I&D as well as immune-compromised patients. We used descriptive statistics for prevalence and χ2 tests for categorical variables. Results Two hundred sixty-six patients met inclusion criteria. The median age was 9.7 years [IQR 4.7, 15.4] and 45.1% were female. Twenty-two patients (8.3%) had lymphangitic streaking associated with their paronychia. Patients with lymphangitis streaking were similar to those without lymphangitis in terms of age and sex (p = 0.52 and p = 0.82, respectively). Overall, the predominant bacteria was MSSA (40%) followed by MRSA (26%). No significant differences were found between the pathogens in the 22 patients with associated lymphangitis compared to the 244 patients without. Conclusion Staphylococcus aureus represent the majority of pathogens in paronychia, although streptococcal species and gram-negative bacteria were also common. Among patients with paronychia of the finger, there seems to be no association between pathogen type and presence of lymphangitic streaking.

Background No current guidelines are available for managing septic bursitis (SB). Objectives To describe the clinical characteristics and management of olecranon and prepatellar SB in five French tertiary care centres. Methods This is a retrospective observational multicentre study. SB was diagnosed on the basis of positive cultures of bursal aspirate. In the absence of positive bursal fluid, the diagnosis came from typical clinical presentation, exclusion of other causes of bursitis and favourable response to antibiotic therapy. Results We included 272 patients (median age of 53 years, 85.3% male and 22.8% with at least one comorbidity). A microorganism was identified in 184 patients (67.6%), from bursal fluids in all but 4. We identified staphylococci in 135 samples (73.4%), streptococci in 35 (19%) and 10 (5.5%) were polymicrobial, while 43/223 bursal samples remained sterile (19.3%). Forty-nine patients (18%) were managed without bursal fluid analysis. Antibiotic treatment was initially administered IV in 41% and this route was preferred in case of fever (P = 0.003) or extensive cellulitis (P = 0.002). Seventy-one (26%) patients were treated surgically. A low failure rate was observed (n = 16/272, 5.9%) and failures were more frequent when the antibiotic therapy lasted Conclusions Despite variable treatments, SB resolved in the majority of cases even when the treatment was exclusively medical. The success rate was equivalent in the non-surgical and the surgical management groups. However, a treatment duration of

Avapritinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor currently being investigated on clinical trials for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST). It has been recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic GIST harbouring PDGFRa Exon 18 mutation and by the European Medicines Agency for the treatments of unresectable or metastatic GIST harbouring the PDGFRa D842V mutation. We report a clinical case of a 76-year-old female, diagnosed with a stage IV GIST, treated with avapritinib 300 mg once daily. through compassionate use who experienced an intraocular side effect not previously reported avapritinib. She developed preseptal cellulitis on her right eye following 2 months of treatment with avapritinib and, subsequently evolved to an intraocular inflammatory reaction and persistent corneal epithelial defect. The treatment with avapritinib was stopped and the patient received corticosteroid and corneal regenerating agents. The symptoms resolved within 1 month and the patient has remained on stable disease at two subsequent adjusted avapritinib doses (100 mg once daily) for over 1 year.

Background Lymphoedema after cancer treatment is a chronic and disabling complication that presents a significant health care burden during survivorship with limited treatment options. Vascularised lymph node transfer (VLNT) can reconstruct lymphatic flow to reduce limb volumes, but limited higher-order evidence exists to support its effectiveness. Aim The aim of the study was to systematically review and meta-analyse the effectiveness of VLNT in reducing upper limb (UL) or lower limb (LL) volume and cellulitis episodes in patients with cancer treatment–related lymphoedema (CTRL). Methods PubMed, Medline (Ovid) and Embase databases were searched between January 1974 and December 2019. Full-length articles where VLNT was the sole therapeutic procedure for CTRL, reporting volumetric limb, frequency of infection episodes and/or lymphoedema-specific quality-of-life data, were included in a random-effects meta-analysis of circumferential reduction rate (CRR). Methodological quality was assessed using STROBE/CONSORT, and a novel, lymphoedema-specific scoring tool was used to assess lymphoedema-specific methodological reporting. Sensitivity analyses on the site of VLNT harvest and recipient location were performed. Results Thirty-one studies (581 patients) were eligible for inclusion. VLNT led to significant limb volume reductions in UL (above elbow pooled CRRs [CRRP] = 42.7% [95% confidence interval (CI): 36.5–48.8]; below elbow CRRP = 34.1% [95% CI: 33.0–35.1]) and LL (above knee CRRP = 46.8% [95% CI: 43.2–50.4]; below knee CRRP = 54.6% [95% CI: 39.0–70.2]) CTRL. VLNT flaps from extra-abdominal donor sites were associated with greater volume reductions (CRRP = 49.5% [95% CI: 46.5–52.5]) than those from intra-abdominal donor sites (CRRP = 39.6% [95% CI: 37.2–42.0]) and synchronous autologous breast reconstruction/VLNT flaps (CRRP = 32.7% [95% CI: 11.1–54.4]) (p Conclusions VLNT is effective in reducing excess limb volume and cellulitis episodes in both UL and LL lymphoedema after cancer treatment. However, significant heterogeneity exists in outcome reporting, and standardisation of reporting processes is recommended.

