Aims:The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of induced membrane technique (IMT), and to analyze the relationships between patient factors and surgical parameters as well as their impacts on achieving bone union and complication rates.Materials and methods: A comprehensive, computerized search of PubMed, Embase, and The Cochrane Library was conducted, and articles published from January 1, 1978 to February 1, 2021 were included. Clinical trials matching the following inclusion criteria were included:1. published as a case series, case-controlled studies, or cohort study; 2. IMT was performed for more than 10 cases within the study.Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were performed with random intercepts to determine the association of specific predictor variables with nonunion rate, postoperative infection, the need for additional procedures, and time to union.Results: Seventy eight trials were included in the study with a total of 3840 patients managed with IMT. Mean age was 38.6 (0.8-88) years, mean size of bone defects was 6.4 (0-25) cm primarily distributed in the tibia (n = 1814, 60.9%), and overall union rate was 87.6%. Multivariate analysis showed the odds of nonunion were significantly increased in patients with an interval between two stages from 8 to 12 weeks and ≥12 weeks. Patients with preoperative infection and addition of antibiotic to bone cement during IMT had significantly decreased odds of longer union time, but preoperative infection caused increased odds of additional surgery. External fixation throughout 2 stages had significantly increased odds of postoperative infection and additional surgery.Conclusions: We recommend that the timing of the second stage should be delayed until 6 to 8 weeks after the first stage. Bone cement with antibiotics can control the infection rate and shorten the healing time. Furthermore, there is no need to avoid using internal fixation due to possible concerns about causing postoperative infection.Abbreviations: BMP-2 = bone morphogenetic protein-2, CI = confidence interval, ICBG = iliac crest bone graft, IMT = induced membrane technique, NOS = Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, PMMA = polymethylmethacrylate, RIA = irrigator aspirator.

Background to assess the efficacy of comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) for preventing treatment-related toxicity in older people undergoing non-surgical cancer therapies. Methods MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane library databases were searched from inception till January 2022 to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on the incidence of toxicity measured by the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (primary outcome) and that of therapeutic modifications, early treatment discontinuation, progression-free survival, overall survival and hospitalisation (secondary outcomes). Results analysis of six RCTs published from 2016 to 2021 recruiting 2,126 participants (median age: 71–77) who received chemotherapy as the major therapeutic approach revealed 51.7% and 64.7% of Grade 3+ toxicity in the CGA and control (i.e. standard care) groups, respectively (RR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.7–0.94, P = 0.005, I2 = 65%, certainty of evidence [COE]: moderate). There were no significant differences in the incidence of early treatment discontinuation (RR = 0.88, P = 0.47; I2 = 63%,1,408 participants, COE: low), initial reduction in treatment intensity (RR = 0.99, P = 0.94; I2 = 83%, 2055 participants, COE: low), treatment delay (RR = 1.06, P = 0.77, I2 = 0%, 309 participants, COE: moderate), hospitalisation (RR = 0.86, P = 0.39, I2 = 41%, 914 participants, COE: moderate), progression-free and overall survival with or without CGA. However, there was an association between CGA and a lower incidence of dose reduction during treatment (RR = 0.73, P < 0.00001, 956 participants, COE: moderate). Conclusions our results demonstrated that comprehensive geriatric assessment may be associated with a lower incidence of treatment-related toxicity and dose reduction compared to standard care in older people receiving non-surgical cancer treatments. Further large-scale studies are warranted to support our findings.

BackgroundThis meta-analysis aimed at assessing the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound-measured laryngeal air column width difference (ACWD) in predicting post-extubation stridor (PES) in intubated adult patients.MethodsWe searched the Medline, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Google scholar databases from inception to October, 2022 to identify studies that examined the diagnostic accuracy of ACWD for PES. The primary outcome was the diagnostic performance by calculating the pooled sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC). The secondary outcomes were the differences in ACWD and duration of intubation between patients with and without PES.ResultsFollowing literature search, 11 prospective studies (intensive care setting, n = 10; operating room setting, n = 1) involving 1,322 extubations were included. The incidence of PES among the studies was 4–25%. All studies were mixed-gender (females: 24.1–68.5%) with sample sizes ranging between 41 and 432. The cut-off values of ACWD for prediction of PES varied from 0.45 to 1.6 mm. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of ACWD for PES were 0.8 (95% CI = 0.69–0.88, I2: 37.26%, eight studies) and 0.81 (95% CI = 0.72–0.88, I2: 89.51%, eight studies), respectively. The pooled AUC was 0.87 (95% CI = 0.84–0.90). Patients with PES had a smaller ACWD compared to those without PES (mean difference = −0.54, 95% CI = −0.79 to −0.28, I2: 97%, eight studies). Moreover, patients with PES had a longer duration of tracheal intubation than that in those without (mean difference = 2.75 days, 95% CI = 0.92, 4.57, I2: 90%, seven studies).ConclusionUltrasound-measured laryngeal ACWD showed satisfactory sensitivity and specificity for predicting PES. Because of the limited number of studies available, further investigations are needed to support our findings.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42022375772.

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Despite the acceptance of carotid ultrasound for predicting patients’ fluid responsiveness in critical care and anesthesia, its efficacy for predicting hypotension and fluid responsiveness remains unclear in the perioperative setting. Electronic databases were searched from inception to May 2023 to identify observational studies focusing on the use of corrected blood flow time (FTc) and respirophasic variation in carotid artery blood flow peak velocity (ΔVpeak) for assessing the risks of hypotension and fluid responsiveness. Using FTc as a predictive tool (four studies), the analysis yielded a pooled sensitivity of 0.82 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.72 to 0.89) and specificity of 0.94 (95% CI: 0.88 to 0.97) for the risk of hypotension (area under curve (AUC): 0.95). For fluid responsiveness, the sensitivity and specificity of FTc were 0.79 (95% CI: 0.72 to 0.84) and 0.81 (95% CI: 0.75 to 0.86), respectively (AUC: 0.87). In contrast, the use of ΔVpeak to predict the risk of fluid responsiveness showed a pooled sensitivity of 0.76 (95% CI: 0.63 to 0.85) and specificity of 0.74 (95% CI: 0.66 to 0.8) (AUC: 0.79). The current meta-analysis provides robust evidence supporting the high diagnostic accuracy of FTc in predicting perioperative hypotension and fluid responsiveness, which requires further studies for verification.

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