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Administration of high-dose aprotinin during nonprimary cardiovascular surgery: case reports and review of the literature.

The perioperative management of two patients undergoing complex "redo" cardiac surgical procedures are presented. The management of both patients included the prophylactic administration of aprotinin via a "compassionate use" protocol. Aprotinin, a serine protease inhibitor, has been shown to limit the exposure to blood and blood products in patients undergoing high-risk cardiac surgical procedures. In late December 1993, the Food and Drug Administration approved aprotinin for administration to cardiac surgical patients considered at high risk for post-cardiopulmonary bypass coagulopathies. Indications for the administration of aprotinin, as well as a brief review of the literature relating to the perioperative administration of aprotinin, are included.

Adult↗

Ondansetron prevents postoperative nausea and vomiting in women outpatients.

Three doses of intravenous (i.v.) ondansetron, 1 mg, 4 mg, and 8 mg, were compared to placebo for their antiemetic effect and safety. The drugs or placebo were administered in a double-blind manner, prophylactically to 589 women undergoing elective outpatient surgical procedures under nitrous oxide opioid-based general endotracheal anesthesia. In the postanesthesia care unit, the number of emetic episodes, periodic assessments of nausea severity using an 11-point scale (0 = no nausea; 10 = worst nausea), vital signs, and adverse events were collected by an independent observer for 2 h. Upon discharge, identical information, with the exception of vital signs, was collected from the patients' diary and via phone call. One pre- and two poststudy blood specimens for hematology and chemistries were evaluated. During the initial 2 h, patients receiving any dose of ondansetron had significantly better complete response rates (no emesis) than those receiving placebo. Over the 24-h study period, patients who received either 4 mg or 8 mg ondansetron continued to have significantly greater complete response rates. Adverse events were minor, and ondansetron-treated patients had profiles similar to those of the placebo. Heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and laboratory safety variables were not different among the groups. Ondansetron did not prolong awakening time. This study indicates that ondansetron is a safe and effective prophylactic antiemetic for women who have outpatient surgery under nitrous oxide opioid-based general anesthesia.

Adolescent↗

Prophylactic beta-blockade to prevent myocardial infarction perioperatively in high-risk patients who undergo general surgical procedures.

INTRODUCTION: The benefit of administering beta-adrenergic blocking agents perioperatively to surgical patients at high risk for myocardial ischemia has been demonstrated in several well-designed randomized controlled trials. These benefits have included a reduction in the incidence of myocardial complications and an improvement in overall survival for patients with evidence of or at risk for coronary artery disease (CAD). We designed a retrospective study at the Ottawa Civic Hospital to investigate the use of beta-blockers in the perioperative period for high-risk general surgery patients who underwent laparotomy and to explore the reasons for failure to prescribe or administer beta-blockers when indicated. METHODS: All 236 general surgery patients over the age of 50 years who underwent laparotomy for major gastrointestinal surgery between Jan. 1, 2001, and Dec. 31, 2001, were assigned a cardiac risk classification using the risk stratification described by Mangano and colleagues. The perioperative prescription and administration of beta-blockers were noted as were the patient's heart rate and blood pressure parameters for the first postoperative week, in-hospital adverse cardiac events and death. RESULTS: Of the 143 patients classified as being at risk for CAD or having definite evidence of CAD, 87 (60.8%) did not receive beta-blockers perioperatively. Of those who did, 43 were previously on beta-blockers and 13 had them ordered preoperatively. Patients with definite CAD were significantly more likely than others to receive beta-blockers perioperatively (p < 0.001), as were patients seen by an anesthesiologist or an internist preoperatively (p < 0.001). Twenty (33%) of the 61 patients who were already taking beta-blockers preoperatively had them inappropriately discontinued postoperatively. Once prescribed by the physician, beta-blockers were administered by the nurses irrespective of nil par os status. The mean heart rate and blood pressure parameters for patients receiving beta-blockers postoperatively was 82 beats/min and 110 mm Hg, respectively, and these values were not significantly different from the mean heart rate of patients not receiving beta-blockers. The number of postoperative cardiac events was significantly higher in patients with definite evidence of CAD, and among this group, the use of beta-blockers was associated with a significant reduction in postoperative cardiac events. This was not true for patients at risk for CAD or patients with no risk of CAD. CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion (> 60%) of general surgery patients who were identified as having definite evidence of, or being at risk for, CAD were not prescribed beta-blockers preoperatively. More than 30% of patients who were on beta-blockers preoperatively did not have them reordered postoperatively. These results may reflect controversy surrounding the recommendations, miscommunication between surgeons and anesthesiologists and errors in postoperative ordering.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗

Prophylactic methotrexate after linear salpingostomy: a decision analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To compare two strategies for managing women after linear salpingostomy for treatment of tubal pregnancy: observation and prophylactic methotrexate. DESIGN: Decision analysis. SETTING: Outpatient tertiary-care center. PATIENT(S): One thousand hypothetical women treated with a linear salpingostomy for ectopic pregnancy. INTERVENTION(S): Observation after salpingostomy and treatment of persistent ectopic pregnancy with a single dose of methotrexate (current standard of care) versus treatment with prophylactic methotrexate at the time of salpingostomy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Number of ruptured ectopic pregnancies, surgical procedures, complications, and cost for each group (observation vs. prophylaxis). RESULT(S): Prophylactic methotrexate results in fewer cases of tubal rupture (0.4% vs. 3.7%) and fewer procedures (1.9% vs. 4.7%) at a lower cost ($67.55 less/patient) compared with observation alone. Methotrexate-associated complications occur more frequently with prophylaxis (5.5% vs. 0.8%). Certain conditions change which strategy is preferable. Observation is the best strategy when the persistent ectopic pregnancy rate is <9%, the success of prophylaxis is <95%, the complication rate associated with methotrexate is >18%, or the rupture rate of persistent ectopic pregnancies is <7.3%. CONCLUSION(S): Prophylactic methotrexate at the time of linear salpingostomy for the treatment of ectopic pregnancy is preferable to observation as long as certain conditions exist.

Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal↗

The role of surgery in the treatment of trophoblastic disease.

Over 600 of the 850 cases of gestational trophoblastic disease that have been treated in our department during the last 20 years were reviewed to determine the role of surgery in the management of the disease. The surgical procedures employed included hysterectomy, both as a prophylactic and definitive procedure, thoracotomy, excision of vaginal nodules and neurosurgical removal of cerebral secondaries. It was found that removal of a large tumor mass improved the response to subsequent chemotherapy. Removal of vaginal nodules usually was not necessary unless there was hemorrhage. Chemotherapy with precise hormonal monitoring remains the most important means of treating choriocarcinoma.

Adolescent↗

Hemostatic alterations in cancer patients.

Nearly all patients with cancer manifest laboratory evidence of hypercoagulability and some develop clinical thromboembolic disease (TED). Routine laboratory studies of blood coagulation have been performed in several large, prospective trials of the use of anticoagulant drugs in cancer treatment. The results of these studies, as well as data from several smaller studies of more sensitive tests of hypercoagulability [e.g. fibrinopeptide A (FPA); thrombin-antithrombin (TAT) complexes; prothrombin fragment F1 + 2)], indicate that the levels of some clotting proteins parallel disease activity. However, no studies of sound methodologic design have yet been performed to indicate that any of these tests of blood coagulation can serve as adequate predictors of TED in patients with cancer. In addition to the important role played by tumor-related procoagulants, several other mechanisms may be involved in the pathogenesis of thromboembolic events in patients with cancer, including stasis and endothelial damage. Considerable variability in the relative importance of these mechanisms in the pathogenesis of TED may exist among patients with different types of cancer. The risk for TED associated with surgical procedures in cancer patients is substantial and prophylactic antithrombotic therapy should be considered for most of these patients. Chemotherapy and hormonal therapy of cancer probably increases the likelihood of TED, particularly in those subjects with indwelling venous catheters. This risk has been particularly well-studied in patients with breast cancer treated with tamoxifen plus cytotoxic drugs. The pathogenic mechanisms may be complex but vascular injury is likely as a proximate cause of venous access catheter thrombosis and can be prevented with low dose coumadin therapy. The utility of low dose coumadin anticoagulation in reducing the risk for TED during breast cancer treatment is unknown but is currently being tested in a large, multiinstitutional study. Since chronic coumadin anticoagulation of cancer patients, and single pulse dose heparin prior to intravenous chemotherapy, both prevent thrombin generation, these agents may be of use in reducing the risk of chemotherapy-associated thrombosis. Prophylactic anticoagulation should be considered for high risk patients.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

Intermittent pneumatic calf compression for prevention of deep venous thrombosis in general abdominal surgery.