Severe frostbite injury can result in significant disability from amputation of limbs and digits which may be mitigated through prompt medical care. The reported rates of amputation vary widely between centers. Our aim was to describe the incidence and factors associated with amputation secondary to frostbite injury in the United States using a national sample of hospitalizations. Admissions for frostbite injury were identified in the National Inpatient Sample (2016–2018). Factors associated with amputation were assessed by multivariable logistic regression and clustered by hospital. The overall incidence of frostbite injury in the United States is 0.83 of 100,000 people. Of the social factors associated with frostbite injury, homelessness and the black race were independently associated with a higher likelihood of amputation at the primary admission. Diagnosis of cellulitis was a predictor of amputation. Homeless frostbite patients were more frequently discharged against medical advice and were less likely to discharge with supportive medical care, despite having a higher rate of more severe injury. Disability from amputation following frostbite injury affects at least 20% of frostbite-injured patients and disproportionally affects the homeless population. Further study is needed to ascertain the decision making that leads to early amputation following frostbite injury, especially in the homeless and black population. Outreach and education efforts should be initiated to promote salvage of functional limb length following frostbite injury.

Background: Severe blood donor adverse events are rare, but due to their rarity studying them can be difficult. To get an accurate estimate of their frequency and rate in the donor population it may be necessary to combine donation data across countries. Study Design and Methods: International blood collection organizations (BCOs) provided data on rare/severe donor reactions as well as denominator information for their donor populations from 2015 to 2017. Donor reactions were classified using standardized definitions. Results: BCOs from six countries provided reaction data for more than 22 million donations. A total of 480 rare reactions were reported of which 76.7% were imputed as definite and 11% probable. Rates of rare reactions were higher in females and first-time donors. Systemic rare reactions were the most common reaction type, accounting for over three quarters of reactions reported. Of systemic reactions, vasovagal reactions with loss of consciousness and injury or off-site (n = 350) made up the majority and occurred 1.53 per 100,000 donations. For the 22.3% that were localized reactions, the majority of these were cellulitis (n = 71, 0.31 per 100,000 donations) followed by deep venous thrombosis (n = 21, 0.09 per 100,000 donations). Conclusion: Pulling together data from multiple BCOs across countries allows for a better understanding of rare reactions, such as vasovagal reaction with injury or cellulitis, and for generating a reliable incidence rate for air embolism or compartment syndrome. However, gaps remain due to missing elements such as unknown donor status or location of reaction.

Descending necrotizing mediastinitis is a life-threatening disease that extends into the pretracheal, perivascular, retrovisceral, and/or prevertebral spaces, generally sparing the esophagus. We report a case of deep neck abscess complicated by phlegmonous esophagitis and mediastinitis. The patient was successfully treated with antibiotics and surgery, combining transcervical and bilateral thoracoscopic transthoracic mediastinal drainage. However, a pseudo-lumen with a large amount of pus remained in the esophagus. The septum between the true and the pseudo-lumen was cut endoscopically, after which the patient recovered well without any complications.

