No abstract

Concomitant mycotic aortic aneurysm and lumbar tuberculous spondylitis with psoas abscess and cauda equina syndrome is an extremely rare condition that requires prompt diagnosis and management. Its consequences can lead to serious complications such as permanent neurological damage, paralysis or even death, if left untreated. The aims of the treatment are to eradicate infection, to prevent further neurological compromise, to stabilize the spine and to protect the aortic aneurysm from rupture.

Objective: Management of chronic wounds remains one of the major challenges for health professionals and patients. An evidence-based decision is important to ensure that patients are receiving the best treatment proven to reduce healing time and improve outcomes, including economic benefits and patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Due to recent restrictions because of the COVID-19 pandemic, including closure of wound care centres within hospitals and a drop in patient volume, chronic wound management needs simple-to-use dressings which are still effective and evidence-based solutions. This systematic review was conducted to identify the clinical evidence available on a sucrose octasulfate dressing (TLC-NOSF, UrgoStart dressing range, Laboratoires Urgo, France) to explore its efficacy in the management of chronic wounds, particularly lower limb ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers and pressure ulcers. Method: A literature search of PubMed, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar was conducted based on the PICO model (patient/population, intervention, comparison and outcomes) to retrieve publications of different levels of evidence in order to evaluate outcomes of the use of TLC-NOSF dressings. Results: A total of 21 publications of different levels, ranging from double-blind randomised control trials to case reports, involving over 12,000 patients, were identified through PubMed, with a further eight publications through Google Scholar and two publications through Cochrane Library. A total of seven results were omitted due to the lack of relevance or repetition. Conclusion: All the evidence provided suggest that these dressings provide clinicians with an evidence-based option for the management of chronic wounds; that the TLC-NOSF dressings are beneficial in promoting the healing process, reducing healing times, enhancing patients' HRQoL, and in allowing a more cost-effective procedure.

Objective: Arteriovenous grafts (AVGs) are considered to be an alternative procedure when autogenous fistulas are not feasible. This study was conducted to establish a correlation between the inflow artery and outflow vein size and patency of AVGs.Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive study. Data was collected from patients who had forearm AVG performed at a university hospital from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2016. Spearman’s rho correlation test was used to identify the correlation between the artery and vein size and patency of AVG.Results: A total of 34 patients were enrolled in this study. Forearm loop configuration was performed in 33 patients (97%), and straight configuration was performed in one patient (3%). The median size of the brachial artery was 3 mm (interquartile range [IQR]: 2, 4) and that of the vein was 3 mm (IQR: 2, 5). The overall primary patency was 74% at six months, 59% at one year, and 32% at two years. The analysis showed that the primary patency increased with the artery size, but there was a reverse correlation between vein sizes.Conclusion: Small inflow arteries may reduce the primary patency, but small veins do not result in a poor primary patency. Our method can be applied to patients with small veins, where it is still possible to perform forearm AVGs.