Publications by authors named "Femke Nawijn"

Purpose: To study trends in incidence and outcome of patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) in the Netherlands before, during and after implementation of the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) and Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS)- Spinal Motion Restriction(SMR) protocol.

Methods: In an observational database we studied national hospital admission and emergency department databases to analyse incidence rates and outcome of traumatic spinal cord injury and spinal fractures in the emergency department and in admittances in The Netherlands between 1986 and 2021.

Results: A significant increase of 39% in TSCI in admitted patients with spinal fractures over the past 35 years (p < 0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To assess the diagnostic contribution of different imaging studies to diagnose necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTIs) and the time to surgery in relation to imaging with the hypothesis that imaging studies may lead to significant delays without being able to sufficiently dismiss or confirm the diagnosis since a NSTI is a surgical diagnosis.

Methods: A retrospective multicenter cohort study of all NSTI patients between 2010 and 2020 was conducted. The primary outcome was the number of cases in which imaging contributed to or led to change in treatment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Because mortality and amputation rates are declining for necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTIs), this study aimed to assesses the self-reported one-year quality of life (QoL) of severely ill patients with NSTI who survived beyond the intensive care unit (ICU). A retrospective cohort study of patients with NSTI admitted to the ICU between 2010 and 2019 was conducted. A year after ICU discharge, QoL was assessed using the three-level EuroQol five-dimensions (EQ-5D-3L) questionnaire, Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) questionnaires, and pain scales.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Group A streptococcal (GAS) infections are caused by the Gram-positive bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes. Infection can occur via droplet infection from the throat and via (in)direct contact with infected people. GAS can cause a wide variety of diseases, ranging from superficial skin infections, pharyngitis and scarlet fever, to serious invasive diseases such as puerperal sepsis, pneumonia, necrotising soft tissue infections (NSTI) (also known as necrotising fasciitis/myositis), meningitis and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The aim of this study was to identify the cause of death in patients with necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTIs) stratified by patient's pre-existing comorbidities (American Society of Anesthesiologists [ASA] classification 3/4 vs. ASA 1/2). Differences in clinical presentation, mortality rate, and factors associated with mortality between those two comorbidity groups were investigated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The primary aim of this study was to identify if there is an association between the operative time of the initial debridement for necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTIs) and the mortality corrected for disease severity.

Methods: A retrospective multicenter study was conducted of all patients with NSTIs undergoing surgical debridement. The primary outcome was the 30-day mortality.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Little is known about the exact incidence of necrotizing soft tissue infections. The few incidences reported in international literature are not directly relatable to the Netherlands, or other European countries, due to geographic heterogeneity in causative micro-organisms involved. This resulted in the aim of this study to map the incidence, mortality rate and hospital course of necrotizing fasciitis infections in the Netherlands to gain insight in the incidence of necrotizing fasciitis in the Netherlands and the associated mortality and health care burden.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections (NSTIs) are uncommon rapidly spreading infection of the soft tissues for which prompt surgical treatment is vital for survival. Currently, even with sufficient awareness and facilities available, ambiguous symptoms frequently result in treatment delay. To illustrate the heterogeneity in presentation of NSTIs and the pitfalls entailing from this heterogeneity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study evaluates the patient-reported functional outcome, clinical functional outcome and frequency of complications of simple oblique and transverse humeral midshaft fractures treated with a retrograde expert humeral nail. A retrospective cohort study of humeral midshaft fractures (AO 12-A2, 12-A3) treated with retrograde nailing between January 2010 and February 2018 in a level II trauma center was performed. Patients' perception of functional outcome was measured using the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) scores.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate which histopathologic findings are most indicative for necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTIs) in ambivalent cases.