The aim: To assess the role of surgical site infections types associated with obstetric and gynecological surgeries as a cause of infertility among women reproductive age in Ukraine. Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective multicentre cohort study was based on reproductive health surveillance data among women reproductive age from 2019 to 2021. Definitions of infertility were used from the WHO and surgical site infections were used CDC/ NHSN. Results: Among all the 3,825 of infertility women in this study, the prevalence of surgical site infection (SSI) was 67.9%. The prevalence of SSI among primary infertility group and secondary infertility group women was 67.5% and 71.4%, respectively. There were differences among SSI type associated with infertility, primary infertility and secondary infertility. In logistic multivariate regression analyses, infertility was associated history of induced abortion (p < 0.001), history of obstetric and gynecological surgeries (p < 0.001), Salpingitis (p < 0.001), Oophoritis (p < 0.001), Endometritis (p < 0.001), Adnexa utery (p=0.009), and Pelvic abscess or cellulitis (p=0.043). The main factors associated with primary infertility were history of Salpingitis (33.6%) and Oophoritis (28.2%) after gynecological surgery. A factors associated with secondary infertility were history of Endometritis (27.2%), Pelvic abscess or cellulitis (11.2%), Salpingitis (10.1%), Adnexa utery (9.4%), Oophoritis (4.8%), and Chorioamnionitis (3.9%). Conclusions: One of the main causes of infertility in women of reproductive age in Ukraine are SSIs after obstetric and gynecological surgeries, and induced abortion. This applies to both primary and secondary infertility group women’s in this cohort study.

Objective To describe clinical and histopathologic pre-operative diagnoses as well as associated post-operative complications following orbital silicone implantation in dogs undergoing enucleation and evaluate owner satisfaction. Animals studied One hundred and eighty-six dogs who underwent enucleation with orbital implant. Procedures Medical records from dogs that underwent enucleation with orbital implant performed at Virginia-Maryland Veterinary Teaching Hospital between 2007 and 2019 were reviewed. Owners were surveyed via telephone regarding client satisfaction. Results Enucleation followed by orbital implant placement occurred in 215 eyes of 186 dogs. The most common pre-operative diagnoses were glaucoma (68.8%), uveitis (17.7%), cataracts (15.8%), intraocular neoplasia (13.0%), and lens luxation (10.7%). The most common histopathologic diagnoses were retinal degeneration (46.5%), uveitis (39.5%), cataract (29.8%), retinal detachment (27.4%), and secondary glaucoma (26.5%). Fourteen eyes (6.5%) from ten dogs had post-operative complications reported including orbit cellulitis (n = 11), implant migration (n = 1), and implant extrusion (n = 1). Five of these dogs (50%) had concurrent diabetes mellitus. Median complication time from surgery was 41 days (range: 11-541 days). Ninety-five owner survey responses were completed with a median time of 6.3 years following surgery. Most owners, 85.3% (n = 81), were satisfied with the post-operative outcome. Conclusion Enucleation with implantation of an orbital implant is a viable and safe method for irreversibly blind eyes. Diabetes mellitus may be a risk factor for the development of post-operative complications. Intraocular neoplasia was not associated with development of post-operative complications. Results of this study indicated high owner satisfaction rates for improving cosmetic appearance after enucleation in dogs.

Ludwig's angina is characterized by inflammation of the sublingual and submandibular spaces and is mainly caused by odontogenic infection, which leads to cellulitis of the soft tissues of the floor of the mouth and the neck. This causes asphyxia due to elevation and posterior deviation of the tissues of the floor of the mouth. We report a fatal case of airway obstruction due to Ludwig's angina. A woman in her forties who had no physical complications, but had a mental illness, was undergoing outpatient dental treatment for caries in the first premolar of the left mandible. She was admitted to a psychiatric hospital because of insomnia caused by pain, where she developed cardiopulmonary arrest while sleeping and died 14 days after onset of the dental infection. Postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) prior to autopsy showed swelling of the soft tissues-from the floor of the mouth to the oropharyngeal cavity, the supraglottic larynx, and the prevertebral tissue. Autopsy revealed a markedly swollen face and neck, an elevated tongue, and a highly edematous epiglottis and laryngopharyngeal mucosa. There was also cellulitis and abscess of the facial, suprahyoid, and neck musculature, which suggested that the cause of death was asphyxiation due to airway obstruction. This was an alarming case, with mental illness leading to risk of severe odontogenic infection, and in which obesity and use of antipsychotic medication might have acted synergistically leading to airway obstruction. This is also a case of Ludwig's angina captured by PMCT, which has rarely been reported.

