Search

To investigate the effect of an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) program on complications and length of stay (LOS) after radical cystectomy (RC) and to assess if the number and type of components of ERAS play a key role on the decrease of surgical morbidity. We analyzed the data of 277 patients prospectively recruited in 11 hospitals undergoing RC initially managed according to local practice (Group I) and later within an ERAS program (Group II). Two main outcomes were defined: 90-day complications rate and LOS. As secondary variables we studied 90-day mortality, 30-day readmission and transfusion rate. Patients in Group II had a higher use of ERAS measures (98.6%) than those in Group I (78.2%) (p

OBJECTIVES Tranexamic acid is used to prevent hyperfibrinolysis and reduce postoperative bleeding and blood transfusions in on-pump cardiac surgery. We evaluate the efficacy of low or high dose tranexamic acid in a prospective cohort study conducted in Valencia. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 427 patients were recruited between January 2019 and January 2020, 207 in the Hospital General Universitario (low dose [LD]) and 220 in the Hospital Universitario y Politecnico La Fe (high dose [HD] and intermediate dose [ID]). We recorded the presence of hyperfibrinolysis on rotational thromboelastometry, intra- and postoperative administration of blood products, chest tube output within the first 12 h, and incidence of convulsions. Univariate and multivariate comparisons were performed. Univariate analysis of all categories was performed after propensity score matching between LD and HD and between LD and ID. RESULTS There were no statistically significant differences in: appearance of hyperfibrinolysis, administration of blood products, postoperative chest tube output within the first 12 h, or occurrence of convulsions. Group LD received less fibrinogen than group HD (P = .014) and ID (P = .040) but more fresh frozen plasma than group ID (P = .0002). CONCLUSIONS Administration of low-dose tranexamic acid is as effective as higher doses in hyperfibrinolysis prophylaxis and the prevention of postoperative bleeding in cardiac surgery.

Introduction Laparoscopic radical cystectomy with lymphadenectomy and urinary diversion is an increasingly widespread operation. Studies are needed to support the oncological effectiveness and safety of this minimally invasive approach. Patients and methods A non-randomized, comparative prospective study between open radical cystectomy (ORC) and laparoscopic radical cystectomy (LRC) was conducted in a university hospital. The main objective was to compare cancer-specific survival. The secondary objective was to compare the surgical results and complications according to the Clavien–Dindo scale. Results We treated 156 patients with high-grade invasive bladder cancer with either ORC ( n = 70) or LRC ( n = 86). The mean follow-up was 33.5 ± 23.8 (range 12–96) months. The mean age was 66.9 + 9.4 years, and the male to female ratio was 19:1. Both groups were equivalent in age, stage, positive lymph nodes, in situ carcinoma, preoperative obstructive uropathy, adjuvant chemotherapy and type of urinary diversion. There were no differences between the groups in terms of cancer-specific survival (log-rank; p = 0.71). The histopathology stage was the only independent variable that predicted the prognosis. The hospital stay ( p = 0.01) and operative transfusion rates ( p = 0.002) were less for LRC. The duration of the surgery was greater for LRC ( p p = 0.62) or major complications ( p = 0.69). The risk of evisceration ( p = 0.02), surgical wound infection ( p = 0.005) and pneumonia ( p = 0.017) was greater for ORC. The risk of rectal lesion ( p = 0.017) and urethrorectal fistulae ( p = 0.065) was greater for LRC. Conclusion LRC is an equivalent treatment to ORC in terms of oncological efficacy and is advantageous in terms of transfusion rates and hospital stays but not in terms of operating room time and overall safety. Studies are needed to better define the specific safety profile for each approach.

Objective To analyze the outcomes of umbilical laparoendoscopic single-site (LESS) ureteral reimplantation using a reusable single-port platform. Materials and method The casuistic of LESS ureteral reimplantation in 5 patients is presented. The surgical technique using KeyPort system (reusable umbilical single-site platform) is described. Dissection, suctioning and suturing by minilaparoscopy through 3.5 mm accessory port in the iliac fossa are performed. Operative and postoperative outcomes are presented. The median follow-up at time of analysis was 11 ± 14 months. Results The median age of patients was 49 ± 34 years; male-female ratio was 1:1.15. Left surgery was carried out in all cases. In 4 patients, the etiology was secondary to stenosis (3 iatrogenic and 1 pelvic endometriosis). In the remaining case, the procedure was performed after excision of a symptomatic adult ureterocele. In all cases, bladder catheter and double-J ureteral catheter were inserted for 7 ± 3 and 30 ± 15 days and then removed. No conversion to convectional laparoscopic or open surgery occurred. The surgery time was 145 ± 60 min, and intraoperative bleeding was 100 ± 75 cc. Neither transfusion nor high analgesia was necessary. No postoperative complications, minor or major, have been reported. Hospital stay was 2 ± 0.5 days. In any patient, restenosis or worsening of renal function occurred. Conclusions In experimented centers, transumbilical laparoendoscopic single-site ureteroneocystostomy is a safe alternative with comparable results to conventional laparoscopy and an excellent cosmetic result at low cost thanks to device reuse.

