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This study aimed to systematically delineate the clinical characteristics and identify the key risk factors associated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in burn patients, thereby informing targeted preventive measures and therapeutic strategies. This retrospective study included 270 burn patients with Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) infections at a Chinese centre (2019–2022), comprising 127 MRSA and 143 methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) cases. Clinical data were analysed to assess infection profiles, resistance patterns and MRSA risk factors. Amongst the infections, 68.1% (184/270) were caused by multi-drug resistant S. aureus, specifically 47.0% (127/270) by MRSA and 21.1% (57/270) by MSSA. The predominant resistance pattern (penicillin, oxacillin, gentamicin, clindamycin, erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, tetracycline) accounted for 23.9% (44/184) of multidrug-resistant cases. The overall MRSA detection rate was 47.0% (127/270). Univariate analysis identified multiple factors significantly associated with MRSA infection (p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis identified the use of ≥ 3 types of antibiotics as an independent risk factor for MRSA infection in burn wounds. The detection rate of multi-drug resistant S. aureus (including MRSA) infections in burn wounds is relatively high. A number of variables are the influencing factors for MRSA infections. Medical personnel should adopt infection control measures to block the transmission of multi-drug resistant bacteria (including MRSA).
Pressure ulcers represent a significant healthcare challenge among respiratory patients. This study aimed to develop and validate a predictive nomogram based on machine learning algorithms to identify patients at high risk for pressure ulcer development. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 263 respiratory patients (166 with pressure ulcers). Patients were randomly divided into training and testing cohorts at a 7:3 ratio. Potential risk factors were identified through univariate logistic regression. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression selected 17 significant predictors, from which 10 variables with optimal predictive values were incorporated into a nomogram model. Model performance was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration plots and decision curve analysis (DCA). The final nomogram incorporated 10 predictors: age, albumin, C-reactive protein, serum sodium, history of diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, peripheral vascular disease, urinary incontinence, length of hospital stay and Braden sensory perception score. The model demonstrated excellent discriminative ability with AUCs of 0.865 (95% CI: 0.816–0.914) in the training cohort and 0.837 (95% CI: 0.783–0.891) in the testing cohort. Calibration curves showed good agreement between predicted and observed probabilities (Hosmer–Lemeshow test: training cohort χ 2 = 4.257, P = 0.833; testing cohort χ 2 = 12.350, P = 0.142). DCA confirmed the nomogram's superior clinical utility compared to individual predictors across a wide range of threshold probabilities. The machine learning–derived nomogram provides a practical, noninvasive tool for early identification of respiratory patients at risk for pressure ulcers. Implementation of this model could facilitate timely intervention strategies, potentially reducing the incidence of pressure ulcers and improving patient outcomes.
Chronic wounds, including Diabetic Foot Ulcers (DFUs), Venous Leg Ulcers (VLUs) and Pressure Ulcers (PUs), present significant challenges for the patients, clinicians and healthcare systems. There remains a strong need for novel and effective technologies to accelerate the healing of these wounds. The objective of this prospective, single-arm pilot study was to evaluate the clinical performance of a novel nanofiber wound matrix for the treatment of chronic lower extremity wounds refractory to standard-of-care treatment at a single centre. A total of 15 patients with 15 chronic wounds (5 DFUs, 8 VLUs and 2 PUs) were included in this study. These wounds were non-healing to previous standard-of-care treatments for an average of 4 weeks. They were all treated with the novel nanofiber wound matrix with weekly clinical evaluation and re-application for a total duration of four (4) weeks, per the study protocol. The average wound area reduction (WAR) was 83.6% upon 4 weeks of treatment with the application of the subject wound matrix, as an adjunctive measure to the standard of care. Additionally, seven (7) of the 15 wounds (46.7%) completely healed starting from Week 3, and the average complete healing time was 13.9 days. These results demonstrated accelerated healing effects of the subject wound matrix, when compared to the standard of care reported in literature, where the average WAR was at 62.9% at Week 12, six (6) of the 18 wounds (33.3%) were completely healed within 12 weeks, and the average complete healing time was 49.0 days. These results demonstrated that the subject wound matrix is a safe and effective novel technology in treating chronic wounds, providing significant clinical and economic benefits for patients with various chronic wounds.
