The American surgeon
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The American surgeon · Aug 2011
Comparative StudyUtilization of interventional radiology in the postoperative management of patients after surgery for locally advanced and recurrent rectal cancer.
The surgical management of locally advanced primary rectal cancer and locally recurrent rectal cancer requires complex operations frequently resulting in complicated postoperative courses. We sought to evaluate the utilization of interventional radiologic (IR) procedures in the management of postoperative complications. Under Institutional Review Board approval, a prospective database of colorectal cancer patients undergoing resection from July 1999 to January 2010 was analyzed. ⋯ Estimated blood loss > 2000 mL (P = 0.002), IOERT (P = 0.03), and incomplete resection (P = 0.02) were found to be associated with postoperative IR utilization. Surgery for locally advanced primary rectal cancer and locally recurrent rectal cancer is associated with significant morbidity but low mortality. IR procedures play a significant role in the postoperative management of these patients and may decrease the need for reoperation.
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The American surgeon · Aug 2011
After-hours urgent and emergent surgery in the elderly: outcomes and prognostic factors.
Surgeons are becoming increasingly involved in the care of elderly patients. The purpose of this project was to evaluate contemporary outcomes of emergent surgeries performed after hours in elderly patients and to determine any risk factors for poor outcome. We retrospectively reviewed patients 80 years or older undergoing an urgent or emergent surgery at our medical center from 6 pm to 6 am from October 2006 through July 2009. ⋯ The only studied factors significantly associated with mortality were higher American Society of Anesthesiologists score (P = 0.004), increased intravenous fluids (P = 0.03), decreased intraoperative urine output (P = 0.03), and the need for intraoperative blood (P = 0.003). After-hours urgent and emergent surgery in the elderly has a high morbidity and mortality rate. We identified several risk factors for a poor prognosis that may be useful to the surgeon when discussing the patient's prognosis with the family.