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Biomedical subjects

T Sautner

Publications and source records attributed to T Sautner.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Does reoperation for abdominal sepsis enhance the inflammatory host response?

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of reoperation for severe abdominal sepsis on the course of proinflammatory mediators and hemodynamic factors. DESIGN: Inception cohort. SETTING: A university hospital and a secondary care hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifteen patients suffering from severe peritonitis due to intestinal perforation or infected necrotizing pancreatitis were studied following 19 subsequent operations. Plasma samples were obtained immediately before and after reoperation, as well as at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours after operation to determine endotoxin, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and interleukin-6 levels. Clinical factors and therapeutic support were recorded at the corresponding times. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Postoperative hemodynamic instability as defined by changes of the mean arterial pressure, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, and vasopressor support. Courses of proinflammatory mediators were correlated to the hemodynamic findings. RESULTS: Mean arterial pressure decreased from 94 mm Hg postoperatively to 80 mm Hg at 3 hours (P = .006) and 81 mm Hg at 6 hours postoperatively (P = .005). Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure dropped from 14 mm Hg postoperatively to 12 mm Hg at 1 hour (P = .05). Vasopressor support significantly increased from 1 to 6 hours postoperatively (P = .02). Neither endotoxin nor tumor necrosis factor alpha levels showed significant changes in the postoperative course. Interleukin-6 levels continously increased from 586 pg/mL preoperatively to 910 pg/mL at 1 hour (P = .02) and 931 pg/mL at 3 hours postoperatively (P = .04). Overall interleukin-6 levels (R = -0.38, P = .003) and especially early postoperative interleukin-6 levels inversely correlated with postoperative mean arterial pressure. CONCLUSIONS: Reoperation for abdominal sepsis frequently causes substantial hypotension, and is, thus, potentially harmful to the patient. Reoperative trauma may induce an early postoperative increase in interleukin-6 levels. Because this increase occurs before the development of hypotension, a relationship between the kinetics of this cytokine and the observed hemodynamic instability may be present.

Adult↗

[Early postoperative infections after liver transplantation--pathogen spectrum and risk factors].

Infections occurring during the early postoperative phase after liver transplantation result in a significant rise in morbidity and mortality. The records of 279 orthoptic transplantations performed in 248 patients were analyzed retrospectively. 55.6% of all patients suffered from one or more episodes of bacterial and/or fungal infection during their postoperative hospitalisation. The median onset of bacterial/fungal infection was on day 7 after transplantation. Enterococci (42 episodes), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (38 episodes), staphylococci (37 episodes), Escherichia coli (17 episodes) and Candida albicans (11 episodes) were the most frequently detected organisms. 74 (29.8%) patients developed viral infections. 20 patients (8.1%) showed infection with cytomegalovirus (CMV), 32 patients (12.9%) with herpes simplex virus (HSV) and 6 patients (2.4%) with varicella zoster virus (VZV). 14 patients (5.6%) developed infection with both CMV and VZV. Triple infection with CMV, HSV and VZV occurred in one patient. Statistical analysis of potential risk factors showed a significant influence of blood volume replacement (p < 0.001) and occurrence of at least one rejection period (p < 0.02) for major bacterial/fungal infection and immunosuppression (p < 0.001), cold ischemic time (p < 0.04), occurrence of at least one rejection period (p < 0.005) and blood volume replacement (p < 0.04) for viral infection.

Adolescent↗

[Revision of diffuse peritonitis: planned versus on demand].

Planned and "on-demand' reoperations are well-established concepts in the management of severe diffuse peritonitis. Both concepts were applied at our surgical department and reviewed with regard to specific complications and lethality. In the period between 1 January 1989 and 31 May 1994, 62 patients with the diagnosis of diffuse peritonitis underwent operative treatment at our surgical department. The mean age of the 29 female and 33 male patients was 58.2 years (range 17-93 years). The origin of peritonitis was the stomach in 8.1%, duodenum in 16.1%, small intestine in 12.9%, large intestine in 41.9% and the pancreas in 16.1%. Among these 62 patients, 15 were reoperated upon according to plan and 47 were reoperated upon on demand. The intraoperatively gained Mannheim peritonitis index and the Apache II score were similar in both groups. The average number of reoperations was five in the group of planned revisions and three in the group of on-demand revisions. Also lethality was similar in both groups. Regarding lethality, only the age of the patient (P < 0.03) and the preoperative Apache II score (P < 0.01) reached statistical significance. As expected, eradication of the infectious source was the precondition of survival regardless of the type of reoperation. Regarding our results, we conclude that planned or on-demand reoperations lead to similar results in the treatment of diffuse peritonitis. The crucial point for success is that elimination of the infection source take place as soon as possible.