Pressure injury (PI) is common in the ICU and not well captured by single-risk tools such as the Braden scale. We aimed to develop and internally validate a machine-learning model to predict new-onset PI using routinely collected ICU data. This retrospective single-centre cohort included adult ICU patients with length of stay ≥ 48 h (2018–2023). The primary outcome was new-onset PI during ICU stay. Candidate predictors were pre-specified: minimum albumin, maximum lactate, SOFA, APACHE II, first recorded Braden score, age, BMI, a nutrition score and treatment indicators. Missing values were imputed (median/mode). A gradient boosting model (GBM) was evaluated with stratified 3-fold cross-validation; a random forest (RF) served as a benchmark (stratified 70/30 train–test split). Discrimination (AUC) was primary; calibration, Brier score, decision-curve analysis (DCA) and feature importance were secondary. Logistic regression quantified independent associations. Among included ICU stays, 14.6% developed PI. On multivariable analysis, higher lactate, lower albumin, lower Braden scores, older age, CRRT, prone positioning, enteral nutrition and analgesic exposure were associated with increased PI risk, whereas sedatives showed an inverse association. The GBM achieved AUC≈0.69 with acceptable calibration and net clinical benefit across thresholds commonly used in preventive workflows (≈0.10–0.50). Single markers or simple combinations displayed only modest discrimination. A GBM built from routine ICU data provided moderate, well-calibrated discrimination for predicting new-onset PI and demonstrated decision-relevant net benefit. The model can complement Braden-based screening by refining risk stratification and prioritising intensified prevention for patients most likely to benefit. External validation and prospective evaluation are warranted.
This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of double flap tibial transverse transport (dTTT) in the treatment of Wagner grade 3–4 diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) and to assess its impact on peripheral nerve function in the affected limb. A total of 25 patients with DFUs who underwent dTTT at our institution were included. Baseline data were collected, and patients were systematically followed at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively. Primary outcome measures included wound healing status, postoperative complications, microcirculatory indicators and nerve conduction parameters. All bone transport sites healed successfully, with no major complications observed except for one patient who died from COVID-19. At 12 months postoperatively, significant improvements were noted in foot skin temperature, transcutaneous oxygen partial pressure and the ankle-brachial index (all p < 0.001). Additionally, motor nerve conduction velocities of the posterior tibial and common peroneal nerves increased significantly (p < 0.001), and corresponding compound muscle action potential amplitudes rose to 4.91 ± 0.14 mV and 4.68 ± 0.29 mV, respectively (p < 0.001). These findings suggest that dTTT not only facilitates wound healing by improving local microcirculation but also enhances peripheral nerve function, offering a promising therapeutic approach for improving long-term outcomes and quality of life in patients with advanced DFUs.
Although topical oxygen therapy (TOT) is a promising treatment for chronic wounds, its clinical efficacy and safety remain to be rigorously established. We conducted a two-arm randomised controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TOT for treating chronic wounds by a commercially available portable continuous diffusion of oxygen (CDO) system. Eighty-eight patients were allocated to the TOT (n = 44) or moist wound therapy (MWT) (n = 44) group for a 28-day intervention period, followed by standardised MWT for unhealed wounds until the 12-week endpoint. Eighty-eight patients were allocated to either the TOT group (n = 44) or the standard MWT group (n = 44) for 28 days (or until wound closure) and were followed for up to 12 weeks. Wound area, depth, pH, healing rate and healing time were assessed weekly for 28 days or until 12 weeks. Any adverse event was observed at the same time. At day 28, the TOT group demonstrated significantly greater reductions in wound area and depth compared with the MWT group (p < 0.05). The wound bed pH in the TOT group was lower than the MWT group at day 14 and 28. Although the healing rate was higher in the TOT group than in the MWT group at day 28 (45.5% vs. 11.4%, p < 0.001), the healing rate in both groups was similar at week 12 (95.5% vs. 90.9%, p = 0.536). The healing time of the TOT group was shorter than that of the MWT group at week 12 by 13.5 days (95% CI: 6.74–15.40; p = 0.004). No TOT-related adverse events were reported. These findings indicate that portable TOT can significantly accelerate wound healing, particularly by improving wound bed pH that could facilitate subsequent healing processes in patients with chronic wounds.
