Langenbeck's archives of surgery
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Langenbecks Arch Surg · Mar 2014
Predictors of mortality for necrotizing soft-tissue infections: a retrospective analysis of 64 cases.
Necrotizing soft-tissue infection (NSTI) is a rare, but rapidly progressive and life-threatening disease with a high morbidity and mortality. The aim of the present study was to evaluate predictors of mortality in a group of patients with NSTIs treated at a single center. ⋯ In patients with NSTIs, skin necrosis may serve as an indicator for an advanced stage of the disease. Thus, the presence of visible skin necrosis as an independent predictor of mortality emphasizes the outstanding importance of early diagnosis and prompt treatment to improve the prognosis of patients with NSTIs.
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Langenbecks Arch Surg · Mar 2014
ReviewSelecting and measuring optimal outcomes for randomised controlled trials in surgery.
Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in surgery are complex to design and conduct and face unique challenges compared to trials in other specialties. The appropriate selection, measurement and reporting of outcomes are one aspect that requires attention. Outcomes in surgical RCTs are often ill-defined, inconsistent and at high risk of bias in their assessment and historically, there has been an undue focus on short-term outcomes and adverse events meaning the value of trial results for clinical practice and decision-making is limited. ⋯ Many of the historical problems with surgical trial outcomes may be overcome with an increased understanding of the trial design and purpose and recognition that pragmatic trials require assessments of outcomes that are patient-centred in addition to measurement of short-term outcomes. The use of core outcome sets developed for specific surgical interventions and the application of novel methods to blind outcome assessors will also improve outcome measurement and reporting. It is recommended that surgeons work together with trial methodologists to integrate these approaches into RCTs in surgery. This will facilitate the appropriate evaluation of surgical interventions with informative outcomes so that results from trials can be useful for clinical practice.
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Langenbecks Arch Surg · Mar 2014
Increased rate of clinically relevant pancreatic fistula after deep enucleation of small pancreatic tumors.
Only small, potentially benign pancreatic tumors located ≥3 mm distant from the main pancreatic duct (MPD) are considered good candidates for enucleation. This study evaluates the outcome of enucleations with regard to their distance to the MPD. ⋯ Deep enucleation of small, potentially benign pancreatic tumors should be considered with caution given the high rate of clinically relevant POPF.