Postoperative Fever Evaluation Following Lumbar Fusion Procedures

Benjamin C. Mayo,Brittany E. Haws,Daniel D. Bohl,Philip K. Louie,Fady Y. Hijji,Ankur S. Narain,Dustin H. Massel,Benjamin Khechen,Kern Singh 대한척추신경외과학회 2018 Neurospine Vol.15 No.2

Objective: This study aimed to determine the incidence of postoperative fever, the workup conducted for postoperative fever, the rate of subsequent fever-related diagnoses or complications, and the risk factors associated with fever following lumbar fusion. Methods: A retrospective review of patients undergoing lumbar fusion was performed. For patients in whom fever (≥38.6°C) was documented, charts were reviewed for any fever workup or diagnosis. Multivariate regression was used to identify independent risk factors for the development of postoperative fever. Results: A total of 868 patients met the inclusion criteria, of whom 105 exhibited at least 1 episode of fever during hospitalization. The first documentation of fever occurred during the first 24 hours in 43.8% of cases, during postoperative hours 24–48 in 53.3%, and later than 48 hours postoperatively in 2.9%. At least 1 component of a fever workup was conducted in 47 of the 105 patients who had fever, resulting in fever-associated diagnoses in 4 patients prior to discharge. Three patients who had fever during the inpatient stay developed complications after discharge. On multivariate analysis, operations longer than 150 minutes (relative risk [RR], 1.66; p=0.015) and narcotic consumption greater than 85 oral morphine equivalents on postoperative day 0 (RR, 1.53; p=0.038) were independently associated with an increased risk of developing postoperative fever. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that inpatient fever occurred in roughly 1 in 8 patients following lumbar fusion surgery. In most cases where a fever workup was performed, no cause of fever was detected. Longer operative time and increased early postoperative narcotic use may increase the risk of developing postoperative fever.

Review on the comparison of effectiveness between denosumab and bisphosphonates in post-menopausal osteoporosis

Biju Benjamin,Mridula Ambwani Benjamin,Myint Swe,Sandheep Sugathan 대한골다공증학회 2016 Osteoporosis and Sarcopenia Vol.2 No.2

Objective: Osteoporosis is a rapidly rising cause of concern for elderly patients. Various classes of drugs are available in the market. Bisphosphonates are considered as a first-line therapy for the prevention and treatment. Denosumab is an antiresorptive agent which is a RANK ligand inhibitor. There is a scarcity of comparison between these two classes of drugs. The aim of this study is to compare efficacy of Bisphosphonates and Denosumab in various parameters. Materials and methods: Literature search was done for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing bisphosphonates with denosumab. RCTs with a treatment period of at least one year with a baseline bone mineral density (BMD) and bone turnover markers (BTM) and follow up values at one year were included in the study. All included studies were also analysed for complications. The study has also been registered in PROSPERO International prospective register of systematic reviews. Results: A total of five RCTs were identified providing data on 3751 participants. In all five studies, the BMD changes at both hip and spine were statistically significant in favour of denosumab. Result was similar in three studies that studied BMD changes at the wrist. Denosumab also produced significant reduction in BTM as early as one month, but at one year there was no difference compared to the bisphosphonates. There was no statistically significant differences in the complication rates. Conclusion: Though both bisphosphonates and denosumab were effective with similar side effects, the latter was statistically superior in increasing the BMD and reducing the BTM. © 2016 The Korean Society of Osteoporosis. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Half Full or Half Empty?

Benjamin Engel 재단법인 동아시아연구원 2015 EAI 기타간행물 Vol.- No.-

Inkjet Catalyst Printing and Electroless Copper Deposition for Low-Cost Patterned Microwave Passive Devices on Paper

Benjamin S. Cook,Yunnan Fang,Sangkil Kim,Taoran Le,W. Brandon Goodwin,Kenneth H. Sandhage,Manos M. Tentzeris 대한금속·재료학회 2013 ELECTRONIC MATERIALS LETTERS Vol.9 No.5

A scalable, low-cost process for fabricating copper-based microwave components on flexible, paper-based substrates is demonstrated. An inkjet printer is used to deposit a catalyst-bearing solution (tailored for such printing) in a desired pattern on commercially-available, recyclable, non-toxic (Teslin®) paper. The catalystbearing paper is then immersed in an aqueous copper-bearing solution to allow for electroless deposition of a compact and conformal layer of copper in the inkjet-derived pattern. Meander monopole antennas comprised of such electroless-deposited copper patterns on paper exhibited comparable performance as for antennas synthesized via inkjet printing of a commercially-available silver nanoparticle ink. However, the solution-based patterning and electroless copper deposition process avoids nozzle-clogging problems and costs associated with noble metal particle-based inks. This process yields compact conductive copper layers without appreciable oxidation and without the need for an elevated temperature, post-deposition thermal treatment commonly required for noble metal particle-based ink processes. This low-cost copper patterning process is readily scalable on virtually any substrate and may be used to generate a variety of copper-based microwave devices on flexible, paper-based substrates.

Scar Revision Surgery: The Patient’s Perspective

Benjamin H Miranda,Anna Y Allan,Daniel P Butler,Paul D Cussons 대한성형외과학회 2015 Archives of Plastic Surgery Vol.42 No.6

Background Insufficient satisfaction outcome literature exists to assist consultations for scar revision surgery; such outcomes should reflect the patient’s perspective. The aim of this study was to prospectively investigate scar revision patient satisfaction outcomes, according to specified patient-selection criteria. Methods Patients (250) were randomly selected for telephone contacting regarding scar revisions undertaken between 2007–2011. Visual analogue scores were obtained for scars preand post-revision surgery. Surgery selection criteria were; ‘presence’ of sufficient time for scar maturation prior to revision, technical issues during or wound complications from the initial procedure that contributed to poor scarring, and ‘absence’ of site-specific or patient factors that negatively influence outcomes. Patient demographics, scar pathogenesis (elective vs. trauma), underlying issue (functional/symptomatic vs. cosmetic) and revision surgery details were also collected with the added use of a real-time, hospital database. Results Telephone contacting was achieved for 211 patients (214 scar revisions). Satisfaction outcomes were ‘2% worse, 16% no change, and 82% better’; a distribution maintained between body sites and despite whether surgery was functional/symptomatic vs. cosmetic. Better outcomes were reported by patients who sustained traumatic scars vs. those who sustained scars by elective procedures (91.80% vs. 77.78%, P=0.016) and by females vs. males (85.52% vs. 75.36%, P<0.05), particularly in the elective group where males (36.17%) were more likely to report no change or worse outcomes versus females (16.04%) (P<0.01). Conclusions Successful scar revision outcomes may be achieved using careful patient selection. This study provides useful information for referring general practitioners, and patient-surgeon consultations, when planning scar revision.

Sowing the Seeds of Cooperation

Benjamin Engel 재단법인 동아시아연구원 2015 EAI 미중관계 시리즈 Vol.- No.-

Sowing the Seeds of Cooperation

Benjamin Engel 재단법인 동아시아연구원 2015 EAI 기타간행물 Vol.- No.-

Regime Builders and Busters

Benjamin Engel 재단법인 동아시아연구원 2016 EAI 미중관계 시리즈 Vol.- No.-

North by Southeast

Benjamin Engel 재단법인 동아시아연구원 2016 EAI 미중관계 시리즈 Vol.- No.-

The World"s Firemen?

Benjamin Engel 재단법인 동아시아연구원 2016 EAI 미중관계 시리즈 Vol.- No.-