A prospective randomized trial is described in 119 patients undergoing major abdominal general surgical procedures. Half of the patients were treated prophylactically with intermittent pneumatic calf compression, begun after the induction of anesthesia and continued until the patient was walking; the other half acted as controls. Deep venous thrombosis was detected by iodine-125 fibrinogen scanning and confirmed by venography, and did not differ significantly in the control and treated groups. One fatal pulmonary embolism occurred in each group. The presence of malignancy of the gastrointestinal tract did not influence the results. The findings suggest that pneumatic compression delayed the development of deep venous thrombosis postoperatively and that perhaps it should be continued until discharge from hospital.

Abdomen↗

Thrombosis in pediatric cardiac patients.

Cardiac disease and thrombosis are intimately related in adults, but primary myocardial infarction in children is rare. Homozygous familial hyperlipidemia occurs in approximately 1 million children, and causes severe coronary artery disease during childhood. Kawasaki's disease is an acquired inflammatory disorder, which, if untreated, leads to coronary artery aneurysms and subsequent myocardial infarction. The current understanding of the pathophysiology and management of these conditions is discussed. More commonly, the relationship between cardiac disease in children and thrombosis is that children being treated for congenital structural cardiac disease develop iatrogenic thrombosis, most commonly precipitated by central venous access. The epidemiology of common treatment-induced thrombosis is described, and management guidelines presented. Finally, many cardiac surgical procedures increase the risk of thrombosis, and prophylactic antithrombotic therapy is commonly used. The current evidence for prophylaxis in different clinical situations is presented. Additional study is required in all areas to improve the outcome for children affected by cardiac disease and thrombosis.

Anticoagulants↗

Surgical results of vitrectomy in ocular trauma.

The authors have analyzed 49 consecutive eyes with trauma that had undergone vitrectomy. Anatomic success (eyes with attached retinas and generally clear media, regardless of visual function) was achieved in 80% of eyes. This high rate of success resulted from the use of silicone oil in 20 eyes with complicated retinal detachment that was judged otherwise as irreversible. Functional success (eyes with a final visual acuity of 0.2 [20/100] or better, or a postoperative improvement in visual acuity of two lines on the Snellen chart) was achieved in 53% of eyes. In most of the eyes that underwent vitrectomy 2 months or longer after injury, the visual outcome was poor, even when anatomic success was achieved. Retinal detachment was a major factor in poor surgical prognosis. Prophylactic scleral buckling and/or an encircling procedure significantly decreased the incidence of postoperative retinal detachment.

Accidents, Occupational↗

The role of prophylactic antibiotics in the prevention of prosthetic device infections.

This article examines available information concerning the use of antimicrobial agents to prevent prosthetic device infection at the time of surgical implantation. Additionally, the authors comment on the dearth of information concerning prophylactic antibiotics prior to elective surgical or dental procedures to prevent contamination of prosthetic devices already in place.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

[Diverticular peritonitis. Clinical, prognosis and therapeutic aspects].

The results of diagnosis and management of perforated sigmoid diverticulitis were studied retrospectively over a 10 years period. 23 patients underwent operation, 17 for generalized peritonitis and 6 for local peritonitis. The mean age of patients was 65.7 years. Diverticular disease were known previously in 5 patients (21%) and complicated (diverticulitis) in 2 patients (8.6%). Depending on the symptoms and the spreading of the peritonitis 4 types of the disease can be described: primary generalized peritonitis, secondary generalized peritonitis, progressive generalized peritonitis and local peritonitis. Hartman procedure was performed in 16 patients, and proximal colostomy with drainage in 6 patients, ideal resection in one. The over all mortality was 34.7%, 43% after resection, 16% after conservatrice procedure, depending on the clinical status, duration of symptoms, type of peritonitis, surgical procedure. Improved results will require early diagnosis, adapted surgical procedure, appropriate antibiotics therapy and extension of prophylactic segmentation colectomie after one acute diverticulitis.

Adult↗

Antibiotic patterns associated with fungal colonization in critically ill surgical patients.

Fungal infections (FI) in surgical patients are increasing; mortality approaches 50 per cent. Prior studies identified factors predicting fungal colonization (FC) including broad spectrum antibiotics (BSA). This study investigates antibiotic patterns predicting FC. Other risk factors and outcomes are analyzed. A total of 72 consecutive SICU patients receiving > or = 7 days BSA were followed. None received prophylactic antifungals. Input data: Age, APACHE II, surgical procedure, lines, ulcer prophylaxis, TPN duration, antibiotic/antifungal regimen. Outcome data: FC, FI, length of SICU and hospital stay, mortality. A total of 32 patients (44%) developed FC; five (16%) developed FI (P = 0.08). All infected patients died (P = 0.0002). FC of GU (25%), respiratory (19%), and GI (19%) tracts were common. Multiple site colonization occurred in 25 per cent of colonized patients. Metronidazole and duration of ventilation predicted FC. APACHE II and TPN duration predicted mortality. Mortality occurred exclusively among patients requiring systemic antifungals. Among BSA, only metronidazole independently predisposed to FC. Other predictors of colonization and mortality agree with prior studies. The high mortality among patients requiring systemic antifungals implies that a more aggressive approach to prophylaxis may be warranted.

