International journal of surgery
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The American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status classification system (ASA PS) is a method of characterizing patient operative risk on a scale of 1-5, where 1 is normal health and 5 is moribund. Every anesthesiologist is trained in this measure, and it is performed before every procedure in which a patient undergoes anesthesia. We measured the independent predictive value of ASA-PS for complications and mortality in the ACS-NSQIP database by multivariate regression. We conducted analogous regressions after standardizing ASA-PS to control for interprocedural variations in risk in the overall model and sub-analyses by surgical specialty and the most common procedures. ⋯ ASA PS has strong, independent associations with post-operative medical complications and mortality across procedures. This capability, along with its simplicity, makes it a valuable prognostic metric.
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Interventional radiology (IR) provides a range of adjunctive techniques to assist with hemorrhage control after trauma that can be employed pre- or post-operatively. The role of IR in lower-middle income countries (LMICs) remains unexplored. This study describes the use of adjunctive angioembolization (AE) in severely injured patients following its recent implementation at an urban trauma center in a LMIC. ⋯ With the availability of multi-detector computed tomography and a dedicated interventional radiology suite, implementation of AE for the care of trauma patients in LMIC settings is possible.
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Management of traumatic popliteal vascular injuries in a level I trauma center: A 6-year experience.
Popliteal vascular trauma remains a challenging entity, and carries the greatest risk of limb loss among the lower extremity vascular injuries. Operative management of traumatic popliteal vascular injuries continues to evolve. We aim at describing our experience with such complex injuries, with associated patterns of injury, diagnostic and therapeutic challenges, and outcomes. ⋯ Blunt popliteal vascular injuries are associated with increased morbidity compared to penetrating trauma. Early restoration of blood perfusion, frequent use of interposition grafts with autogenous saphenous vein, and liberal use of fasciotomies play important role to achieve acceptable outcomes.
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The use of robotic technology procedures has proved to be safe and effective, arising as a helpful alternative to standard laparoscopic surgery in a variety of colorectal procedures. However, the role of robotic assistance in laparoscopic right colectomy is still not demonstrated. ⋯ RRC may ensure limited improvements in post-operative outcome, thus increasing procedural costs and without a proved enhanced oncological accuracy to date, if compared to the LRC.
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Increasing numbers of older people are undergoing emergency and elective arterial vascular procedures. Many older patients are frail which is a recognised predictor of adverse postoperative outcomes in other surgical specialties. This study in older patients undergoing arterial vascular surgery examined; the prevalence of preoperative frailty; the clinical feasibility of preoperatively measuring frailty and functional status; the association between these characteristics and adverse postoperative outcome. ⋯ Patients aged over 60 years admitted for arterial vascular surgery were frail, had impaired functional status and were cognitively impaired. This combination of preoperative characteristics was predictive of longer hospital length of stay and associated with adverse postoperative outcome.