Objectives: Sex differences in adult cellulitis, a frequent cause of hospitalization, have not been analyzed. These differences were investigated in a large cellulitis series. Methods: This was a prospective observational study of 606 Spanish hospitalized cellulitis patients. Different comorbidities, clinical, diagnostic, and treatment data were compared between the sexes. Multiple logistic regression modeling was performed to determine the variables independently associated with sex. Results: Overall 606 adult cellulitis patients were enrolled; 314 (51.8%) were male and 292 (48.2%) were female. Females were older (mean age 68.8 vs 58.9 years, p < 0.0001), less likely to have prior wounds (p = 0.02), and more likely to have venous insufficiency (p = 0.0002) and edema/lymphedema (p = 0.0003) than males. The location of the infection differed between the sexes (p = 0.02). Males were more likely to have positive pus cultures (p = 0.0008), the causing agent identified (p = 0.04), and higher rates of Staphylococcus aureus infection (p = 0.04) and received longer antibiotic treatment (p = 0.03). Factors independently associated with female sex in the multivariate analysis were older age (p < 0.0001), prior cellulitis (p = 0.01), presence of edema/lymphedema as the predisposing factor (p = 0.004), negative versus positive pus culture (p = 0.0002), and location of cellulitis other than in the lower extremities (p = 0.035). Conclusions: Differences between male and female patients with cellulitis were age, recurrence, presence of edema/lymphedema, positivity of pus culture, and topography of the infection.

Patients with breast cancer‐related lymphedema (BCRL) have reduced quality of life and arm function. Current treatments are palliative, and treatments improving lymphedema are lacking. Preclinical studies have suggested that adipose‐derived regenerative cells (ADRCs) can alleviate lymphedema. We, therefore, aimed to assess whether ADRCs can alleviate lymphedema in clinical reality with long‐term follow‐up. We treated 10 patients with BCRL using ADRCs and a scar‐releasing lipotransfer to the axillary region, and all patients were followed 1, 3, 6, 12, and 48 months after treatment. The primary endpoint was change in arm volume. Secondary endpoints were safety, change in lymphedema symptoms, quality of life, lymphedema‐associated cellulitis, and conservative treatment use. There was no significant decrease in BCRL volume after treatment. However, self‐reported upper extremity disability and arm heaviness and tension improved. Six patients reduced their use of conservative BCRL treatment. Five patients felt that their BCRL had improved substantially, and four of these would redo the treatment. We did not observe any cases of locoregional breast cancer recurrence. In this phase I study with 4 years of follow‐up, axillary delivered ADRCs and lipotransfer were safe and feasible and improved BCRL symptoms and upper extremity function. Randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm the results of this study., This graphical abstract shows the improvements in patients self‐reported lymphedema symptoms and arm function. P = P value

Cellulitis is an infection of the soft tissues of the skin. Some patients are hospitalized multiple times; lymphedema, chronic venous insufficiency, peripheral circulatory disturbance, and deep vein thrombosis are said to be risk factors for multiple admissions. Conversely, in Japan, elderly women and undernourished elderly have been reported to be at risk of multiple hospitalizations, suggesting a different patient background from that reported overseas. We investigated the characteristics of readmission cases for patients hospitalized for cellulitis in Japan. We retrospectively examined cases of cellulitis and erysipelas admitted between April 1, 2005 and March 31, 2018. Patients with cellulitis or erysipelas at multiple sites and those with osteomyelitis, pressure ulcer infection, and necrotizing fasciitis were excluded. In terms of recurrence, only hospitalizations for recurrence at the same site were considered. Patients with multiple hospitalizations had significantly lower blood albumin levels than those hospitalized only once. Furthermore, the rates of lymphedema, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia were significantly higher in patients hospitalized multiple times. Other laboratory and clinical factors were not statistically significant. Therefore, hypoalbuminemia with or without liver dysfunction, lymphedema, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia were suggested as risk factors for cellulitis recurrence. However, chronic venous insufficiency, peripheral circulatory disturbance, and deep vein thrombosis did not seem to be risk factors in Japanese cases. Japanese cases had a low body mass index (approximately 25 kg/m2), suggesting that the patient background may be different from that in existing reports. This suggests that the risk factors in Japanese cases may be different from those reported in other countries.

