Publications by authors named "Debra Marvel"

Article Synopsis
  • A study conducted at 25 hospitals compared the effectiveness of two antiseptic solutions (iodine povacrylex and chlorhexidine gluconate) in preventing surgical-site infections during extremity fracture surgeries.
  • Results showed that iodine povacrylex led to a lower rate of infections in patients with closed fractures (2.4% vs. 3.3%) but did not show a significant difference for open fractures (6.5% vs. 7.3%).
  • Ultimately, the study concluded that iodine povacrylex is a more effective skin antiseptic for closed extremity fractures, resulting in fewer infections compared to chlorhexidine, though both had similar outcomes for reoperations and adverse events.
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Background: The PREVENT CLOT trial concluded that thromboprophylaxis with aspirin was noninferior to low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) in preventing death after orthopedic trauma. However, it was unclear if these results applied to patients at highest risk of thrombosis. Therefore, we assessed if the effect of aspirin versus LMWH differed based on patients' baseline risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE).

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Objectives: Patient engagement in the design and implementation of clinical trials is necessary to ensure that the research is relevant and responsive to patients. The PREP-IT trials, which include 2 pragmatic trials that evaluate different surgical preparation solutions in orthopaedic trauma patients, followed the patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) methodology throughout the design, implementation, and conduct. We conducted a substudy within the PREP-IT trials to explore participants' experiences with trial participation.

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Background: Clinical guidelines recommend low-molecular-weight heparin for thromboprophylaxis in patients with fractures, but trials of its effectiveness as compared with aspirin are lacking.

Methods: In this pragmatic, multicenter, randomized, noninferiority trial, we enrolled patients 18 years of age or older who had a fracture of an extremity (anywhere from hip to midfoot or shoulder to wrist) that had been treated operatively or who had any pelvic or acetabular fracture. Patients were randomly assigned to receive low-molecular-weight heparin (enoxaparin) at a dose of 30 mg twice daily or aspirin at a dose of 81 mg twice daily while they were in the hospital.

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Introduction: Patients who sustain orthopaedic trauma are at an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), including fatal pulmonary embolism (PE). Current guidelines recommend low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) for VTE prophylaxis in orthopaedic trauma patients. However, emerging literature in total joint arthroplasty patients suggests the potential clinical benefits of VTE prophylaxis with aspirin.

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Importance: The risk of developing a surgical site infection after extremity fracture repair is nearly 5 times greater than in most elective orthopedic surgical procedures. For all surgical procedures, it is standard practice to prepare the operative site with an antiseptic solution; however, there is limited evidence to guide the choice of solution used for orthopedic fracture repair.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of iodophor vs chlorhexidine solutions to reduce surgical site infections and unplanned fracture-related reoperations for patients who underwent fracture repair.

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Objective: The study aimed to assess systematic differences in the characteristics of patients that consented for the trial compared with the broader pool of eligible patients in a large, pragmatic orthopaedic trauma trial.

Design: A retrospective observational study performed from April 2017 to March 2018.

Setting: Academic trauma centre in Baltimore, USA.

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