Methods: Patients undergoing surgical exploration for suspected NSTIs with obtainment of incisional biopsies for histopathological assessment were included from January 2013 until August 2019. The frozen sections and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples were retrospectively re-assessed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

 The main aim of the study was to investigate the survival and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after hospitalization for necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTIs) of the upper extremity.  A retrospective study with long-term follow-up of patients surviving NSTIs of the upper extremity was performed. Survival and HRQoL after hospital discharge were the primary outcomes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the factors associated with primary and secondary amputation in patients with limb-threatening trauma to the upper extremity, describe the incidence of these injuries, and describe the procedures involved in the treatment of these difficult injuries.

Methods: A retrospective study of 49 cases (in 47 patients) with acute limb-threatening trauma of the upper extremity proximal to the carpometacarpal joint level treated with either amputation or limb salvage was performed in two urban level I trauma centers between January of 2001 and January of 2018.

Results: Bivariate analysis demonstrated that cases of primary amputation more frequently had a higher Injury Severity Score, higher Abbreviated Injury Scale score, more proximal fractures, more severe muscle injuries, and a larger number of major nerve injuries.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Although the phrase "time is fascia" is well acknowledged in the case of necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTIs), solid evidence is lacking. The aim of this study is to review the current literature concerning the timing of surgery in relation to mortality and amputation in patients with NSTIs.

Methods: A systematic search in PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and the Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials (CENTRAL) was performed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: It is unclear what the exact short-term outcomes of necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTIs), also known and necrotizing fasciitis of the upper extremity, are and whether these are comparable to other anatomical regions. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess factors associated with mortality within 30-days and amputation in patients with upper extremity NSTIs.

Methods: A retrospective study over a 20-year time period of all patients treated for NSTIs of the upper extremity was carried out.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The aim of this study was to assess factors associated with long-term patient-reported functional, pain, and satisfaction scores in patients who underwent (Bowers) hemiresection interposition technique (HIT) arthroplasty of the distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ). The secondary aims were to determine the complication and reoperation rates. A retrospective study with long-term follow-up of patients undergoing HIT arthroplasty was performed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The standardized approach with triple diagnostics (surgical exploration with visual inspection, microbiological and histological examination) has been proposed as the golden standard for early diagnosis of severe necrotizing soft tissue disease (SNSTD, or necrotizing fasciitis) in ambivalent cases. This study's primary aim was to evaluate the protocolized approach after implementation for diagnosing (early) SNSTD and relate this to clinical outcome.

Methods: A cohort study analyzing a 5-year period was performed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Necrotizing fasciitis is a potentially lethal condition for which early and adequate treatment with surgical debridement and broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotics are essential for survival. It is hypothesized that Group A Streptococcus (GAS) necrotizing fasciitis causes exhaustion of the immune system, making these patients more susceptible for late secondary infections.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted of all patients with necrotizing fasciitis between 2002 and 2016.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Emergency department utilization has increased tremendously over the past years, which is accompanied by an increased necessity for emergency medicine research to support clinical practice. Important sources of evidence are systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses (MAs), but these can only be informative provided their quality is sufficiently high, which can only be assessed if reporting is adequate. The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of reporting of SRs and MAs in emergency medicine using the PRISMA statement.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Only 1% of all tendon injuries affect the triceps tendon, making triceps ruptures very rare. An acute rupture can therefore easily be missed due to a low degree of suspicion. A palpable gap, inability to flex the elbow against resistance and a positive modified Thompson test are indicative for a complete triceps tendon rupture.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A 10-year-old girl presented to the emergency department with proximal radioulnar translocation and radial head fracture, after fall onto an outstretched hand. Open reduction was used to reduce and stabilise the elbow joint after which the radial head was fixated by Kirschner wires. Three months after surgery, full range of motion was regained and union of the radial head was achieved.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: For several extremity fractures differences in morphology, incidence rate and functional outcome were found when polytrauma patients were compared to patients with an isolated injury. This is not proven for distal radius fractures (DRF). Therefore, this study aimed to analyse fracture morphology in relation to energy transfer in both poly- and mono-trauma patients with a DRF.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF