Oxygen tension assessment: an overlooked tool for prediction of delayed healing in a clinical setting

Below-Knee Amputation Failure and Poor Functional Outcomes Are Higher Than Predicted in Contemporary Practice

OBJECTIVE

The perceived functional benefit of below-knee amputation (BKA) must be carefully weighed against the need for potential reinterventions. This study sought to examine the contemporary clinical and functional outcomes of patients undergoing BKA in the endovascular era.

METHODS

All patients who underwent BKA from January 2008 to December 2014 at a single tertiary medical center were retrospectively reviewed. Demographics, comorbidities, ambulation status, and transcutaneous oximetry (TcPO2) values were recorded. Study end points included freedom from conversion to above-knee amputation (AKA), freedom from conversion to AKA or death, BKA healing, and ambulation. Statistical modeling was performed to determine associations with BKA failure.

RESULTS

Over the study interval, 130 limbs underwent BKA in 120 patients. Transcutaneous oximetry studies were obtained in 65% (n = 85). Thirty-eight percent (n = 46) of all BKA patients went on to heal and ambulate. Twenty-five percent (n = 33) required reintervention, 24 with conversion to AKA, and 9 with BKA revision. One-year freedom from conversion to AKA was 76% and was decreased among those with lower TcPO2 levels (60% TcPO2 <40 vs 81% TcPO2 ≥40; P = .04). One-year composite freedom from conversion to AKA/death was 60% and was decreased among those with lower TcPO2 readings (39% TcPO2 <40 vs 69% TcPO2 ≥40; P = .01).

CONCLUSION

Despite a perceived functional bias toward knee salvage at the time of major amputation, most patients failed to postoperatively ambulate. Those with decreased TcPO2 levels (<40 mm Hg) have a 2-fold higher risk of AKA conversion or death, while nearly one-fourth of all BKA patients will succumb to the same fate irrespective of TcPO2. This suggests that many BKA patients in the endovascular era fail to derive the perceived benefit of knee salvage at the time of their index amputation. These findings highlight the need for careful patient selection and for a shared decision-making model in this frail population.

Nanofiber-based paramagnetic probes for rapid, real-time biomedical oximetry

EPR (electron paramagnetic resonance) based biological oximetry is a powerful tool that accurately and repeatedly measures tissue oxygen levels. In vivo determination of oxygen in tissues is crucial for the diagnosis and treatment of a number of diseases. Here, we report the first successful fabrication and remarkable properties of nanofiber sensors for EPR-oximetry applications. Lithium octa-n-butoxynaphthalocyanine (LiNc- BuO), an excellent paramagnetic oxygen sensor, was successfully encapsulated in 300-500 nm diameter fibers consisting of a core of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and a shell of polycaprolactone (PCL) by electrospinning. This core-shell nanosensor (LiNc-BuO-PDMS-PCL) shows a linear dependence of linewidth versus oxygen partial pressure (pO2). The nanofiber sensors have response and recovery times of 0.35 s and 0.55 s, respectively, these response and recovery times are ~12 times and ~218 times faster than those previously reported for PDMS-LiNc-BuO chip sensors. This greater responsiveness is likely due to the high porosity and excellent oxygen permeability of the nanofibers. Electrospinning of the structurally flexible PDMS enabled the fabrication of fibers having tailored spin densities. Core-shell encapsulation ensures the non-exposure of embedded LiNc-BuO and mitigates potential biocompatibility concerns. In vitro evaluation of the fiber performed under exposure to cultured cells showed that it is both stable and biocompatible. The unique combination of biocompatibility due to the PCL 'shell,' the excellent oxygen transparency of the PDMS core, and the excellent oxygen-sensing properties of LiNc-BuO makes LiNc-BuO-PDMS-PCL platform promising for long-term oximetry and repetitive oxygen measurements in both biological systems and clinical applications.

Transcutaneous Oximetry May Predict Wound Healing Complications In Preoperatively Radiated Soft Tissue Sarcoma

BACKGROUND

Preoperative radiation is frequently used in management of soft tissue sarcoma. We hypothesize that anoxic tissue from preoperative radiation contributes to surgical wound complications and that transcutaneous oximetry (TcO2) measurements made preoperatively can predict wounds at risk.

