The Journal of surgical research
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Comparative Study
Comparing outcomes with thoracic epidural and intercostal nerve cryoablation after Nuss procedure.
This study aimed to evaluate postoperative outcomes after minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum (Nuss procedure) using video-assisted intercostal nerve cryoablation (INC) compared to thoracic epidural (TE). ⋯ INC during Nuss procedure reduced LOS, shifting postoperative opioid use earlier during admission. This may reflect the need for improved early pain control until INC takes effect. Prospective evaluation after INC is needed to characterize long-term pain medication requirements.
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The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has emerged as a common therapy for severe cardiopulmonary dysfunction. We aimed to describe the relationship of institutional volume with patient outcomes and examine transfer status to tertiary ECMO centers. ⋯ Our findings show increased in-hospital mortality in high-volume institutions and in patients transferred to tertiary centers. Whether this phenomenon represents selection bias or transfer from another facility deserves further investigation and will aid with the identification of surrogate markers for quality of high-risk interventions.
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Comparative Study
Microfluidics contrasted to thrombelastography: perplexities in defining hypercoagulability.
Elevated clot strength (maximum amplitude [MA]) measured by thrombelastography (TEG) is associated with thrombotic complications. However, it remains unclear how MA translates to thrombotic risks, as this measurement is independent of time, blood flow, and clot degradation. We hypothesize that under flow conditions, increased clot strength correlates to time-dependent measurements of coagulation and resistance to fibrinolysis. ⋯ Microfluidic coagulation assessment with T-TAS has an overall poor correlation with most TEG measurements in a predominantly hypercoagulable patient population, except in the presence of t-PA. The one anticipated finding was an elevated MA having a shorter time to platelet-mediated microfluidic occlusion, supporting the role of platelets and hypercoagulability. However, hypercoagulability defined by LY30 had opposing results in which a low LY30 was associated with a longer PL time to occlusion and slower OSp. These discordant findings warrant ongoing investigation into the relationship between clot strength and fibrinolysis under different flow conditions.
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Shared decision-making (SDM) is touted as the preferred approach to clinical counseling. However, few data exist regarding whether patients prefer SDM over surgeon-guided discussions for complex surgical decision-making. Even fewer data exist regarding surgeon preferences. Such issues may be especially pronounced in pediatric surgery given the complex decision-making triad between patients/parents and surgeons. The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate patient/parent and surgeon attitudes toward SDM in pediatric surgery. ⋯ Despite recommendations that SDM is the preferred approach to clinical counseling, our systematic literature review shows that few studies evaluate patient/parent and surgeon attitudes toward SDM in pediatric surgery. Of these studies, very few focus on complex, urgent/emergent decision-making. Further research is needed to understand whether patients/parents, as well as surgeons, may prefer a more surgeon-guided approach to decision-making, especially when surgery is complex or taking place in urgent/emergent settings.
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Specialized tourniquets have been deployed to the battlefield for the control of junctional/pelvic hemorrhage despite limited knowledge concerning their safety and duration of use. This study investigated long-term effects of abdominal application of the abdominal aortic and junctional tourniquet (AAJT) in a swine survival model. ⋯ The results of this animal study indicated that ischemic reperfusion injuries associated with abdominal application of the AAJT were time-dependent. To avoid permanent injuries, AAJT application on the abdomen to control a groin hemorrhage could not be longer than 1 h. This was consistent with recent instructions for application of this tourniquet on the abdomen in patients.