Journal of the American College of Surgeons
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Parathyroid carcinoma is a rare endocrine malignancy that lacks an established system for risk categorization. This study evaluated a prognostic scoring system for recurrence-free survival (RFS) of patients with parathyroid carcinoma. ⋯ A prognostic scoring system using vascular invasion, age, and serum calcium level at initial parathyroidectomy can be used to predict RFS. This categorization might be helpful for clinical decisions relative to the timing and use of adjuvant therapy. Comprehensive validation using multiple cohorts will be needed to confirm applicability.
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Outpatient laparoscopic appendectomy is being used increasingly as a treatment option for acute, uncomplicated appendicitis. This was a prospective validation study in a large, urban, public safety-net hospital. ⋯ Outpatient appendectomy is safe in a public hospital and results in shorter hospital length of stay and decreased healthcare costs. Strict criteria for discharge are important to identify patients who should be admitted for observation.
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Critically ill cirrhotics require liver transplantation urgently, but are at high risk for perioperative mortality. The Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, recently updated to incorporate serum sodium, estimates survival probability in patients with cirrhosis, but needs additional evaluation in the critically ill. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the predictive power of ICU admission MELD scores and identify clinical risk factors associated with increased mortality. ⋯ The MELD demonstrated relatively poor predictive accuracy in critically ill patients with cirrhosis and might not be the best indicator for prognosis in the ICU population. Prognostic accuracy is significantly improved when variables indicating organ support (mechanical ventilation, vasopressors, and continuous renal replacement therapy) are included in the model.
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Long-term outcomes data for hernia recurrence rates after abdominal wall reconstruction (AWR) with acellular dermal matrix (ADM) are lacking. The aim of this study was to assess the long-term durability of AWR using ADM. ⋯ Use of ADM for AWR was associated with 11.5% and 14.6% hernia recurrence rates at 3- and 5-years follow-up, respectively. Avoiding bridged repairs and human cadaveric ADM can improve long-term AWR outcomes using ADM.