APACHE↗

Human growth hormone kinetics in critically ill patients.

Several studies have shown that exogenous human growth hormone (HGH) exerts an anabolic effect on protein metabolism in surgical patients with mild or moderate catabolism. However, contradictory results have been demonstrated in polytrauma patients where HGH did not improve protein metabolism. Aim of this study was to evaluate whether the pharmacokinetics of recombinant biosynthetic human GH (r-HGH) are altered in critically ill patients. After an overnight fast, r-HGH was infused at a rate of 460 micrograms/h/kg/bw during 120 min to five intensive care unit (ICU) patients. The patients were catabolic (nitrogen balance -11 +/- 0.5), showed normal liver function, and only one patient had a slightly impaired kidney function (creatinine > 1.5 mg/dl). Endogenous GH secretion was suppressed by continuous infusion of 50 micrograms/m2/h somatostatin. From plasma GH curves, elimination half life (t1/2kle), whole body clearance (Cltot) and steady state distribution space (DS) were calculated in an open two compartment model. Additionally, the effects of r-HGH infusion on plasma insulin, glucagon and amino acid concentrations were evaluated. T1/2kle was 19.6 +/- 2.3 min, Cltot 2.9 +/- 0.4 ml/kg/bw/min and DS 76.4 +/- 3.8 ml/kg/bw for 90 min. The plasma levels of total amino acids including the branched chain amino acids valine, leucine and isoleucine and of glutamine were significantly higher during r-HGH infusion than during the basal and somatostatin periods. In conclusion, the elimination of r-HGH in catabolic ICU patients is not different from that of healthy volunteers.

Adult↗

Acute effects of insulin-like growth factor I on interorgan glucose and lactate flux in protein-catabolic dogs.

Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) is a potent protein-anabolic hormone with a glucose-lowering effect and is therefore a possible agent for treating catabolic patients. In this study we investigated the effect of recombinant human (rh) IGF-I on the interorgan flux of glucose under hypo- and normoglycemic conditions in catabolic, anaesthetized, and catheterized dogs. We administered a primed (40 micrograms/kg) continuous (1.5 micrograms.kg-1.min-1) infusion of rhIGF-I (Kabi Biopharma, Stockholm, Sweden) for 180 min together with either a saline (0.9% NaCl) or an amino acid solution (2.2 mg AA.kg-1.min-1 solution of Vamin, Kabi Nutrition, Stockholm, Sweden). RhIGF-I administration lowered plasma glucose levels for approximately 50% of the baseline (P < 0.001) and stimulated glucose uptake from skeletal muscle about twofold (P < 0.01), but did not modify glucose balances across the gut and liver. The same effects were found when infusing rhIGF-I together with AA. A co-infusion of rhIGF-I and glucose to maintain normoglycemic conditions stimulated glucose uptake from skeletal muscle by about fivefold (P < 0.001) and glucose uptake across the gut by about 50%, but reduced the hepatic glucose liberation (-65%; P < 0.01). The rhIGF-I infusion did not alter arterial lactate levels, but stimulated lactate release from skeletal muscle (P < 0.05) and lactate uptake across the liver (P < 0.05). We conclude that rhIGF-I reduces plasma glucose levels mainly by stimulating glucose uptake across skeletal muscle.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Necrosectomy and laparostomy--a combined therapeutic concept in acute necrotising pancreatitis.

OBJECTIVE: To present our experience with laparostomy and necrosectomy in the treatment of acute necrotising pancreatitis, and to show how refinements in our treatment regimen improved mortality over the years despite no reduction in the severity of the disease. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: University hospital, Austria. SUBJECTS: 125 patients treated by laparostomy/necrosectomy with repeated revisions during the period January 1983 to December 1991. INTERVENTIONS: Laparostomy, blunt necrosectomy, operative lavage, and open drainage. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mortality and morbidity. RESULTS: The severity of disease was assessed by the APACHE II score (median 15, range 4-30). In 106 of the 125 patients (85%) the necrotic pancreatic tissue was infected. Patients were operated on if they deteriorated clinically or if organ failure was suspected. A change in the protocol from revisions on demand (1983/4) to planned re-exploration at 48 hour intervals (1985/8) was associated with a reduction in mortality from 53% (16/30) to 28% (20/72). This was further reduced in 1989/91 to 17% (4/23) when a protocol of revisions planned for individual patients was introduced (p = 0.02). The incidence of gastrointestinal fistulas during the three periods was 6/30 (20%); 24/72 (33%); and 1/23 (4%); (p = 0.022), whereas that of intraabdominal bleeding remained much the same (7/23, 23%; 13/72, 18%; and 4/23, 17%; p = 0.56). The median (range) APACHE II scores for the three periods were 12 (4-27), 15 (5-30), and 14 (4-25). CONCLUSION: By continual revision of our protocol, together with accompanying improvements in intensive care, our mortality decreased significantly during the nine year period.

