Surgery today
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Surgical procedures are being performed on elderly people with increasing frequency, but accordingly, postoperative complications and mortality rates are higher than for younger patients. We conducted this study to establish if cytokine responses after distal gastrectomy in elderly patients differ from those in younger patients. ⋯ Cytokine profiles after distal gastrectomy in elderly patients differ from those in younger patients, with lower pro-inflammatory and inflammatory cytokine responses evident in the elderly.
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Parkinson's disease is a chronic progressive disease with symptoms of tremors, rigidity, and akinesia. Parkinson's disease is a major risk factor for postoperative complications and it is difficult to manage patients with Parkinson's disease after gastrointestinal surgery. ⋯ Prokinetics were also used for the prevention of paralytic ileus. These cases demonstrate an effective method to administer antiparkinson drugs during perioperative management of patients with Parkinson's disease and also indicate that sufficient doses of antiparkinson drugs can control the symptoms of parkinsonism and prevent complications in cases of surgery with parkinsonism.
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The crush syndrome caused by drug-induced compartment syndrome (DCS) is a challenge for surgeons because it is regularly associated with potentially fatal complications. Drug-induced compartment syndrome can often be distinguished from other forms of compartment syndrome by the presence of severe rhabdomyolysis with kidney crush and severe postoperative complications such as local and generalized infection, persistent nerve damage, coagulopathy, and multiorgan failure. ⋯ In DCS the decision to open the compartment should be made immediately upon the clinical diagnosis. A protracted intensive phase is expected. The benefit to patients is closely associated with surgical wound debridement along with rigorous intensive therapy.
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Patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) was developed for use after surgery for thoracic esophageal cancer to relieve wound pain, introduce early rehabilitation, and provide an uneventful postoperative recovery. ⋯ Early rehabilitation is facilitated with intensive PCEA, while it also improves postoperative management and reduces hospitalization after esophageal surgery.
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Intraoperative indocyanine green (ICG) lymphography was performed on a 62-year-old man, who was diagnosed to have chylothorax after an esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. After exploration of the thorax, a slowly increasing effusion was identified in the mediastinal space above the diaphragm, but the exact site of the lymph fistula could not be identified. By injecting 1.5 ml of ICG subcutaneously at the bilateral inguinal region, fluorescence images of the lymph flow in the thoracic cavity were obtained using a near-infrared camera system. ⋯ The postoperative course was uneventful. The patient was discharged on the 16th postoperative day. This is the first report using ICG fluorescence lymphography for the successful intraoperative detection of the exact site of a fistula causing chylothorax.