Der Chirurg; Zeitschrift für alle Gebiete der operativen Medizen
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Complications are quite common in thoracic surgery due to the comorbidities of the mostly elderly patients and to the fact that the surgical procedure itself compromises the respiratory apparatus. Consequently, pneumonia and respiratory failure represent the most common causes of death. Postoperatively, early diagnosis and treatment of these complications are paramount while most other events can be anticipated and thus be avoided with corresponding operative experience.
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Postoperative complications occur in 10% of patients following major visceral surgery. Of these more than 80% are surgical complications, more than 70% are septic complications and more than 60% are related to anastomotic leakage which accounts for the majority of postoperative deaths. To achieve successful management, early diagnosis is mandatory in cases of deviations from the normal postoperative course. ⋯ The spectrum of therapeutic options is different and depends on the location of the leakage in the gastrointestinal tract. In the surgical treatment of peritonitis, the fundamental requirements for successful management are early detection of persistent abdominal sepsis and of newly developing abdominal complications during the treatment. Furthermore early initiation of effective antibiotic concepts is mandatory.
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In general and visceral surgery fast-track rehabilitation means a procedure-specific, evidence-based, multimodal, interdisciplinary and patient-focussed clinical pathway in perioperative therapy. The primary goals of fast-track rehabilitation are to maintain patient autonomy and homeostasis, minimization of postoperative organ dysfunction and prevention of postoperative general morbidity (i.e. cardiopulmonary complications, nosocomial infections). At the same time, postoperative recovery is accelerated and early discharge from hospital after surgery becomes possible. ⋯ Therefore, implementation of fast-track programs should be accompanied by intensive education and collaboration of all professional groups concerned with perioperative patient care. So far, visceral surgeons have been leading the field of fast-track rehabilitation and fast-track could be a way for surgeons to recapture lost ground in perioperative medicine. Therefore, intensive experimental and clinical research in fast-track rehabilitation is strongly recommended for visceral surgeons to maintain competence in scientific discussions with other medical specialists.
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Recent evidence has documented that a combination of single-modality evidence-based care principles into a multimodal effort to enhance postoperative recovery (the fast track methodology) has led to enhanced recovery with reduced medical morbidity, need for hospitalisation and convalescence. Nevertheless, general implementation of fast track surgery has been relatively slow despite concomitant economic benefits. Further improvement in postoperative outcome may be obtained by developments within each care principle with a specific focus on minimally invasive surgery, effective multimodal, non-opioid analgesia and pharmacological stress reduction.
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The prevalence of diabetes in hospitalized adults is conservatively estimated at 12-25% and rising. Poor glucose control and presence of diabetes complications (e.g. diabetic nephropathy, diabetic neuropathy, atherosclerosis) are commonly regarded as risk factors for perioperative morbidity and mortality. ⋯ For patients in general surgical units, evidence for specific glycemic goals is based on epidemiologic and physiologic data rather than clinical trials. According to guidelines of the German Society of Nutrition, the approximation of normoglycemia is reasonable as long as hypoglycemia is avoided (suggested range for plasma glucose 80-145 mg/dL).