The American surgeon
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The American surgeon · Mar 2012
ReviewIncreased risk of neoplasm in appendicitis treated with interval appendectomy: single-institution experience and literature review.
Appendicitis is a common diagnosis encountered by the acute care surgeon. Management of complicated appendicitis is controversial and often involves initial nonoperative therapy with interval appendectomy. This study reviews single-institutional experience with management of complicated appendicitis with interval appendectomy and addresses an unusually high occurrence of incidental appendiceal malignancies observed with a review of relevant literature. ⋯ Two of the three neoplasms in the acute group were carcinoid, whereas three of the five neoplasms in the interval group were adenocarcinoma. Surgeons should consider appendiceal or colonic neoplasms in cases of complicated appendicitis when nonoperative management is considered. This is most important in patients older than 40 years, in those who forego interval appendectomy, or in those who could be lost to follow-up.
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The American surgeon · Mar 2012
Comparative StudyAntegrade versus retrograde cerebral protection in repair of acute ascending aortic dissection.
The objective of this study was to compare retrograde with antegrade cerebral protection during acute aortic dissection repair using cerebral oximetry measurements. Fifty consecutive acute ascending aortic dissection repairs were analyzed. Cerebral oximetry data were collected for 41 of 50. ⋯ The per cent change from the prearrest value for the antegrade patients was: right -12 per cent and left -15 per cent; the per cent change from prearrest for retrograde patients was: right -15 per cent and left -16 per cent (P values 0.514 and 0.956, respectively). No compelling evidence for an advantage to either antegrade or retrograde cerebral perfusion was detected. Further study with a focus on neurologic outcomes is warranted.
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The American surgeon · Mar 2012
Review Meta AnalysisAntibiotic prophylaxis in patients undergoing open mesh repair of inguinal hernia: a meta-analysis.
The use of antibiotic prophylaxis in hernia repair is still under debate. The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess the effect of antibiotic prophylaxis in patients undergoing open mesh repair of inguinal hernia with respect to incidence of postoperative surgical site infection (SSI). A literature search was conducted in databases of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. ⋯ Antibiotics showed a protective effect in preventing SSI after mesh inguinal hernia repair (odds ratio: 0.61, 95% confidence interval: 0.40-0.92, I(2): 0%). Antibiotic prophylaxis did reduce the incidence of SSI in hernia patients undergoing mesh hernioplasty. The cost effectiveness of antibiotic prophylaxis needs further evaluation.
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The American surgeon · Mar 2012
The reward is worth the wait: a prospective analysis of 100 consecutive organ donors.
Aggressive donor management protocols have evolved to maximize the number of procured organs. Our study assessed donor management time and the number and types of organs procured with the hypothesis that shorter management time yields increased organ procurement and transplant rates. We prospectively analyzed 100 donors managed by a regional organ procurement organization (OPO) during 2007 to 2008. ⋯ Donors managed greater than 20 hours yielded significantly more heart (5 vs 26, P < 0.01) and lung (6 vs 40, P < 0.01) procurements, more organs procured per donor (3.2 ± 1.4 vs 4.2 ± 1.6, P < 0.01), and more organs transplanted per donor (2.6 ± 1.5 vs 3.7 ± 1.8, P < 0.01) than those managed 20 hours or less. No difference in the attainment of donor management goals was observed between these populations. Contrary to our initial hypothesis, donor management times greater than 20 hours yielded increased organ procurement and transplant rates, particularly for hearts and lungs, despite no differences in the achievement of donor preprocurement management goals.
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The American surgeon · Mar 2012
The impact of early hormonal therapy in catastrophic brain-injured patients and its effect on organ procurement.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of early hormonal therapy on organ procurement from catastrophic brain-injured patients. All catastrophic brain-injured patients admitted to a high-volume academic Level I trauma center who underwent successful organ procurement over a 3-year period (2006 to 2008) were reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups, those who received hormone therapy (HT) before brain death (BD) declaration and those who received HT after BD declaration. ⋯ Patients receiving HT before BD had significantly more organs procured (4.5 ± 1.5 vs 3.5 ± 1.3, P = 0.023). Although catastrophic brain-injured patients receiving early hormonal therapy were more hypotensive, they required less vasopressors and had higher procurement rates. The early use of hormonal therapy may decrease the need for vasopressors and increase the salvage of potentially transplantable organs.