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Biomedical subjects

Don A Hudson

Publications and source records attributed to Don A Hudson.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Intralesional bleomycin for the treatment of hemangiomas.

BACKGROUND: Hemangiomas, although often small at birth, enter a proliferative phase in which growth may be rapid and unpredictable. Furthermore, involution often takes many years, with attendant psychological sequelae to the child. This is aggravated by the fact that most hemangiomas affect the head and neck and are visible and difficult to conceal. METHODS: Thirty children (five boys and 25 girls) were treated at a pediatric teaching hospital during an 18-month period with a protocol of intralesional bleomycin, 0.3 to 0.6 mg/kg (per dose), administered under general anesthesia. The lesions were measured and photographed serially. Complications were also recorded. RESULTS: The mean age of the children was 20 months (range, 3 months to 8 years) and the mean number of injections given was five (range, three to eight). The mean total dose administered was 13.6 mg (range, 1.4 to 25 mg). Outcome was assessed by a panel of five plastic surgeons. Twenty-two children were assessed as achieving a response of greater than 75 percent reduction in the size of the hemangioma (of which 10 children were assessed as having total involution >90 percent response). In seven children, there was a 50 to 75 percent reduction in size of the hemangiomas, and one child was judged to have a 25 to 50 percent reduction in size of the hemangioma. Hyperpigmentation was the most common complication, and occurred in 13 children. The mean follow-up period was 14 months (range, 3 to 35 months). CONCLUSIONS: Intralesional bleomycin is another method with which to treat hemangiomas in children and may be particularly helpful for large hemangiomas of the head and neck. Repeated general anesthetics are required, and scarring with hyperpigmentation may occur.

Antibiotics, Antineoplastic↗
PubMed2005

VADER (vacuum-assisted dermal recruitment): a new method of wound closure.

Acute wounds which cannot be closed primarily are usually closed with a split skin graft. However a split skin graft has both functional (where tendons are exposed) and esthetic sequelae (contour deformity, different skin in color and texture). A novel technique is described which allows delayed primary closure of either fasciotomy wounds or full-thickness defects after harvest of a free or pedicle flap. The technique described combines the bootlace suture technique (which achieves wound closure by progressive suture tightening) with the VAC (vacuum-assisted closure) system (which reduces tissue edema, facilitating movement of tissue, and also reduces bacterial contamination of the wound). Twelve of 14 wounds (average width of wound after insertion and tightening of bootlace suture was 5 cm) were successfully closed after an average of 8 days (range, 4-23 days) in 11 patients (mean age, 45 years; range, 18-77 years) using this technique. Of the 2 patients where the technique was not successful, one patient was noncompliant and the other developed wound-edge necrosis. Other complications were self-limiting. The combined use of 2 methods of wound management facilitates delayed primary wound closure.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Influence of vascular delay on abdominal wall complications in unipedicled TRAM flap breast reconstruction.

Surgically delaying a unipedicled lower abdominal transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous (TRAM) flap has been shown to improve flow within the flap. This delay, however, also affects blood supply and drainage of the entire anterior abdominal wall. The purpose of this study was to compare the abdominal complications between surgically delayed and nondelayed TRAM flaps. A retrospective case review of lower abdominal TRAM flap breast reconstructions was performed. A total of 35 patients were included in the study, of whom 15 had undergone delay and 20 had not. The patients were found to be matched by age and body mass index. There was a higher incidence of smokers (past or present) in the delayed series. Despite this, no abdominal flap complications were experienced in those who underwent delay. In the nondelayed series, however, three patients (15%) experienced delayed healing, and two flaps (10%) underwent severe necrosis (p = 0.047, chi-squared test). In the delayed series, one patient (7%) was found to have an abdominal bulge. No hernias were encountered. In contrast, two bulges (10%) and four hernias (20%) were identified in patients in the nonndelayed series (p = 0.6 and 0.09, respectively, chi-squared test). These data suggest that a preliminary delay procedure leads to a reduction in the incidence of abdominal wall complications in unipedicled lower abdominal TRAM flaps.

Abdominal Wall↗
PubMed2003

A study of the patient factors affecting reconstruction after mastectomy for breast carcinoma.

Breast shape may be retained after surgery for breast cancer with either wide local excision (WLE) and radiotherapy or mastectomy (M) and immediate reconstruction (M+R). We determined the proportions of patients who would be suitable for these options, would accept them, and if they declined M+R their reasons for doing so. Over a 10-month period 177 women were assessed at a combined breast clinic by general and plastic surgeons and by radiation oncologists. A prospective record was made of the patient demographic data, the clinical decisions (and their reasons), and the patient choices (and their reasons). A transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap was the commonest method of reconstruction. One hundred thirty-five (76%) were judged to be suitable for locoregional surgery. Of these M+R was offered to 83 patients, whereas 53 were not considered because of combinations of cosmetic considerations (31), risk factors (25), old age (13), and oncological factors (nine). Fifty-one of the 83 (61%) offered M+R declined it because they preferred a simpler procedure (34), regarded breast appearance as unimportant (15), preferred breast conservation (five), did not have a partner (three), felt that they were too old (two), or had religious reasons (two). Ultimately 69 (51%) underwent M, 34 (25%) WLE, and 32 (24%) M+R. There was no correlation between acceptance or not of M+R and age, race, employment, education level, or marital status. We conclude that many patients were suitable for M+R, but fewer than half accepted it; this decision was unrelated to age, race, employment, or marital status.

Age Factors↗