METHODS

Ten consecutive patients were prospectively enrolled. TcO2 was recorded at five time points. Wound complications (defined as major or minor) and healing outcomes were recorded out to 120 days postoperatively. Means between groups with and without wound complications were compared by use of a Student's t-test (p < 0.05).

RESULTS

There were three major and one minor wound complication. During the time from radiation to surgery, patients with wound complications had a 13.1 mmHg decrease in mean TcO2 while those who healed uneventfully had an increase of 2.3 mm Hg (p=0.09). Patients with complications had a low preoperative TcO2 of 18.7 mmHg compared to those without complications (18.7 vs. 33.4 mmHg; p=0.09). No patient with a TcO2 greater than 25 mmHg immediately preoperatively developed a wound complication.

CONCLUSIONS

This data suggests an earlier recovery of tissue oxygenation in patients that healed without complication. The TcO2 measurement immediately preceding surgery seems to be the most important in predicting wound complications. Larger scale investigation may determine if TcO2 measurement is a viable clinical tool to aid in risk assessment for potential wound complications.

A novel, non-invasive diagnostic clinical procedure for the determination of an oxygenation status of chronic lower leg ulcers using peri-ulceral transcutaneous oxygen partial pressure measurements: results of its application in chronic venous insufficiency (CVI)

The basis for the new procedure is the simultaneous transcutaneous measurement of the peri-ulceral oxygen partial pressure (tcPO₂), using a minimum of 4 electrodes which are placed as close to the wound margin as possible, additionally, as a challenge the patient inhales pure oxygen for approximately 15 minutes.

In order to evaluate the measurement data and to characterise the wounds, two new oxygen parameters were defined: (1) the oxygen characteristic (K-PO₂), and (2) the oxygen inhomogeneity (I-PO₂) of a chronic wound. The first of these is the arithmetic mean of the two lowest tcPO₂ measurement values, and the second is the variation coefficient of the four measurement values. Using the K-PO₂ parameter, a grading of wound hypoxia can be obtained. To begin with, the physiologically regulated (and still compensated) hypoxia with K-PO₂ values of between 35 and 40 mmHg is distinguished from the pathological decompensated hypoxia with K-PO₂ values of between 0 and 35 mmHg; the first of these still stimulates self-healing (within the limits of the oxygen balance). The decompensated hypoxia can be (arbitrarily) divided into “simple” hypoxia (Grade I), intense hypoxia (Grade II) and extreme hypoxia (Grade III), with the possibility of intermediate grades (I/II and II/III).

Measurements were carried out using the new procedure on the skin of the right inner ankle of 21 healthy volunteers of various ages, and in 17 CVI (chronic venous insufficiency) wounds. Sixteen of the 17 CVI wounds (i.e., 94%) were found to be pathologically hypoxic, a state which was not found in any of the healthy volunteers. The oxygen inhomogeneity (I-PO₂) of the individual chronic wounds increased exponentially as a function of the hypoxia grading (K-PO₂), with a 10-fold increase with extreme hypoxia in contrast to a constant value of approximately 14% in the healthy volunteers. This pronounced oxygen inhomogeneity explains inhomogeneous wound healings, resulting in the so-called mosaic wounds. The hypoxia grades found in all of the chronic wounds was seen to be evenly distributed with values ranging from 0 to 40 mmHg, and therefore extremely inhomogeneous. In terms of oxygenation, chronic wounds are therefore inhomogeneous in two respects: (1) within the wound itself (intra-individual wound inhomogeneity) and (2) between different wounds (inter-individual wound inhomogeneity). Due to the extreme oxygen inhomogeneity, single measurements are not diagnostically useful.

In healthy individuals the oxygen inhalation challenge (see above) results in synchronised tcPO₂ oscillations occurring at minute rhythms, which are not seen in CVI wounds. These oscillations can be interpreted as a sign of a functioning arterial vasomotor system.

The new procedure is suitable for the routine characterisation of chronic wounds in terms of their oxygen status, and correspondingly, their metabolically determining (and limiting) potential for healing and regeneration. The oxygen characteristic K-PO₂ can furthermore be used as a warning of impending ulceration, since the oxygen provision worsens over time prior to the demise of the ulcerated tissue, thus making a controlled prophylaxis possible.