Surgery
-
Major medical advances occur during wartime because of the presence of a high concentration of overwhelming casualties and the resulting requirement for innovative solutions. Examples of these advances include the propagation of hospitals with sanitary conditions, the use of blood transfusions, dialysis, air transportation of casualties, and advancements in vascular reconstruction. ⋯ The approach to the injured soldier has involved every aspect of patient care to include prevention using body armor, hypotensive resuscitation, tourniquets, intravenous and topical hemostatic agents, and a proactive approach of aggressive correction of coagulopathy using blood products. These advances currently are being translated to civilian practice altering the care of the urban patient.
-
Anticoagulant therapy is challenging to modern surgical practice because it complicates risks of bleeding and the need for allogeneic blood transfusions. In an aging population, there is extensive use of antiplatelet agents, and patients present for operations receiving these agents. Hemostatic inhibitors are reviewed here, including anticoagulants, platelet inhibitors (clopidogrel), low-molecular-weight heparins, pentasaccharide (fondaparinux), and other factor Xa inhibitors. Agents used to manage bleeding, including aprotinin, lysine analogs, desmopressin, and recombinant factor VIIa, are discussed.
-
Major bile duct injuries remain a potentially devastating complication after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. A retrospective review was conducted of patients who underwent a biliary-enteric reconstruction of a biliary injury to assess their long-term outcome. ⋯ Bile duct injuries that require a biliary-enteric repair are commonly associated with long-term complications. Level of injury and likely timing of repair predict risk of postoperative stricture.
-
The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) has reduced complications for surgery patients in the Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare System. The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma maintains the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) to track injured patient comorbidities, complications, and mortality. We sought to apply the NSQIP methodology to collect comorbidity and outcome data for trauma patients. Data were compared to the NTDB to determine the benefit and validity of using the NSQIP methodology for trauma. ⋯ Complications occurred more frequently in trauma patients than general surgery patients. The UM NSQIP Trauma patients had higher rates of complications than reported in the NTDB. The NTDB data potentially underreport important comorbidity and outcome data. Application of the NSQIP methodology to trauma may present an improved means of effectively tracking and reducing adverse outcomes in a risk-adjusted manner.
-
The field of postgraduate minimally invasive surgery/gastrointestinal surgery (MIS/GIS) training has undergone substantial growth and change. To determine whether fellowships are meeting a strategic need in training, we conducted a survey to assess the current status and trends of change in MIS/GIS fellowships. ⋯ It seems that the MIS/GIS Fellowship is meeting a real need among graduating surgical residents; fellows felt unprepared for clinical practice at the completion of residency. It is encouraging to note the improvements in fellowship structure, standards, and overall experience, brought by the efforts of the FC. It is hoped that this report of the state of MIS fellowship with a comprehensive review of current data will aid in further evaluation and improvement.