APACHE↗

Varicose vein stripping--a prospective study of the thrombotic risk and the diagnostic significance of preoperative color coded duplex sonography.

Insufficiency of epifascial veins promotes venous ulceration and increases thromboembolic risk in general surgery patients. Epifascial varicose vein stripping is therefore considered the most effective prophylactic procedure. Thromboembolic risk of patients undergoing this surgical procedure has not yet been prospectively evaluated but appears to be lower than in general surgery patients. The gold standard of preoperative assessment of varicose surgery patients is ascending pressure phlebography, but this technique is invasive, time consuming and costly. We prospectively investigated 100 consecutive varicose vein surgery patients for postoperative thrombosis. Ascending pressure phlebography (APP) and colour coded duplex sonography (CCDS) were performed before and 10 to 21 days after the stripping operation in 100 and 70 patients, respectively. APP revealed no postoperative deep vein thrombosis in all 100 limbs investigated (0 percent; 95 percent confidence interval: 0 to 2.95). With regard to epifascial vein reflux there was good agreement between APP and CCDS (quadratic weighted kappa: 0.76). In 67 out of 73 superficial veins investigated excellent agreement of diagnostic accuracy was found for both diagnostic procedures (91.78 percent; 95 percent confidence interval: 82.96 to 96.92). We conclude that thrombotic risk of varicose vein surgery is low in properly selected patients. CCDS provides a high degree of accuracy in diagnosis of reflux and regular vein morphology and should therefore replace APP; however, APP does remain essential in the preoperative workup of atypical anatomical variants.

Adolescent↗

[Complications of cerebrospinal fluid shunt].

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to know the incidence, mode of presentation, clinical and microbiological aspects, as well as the management of ventriculo-peritoneal shunt malfunction. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was carried out where thirty-seven children with malfunctioning shunts were studied. The mechanical causes of shunt malfunction included disconnection, fracture and obstruction, while infection was considered as either a clinical or analytical change (blood and/or CSF). RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 5.5 years. The most common indication for the insertion of the ventriculoperitoneal shunt was congenital hydrocephalus. The average stay in the ICU was 8.2 days. Mechanical dysfunction was detected in 25 patients (68%) and infectious etiology in 12. The most common clinical manifestations were vomiting, fever and headache. CSF biochemical alteration was found in 8 of the infected group. Staphylococcus was isolated in six of the 8 cases. The ventriculoperitoneal shunt was changed during the first 24 hours in 17 of 25 patients (68%) with mechanical malfunction, while 11 cases with an infective cause (92%) were managed with an external shunt. The interval between the insertion of the ventriculoperitoneal shunt and the malfunction was over 6 months in 20 cases (54%). CONCLUSIONS: Ventriculoperitoneal shunts are the main method for treating hydrocephaly, although they are not without complications which may require surgical procedures. Appropriate surgical technique, asepsis, as well as prophylactic antibiotics are essential to decrease the incidence of complications.

Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts↗

The physiology, medical management and oral implications of menopause.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 36 million women in the United States are in the postmenopausal phase of life. The vast majority of these women experienced spontaneous cessation of menses between the ages of 47 and 55 years when the production of estrogen decreased because of an inadequate number of functioning follicles within their ovaries. Fewer women entered menopause after surgical removal of both ovaries. This procedure usually is performed prophylactically to prevent ovarian cancer in conjunction with a hysterectomy, which is required to treat abnormal bleeding, endometriosis or pelvic inflammatory disease. The physiological changes associated with spontaneous or surgical menopause cause some women to experience uncomfortable symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness. In addition, estrogen deprivation arising from menopause in association with age-related factors disproportionately increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (that is, myocardial infarct, stroke), osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease and oral disease. Hormone replacement therapy, or HRT (estrogen or estrogen and progestin), often is prescribed on a short-term basis to alleviate the uncomfortable symptoms associated with estrogen deficiency and on a long-term basis to prevent some of the chronic illnesses common to postmenopausal women. CONCLUSIONS: Dentists who treat women entering menopause need to consider the stressful phase of life their patients are experiencing. Clinical findings of postmenopausal problems on dental examination may include a paucity of saliva, increased dental caries, dysesthesia, taste alterations, atrophic gingivitis, periodontitis and osteoporotic jaws unsuitable for conventional prosthetic devices or dental implants. Panoramic dental radiographs may reveal calcified carotid artery atheromas. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Dentists have an opportunity to refer women who are not under the care of a gynecologist for an evaluation to determine the appropriateness of HRT for its systemic and oral health benefits.