Objective Probably, laparoscopic radical cystectomy with ileal neobladder and neovesicourethral anastomosis is one of the most complex procedures in minimally invasive surgery. Materials and methods Prospective study carried out in 72 patients surgically treated for invasive bladder neoplasia between January 2008 and October 2013. Patients underwent radical cystectomy with ileal neobladder (open approach in 33 patients and laparoscopic approach in 39). The study assessed comparatively surgical outcomes, continence rate and postoperative complications. Results Mean age was 63.5 ± 9 years (64.3 open vs. 62.7 laparoscopic, p = 0.46), mean surgery time 323.6 ± 78.7 minutes (321.3 vs. 326.5, p = 0.77), average hospital stay 14.8 days ± 8.1 (16.2 vs. 13.6, p = 0.2), transfusion rate 40.3% (66.7% vs. 17.9%, p

Background and goal of study Postoperative myocardial infarction is a serious and frequent complication of cardiac surgery. Nonetheless, diagnosis in this context is occasionally challenging. We sought to evaluate the kinetics and diagnostic accuracy of the new biomarker “heart-type fatty acid-binding protein” (h-FABP) in the early detection of myocardial injury in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting, compared with classical biomarkers. Materials and methods A prospective study was conducted on 17 consecutive patients who underwent off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting during a 2-month period. Blood samples were drawn for measurement of myocardial ischemic injury biomarkers (h-FABP, troponin, creatine kinase [CK] and CK-MB), at baseline (T1), immediate post-coronary artery bypass grafting (T2), on ICU admission (T3), and after 4 (T4), 8 (T5), 24 (T6) and 48 h (T7). Perioperative ischemic complications, defined according to electrocardiographic, echocardiographic and hemodynamic criteria, were recorded. Results Earlier peak biochemical marker plasma values occurred at T4 with troponin (2.9 ± 5.2 ng/mL), and at T5 with h-FABP (37.9 ± 55.5 ng/mL). Maximum values of CK and CK-MB occurred later, both in T6 (741 ± 779 and 37 ± 51 U/L, respectively). The optimized cut-off obtained for h-FABP was 19 ng/mL, providing a sensitivity and specificity of 77 and 75%, respectively, for diagnosis of perioperative ischemic injury, with an area under the ROC curve for h-FABP of 0.83 (95% CI 0.6–1.0) vs. 0.63 (95% CI 0.33–0.83) for troponin. This cut-off value for h-FABP is reached on average at T2 (mean value of h-FABP at T2: 18.9 ± 21.5 ng/mL). Conclusion This is the first study evaluating the kinetics of h-FABP biomarker in perioperative off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting, and the cut-off value established could help to extend earlier detection of myocardial ischemia in this context.

Study objective: Assessing length of stay in Intensive Care Units (LOSI) after mitral valve surgery is challenging due to wide spectrum of comorbidities and cardiovascular procedures. The study aim was to elaborate a predictive model in order to identify risk factors and predict the expected resources consumption for better monitoring for caregivers and patients. Design: Retrospective study of prospectively collected data during 2009 and 2013. Setting: University teaching hospital. Patients: We studied all consecutive adult patients (≥ 18 years) who underwent elective mitral valve surgery. We enrolled 212 patients. Measurements: Our outcome variable LOSI. Comorbidities, postoperative morbidity and mortality were collected during the perioperative period. Multivariate analysis was used and data was studied as an additive model to assess the associations between the variables and the presence of correlations between them. Generalized additive model was fitted with least squared means estimated by the additive model due the non linearity of Euroscore I. Histograms of the residuals were examined visually to assess the fit of the models above. The model was selected using the statistical software R version 3.0.2 (R Foundation, Vienna, Austria). Results: Median of LOSI was 4 days (Interquantile range 2 to 4 days). The model for LOSI includes: infection post surgery (p