Acute Disease↗

Tumour necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6: early indicators of bacterial infection after human orthotopic liver transplantation.

OBJECTIVE: To see if it was possible to predict the development of infection after liver transplantation from concentrations of endotoxin, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), or interleukin-6 (IL-6) in plasma. DESIGN: Prospective open study. SETTING: University hospital, Austria. SUBJECTS: 46 Consecutive patients who underwent liver transplantation for end stage liver disease, 1989-90. INTERVENTIONS: Samples of 4 ml blood were taken in endotoxin free tubes, and of 10 ml into heparinised tubes at the beginning of the operation, during hepatectomy, at the beginning and end of the anhepatic phase, 10 minutes after reperfusion, and at the end of the operation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Correlation between development of infections postoperatively and operative release of endotoxin, TNF-alpha, and IL-6. RESULTS: There was no correlation between development of postoperative infections and operative concentrations of endotoxin, and of TNF-alpha and IL-6 up to the end of the anhepatic phase. There was, however, a sixfold increase in TNF-alpha and IL-6 concentrations between the end of the anhepatic phase and the end of the operation in patients who subsequently developed infections (p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: The increase in the concentrations of these two cytokines in the blood after reperfusion of the transplanted liver seems to predict the development of subsequent bacterial infection.

Adult↗

Transhepatic metabolism of TNF-alpha, IL-6, and endotoxin in the early hepatic reperfusion period after human liver transplantation.

Several studies have shown that the postoperative course of cytokines such as TNF-alpha or IL-6 is predictive of rejection and infection after human orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). The aim of this prospective clinical trial was to evaluate the impact of transhepatic metabolism of endotoxin (ET), tumor necrosis-factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) after hepatic ischemia/reperfusion on the postoperative graft function. In 13 consecutive elective adult OLT patients with primary grafts, we determined concentrations of ET, TNF-alpha, and IL-6 in the radial artery, portal vein, and right hepatic vein at 1, 4, 7, 10, and 13 min after reperfusion. Of the 13 patients, four had ET levels below the detection limit (< 10 ng/L), and one patient had extremely high ET concentrations (151 ng/L in the hepatic vein). In the remaining patients the mean ET levels were 26 +/- 14, 26 +/- 15, and 24 +/- 14 ng/L in the portal vein, hepatic vein, and in the radial artery, respectively. These values indicate that in patients with a moderately elevated ET level, no transhepatic concentration differences of ET exist. However, in the patient with severe endotoxemia, the liver was apparently an ET-producing organ (HV-P: 29 +/- 13 ng/L). TNF-alpha levels were not measurable in four patients, and varied between 15 and 72 pg/ml (portal vein) in the remaining patients. The transhepatic concentration differences (HV-P and HV-A, respectively) of patients with PNF or dysfunction were higher than in those with "good" or "excellent" graft function (HV-P: 160 +/- 122 pg/ml vs. 7.3 +/- 9.7 pg/ml; P < 0.01 and HV-A: 137 +/- 101 pg/ml vs. 3.9 +/- 12 pg/ml; P < 0.01, respectively). Arterial IL-6 levels were below 88 pg/ml (mean value: 31 +/- 20 pg/ml) at the beginning of the operation, and increased considerably in three patients during the anhepatic phase and after reperfusion. No clinical correlation was found with the transhepatic concentration differences of IL-6. We conclude that in OLT patients without infection no transhepatic ET exchange was documented. However, a stimulated hepatic TNF-alpha release seems to be predictive of the beginning of liver dysfunction.

Adolescent↗

The value of obturator canal bypass. A review.

