Journal of the American College of Surgeons
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The performance of most bariatric procedures within an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) programs has resulted in considerable advantages, including a reduction in the length of hospital stay to 2 to 3 days. However, some postoperative complications can appear after the patient has been discharged. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of various acute-phase parameters determined 24 and 48 hours after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) as bariatric procedure, for predicting septic complications, such a surgical site infection (SSI), in the postoperative course. ⋯ The use of CRP and procalcitonin in the first day and especially in the second day postoperative can predict septic complications after LSG. This is most useful for patients within an ERAS program who will be discharged early.
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Management of perioperative antiplatelet medications in gastrointestinal (GI) surgery is challenging. The risk of intraoperative and postoperative bleeding is associated with perioperative use of antiplatelet medication. However, cessation of these drugs may be unsafe for patients who are required to maintain antiplatelet use due to cardiovascular conditions. The objective of this systematic review was to compare the risk of intraoperative or postoperative bleeding among patients who had GI surgery while on continuous antiplatelet therapy (aspirin, clopidogrel, or dual therapy) with the risk among those not taking continuous antiplatelet medication. ⋯ The risk of bleeding associated with GI procedures in patients receiving antiplatelet therapy was not significantly higher than in patients with no antiplatelet or interrupted antiplatelet therapy.
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Assessment of operative risk in geriatric patients undergoing emergency general surgery (EGS) is challenging. Frailty is an established measure for risk assessment in elective surgical cases. Emerging literature suggests the superiority of frailty measurements to chronological age in predicting outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess the outcomes in elderly patients undergoing EGS using an established Rockwood frailty index. ⋯ Frailty index independently predicts postoperative complications, major complications, and hospital length of stay in elderly patients undergoing emergency general surgery. Use of FI will provide insight into the hospital course of elderly patients, allowing for identification of patients in need and more efficient allocation of hospital resources.
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Comparative Study
Measuring Surgical Site Infections in Children: Comparing Clinical, Electronic, and Administrative Data.
Surgical site infections (SSIs) are an important end point and measure of quality of care. Surgical site infections can be identified using clinical registries, electronic surveillance, and administrative claims data. This study compared measurements of SSIs using these 3 different methods and estimated their implication for health care costs. ⋯ There is poor correlation among SSIs measured using electronic surveillance, administrative claims, and clinically derived measures of SSI in the pediatric surgical population. Although these measures might be more convenient, clinically derived data, such as NSQIP Pediatric, may provide a more appropriate quality metric to estimate the postoperative burden of SSIs in children.
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Multivisceral transplantation (transplantation of the stomach, intestine, liver, and pancreas) is usually undertaken as a semi-elective procedure after thorough assessment in patients who have intestinal failure with cirrhosis, cirrhosis with portomesenteric venous thrombosis, or tumors such as desmoids involving the liver and mesentery. ⋯ Treatment options for patients presenting with widespread splanchnic ischemia with hepatic and intestinal failure/infarction were previously limited to salvage surgery and attempted revascularization. In situations in which these failed, the only previous option would have been palliation. In selected cases, we propose that urgent multivisceral transplantation should be considered as a life-saving treatment. This represents a previously unreported indication for MVT.