Objective To report the 2‐year efficacy and safety of tocilizumab (TCZ) in patients with polyarticular‐course juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Methods Patients ages 2–17 years with active polyarticular‐course JIA, in whom treatment with methotrexate was unsuccessful, received 16 weeks of open‐label intravenous TCZ in part 1 (once every 4 weeks: 8 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg for body weight [BW] 1 of the remaining JIA CRVs by >30%) at week 16 were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive TCZ or placebo in part 2. Patients remained in part 2 until either week 40 or the occurrence of JIA flare. Upon starting part 3, all patients received open‐label TCZ. At week 104 of the study, efficacy was assessed using JIA‐ACR50/70/90 response rates (defined as 50%, 70%, or 90% improvement, respectively), achievement of inactive disease, and the Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity Score in 71 joints (JADAS‐71). Safety was assessed in the all‐exposure population per 100 patient‐years of exposure. Results Overall, 188 patients entered part 1, 166 patients entered part 2, and 160 patients entered part 3. By week 104, among the 188 patients in the modified intent‐to‐treat group who received TCZ, JIA‐ACR50/70/90 response rates were 80.3%/77.1%/59.6%, respectively, the median JADAS‐71 score decreased from 3.6 at week 40 to 0.7 at week 104, 51.1% of patients had achieved inactive disease, and 31 of 66 patients who had been receiving glucocorticoids discontinued them. Adverse event (AE) and serious AE rates were 406.5 per 100 patient‐years and 11.1 per 100 patient‐years, respectively. The infection rate was 151.4 per 100 patient‐years, and the serious infection rate was 5.2 per 100 patient‐years. Conclusion Patients treated with TCZ for polyarticular‐course JIA showed high‐level disease control for up to 2 years. The TCZ safety profile was consistent with that previously reported.

Goals Prepectoral breast reconstruction is seeing a resurgence in popularity as advances in breast oncology and breast reconstruction continue to occur. This study seeks to describe a simple, reproducible method for prepectoral breast reconstruction and analyzes patient demographics and outcomes after the first stage of prepectoral breast reconstruction. Methods After institutional review board approval was obtained, a retrospective chart review was performed to identify patients who underwent 2-stage prepectoral reconstruction by the senior author from January 2019 to February 2020. Patient demographics including body mass index, nicotine use, diabetes mellitus, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and adjuvant radiation were analyzed. Type of mastectomy (nipple vs skin sparing), unilateral versus bilateral reconstruction, and use of intraoperative angiography were also assessed. Complications including excision of ischemic skin, delayed mastectomy flap ischemia, seroma, hematoma, axillary cellulitis, expander infection, and reconstructive failure were analyzed. χ2 Analysis was used to identify any association between the above demographics and infection, and P values were generated with a statistical significance being denoted by a P Results One hundred five breast reconstructions were included in this study. A statistically significant association was found between nicotine use, diabetes mellitus, excision of ischemic skin, and expander infection. No significant association was found between other demographics and infection risk. Expander infection occurred in 2.86% of all reconstructions with an overall reconstructive failure rate of 2.86%. Conclusions This study demonstrates that our technique is reproducible and can be used for all types of mastectomies and incisions. Our data analysis demonstrates that this is a reliable method of breast reconstruction if performed correctly in the properly selected patient. Future studies will assess outcomes following the second stage of reconstruction.