OBJECTIVE: To review the value of obturator canal bypass with respect to long-term results. DESIGN: Case series and literature review. SETTING: University of Vienna Medical School in Austria. PATIENTS/METHODS: Personal experience with 34 consecutive patients and 125 cases published since 1982 with respect to patient data, patency, and survival are compared and jointly analyzed retrospectively. INTERVENTIONS: Patients received obturator canal bypass for lesions of the pelvic or common femoral vessels precluding orthotopic reconstruction. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The rates of patient survival, limb salvage, and graft patency were analyzed. RESULTS: The postoperative mortality rate in the present series was 14.7%. The limb salvage rate after 5 years was 76.5%. One- and 5-year secondary patency rates were 75.3% and 54.9%, respectively. All grafts in patients without atherosclerosis were patent at a median of 34 months. For 57 cases documented in the literature, 1- and 5-year patency rates were 70.8% and 59.7%, respectively. Combined analysis of 90 obturator canal bypasses revealed rates of 72.7% and 56.9% of patent grafts at 1- and 5-years, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The use of obturator canal bypass is recommended in deep groin infections and especially in patients with lesions of the pelvic vessels due to other occlusive vascular disease.

Aged↗

Immunological risk factors are solely responsible for primary non-function of renal allografts.

Primary non-function (PNF) of renal allografts has been attributed to various risk factors, among them immunological ones, as well as unfavourable preservation conditions. To investigate the impact of these risk factory on the occurrence of PNF, 1335 consecutive kidney transplants performed at a single centre over a 10-year period were analysed. All patients received immunosuppression based on cyclosporine. As the method of analysis a conditional stepwise logistic regression model was chosen, comparing each graft suffering PNF with its partner kidney retrieved from the same donor. Thus, all donor-related variables could be omitted from the analysis, as they are the same in every pair of grafts. Risk factors analysed included panel-reactive antibodies, number of pretransplant transfusions, pregnancies, number of prior transplants, cold and second warm ischaemia time, mismatches on HLA loci A, B and DR and recipient age. The overall incidence of PNF was 87 grafts (6.5%). One patient suffered immediate rejection due to transplantation of an ABO incompatible graft. This case was excluded from further analysis. PNF occurred three times in recipients of living related grafts, twice in recipients of en-bloc grafts and four times in grafts, in which the paired kidney was either not transplanted or shipped outside the Eurotransplant region, so that no paired graft was available for matched case-control analysis. Of the remaining 77 pairs, twice both organs of one donor failed immediately. The remaining 73 complete pairs were analysed. Two of the investigated risk factors have independently a significant impact on the occurrence of PNF. Increasing the number of pretransplant transfusions raises the relative risk of graft failure up to six fold (P=0.02), while a history of prior transplants bears a relative risk of 0.21E05 (P=0.005). Ischaemia has no significant impact on the occurrence of PNF. Our data strongly suggest that immunological rather than donor risk factors are responsible for the non-function of kidney grafts.

ABO Blood-Group System↗

Influence of donor criteria on postoperative graft function after orthotopic liver transplantation.

Evaluation of graft quality remains a major problem in liver transplantation. The aim of this retrospective analysis was to examine the impact of donor criteria on postoperative graft function. Between June 1986 and September 1993 324 liver transplantations were performed at our institution. Criteria for exclusion from analysis were postoperative thrombosis of graft vessels, retransplantation, death prior to the 5th postoperative day or missing donor criteria. For the eligible 255 transplantations the impact of the following donor criteria were examined: age (range 1-62 years, median 28 years), size/body weigt index, duration of intensive care, cause of death, circulatory condition, need for vasopressive support and liver function tests (bilirubin, GOT, GPT, GGT, LDH, ALP, prothrombin time (PT), creatinine, sodium). The following intraoperative factors were also assessed: type of protective solution, cold ischaemic time (CIT), anhepatic period and blood transfusions. Graft function during the first 5 postoperative days was categorized into four groups: (1) good function (GOT max < 1000 U/l, spontaneous PT > 50%, bile production > 100 ml/day); (2) fair function (GOT 1000-2500 U/l, clotting factor support < 2 days, bile < 100 ml/day); (3) poor function (GOT > 2500 U/l, clotting factor support > 2 days, bile < 20 ml/day); (4) primary non-function (retransplantation required within 7 days). A univariate analysis revealed duration of intensive care (P = 0.001), circulatory condition (P = 0.005), anhepatic period (P = 0.0004), blood transfusions (P = 0.03) and CIT (P = 0.039) as significant risk factors for postoperative graft function. Entering these factors in a multivariate regression model we identified creatinine (P = 0.007), duration of intensive care (P = 0.009) and the size/body weight index (P = 0.03) as donor-related factors of high significance. Analysis of the intraoperative data revealed the anhepatic period as the factor of highest significance (P = 0.0004) together with CIT (P = 0.02) and intraoperative blood transfusions (P = 0.008). A doubling of the number of days of intensive care resulted in a threefold increased risk of postoperative graft failure. Prolonged intensive care is a variable representing multiple risk factors. Accepting donors with a longer history of hypotension or who show signs such as elevated creatinine should be carefully considered. In patients with expected surgical difficulties resulting in an extended anhepatic period and a higher blood loss, transplantation of organs retrieved from donors with a long duration of intensive care and a long CIT should be avoided.