A lack of murine models that mimic impaired wound healing in people with type 2 diabetes has hindered research. The commonly used leptin-receptor knockout model (db/db) fails to accurately reflect the pathophysiology of human disease. This study aimed: (i) to investigate whether our novel murine model of diabetes, whilst less hyperglycaemic and obese than db/dbs, effectively demonstrated impaired wound healing, and (ii) to identify the most robust methods for quantifying wound closure. C57BL/6J mice were high-fat diet fed for a total of 11 weeks and injected with three doses of streptozotocin (65 mg/kg body weight) at week 5 with chow-fed mice as controls. All mice received four excisional wounds and were euthanised at day-4 or day-10 post-wounding (n = 8/group/timepoint). Wound healing was evaluated by digital planimetry, histology, Micro-CT, and tensiometry. Histological analysis was the most sensitive method for identifying impaired wound healing. Our high-fat diet/low-dose streptozotocin model had significantly higher non-fasting blood glucose (25.7 ± 5.4 mmol/L vs. 8.7 ± 0.8 mmol/L) and lower wound quality scores (day-4 post-wounding: 2.6 ± 1.9 vs. 4.4 ± 0.8) than healthy controls (both p < 0.05). At day-10 post-wounding, a linear trend in wound healing was observed between healthy controls, our novel model and the db/db model, indicating that our diabetic murine model may be clinically relevant for studying diabetes-related wound healing.
A new surgical technique for ray amputation of the diabetic foot is described. The procedure provides soft tissue reconstruction using a local flap in combination with negative pressure wound therapy to close these wounds safely and effectively. This article reports on 12 patients treated with this technique in a Tertiary Hospital/General Hospital in Singapore and compares their outcomes to those of 12 comparative cases from neighbouring institutions under the same health group who received conventional dressings. The new technique led to a higher number of healed wounds (12 vs. 4) and a shorter median time to healing (46.5 vs. 196.5 days). No major amputation or further minor amputation of the target limb occurred in the group treated with the new technique, whereas one major amputation and two further minor amputations took place in the comparison group. Our results suggest that the new technique is promising in this diabetic population with concurrent comorbidities.
Investigate the epidemiological characteristics of outpatients initially diagnosed with skin ulcers who were ultimately confirmed to have cutaneous malignant tumours, and provide a diagnostic and therapeutic basis for the occurrence of secondary diseases in chronic wounds. We conducted a retrospective study analysing clinical data from patients initially diagnosed with skin ulcers at our hospital between July 2021 and February 2025, and analysed the epidemiological characteristics of malignant transformation in these ulcer cases. Among 128 patients initially diagnosed with skin ulcers, 16 cases (12.5%) were confirmed with cutaneous malignancies. The malignant group had a significantly higher mean age (69.44 ± 11.30 years) compared to the non-malignant group (58.39 ± 17.88 years; t = 5.752, p = 0.01). The distribution of lesion sites differed significantly between the malignant and non-malignant groups (χ2 = 30.498, p < 0.01). In the malignant group, the head and neck (41.2%) and trunk & extremities (41.2%) were the predominant sites. The most common malignancy was squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The trunk & extremities was the most frequent site (62.5%). The second was basal cell carcinoma, which mainly occurs in the head and neck (80.0%). The mean duration of ulceration was 4.5 years. The primary treatment modality was surgical excision (11 cases, 68.8%). Approximately one-seventh of skin ulcer cases were confirmed as cutaneous malignancies. This finding underscores the significance of skin ulcers as potential malignant lesions, highlighting the need for clinicians to maintain a high index of suspicion and promptly perform histopathological examinations to improve early detection rates of skin cancers.
Pressure injuries remain a significant concern in military hospital settings, leading to increased morbidity and healthcare costs. Understanding the interplay of multiple risk factors is critical for effective prevention. To identify key risk factors and their combined effects on pressure injury development among inpatients in multi-centre military hospitals using factor analysis. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 4876 inpatients across multiple military hospitals. Data were collected on 15 potential risk factors, including incontinence, care dependency, mobility limitations, comorbidities, medication use, nutritional status, and demographics. Factor analysis with principal component analysis and varimax rotation was applied, and maximum canonical correlation coefficients were calculated to evaluate the predictive contribution of single and combined factors. Single-factor analysis identified incontinence as the strongest predictor (MaxCanonicalCorr = 0.50126), followed by care dependency (0.31982) and bedridden status (0.30061). Two-factor analysis revealed incontinence combined with care dependency as the highest-performing model (MaxCanonicalCorr = 0.50867). Three-factor models incorporating incontinence, health conditions, and care dependency achieved the greatest predictive capacity (MaxCanonicalCorr = 0.5157), demonstrating that multi-factor interactions enhance risk prediction beyond single-factor effects. Incontinence is the primary modifiable risk factor for pressure injury in military hospital inpatients. Integrating continence management with assessments of functional status and comorbidities can improve early identification of high-risk patients and guide targeted preventive strategies.
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