Recent Publications by CFE Educators

OBJECTIVE

To report our successful outcomes of genital split-thickness skin graft (STSG) in covering major skin loss and providing good functional and cosmetic outcomes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective chart review was performed for all adult urology patients who underwent STSG at our institution from 1998 to 2014. Patients had a wide range of disease etiologies, including tissue loss (eg post-Fournier's gangrene), lymphedema, buried penis, foreign body injection, and tumors.

RESULTS

A total of 54 patients were identified with the following breakdown of etiology: 13 patients with tissue loss (eg post-Fournier's gangrene), 13 with lymphedema, 12 with buried penis, 8 with foreign body injection, 4 with hidradenitis suppurativa, and 4 with tumors. Fifty-two out of 54 patients had more than 90% graft take, with maintained or improved erection, normal voiding, good cosmetic outcome as judged by the patient and the examining surgeon, and normal mobility. One patient died at 3 months due to cardiovascular cause, and 1 patient had a poor take of the graft.

CONCLUSION

We show the wide variety of indications for STSG use, the ease of the technique, and its successful outcomes. We believe this procedure should be offered to patients as a first-line treatment and also as a last resort when other more conservative approaches fail.

Active learning strategies applied to nursing education can enhance student understanding, stimulate inquiry, and encourage critical thinking. Effectively applied technology can facilitate active learning processes and engage learners in their process of learning. This article will describe some technology-based strategies to support engagement in nurse practitioner education.

BACKGROUND

In patients with red eye, traditional teachings suggest that photophobia, visual blurring, and eye pain indicate serious eye disease; in patients with presumed conjunctivitis, the finding of purulent drainage traditionally indicates a bacterial cause. The accuracy of these teachings is unknown.

METHODS

A MEDLINE search was performed to retrieve articles published between 1966 and April 2014 relevant to the bedside diagnosis of serious eye disease and bacterial conjunctivitis.

RESULTS

In patients with red eye, the most useful findings indicating serious eye disease are anisocoria (with the smaller pupil in the red eye and difference between pupil diameters >1 mm; likelihood ratio [LR], 6.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.6-16.3) and photophobia, elicited by direct illumination (LR, 8.3; 95% CI, 2.7-25.9), indirect illumination (LR, 28.8; 95% CI, 1.8-459), or near synkinesis test ("finger-to-nose convergence test," LR, 21.4; 95% CI, 12-38.2). In patients with presumed conjunctivitis, complete redness of the conjunctival membrane obscuring tarsal vessels (LR, 4.6; 95% CI, 1.2-17.1), observed purulent discharge (LR, 3.9; 95% CI, 1.7-9.1), and matting of both eyes in the morning (LR, 3.6; 95% CI, 1.9-6.5) increase the probability of a bacterial cause; failure to observe a red eye at 20 feet (LR, 0.2; 95% CI, 0-0.8) and absence of morning gluing of either eye (LR, 0.3; 95% CI, 0.1-0.8) decrease the probability of a bacterial cause.

CONCLUSIONS

Several bedside findings accurately distinguish serious from benign eye disease in patients with red eye and, in patients with presumed conjunctivitis, distinguish bacterial from viral or allergic causes.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the correlation between the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and the Visual Prostate Symptom Score (VPSS), a visual assessment of urinary stream, frequency, nocturia, and quality of life using pictograms, in a health safety net population.

METHODS

Men presenting to San Francisco General Hospital with lower urinary tract symptoms completed the IPSS and the VPSS without and then with assistance. Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square test, the Wilcoxon signed rank test, and the Spearman rank correlation.

RESULTS

One hundred twenty-one patients were enrolled between December 2013 and May 2014 with a mean age of 54 years. There were statistically significant correlations between total VPSS and total IPSS (ρ = 0.71; P .001) and for frequency (ρ = 0.47; P .001), nocturia (ρ = 0.69; P .001), force of stream (ρ = 0.65; P .001), and quality of life (ρ = 0.69; P .001). In addition, there were statistically significant correlations between total VPSS and both VPSS quality of life (ρ = 0.69; P .001) and Qmax (ρ = -0.473; P = .006). The mean absolute disagreement for participants who took the IPSS independently vs with assistance was greater than for those who took the VPSS independently vs assistance for all symptoms: frequency (0.64 vs 0.3, respectively; P .001), weak stream (0.82 vs 0.14, respectively; P .001), nocturia (0.38 vs 0.23, respectively; P = .023), and quality of life (0.63 vs 0.32, respectively; P = .005).

CONCLUSION

Many men altered their IPSS responses when they received assistance. There was significantly less alteration in responses using the VPSS, suggesting that the VPSS is useful in determining lower urinary tract symptoms, particularly in patients with limited education and literacy.

Buccal mucosal graft represents the gold standard graft material for urethroplasty because of its thick epithelium and a thin lamina propria for maximal graft uptake. There is an ongoing debate whether to close the buccal graft donor site. We show a unique look at buccal donor site healing through serial pictures over a 100-day period. In this patient, the anterior half of the buccal donor site was closed at the time of harvest, allowing real-time observation of wound healing from both the closed and open aspects of the wound.

Eczema is one of the most common skin conditions of childhood. Patients with eczema suffer in a chronic cycle of itch, scratch, and inflammation. For children with severe eczema, constant itching and scratching can have many consequences including skin infections, behavioral issues, and sleep problems. Parents often find themselves searching for a trigger for their child's eczema flare, and after they have switched detergents, applied a thick moisturizer and topical steroids, and removed all wool clothing from their child's wardrobe, they wonder, "Could food allergies be playing a role?"