OBJECTIVES: We aim to describe our experience in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with or without cardiopulmonary bypass by comparing intraoperative and postoperative outcomes. METHODS: From January 1993 to June 2013, 3097 patients underwent consecutive emergency and scheduled CABG surgery. A total of 1770 patients underwent on-pump CABG (ONCABG) and 1327 off-pump CABG (OPCABG). A propensity score matching was performed to identify appropriate matched-pair patients; univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to assess significant predictors of hospital and 30-day morbidity and mortality composite end-points. Morbidity composite end-point was defined as any renal, pulmonary, cardiovascular and neurological complication that occurred during hospital stay. We collected all-cause mortality data during the study period. RESULTS: We identified 1004 patients in each group. There were no significant differences in thirty day mortality, 2.8 vs 3.8%, in OPCABG and ONCABG, respectively (P = 0.21). Cardiovascular, neurological, respiratory and renal complications were more frequent in the ONCABG group: 13.9 vs 8.7% (P < 0.001), 3.9 vs 2.2% (P = 0.03), 13.5 vs 7.5% (P < 0.001), 7.1 vs 5.3% (P = 0.095), respectively. The long-term all-cause mortality rate was 12.3 vs 12.9% in the OPCABG versus ONCABG group (P = 0.42), respectively. In both uni- and multivariable analysis preoperative renal failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and ONCABG were independent predictors of mortality and morbidity composite end-points. CONCLUSIONS: OPCABG is associated with less postoperative morbimortality and shorter hospital and intensive care unit length of stay. ONCABG resulted as an independent predictor of morbidity and mortality composite end-point. No statistically significant differences were observed in long-term all-cause mortality between groups.

Objective The inflammatory pseudotumor is a rare lesion, having benign behavior and some histological heterogeneity that appears in the genitourinary tract. A series of urogenital inflammatory pseudotumors are reviewed with emphasis on their clinicopathological and immunohistochemical characteristics. Materials and methods A retrospective study on the causistics treated between January 1981 and December 2010 was performed. It identified the cases of inflammatory pseudotumor with urogenital localization. The variables age, gender, symptoms, topography, treatment and anatomopathological and immunohistochemical characteristics of each case were analyzed. Results A total of 8 cases of the urogenital-located inflammatory pseudotumor are described. Of these, 6 were located in the bladder, one in the kidney and one in the epididymis. Mean age of the patients was 46.75 (±19.84) years. Tumor presentation symptoms were macroscopic hematuria, single symptom or accompanied by symptoms of the lower urinary tract and inguinoscrotal mass. With regard to treatment in the cases of bladder localization, transuretheral ± cystectomy were performed. In the case of kidney localization, treatment was made by means of pyelotomy and exeresis, and in the case of epididymis localization, simple exeresis was performed. The anatomopathological study showed inflammatory pseudotumor in every case, having a mesenchymal and myxoid appearance, with fusiform cells of eosinophil cytoplasm, with presence of frequent inflammatory cells. The most common immunohistochemical pattern shows positivity for the muscle-specific actin (HHF-35), vimentin and negativity for protein S-100. ALK-1 was positive in 87.5% of the cases. Conclusion The inflammatory pseudotumor is a condition having good prognosis which, when there is a good histopathological and immunohistochemical diagnosis, every urologist should recognize and distinguish in order to carry out as conservative a surgical treatment as possible.

Introducción: La estenosis uretral femenina secundaria a erosión por cabestrillo suburetral es un problema poco frecuente y de difícil solución. Los colgajos ventrales de rotación vaginal o los injertos dorsales de mucosa bucal no son útiles, porque este tipo de estenosis es demasiado proximal (cercana al cuello vesical) y la vagina se encuentra adelgazada. Presentamos nuestra experiencia en el manejo de este problema utilizando la escisión del tracto uretral afecto, asociada a colgajo de mucosa vesical y a cabestrillo vaginal mediante colgajo vaginal trasverso para reparar la endeble pared vaginal. Material y métodos: Tres mujeres con estenosis uretral secundaria a erosión uretral de cabestrillo fueron tratadas con una técnica combinada de plastia uretral con colgajo vesical y refuerzo vaginal mediante colgajo vaginal pediculado transferido a modo de mini-cabestrillo. Dos de las pacientes se encontraban en retención urinaria crónica, y no fue posible la colocación preoperatoria de catéter uretral. Las pacientes fueron evaluadas tras la cirugía a 12, 36 y 55 meses, respectivamente. Resultados: La cirugía fue practicada sin complicaciones. Los resultados fueron satisfactorios en todas las pacientes, alcanzando buen calibre miccional postoperatorio y encontrándose sin incontinencia en el momento del seguimiento. Conclusión: Los pacientes con erosión suburetral por un cabestrillo sintético y estenosis uretral secundaria severa necesitan exéresis total de la malla y reconstrucción completa del tabique uretro-vaginal. La sutura uretral sin tensión y el empleo de cabestrillo vaginal con la técnica que describimos son dos puntos técnicos de gran utilidad para este problema. Introduction: Female urethral stricture secondary to erosión by suburethral sling is an unfrequent problem of difficult solution. Ventral vaginal rotation flaps or buccal mucosa dorsal grafts are not useful because this type of stricture is very proximal (close to the bladder neck) and the vagina is thinned. We present our experience to manage this problem using excision of disease urethral tract, associated to bladder mucosa flap and vaginal sling using transverse vaginal flap to repair the weakened vaginal wall. Material and methods: Three females with urethral stricture secondary to urethral erosion of their sling were treated with a technique of combined urethroplasty with bladder flap and vaginal reinforcement with pediculated vaginal flap transferred in a mini-sling fashion. Two of the patients suffered chronic urinary retention and preoperative placement of urethral catheter was not possible. The patients were evaluated 12, 36 and 55 months after surgery, respectively. Results: Surgery was performed without complications. Results were satisfactory in all the patients, reaching good micturition postoperative caliber and being without incontinence at follow-up. Conclusion: Patients with suburethral erosion by a synthetic sling and secondary severe urethral stricture need total extirpation of the mesh and complete reconstruction of the urethro-vaginal septum. Tension-free urethral suture and use of vaginal sling with the technique here described are two useful technical tips for this problem.

