Arch Surg Chicago
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Comparative Study
A prospective study of a focused, surgeon-performed ultrasound examination for the detection of occult common femoral vein thrombosis in critically ill patients.
A focused, surgeon-performed ultrasound examination of the common femoral veins is an accurate screening tool for the detection of common femoral vein thrombosis in high-risk, critically ill patients. ⋯ A focused, surgeon-performed ultrasound examination is a rapid and accurate screening method to detect common femoral vein thrombosis in critically ill patients as well as to examine those patients in whom pulmonary embolism is strongly suspected.
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Many surgical intensive care units (SICUs) face bed shortages for acutely ill patients that may result from a large proportion of bed occupation by chronically ill patients. We hypothesized that the introduction of a new intermediate care or step-down unit (SDU) managed by surgically trained intensivists would allow the admission of more acutely ill patients while maintaining satisfactory outcomes. ⋯ Opening an SDU resulted in a significant increase in the overall severity of the SICU population. Creation of an SDU managed by surgically trained intensivists may optimize the use of a hospital's resources, permit the expansion of emergency or tertiary care services, and improve outcomes for critically ill surgical patients.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Pancreaticogastrostomy decreased relaparotomy caused by pancreatic fistula after pancreaticoduodenectomy compared with pancreaticojejunostomy.
Pancreaticogastrostomy (PG) is associated with a lower relaparotomy rate following pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) than pancreaticojejunostomy (PJ). ⋯ The PG procedure is a safe method of reconstruction after PD, with a significantly lower rate of PF and relaparotomy.