Leonard Apt

A Controlled Trial of Povidone–Iodine as Prophylaxis against Ophthalmia Neonatorum

Background Neonatal conjunctivitis (ophthalmia neonatorum) continues to cause blindness, because the agents used prophylactically to prevent this condition are not completely effective and are not widely available in many parts of the world. Povidone–iodine ophthalmic solution is an effective antibacterial agent with broad antibacterial and antiviral activity to which no bacteria are known to be resistant, and it is far less expensive and less toxic than the agents currently used to prevent neonatal conjunctivitis. Methods We conducted a masked, prospective trial involving 3117 infants born over a period of 30 months in a hospital in Kenya. Shortly after birth each infant received a 2.5 percent solution of povidone–iodine (n = 1076), a 1 percent solution of silver nitrate (n = 929), or 0.5 percent erythromycin ointment (n = 1112) in both eyes. Randomization was achieved by rotating the three medications after each was used for a week. Results Of the neonates treated with povidone–iodine, 13.1 percent had ...

Outpatient Topical Use of Povidone-iodine in Preparing the Eye for Surgery

Povidone-iodine 5% solution placed on the eye immediately before ophthalmic surgery within the preoperative preparation significantly reduces the conjunctival bacterial flora. In 40 patients undergoing ophthalmic surgery, the authors compared the outpatient use of povidone-iodine for 3 days before surgery with a 3-day course of a combination antibiotic ophthalmic solution (Neosporin) placed on the other eye. All patients also received topical povidone-iodine on the operating table directly preceding surgery. Cultures taken just before preparation of the operative field showed a similar reduction of bacteria by each regimen. Cultures taken after preparation but before commencement of surgery showed a further reduction for both regimens, but more for eyes previously treated with the antibiotic (P less than 0.02). To minimize the conjunctival bacterial flora before surgery, the authors continue to recommend instillation of a broad-spectrum antibiotic for 3 days before surgery, followed by application of povidone-iodine solution to the eye immediately before surgery within the preoperative preparation.

A controlled trial of povidone-iodine to treat infectious conjunctivitis in children.

PURPOSE To report the efficacy of povidone-iodine as a treatment for conjunctivitis in pediatric patients. DESIGN Double-masked, controlled, prospective clinical trial. METHODS In an ophthalmology clinic in a general hospital in Manila, Philippines, 459 children (mean [SD] age 6.6 [6.6] years; range, 7 months-21 years) with acute conjunctivitis were studied. Infected eyes were cultured for bacteria and underwent immunofluorescent testing for Chlamydia trachomatis. Viral conjunctivitis was diagnosed if bacterial cultures were negative and diagnostic criteria were met. Subjects were alternated to receive povidone-iodine 1.25% or neomycin-polymyxin-B-gramicidin ophthalmic solution, one drop 4 times daily in the affected eye. Ocular inflammation was evaluated daily by the family or patient and weekly by an ophthalmologist. The main outcome measures were days until cured and proportion cured after 1 and 2 weeks of treatment. RESULTS Despite adequate statistical power (power >80% for a 1-day difference and P <.05), there was no significant difference between treatment groups regarding the number of days to cure or proportion cured at 1 or 2 weeks whether caused by bacteria or virus (P =.133-.824 for the four comparisons). After 1 week of treatment, povidone-iodine cured marginally more chlamydial infections than the antibiotic (P =.057). By 2 weeks, fewer chlamydial infections were cured than those of viral or bacterial etiology (P =.0001). The younger the patient, the faster their conjunctivitis resolved (R = 0.13, P =.013). CONCLUSIONS Povidone-iodine 1.25% ophthalmic solution was as effective as neomycin-polymyxin B-gramicidin for treating bacterial conjunctivitis, somewhat more effective against chlamydia, and as ineffective against viral conjunctivitis. Povidone-iodine ophthalmic solution should be strongly considered as treatment for bacterial and chlamydial conjunctivitis, especially in developing countries where topical antibiotics are often unavailable or costly.

Melena neonatorum: the swallowed blood syndrome; a simple test for the differentiation of adult and fetal hemoglobin in bloody stools.

Summary A simple qualitative test was devisedto enable one to distinguish between maternal (adult type) and infants (fetal type) hemoglobin in a grossly bloody stool. The test is based on the fact that fetal hemoglobin is more resistant to denaturation with alkali than adult hemoglobin. The validity of the test was confirmed by the successful differentiation of cord blood (predominantly fetal hemoglobin) and blood from adults, given by gavage, in the grossly bloody stools. When the alkali denaturation testwas used in thirteen cases in which newborn infants passed grossly bloody stools, there were seven who had hemoglobin in their stools of the adult type. It was assumed that these infants had swallowed maternal blood in utero. The benign clinical course was predicted and the infant spared from many blood tests, radiographic examinations, and perhaps surgical exploration. The cases in which grossly bloodystools were caused by the swallowing of maternal blood had the following characteristics: (1) appearance of grossly bloody stools less than twelve hours after birth, (2) no anemia during hospitalization, or moderate anemia but no further appreciable decrease in blood values; (3) bleeding, clotting, and prothrombin times normal; (4) complication of labor—vaginal bleeding resulting from a premature (marginal) separation of the placenta; and (5) clinical condition of the infant good throughout the hospital stay in spite of what appeared to be considerable blood loss in the stools. The contrasting features of thecases in which intrinsic hemorrhage caused the bloody stools are given. The rare instance whereby swallowedblood from bloody amniotic fluid may be solely of fetal origin is cited. Further experience with this simple, qualitative hemoglobin-alkali test is needed to establish its precise value. It may be necessary to resort to more sensitive quantitative tests with future cases. The necessity did not arise in the seven cases described.