In recent decades great advances have been made in surgical procedures for treating thoracic and thoracoabdominal aorta defects. Associated mortality and morbidity rates have dropped considerably, mainly in major reference centers, but nonetheless continue to be significant. The need for new strategies to reduce mortality and morbidity has made endovascular approaches an attractive alternative for high-risk surgical patients. The most feared complications of these procedures include paraparesis and paraplegia, which have devastating consequences on patients' quality of life. We provide an updated review of the pathophysiology of spinal cord ischemia in open and endovascular surgery, as well as perioperative measures designed to protect the spinal cord in both types of procedure.

El Strongyloides stercoralis (Ss) es un nematodo endémico en países de clima tropical y subtropical, y en España se han descrito casos, sobre todo en la costa mediterránea. La infección por Ss suele ser asintomática o manifestarse por síntomas predominantemente digestivos, y en los casos de hiperinfestación produce una estrongiloidiasis diseminada con sobreinfecciones bacterianas sistémicas que provocan una disfunción multiorgánica con resultado letal. Los factores de riesgo más importantes para que una infección en principio intestinal y en muchas ocasiones asintomática adquiera características de gravedad son la inmunosupresión y la utilización de corticoides, por su capacidad de alterar la función eosinofílica. El caso que presentamos corresponde a la forma de síndrome de hiperinfección por Ss acompañado de neumonía bilateral que ocasionó síndrome de distrés respiratorio agudo, con demostración del parásito en muestras de esputo, jugo gástrico y heces en un paciente con enfermedad de Crohn y tratamiento crónico con corticoides.

Summary The aims of this study were to assess adherence to oral hypoglycaemic/cardiovascular drugs and determine non-adherence predictors in type 2 diabetes patients. It was designed as a population-based cross-sectional study in which 90 patients from a primary care setting were studied. Pill count and self-report methods were used to measure adherence. Logistic regression analysis was performed to predict factors related to non-adherence. Adequate adherence to all drugs was found in 29 patients (35.4%; 95% confidence interval (CI) 25.0–45.7). Variables associated with non-adherence were HbA1c odds ratio (OR) 2.32 (95% CI: 1.09–4.95), systolic blood pressure OR 1.68 (95% CI: 1.08–2.62), total cholesterol OR 1.34 (95% CI: 1.08–1.66), number of pills OR 1.80 (95% CI: 1.26–2.55) and duration of disease OR 0.44 (CI 95%: 0.24–0.83). In conclusion, one in three patients had adequate adherence. Factors associated with non-adherence were duration of disease, complexity of drug regimen and inadequate control of cardiovascular risk factors.

Iatrogenic pneumocephalus is an uncommon complication observed after using the 'loss-of-resistance' technique with an air filled syringe. We report and review two cases of pneumocephalus: one subarachnoid and the other epidural.

Severe sepsis and septic shock (SS/SS) have a high mortality. Therapeutic guidelines can improve mortality, but early recognition and timely implementation of these requires a proactive attitude that can be electronically supported.

Method. All patients affected by chronic heart failure and evaluated for heart transplantation, with elevated PVR 3.0 Wood units, PAPm 25 mmHg or PCWP 15 mmHg, were included. The haemodynamic parameters measured by right heart catheterization were: pulmonary systolic, diastolic and mean pressures (PAPs, PAPd, PAPm), wedge pressure (PCWP), cardiac output (CO) and stroke volume (SV). The following variables were derived: transpulmonary pressure gradient (TPG), pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and systemic vascular resistance (SVR). All patients were tested by both iNO 20 ppm and 40 ppm and intravenous NaNTP, with increasing dosage, titrated on systemic pressure. The order of administration of iNO and NaNTP was randomly assigned.

In severe sepsis/septic shock (SS/SS), early recognition and timely implementation of treatment is critical for survival, and this could be electronically supported. We assess the value of an electronic automatic algorithm based on EMR data as a screening tool for early detection of sepsis.