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Postoperative complications associated with blood transfusions are frequently reported to be a result of the transfused leukocytes. This paper examines the effects of leukocyte depletion. Leukocyte depletion by filtration which can reduce leukocyte presence by more than 99.9%. The implications of this are postulated in terms of the results that may be obtained.
Postoperative complications can be localised and identified via sonography. This is of special interest in haematomas and abscesses situated subfascially or in the true pelvis, where they often produce misleading clinical signs and symptoms. Of equal importance is the detection of an intraperitoneal or subperitoneal haemorrhage and an estimation of its amount, even if it is only a rough estimate. Effective therapy can be instituted as soon as an exact diagnosis has been established.
Surgical complications were evaluated in 162 vulvar cancer patients. Assessed were: the frequency and type of postoperative complications, the incidence of perioperative blood transfusions, the course of postoperative wound healing, the length of postoperative hospital stay and reasons for perioperative mortality. An analysis of factors influence the risk of complications was conducted.
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BACKGROUND: Postoperative complications are common in the Medicare population, yet no study has formally quantified the change in prognosis that occurs after a broad range of first complications. OBJECTIVE: We sought to estimate the relative severity of 24 first postoperative complications. RESEARCH DESIGN: We undertook a multivariate matched, population-based, case-control study of death after surgery in a sample of 1362 Pennsylvania Medicare patients. SUBJECTS: Cases (681 deaths) were selected randomly using claims from 1995-1996. Models were developed to scan all Pennsylvania claims, looking for similar controls that did not die. MEASURES: Charts were abstracted, complications identified, and models were constructed to estimate the odds of dying after any 1 of 24 first postoperative complications. RESULTS: The odds of dying within 60 days increased 3.4-fold (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.5-4.7) in patients with complications as compared with those without complications. A first complication of respiratory compromise was associated with a 7.2-fold increase in the odds of dying (95% CI 4.5-11.6). The first complications of pneumonia or congestive heart failure were associated with, respectively, 5-fold (95% CI 2.1-12.1) and 5.1-fold (2.3-11.1) increases in odds of dying as compared with no complication. CONCLUSIONS: First complications after surgery, even seemingly mild ones, may radically alter the patient's risk of death. First complications often begin the cascade of complications that end in death. Caregivers should consider the first complication as a timely signal of a changed clinical situation demanding a reevaluation of the patient's care. Researchers may use these estimates to determine the relative severity of a broad range of first or early complications.
Results of the patients treatment, in whom biliodigestive anastomosis was performed for hepatopancreatobiliary zone cancer, were adduced. Among early complications hepatorenal insufficiency, septic-purulent and thrombohemorrhagic complications, postoperative pancreatitis, an acute purulent cholangitis had prevailed. The late complications were mainly presented by the biliary ducts cicatricial stricture, the jaundice and cholangitis recurrency. To improve the results of treatment of early and late postoperative complications the complex of surgical and therapeutic prophylactic measures was proposed as well as the monitoring system, based on the active diagnostico-therapeutic tactics algorhythm elaborated, which was directed on revealing and removal of complications. The timely performance of relaparotomy and "second look" operation constitutes the principal surgical method used.
In recent years nutritional status gained greater attention as a surgical risk factor. In 100 patients with solid and operable tumours nutritional assessment with different types of measurements (dietary habits, ideal weight/height, triceps skinfold, arm muscle circumference, creatinine-height index, serum protein, albumin, prealbumin, cholinesterase, transferrin, total peripheral lymphocytes, and skin tests) was performed. Individual abnormal nutritional measurements were compared with the incidence of complications postoperatively, which were found in 32 out of 95 patients. These complications appeared more often in correlation with the decline of nutritional status. However, we could not prove a statistically significant correlation between the examined parameters themselves and the incidence or lack, respectively, of postoperative complications. Possible reasons are discussed.
