Annals of surgery
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Comparative Study
The influence of injury severity on complication rates after primary closure or colostomy for penetrating colon trauma.
The management of penetrating colon injury has been frequently debated in the literature, yet few reports have evaluated primary closure versus diverting colostomy in similarly injured patients. Diverting colostomy is the standard of care when mucosal penetration is present, but primary closure in civilian practice has generally had excellent results, although it has been restricted to less severely injured patients. Because the degree of injury may influence choice of treatment in modern practice, various indices of injury severity have been proposed for assessment of patients with penetrating colon trauma. ⋯ Of the injury severity indices examined, the PATI most reliably predicted complications and specifically identified patients who whose outcome would be good with primary repair. These results suggest that the use of primary closure should be expanded in civilian penetrating colon trauma and that, even with moderate degrees of colon injury, primary closure provides an outcome equivalent to that provided by colostomy. In addition, the predictive value of the PATI suggests that it should be included along with other injury severity indices in trauma data bases.
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Mesenteric traction syndrome consists of sudden tachycardia, hypotension, and cutaneous hyperemia, and frequently occurs during mesenteric traction in patients undergoing abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) reconstructive surgery. The etiology and clinical impact of this phenomenon are unknown, but the symptoms suggest a release of vasoactive materials from the mesenteric vascular bed. Thirty-one patients who underwent AAA surgery were studied. ⋯ Cutaneous hyperemia was observed in 58% of the patients. In an additional six patients, who had taken aspirin daily before AAA surgery, no significant changes were observed in the hemodynamic measurements or 6-K-PGF1 concentrations. These data suggest that mesenteric traction syndrome may be mediated at least in part by a selective release of prostacyclin.
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The significance of hyperamylasemia and its relationship to pancreatitis after cardiac surgery is controversial. Three hundred consecutive patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass were prospectively studied to determine the incidence and significance of postoperative hyperamylasemia. Ninety-six of three hundred patients (32%) developed hyperamylasemia. ⋯ The reason that nonpancreatic hyperamylasemia is associated with increased postoperative mortality is not established but may represent a variety of metabolic aberrations or tissue injuries. It is concluded that 1) hyperamylasemia after cardiopulmonary bypass is a marker of potential clinical importance, and 2) pancreatitis in this setting is more common than previously recognized and is a potentially lethal complications. Successful treatment depends on early diagnosis and aggressive treatment.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Hemodynamic and oxygen transport effects of pentastarch in burn resuscitation.
If nonprotein colloid plasma expanders could be demonstrated to be safe and efficacious in burn resuscitation, a significant cost benefit would result. This study was a randomized cross-over comparison of 500 ml of 5% albumin and 500 ml of 10% pentastarch, a new hydroxyethyl starch, in acute burn resuscitation. ⋯ Pentastarch is a promising plasma substitute for burn resuscitation; the effects of a 500 ml infusion are equal or superior to those of albumin. Further study is necessary to assess the safety of larger infusion volumes.
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Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) has been available to neonates with respiratory failure at the University of Michigan School of Medicine since June 1981. In order to evaluate the impact of this type of pulmonary support, a retrospective analysis of 50 neonates with posterolateral congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) who were symptomatic during the first hour of life and were treated between June 1974 and December 1987 was carried out. The patients were divided into two groups, those treated before June 1981 (16 patients) and those treated after June 1981 (34 patients). ⋯ These survival differences are significant (p less than 0.01). In addition, the survival of 87% for the infants treated with ECMO versus the expected mortality of greater than 80% for these same patients when treated with conventional therapy is highly significant (p less than 0.005). Based on this data, ECMO appears to be a successful, reliable, and safe method of respiratory support for selected, critically ill infants with CDH.