Inferior oblique muscle recession.

Surgical recession of the inferior oblique muscle is simpler to perform if the inferior rectus muscle, rather than either the lateral rectus muscle or the inferior oblique muscle insertion, is used as a landmark. We measured 200 consecutive autopsy eyes to determine the distance from the commonly used 8-mm recession site determined by the Fink technique to the lateral border of the inferior rectus muscle insertion. It was easier to reach this point by measuring 4.0 mm posterior and 4.4 mm superior to the lateral insertion of the inferior rectus muscle, or 2.9 mm superior (on a line parallel to the corneoscleral limbus) and 5.1 mm posterior (on the line perpendicular to the corneoscleral limbus) to the lateral insertion of the inferior rectus muscle. We made anatomical studies to grade the amount of inferior oblique muscle recession and to evaluate the proper placement of the posterior border of the recessed inferior oblique muscle.

Generalized Fibrosis of the Extraocular Muscles

We studied four patients with the general fibrosis syndrome. One patient had bilateral inguinal hernias and unilateral cryptorchism; the other patients had no other congenital abnormalities. The patients developed normally both neurologically and metally. We successfully treated amblyopia and achieved good functional and cosmetic results with strabismus and blepharoptosis surgery. Histopathologic study revealed fibrous infiltration of extrinsic eye muscle and Tenons capsule without inflammatory changes.

The Effect of Anterior Transposition of The Inferior Oblique Muscle

The effect of anterior transposition of the insertion of the inferior oblique muscle was compared with the results from conventional inferior oblique muscle recession in 50 patients. Even though both groups of patients had a similar degree of overaction preoperatively, postoperative inferior oblique muscle action was weaker (P < .01) and upgaze more limited P < .01) in the anterior transposition group. These data suggest that anterior transposition serves to convert the inferior oblique muscle from an elevator to a depressor on attempted elevation. Because anterior transposition is such a powerful weakening operation, we suggest that it be reserved for patients with moderate to severe inferior oblique muscle overaction. To avoid postoperative hypotropia in upgaze, anterior transposition should be performed in both eyes for bilateral inferior oblique muscle overaction and not unilaterally.

A randomized clinical trial of the nonsteroidal eyedrop diclofenac after strabismus surgery1

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to compare the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of topical diclofenac sodium 0.1% (Voltaren) with prednisolone sodium phosphate 1% ophthalmic solution after strabismus surgery. DESIGN A prospective, double-masked, randomized, two-center clinical trial. PARTICIPANTS Eighty eyes of 52 patients undergoing strabismus surgery were examined. INTERVENTION For 1 week after surgery, the eye that was operated on received one drop of either diclofenac or prednisolone four times a day. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The diclofenac- and prednisolone-treated eyes were compared on postoperative days 3 and 7 with respect to signs of inflammation (e.g., erythema, edema, discharge), patient comfort, and conjunctival incisional healing. RESULTS On postoperative day 7, in eyes that received prednisolone, the conjunctival defects were larger (P = 0.004) and more frequent (P = 0.02). For all subjects, despite adequate statistical power, there was no statistically significant difference in inflammatory scores between eyes that received diclofenac or prednisolone. In cases of bilateral surgery, however, there was less postoperative erythema and edema in the diclofenac-treated eyes. CONCLUSIONS In the first week after strabismus surgery, topical diclofenac proved at least as effective as prednisolone in controlling inflammation and discomfort with less delay in incisional wound healing. Topical diclofenac, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent, may be considered for use after strabismus surgery in place of corticosteroids.

Efficacy of topical povidone-iodine during the first week after ophthalmic surgery.

PURPOSE In the first postoperative day, povidone-iodine ophthalmic solution prevents an increase in conjunctival bacterial colony-forming units and decreases the species compared with antibiotic. We sought to determine whether these beneficial effects of povidone-iodine could be sustained during the first postoperative week. METHODS In 42 eyes of 35 consecutive patients, one or two drops of either a broad-spectrum antibiotic (polymyxin B sulfate-neomycin sulfate-gramicidin) or povidone-iodine 1.25% to 2.5% were placed in the treated eye or eyes at the conclusion of surgery and three times daily during the first postoperative week. Bacterial cultures were taken from both eyes at the end of surgery before instillation of either of the eyedrops and again 1 week later. Twenty-eight untreated eyes served as a control group. RESULTS During the first postoperative week, the number of colony-forming units and species increased in both treatment groups. Relative to the control group, both medications effectively reduced the mean number of colony-forming units at 1 week (P < .02), but their effects on colony-forming units did not significantly differ from each other (80 +/- 290 for the povidone-iodine-treated eyes and 75 +/- 90 for the antibiotic-treated eyes). At 1 week, the species count increased 281% in the antibiotic group but only 106% in the povidone-iodine group. Compared to the control group, eyes that received povidone-iodine had a significantly lower species count (P = .0097). CONCLUSION Povidone-iodine ophthalmic solution is an alternative to postoperative topical antibiotics because of its effectiveness in controlling conjunctival bacterial colony-forming units and species, its relatively low cost, and its availability.

Eye Position of Strabismus Patients Under General Anesthesia

We studied the change in eye position under general anesthesia in 317 patients undergoing strabismus surgery. We used the prism cover test to measure preoperative eye position, and the prism reflex test (Krimskys method) to measure the eye position under general anesthesia. Almost all patients had divergence under anesthesia. We calculated a linear equation and curve to relate the eye position under anesthesia to the preoperative eye position. Patients with a normal amount of divergence (within one standard deviation of the mean) had a higher rate of successful surgical results than those with an abnormal amount of divergence under anesthesia (greater than one standard deviation from the mean).