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Patient is here regarding worsening of the left lateral ankle ulcer no fever or chills. The patient is present with his wife. The ulcer has been present since 12/2019 per patient. The patient started seeing me 10/5/22. MRI /tissue culture and arterial dopplers were preformed. Initially unremarkable. The ulcer appears initially be venous in nature. However did not respond to conventional treatment. The ulcer initially improved going from necrotic tissue -> healthier granulation tissue noted on 11/18/22. Skin substitute were started and the ulcer worsened again with increase slough necrosis of the tissue and increase in size. MRI on 1/2023 noted osteomyelitis confirmed with bone culture. Positive cultures with multidrug resistant pseudomonas Patient was placed on 6 weeks of Vancomycin / Cefepime and Flagyl per ID. The patient has been evaluated by Mayo clinic wound care vascular and orthopedic. Recommended possible amputation. He was placed in a boot that placed more pressure on the ulcer. Local wound care was changed and the appearance of the ulcer was worse with increase slough and necrotic tissue. Patient has been doing telehealth with me but with the recent development requested that he come in. The periwound appears inflamed. Pain has increased. Patient MRI done at Mayo on 5/10/23 worsening osteomyelitis. Chronic refractory osteomyelitis. Discussed possibility of HBO2. Pictures range from 3/2023 to 5/2023.
May 24, 2023 by Caroline Halperin , D.O.
7 replies
Cathy Milne
APRN, MSN, CWOCN-AP
Carolyn,
I'm glad the patient is coming in to see you..The patient needs a biopsy - this may be an atypical ulcer...I'd also want to review the vascular studies..did they just look at macrovascular disease? How was microvascular oxygenation evaluated? What other labs were done..(e.g. Factor V Leiden, cryoglobulins, anticardiolipin and antiphospholipid antibodies, etc. etc...) The good news is that HBO may help some of these atypical wounds...there are anecdoctal cases reported in the literature...My colleagues can certainly join in here ....
Cathy
May 25, 2023
Thank you. I really appreciate your input. Good thought. The patient saw a rheumatologist and had those labs ordered but never had them drawn. I had planned to have him do them. I am glad you recommended this. I have to check if the patient had them done when he was at Mayo. The patient also had Tcpo2 done which were in the normal range. Bone Bx noted inflammation and acute osteomyelitis. Positive bone culture grew multi-drug resistant pseudomonas and enterococcus. I have spoken to the podiatrist to see if another Bx of bone as well as tissue cultures to look for the atypical as well as pathology. HBO option has been discussed with the patient. I am thinking of treating the patient under the diagnosis of CRO, if the patient agrees.
May 25, 2023
Cathy Milne
APRN, MSN, CWOCN-AP
I forgot to add that in an atypical wound, using a dermatopathologist to read the biospy can be helpful..hopefully you have access to one!
May 26, 2023
I will check on that. I know we do not have one in house. Maybe they can send it out. I know in the past they have sent it to the Cleavland Clinic.
May 26, 2023
I don't know if this means anything to anyone, but the patient continues to tell me this is an area where he had a "snake bite" 20 years ago. He states the "skin has never been the same".
May 26, 2023
Jeff Mize
RRT, CHT, UHMSADS
Dr. Halperin, In the event that you decide to initiate a course HBOT. A couple of key points will need to be documented for chronic refractory osteomyelitis-radiographic evidence and/or bone cultures confirming a definitive diagnosis of osteomyelitis, documentation of conventional medical management to which the patient did not respond, and documentation of conventional surgical management to which the patient did not respond/ failure to resolve following surgical debridement.
May 31, 2023
Thank you. Spoke to the podiatrist that did the bone Bx. It appears no debridement was performed at that time.
May 31, 2023
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