BackgroundPreseptal cellulitis can be difficult to distinguish from orbital cellulitis in children. The majority of patients with periorbital infections are admitted for intravenous antibiotics. This study aimed to investigate the risk of missing orbital cellulitis and the outcomes of missed patients.MethodsA prospective cohort study of children aged 3 months to 18 years diagnosed with preseptal cellulitis over 5 years. Data were collected prospectively, including demographics, clinical features and outcomes.ResultsThere were 216 children diagnosed with preseptal cellulitis. 75 (35%) were treated with oral antibiotics and 141 (65%) with intravenous antibiotics. 5 (2%) children who were hospitalised were subsequently determined to have orbital cellulitis. All 5 children were either a young infant with difficult eye examination, or had headache or vomiting.ConclusionThe risk of missing orbital cellulitis is low. Young infants with difficult eye examination or the presence of headache or vomiting should increase suspicion of orbital cellulitis.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to compare antibiotic treatment with clindamycin versus penicillin V or G in terms of time to recovery and recurrence in patients with peritonsillar infection, including both peritonsillar cellulitis and peritonsillar abscess.MethodThis retrospective cohort study examined the records of 296 patients diagnosed with peritonsillar infection. Based on the ENT doctor's choice of antibiotics, patients were divided into clindamycin and penicillin groups.ResultsMean number of days in follow up was 3.5 days in the clindamycin group and 3.4 days in the penicillin group. The recurrence rate within 2 months was 7 per cent in the clindamycin group and 4 per cent in the penicillin group.ConclusionThis study found no significant differences in either recovery or recurrence between the groups. This supports the use of penicillin as a first-line treatment, considering the greater frequency of adverse effects of clindamycin shown in previous studies, as well as its profound collateral damage on the intestinal microbiota, resulting in antibiotic resistance.

1. DeAnna J. Friedman-Klabanoff, MD* 2. James D. Campbell, MD, MS* 1. *Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 1. Address correspondence to DeAnna Friedman-Klabanoff, MD, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, 685 W Baltimore St, Room 480, Baltimore, MD 21201. E-mail: defriedman{at}som.umaryland.edu At postnatal day 29 in early April, a female infant presents to an outside emergency department with her mother because of poor feeding. Her mother states that she just noticed a new area of redness and a lump on her neck as she was taking the infant out of her car seat (Fig 1A). She had no fevers at home. Her mother states that she was born at 34 weeks’ gestation via cesarean delivery due to prolonged premature rupture of membranes. During her 2-week stay in the NICU, she had bradycardia spells, but no need for intubation or antibiotics. No one in her family has been ill before her presentation. Figure 1. (A) Appearance of cellulitis upon presentation to the outside emergency department and (B) 4 hours later upon arrival to our pediatric intensive care unit. On initial assessment, the infant is lethargic and ill appearing with intermittent apnea and oxygen desaturations down to 80%, eventually requiring intubation. On physical examination, she has an area of well-circumscribed erythema overlying her right sternocleidomastoid muscle with underlying indurated nodules. She receives 30 mL/kg of normal saline for tachycardia and delayed capillary refill, and intravenous ampicillin and cefotaxime for presumed sepsis. Her white blood cell count is 10.8 × 103 cells per microliter with 60% segmented neutrophils and 28% bands. Her complete blood cell count is otherwise unremarkable. Her C-reactive protein is 121 mg/L. She is transferred to a tertiary referral hospital for further evaluation and management. On arrival to the PICU, she is hypothermic to 93.2°F (34°C). She undergoes lumbar puncture. The cell count shows 8 white blood cells per high-power field, which …

Primary lymphedema is a rare chronic pathology associated with constitutional abnormalities of the lymphatic system. The objective of this French National Diagnosis and Care Protocol (Protocole National de Diagnostic et de Soins; PNDS), based on a critical literature review and multidisciplinary expert consensus, is to provide health professionals with an explanation of the optimal management and care of patients with primary lymphedema. This PNDS, written by consultants at the French National Referral Center for Primary Lymphedema, was published in 2019 (https://has-sante.fr/upload/docs/application/pdf/2019-02/pnds_lymphoedeme_primaire_final_has.pdf). Primary lymphedema can be isolated or syndromic (whose manifestations are more complex with a group of symptoms) and mainly affects the lower limbs, or, much more rarely, upper limbs or external genitalia. Women are more frequently affected than men, preferentially young. The diagnosis is clinical, associating mild or non-pitting edema and skin thickening, as confirmed by the Stemmer’s sign (impossibility to pinch the skin on the dorsal side or the base of the second toe), which is pathognomonic of lymphedema. Limb lymphoscintigraphy is useful to confirm the diagnosis. Other causes of swelling or edema of the lower limbs must be ruled out, such as lipedema. The main acute lymphedema complication is cellulitis (erysipelas). Functional and psychological repercussions can be major, deteriorating the patient’s quality of life. Treatment aims to prevent those complications, reduce the volume with low-stretch bandages, then stabilize it over the long term by exercises and wearing a compression garment. Patient education (or parents of a child) is essential to improve observance.