Alzheimer Disease↗

Spinal lipomas in children: outcome of 270 procedures.

Spinal lipomas are a common cause of spinal cord tethering. Recently, prophylactic surgical removal of spinal lipomas has been questioned, especially of the conus medullaris. Unfortunately, few statistically significant series have been reported. A total of 213 children with spinal lipomas were operated on at the Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Ill., USA, on whom 270 procedures were carried out between 1975 and 1995. The status of these children was retrospectively reviewed to determine the differences in outcome between patients prophylactically operated on before the onset of symptoms and those operated on after the onset of symptoms. Fifty-five patients presented with a lipoma of the filum terminale and 158 with a lipoma of the conus medullaris. In the filum terminale group, 28 were asymptomatic at the initial operation, and 27 presented with symptoms. Of the asymptomatic children with filum terminale lipomas, none worsened after surgery, and all remained asymptomatic throughout follow-up (mean follow-up: 3.4 years). Benefits were also observed for the symptomatic patients in this group as no cases of further deterioration were noted, and 5 patients returned to normal clinical status. In the conus group, 71 patients were asymptomatic at initial surgery, and 87 presented with symptoms. In the case of conus medullaris lipomas, 9 of the 71 children who were operated on prophylactically, later deteriorated (mean follow-up: 6.2 years) and required a second untethering operation which resolved all symptoms in 4 cases. Thus, 5 of 71 deteriorated, while 66 remained normal (93%) throughout the period of follow-up. On the other hand, of the 87 patients operated on after the onset of symptoms, 36 (41%) deteriorated further and required subsequent reoperations. In these 87 children, the final outcome at the end of follow-up (mean follow-up: 6.6 years) showed that 20 (23%) patients had deteriorated compared to initial presentation and 44 (51%) remained at initial clinical baseline, while 23 (26%) improved or returned to normal clinical status. Prophylactic surgery in the case of the asymptomatic infant with a spinal lipoma showed a clear benefit. Good outcome was also observed when surgery was carried out after the onset of symptoms. Prophylactic surgery also had a better general outcome by actuarial calculations when only patients with a follow-up of more than 5 years were considered. Deterioration occurred in 5 (16.7%) of the 30 children with a follow-up of more than 5 years, while 25 (83.3%) remained normal. Furthermore, in cases which had prophylactic surgery, there was not only a smaller incidence of deterioration requiring a reoperation, but this group of patients also experienced a longer time interval between initial surgery and the need for reoperation compared to the patients operated on after the onset of symptoms. The authors conclude that spinal lipomas should be operated on as soon as possible on a prophylactic basis, and careful and constant follow-up should be carried out to permit prompt reintervention in cases with deterioration.

Adolescent↗

Haemate P in children with von Willebrand's disease.

In our center, 289 children with von Willebrand's disease (vWD) have been diagnosed since 1982. The majority of cases (n = 198) were congenital vWD whereas 91 patients suffered from vWD induced by valproate (VPA). We overview bleeding episodes in 45 children and 64 operative procedures requiring therapeutic intervention. The aim of therapeutic and prophylactic procedures in vWD is correcting the hemostatic disorder and normalization of bleeding time. This can be achieved by application of Haemate P leading to an elevation of plasma levels of von Willebrand parameters together with normalization of bleeding time. In patients with vWD type I, DDAVP will be preferred if contraindications can be excluded and efficacy has been shown. Severe bleeding complications could be prevented in a total of 50 surgical procedures in children with vWD type I by prophylactic treatment with DDAVP or Haemate P. Two children initially treated with DDAVP had to be substituted with Haemate P in the follow-up because of continuous bleeding. In type IIa and type III vWD as well as in VPA-induced vWD, the use of Haemate P was essential for sufficient hemostasis in all bleeding and operations. We conclude that Haemate P provides effective bleeding prophylaxis and treatment in all types of vWD except platelet-type.

Child↗