Annals of surgery
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Recent studies have described the importance of renal glomerular filtration rate (GFR) as a determinant of perioperative mortality in patients with aneurysms that involve the thoracoabdominal and abdominal aorta. We studied the impact of GFR on mortality following repair of ascending and arch aneurysms. ⋯ Preoperative renal function as defined by GFR was the most significant predictor of mortality during repairs of the ascending and transverse aortic arch. The use of GFR provides better preoperative risk stratification during these repairs than creatinine alone.
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There has been an increase in interest in endoscopic therapy (ET) for intramucosal (T1a) or submucosal (T1b) esophageal carcinoma. The objective of the present study was to determine the prevalence of nodal metastases, lymphatic vascular invasion, and multifocal neoplasia in patients with pT1 esophageal carcinoma who underwent esophagectomy without preoperative therapy and assess their potential implication for ET. ⋯ The combined high incidence of MFN, LVI, and occult nodal metastases does not support the use of ET in patients with T1 esophageal cancer regardless of depth of invasion, cell type, differentiation or extent of BE. ET may be of value in patients in whom surgical risk is considered prohibitive.
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To report demographic and injury characteristics of children admitted to burn centers with injuries from suspected child abuse and to assess mortality risk and length of stay compared with patients whose injuries were labeled accidental. ⋯ Compared with children with accidental burn injuries who had similar demographic and injury characteristics, children admitted to burn centers with suspected abuse were at greater risk of mortality and required longer intensive care and total hospital stays.
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SUMMARY/Variations in technical performance in surgery are known to exist but are poorly understood. Gaining an appreciation of these differences may have implications for technical skills training, assessment, and selection. Investigators attempting to correlate technical skill with visuospatial or perceptual tests have failed to identify surrogate markers of surgical aptitude. Evidence from unrelated fields suggests that studying brain function may advance our understanding of disparate technical performance in surgery.
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Comparative Study
Angiopoietin-2, marker and mediator of endothelial activation with prognostic significance early after trauma?
To measure plasma levels of angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1), angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) early after trauma and to determine their clinical significance. ⋯ Ang-2 is released early after trauma with the degree proportional to both injury severity and systemic hypoperfusion. High levels of Ang-2 were associated with an activated endothelium, coagulation abnormalities, complement activation, and worse clinical outcome. These data indicate that Ang-2 is a marker and possibly a direct mediator of endothelial activation and dysfunction after severe trauma.