Medical documentation is getting more extensive, it is not standardised and can hardly be used to provide the exact and proper feedback. The crisis of data storage, processing and uninterrupted flow of information is becoming concial in the medical institutions as well. An example of informatic model of observation of postoperative complications following cataract surgery is presented in this work. The model has a very flexible pattern, and can, therefore, with minor changes, be used in observation of all postoperative complications in ophthalmology. It is based on the use of personal computer with professional software support (data base III programme was used for creation of data base, while statistical graphic analysis was carried out by following programmes: MICROSTAT, ABSTAT, STATGRAPHIC and FRAMEWORK). It has to be pointed out that any doctor, after only a short (optional) education, could prepare such models for his own purposes, and could thus assist in overcoming the information in medicine. In conclusion, the authors state computer is simple to work with, fast, economical and precise. Computerisation of health service shall include it in one of the aspects of practical realisation of the third technological revolution.
53 renal transplant recipients aged 13 to 58 years were followed up regularly clinically, microbiologically and serologically over observation periods ranging from 6 to 82 months following transplantation with a view to diagnosing mycetic complications. The only (facultative) pathogenic species found was Candida albicans. This species was isolated in every single patient, but far-reaching differences were observed with regard to the degree of form of infection in the individual person. Mainly, cases showed only a transient growth of Candida to a greater or lesser extent on the mucous membranes of the orointestinal tract, but in few cases serious systemic forms like fungaemia and urinary tract infections were manifest. Comparing the mycological and clinical findings it was apparent that the degree of mycetic infection and attendant complications was closely correlated to the incidence and severity of several--at least primarily--non-mycetic complications postoperatively, such as disorders of transplant function, rejection reactions, diabetes and bacterial infections. A causal connexion, thus, probably exists between postoperative mycetic and non-mycetic complications and the presumable underlying pathological mechanism is discussed.
Launois-Bensaude syndrome, otherwise known as Madelung's disease, is a rare disorder characterized by fatty accumulations of the upper trunk, neck and head, causing serious cosmetic deformity and neck immobility. We report a case of a patient with Launois-Bensaude syndrome who required 4 different airway management strategies during his hospitalization for postoperative complications after an elective surgical excision of a severe neck lipomatosis. Anesthesiologists who treat patients with Madelung's disease should be aware of 2 major problems: difficult airway and increased frequency of postoperative bleeding. A proper choice of airway management technique is therefore necessary, including a safe intubation and extubation plan to reduce the consequences of airway complications.
A retrospective study was conducted of two groups of patients over (group 1, n = 57) and under (group 2, n = 655) the age of 70 years who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). The pre-operative physical status and systemic complications, operation time, postoperative complications, postoperative hospital stay and other clinical features of the two groups were compared. The incidence of pre-operative complications in group 1 was significantly higher than that in group 2 (P < 0.05). Postoperatively no severe complication was found in any patient. Group 1 showed significantly prolonged operation time and postoperative hospital stay compared with group 2 (P < 0.05). The difference between the groups in the intra-operative treatment time and postoperative treatment is attributed to the greater prevalence of common bile duct stone in group 1 as there was little difference between the groups in the postoperative recovery after exclusion of these patients. No pulmonary complications, which are associated with LC, were observed; the postprocedure pain was slight and the period of bedrest was short. If complications associated with pneumoperitoneum can be prevented, this surgery is an excellent measure to improve the quality of life of even elderly patients with cholecystolithiasis.
We examined postoperative serial changes in the levels of serum interleukin 6 (IL-6), serum acute phase reactants (APRs) and plasma neutrophil elastase (NE) in patients with various cancers and reviewed these changes in patients who did, and did not, show postoperative complications. Serum IL-6 level was elevated after surgery, peaking on the first postoperative day. Elevation of serum APRs and plasma NE levels also followed. There was a significant correlation between the serum peak level of IL-6 and those of APRs and NE (P less than 0.01). Moreover, there was a significant difference in the serum IL-6 level in patients with and without complications. The relationship between the serum IL-6 greater than 400 pg/ml and the incidence of postoperative complications was also marked. These results suggest that circulating IL-6 is a clinically useful marker for the earliest detection and prediction of postoperative complications.