Adolescent↗

Adjuvant intraperitoneal cisplatin chemotherapy does not improve long-term survival after surgery for advanced gastric cancer.

PURPOSE: The long-term survival probability of patients who undergo surgery for stage 3 and 4 gastric cancer is poor, predominantly due to metastatic spread of the tumor. Depending on the type of tumor histology, the pathway of metastases is mainly peritoneal or hepatic dissemination. Interruption of this mechanism may be possible by intraperitoneal chemotherapy (IPT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a prospective randomized trial of 67 patients undergoing surgery for stage 3 and 4 gastric cancer, 33 patients underwent adjuvant postoperative IPT with cisplatin, while 34 control subjects remained untreated. RESULTS: Patients in the treatment group received a median of four IPT perfusions. Apart from frequent nausea, no adverse reactions or complications were noted. The median disease-free survival durations were 12.7 months and 9.7 months in treated patients and controls, respectively (P = .8). After a median follow-up duration of 72 months, 54 patients (80%) had died of primary disease or related complications. The median survival duration for IPT patients was 17.3 months as compared with 16.0 months for controls (P = .6). Autopsies were performed on 12 (18%) of 54 patients who died, and showed tumor spread to the peritoneal cavity and/or to the liver, irrespective of the application of IPT. CONCLUSION: IPT with cisplatin monotherapy does not improve survival probability after surgery for stage 3 and 4 gastric cancer. The reasons for ineffectiveness of IPT may be the choice of an unsuitable chemotherapeutic agent, an inefficient modus of application, or a lack of sufficient drug penetration into the serosa or peritoneal metastasis.

Aged↗

Acute effects of insulin-like growth factor I on inter-organ amino acid flux in protein-catabolic dogs.

The effects of acute administration of human recombinant insulin-like growth factor-I (rhIGF-I) on amino acid (AA) flux between hindlimbs, liver and gut were investigated in anaesthetized post-operative dogs. rhIGF-I produced about a 10-fold increase in plasma IGF-I concentrations above baseline values (P < 0.001), increased the plasma levels of glucagon and adrenaline (P < 0.05), and evoked a fall in plasma glucose (-55 +/- 8%; (P < 0.001) and plasma total AA levels (-23 +/- 8%; P < 0.05). AA flux in post-absorptive dogs under NaCl infusions was characterized by an efflux of AA from the hindlimbs (as a result of the protein-catabolic situation), an equal AA balance across the gut and an AA uptake by the liver. The administration of rhIGF-I increased hepatic AA uptake in the NaCl group from 3.51 +/- 0.8 to 7.5 +/- 0.4 mumol/min per kg (P < 0.01) and in the AA-infused group from 16.8 +/- 0.6 to 22.4 +/- 1.5 mumol/min per kg (P < 0.05), but did not influence the AA balance across hindlimbs and gut. Glucose infusions normalized the plasma concentrations of counter-regulatory hormones without influencing the inter-organ AA balances. We conclude that hypoaminoacidaemia caused by rhIGF-I infusions is the result of a stimulated AA uptake by the liver, but is unrelated to alterations of AA exchange across the hindlimbs.

Amino Acids↗

[Laparoscopic colon surgery--from experiment to initial clinical experience].

The technique of Laparoscopic resection of the colon sigmoideum was practised in an experimental model before starting a clinical program of laparoscopic colonic surgery. Until now, two resections of the colon sigmoideum, one ileocecal resection, one right colectomy, one Hartmann's procedure and one transversostomy have been performed laparoscopically. Three patients had colonic carcinoma. One sigmoid resection had to be converted to open surgery and this patient underwent relaparotomy because of postoperative ileus. The postoperative course of the other patients was uncomplicated. The promising initial experience demonstrates that laparoscopic colonic surgery is feasible, although further studies have to prove advantages and indications, especially with respect to oncology.

Adolescent↗