There is limited knowledge on non-invasive lymphedema risk-reduction strategies for women with gynecological cancer. Understanding factors influencing the feasibility of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) can guide future research. Our objectives are to report on the design and feasibility of a pilot RCT examining a tailored multidimensional intervention in women treated for gynecological cancer at risk of lymphedema and to explore the preliminary effectiveness of the intervention on lymphedema incidence at 12 months. In this pilot single-blinded, parallel-group, multi-centre RCT, women with newly diagnosed gynecological cancer were randomized to receive post-operative compression stockings and individualized exercise education (intervention group: IG) or education on lymphedema risk-reduction alone (control group: CG). Rates of recruitment, retention and assessment completion were recorded. Intervention safety and feasibility were tracked by monitoring adverse events and adherence. Clinical outcomes were evaluated over 12 months: presence of lymphedema, circumferential and volume measures, body composition and quality of life. Fifty-one women were recruited and 36 received the assigned intervention. Rates of recruitment and 12-month retention were 47% and 78%, respectively. Two participants experienced post-operative cellulitis, prior to intervention delivery. At three and six months post-operatively, 67% and 63% of the IG used compression &ge, 42 h/week, while 56% engaged in &ge, 150 weekly minutes of moderate-vigorous exercise. The cumulative incidence of lymphedema at 12 months was 31% in the CG and 31.9% in the IG (p = 0.88). In affected participants, lymphedema developed after a median time of 3.2 months (range, 2.7&ndash, 5.9) in the CG vs. 8.8 months (range, 2.9&ndash, 11.8) in the IG. Conducting research trials exploring lymphedema risk-reduction strategies in gynecological cancer is feasible but challenging. A tailored intervention of compression and exercise is safe and feasible in this population and may delay the onset of lymphedema. Further research is warranted to establish the role of these strategies in reducing the risk of lymphedema for the gynecological cancer population.

Background Lymphedema is a debilitating chronic condition with no definitive curative treatment. There is a paucity of data on prevalence, mortality and burden of care in the United States. This study aimed to describe hospitalizations due to lymphedema and identify factors associated with poor outcomes. Study design We performed a retrospective analysis of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project National Inpatient Sample for lymphedema-related hospitalizations from 2012 to 2017. All adults admitted with a primary diagnosis of lymphedema or a primary diagnosis of extremity cellulitis and secondary diagnosis of lymphedema were included. Weights were used to obtain national estimates and complex sampling structure was accounted for using survey methods. Chi-squared tests were performed to assess the association between patient demographics, hospital characteristics, and inpatient mortality. Results Between 2012 and 2017, there were an estimated 165,055 lymphedema admissions in the United States. The vast majority of hospitalizations were for cellulitis (92%), lower extremity disease (88%), and were admitted through the emergency room (77%). Median length of stay was 3.61 days (IQR 2.24–5.77) and inpatient mortality was 0.03% (n = 505). Age >80yrs (OR 3.83, 95% CI 1.72, 8.52) and Charlson comorbidity index ≥3 (OR 4.13, 95% CI 2.19, 7.79) were associated with increased risk of inpatient mortality. Conclusion Although mortality is low, lymphedema-related hospitalizations are a significant burden to the US healthcare system. Counseling older lymphedema patients with comorbidities on early symptoms and signs of infection and prompt treatment of same may reduce mortality.