INTRODUCTION: Open repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) requires aortic clamping. This results in an ischaemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) which can lead to the development of the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and multiple organ failure (MOF). We investigated the use of urinary albumin:creatinine ratio (ACR) as a simple predictor of the development of complications (SIRS) postoperatively. METHODS: Forty-four patients undergoing elective infrarenal AAA repair and 10 control patients undergoing major abdominal surgery had fresh urine samples taken before, immediately after and 24 h after the procedure. Urinary ACR was calculated on all samples, and daily SIRS scores were calculated for all patients postoperatively. Systemic interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were measured intraoperatively to measure the cytokine response to surgery. RESULTS: AAA patients demonstrated a characteristic pattern of ACR levels during the three time points, with a significant increase in the ACR immediately postoperatively and with normalisation by 24 h (P<0.001 Wilcoxon signed ranks test). In comparison, control patients did not demonstrate any changes in their ACR (P=0.45 Wilcoxon signed ranks test) suggesting the increased ACR in AAA patients to occur as a result of IRI. ACR did not correlate with the development of SIRS postoperatively or with the systemic IL-6 response. CONCLUSIONS: Infrarenal AAA repair is associated with a temporary and reversible renal injury. ACR could not, however, be used as a predictor of complications postoperatively.
17% of postoperative ICU patients develop postoperative complications. In 84% of cases, complications are related to surgery, in 16% they are not. The main postoperative surgical complications are abdominal sepsis (65%), postoperative bleeding (25%), and bowel obstruction (7%). Therefore, the primary objective of postoperative investigations must be to check the sites of operation. Bedside procedures are examination of drainage fluid, sonography, endoscopy, and X-ray (gastrografin swallow). The diagnostic value of these procedures is 80%. Other diagnostic procedures include CT, angiography, and diagnostic laparatomy.
PURPOSE: To compare the intraoperative complications and postoperative blood-aqueous barrier (BAB) disturbance after high-frequency capsulotomy and continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis (CCC). SETTING: Vienna General Hospital, Vienna, Austria. METHODS: This prospective, randomized clinical study evaluated 53 eyes with senile cataract. Patients were divided into two groups: high-frequency capsulotomy (n = 27) or CCC (n = 26). The surgical procedure and postoperative therapy were standardized for both groups. The intraoperative course was documented, and postoperative complications were examined by biomicroscopy 3 months postoperatively. Without the pupil dilated, BAB disturbance was evaluated with a laser flare-cell meter at 1, 3, 7, and 14 days postoperatively. The findings were analyzed statistically. RESULTS: Intraoperatively, the high-frequency capsulotomy group had a significantly higher rate of radial tears in the anterior lens capsule. Postoperatively, this resulted in a higher incidence of postoperative false positioning of the intraocular lens. At no time were the flare-cell meter results between groups statistically significant. CONCLUSION: High-frequency capsulotomy resulted in no more trauma than CCC. It can be a good alternative to conventional techniques, particularly in eyes with no red reflex. However, the technique is associated with less mechanical stability.
Intra-abdominal abscess, which carries significant rates of death and complications, may complicate the postoperative course. Treatment options include percutaneous needle aspiration, placement of an external drain under ultrasonic guidance, or surgical drainage, depending on the size, site, and nature (simple or complicated) of the abscess. Laparoscopic drainage may be a treatment option. A retrospective review of patients who underwent laparoscopic drainage of postoperative complicated intra-abdominal abscesses at the authors' institution from January 1997 to July 1999 was performed. Seven patients had complicated intra-abdominal abscesses 7 to 17 (mean 11) days after their initial operation. All abscesses were successfully drained by laparoscopy. The mean operative time was 64 minutes. There were no intraoperative or postoperative complications. The postoperative analgesic requirement was minimal. The suction drain was removed on average 5 days after laparoscopy, and the mean hospital stay was 6 days. There was no recurrence of symptoms at a mean follow-up of 23 months. Laparoscopic drainage, in combination with systemic antibiotics, is a safe and effective treatment option in patients with postoperative complicated intra-abdominal abscesses.