Introduction Locoregional complications of sinusitis are dominated by oculo-orbital and/or cranioencephalic manifestations that may be life-threatening or jeopardize functional prognosis. The aim of this study was to report epidemiological, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects. Materials and methods A retrospective study included inpatients managed for sinusitis complications in the ENT and neurosurgery departments of the Fann university hospital center in Dakar, Senegal between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2016. Results In all, 80 files were collected. Mean age was 18.5 years, with male predominance. Mean time to treatment was 18.2 days. Cranio-encephalic complications were the most frequent (54 cases; 67.5%): mainly subdural empyema (30 cases) and brain abscess (10 cases). Seventeen patients (21.25%) had oculo-orbital complications: mainly orbital cellulitis (52.9%) and preseptal cellulitis (29.4%). Nine patients (11.25%) had both cranioencephalic and oculo-orbital complications. Acute sinusitis (82.5%) was the main cause of complications. 52.5% of patients showed pansinus involvement. Medical treatment consisted in broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy combining third-generation cephalosporins, metronidazole and gentamycin in cranio-encephalic complications and clavulanic acid and metronidazole in oculo-orbital complications. Thirty-four patients (42.5%) underwent surgical sinus drainage. Neurosurgical drainage was performed in 35 cases (43.75%). Post-treatment course was marked by 6.25% mortality (5 cases) and 16.25% sequelae. Conclusion With 6.25% mortality and a high rate of functional sequelae, complications of sinusitis are a serious concern in our region. Improving prognosis requires earlier management and better coordination between health professionals.

Objective There is increasing evidence for the use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in pediatric patients with skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI), but there is a lack of sufficient data on its impact on SSTI outcomes. The objective of this study was to determine whether POCUS use is associated with fewer complications after discharge from the pediatric emergency department. Methods This was a prospective cohort study in patients presenting to the emergency department with SSTI between the ages of 2 months and 19 years old. Adverse outcomes included hospitalization after discharge, change in antibiotics, subsequent procedures, or reevaluation by a medical professional. Outcome information was obtained 1 week later. Descriptive statistics and χ2 tests were used. Results Of 456 patients screened, 250 were enrolled. POCUS was performed on 113 (45%) patients. The median age was 5 years, with more females in the non-POCUS group compared with the POCUS group (58% vs. 52%). Cellulitis without abscess was more commonly diagnosed in the POCUS group than in the non-POCUS group (26% vs 14%, P = 0.02.) The patients in the non-POCUS group were more likely to undergo incision and drainage than those in the POCUS group (62% vs 45%, P = 0.008). Overall, a greater number of patients in the POCUS group did not undergo any procedure (45% vs 27%, P = 0.003). The outcomes at 1 week did not differ significantly between the two groups. Conclusions POCUS use may lead to fewer procedures, but it does not lead to significantly better outcomes. Large randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm or refute our findings.

Anogenital granulomatosis (AGG) is a rare, chronic condition that presents as progressive inflammation and lymphoedema of the anogenital region in both male and female patients. No guidelines exist for the management of AGG. Systemic immunosuppressants are the current cornerstone of medical therapy for AGG, but results from case series with small numbers of patients have reported variable responses.To investigate whether intralesional corticosteroid injections with or without diathermy ablation (ILC +/- DA) would provide effective control of symptoms over a 6-month period in patients diagnosed with AGG.This retrospective observational cohort study enrolled 11 patients with AGG consecutively treated with ILC +/- DA at a single centre. The primary outcome was defined as a statistically significant decrease in mean disease severity score, at both 1 and 6 months post-treatment. The secondary outcome was a statistically significant association between reduction in disease severity score at 6 months post-treatment and any potentially confounding factors. Wilcoxon sign-ranked tests and ordinal logistic regression analysis were applied to assess the data. Ancillary outcomes are also reported, including whether patients experienced adverse effects post-treatment and if patients experienced recurrence at any point beyond 6 months post-treatment.Compared with pretreatment disease severity scores, there was a statistically significant decrease in disease severity scores at both 1 and 6 months post-treatment (P = 0.01). No significant association was found between identified confounding factors and reduction in disease severity score at 6 months post-treatment. Of the 11 patients, 1 patient experienced an episode of cellulitis within 1 week of treatment. Five patients never experienced a recurrence of symptoms during a mean follow-up period of 28 months post-treatment, while all six patients who did experience recurrence of symptoms reported that when the symptoms returned, at a mean of 8 months post-treatment, they were milder than before the treatment.To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate ILC +/- DA for patients with AGG. Our results indicate this could be an effective treatment for AGG. We would recommend comparative and longitudinal studies to further explore this treatment.