Medicine
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Postoperative chylothorax is a rare but well-known complication of general thoracic surgery. Medical treatment of chylothorax was reported in the past, but there is still considerable controversy on the appropriate management strategies. Two patients with esophageal cancer underwent esophagectomy, 2-field lymph node dissection, and resection of thoracic duct together with ileocolic reconstruction via the retrosternal route at our hospital. ⋯ They have remained recurrence-free at the time of writing. In this report, we demonstrated the clinical efficacy of etilefrine for the management of postesophagectomy chylothorax. New medical treatment options for this condition are now broad and the usefulness of combined therapy consisting of a sclerosing agent, etilefrine, and octreotide is underscored, regardless of the status of the thoracic duct.
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We investigate the feasibility of arthroscopic fixation of comminuted glenoid fractures using cannulated screws and suture anchors. We retrospectively review 11 cases of closed comminuted glenoid fractures treated at our institution from August 2010 to May 2013. The 11 patients, 8 males and 3 females, had a mean age of 41 years (range: 27-55 years). ⋯ Both ASES scores (41.4 ± 24.9, 87.3 ± 13.8) and Rowe scores (28.2 ± 18.6, 93.2 ± 11.2) were significantly increased after the surgery (P < 0.01), indicating significantly improved function and stability of the shoulder joint. Arthroscopic fixation using cannulated screws and suture anchors is feasible for the treatment of comminuted glenoid fractures. This method is minimally invasive and provides good functional recovery with a lower risk of complications.
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Observational Study
All-Cause and Cause-Specific Risk of Emergency Transport Attributable to Temperature: A Nationwide Study.
Although several studies have estimated the associations between mortality or morbidity and extreme temperatures in terms of relative risk, few studies have investigated the risk of emergency transport attributable to the whole temperature range nationwide. We acquired data on daily emergency ambulance dispatches in all 47 prefectures of Japan from 2007 to 2010. We examined the relationship between emergency transport and temperature for each prefecture using a Poisson regression model in a distributed lag nonlinear model with adjustment for time trends. ⋯ The same trends were observed for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. The majority of temperature-related emergency transport burden was attributable to lower temperature. The effect of extremely high or low temperatures was markedly lower than that attributable to moderately nonoptimal temperatures.
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To describe the profile of left-sided polymicrobial endocarditis (PE) and to compare it with monomicrobial endocarditis (ME). Among 1011 episodes of left-sided endocarditis consecutively diagnosed in 3 tertiary centers, between January 1, 1996 and December 31, 2014, 60 were polymicrobial (5.9%), 821 monomicrobial (81.7%), and in 123 no microorganism was detected (12.2%). Seven patients (0.7%) were excluded from the analysis because contamination of biologic tissue could not be discarded. ⋯ No differences on age, sex, symptoms, need of surgery, and in-hospital mortality were detected. Polymicrobial endocarditis represents 5.9% of episodes of left-sided endocarditis in our series. Despite relevant demographic and microbiologic differences between PE and ME, short-term outcome is similar.
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Review Meta Analysis
Continuous Local Infiltration Analgesia for Pain Control After Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
A total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has always been associated with moderate to severe pain. As more research is conducted on the use of continuous local infiltration analgesia (CLIA) to manage pain after a TKA, it is necessary to reassess the efficacy and safety of the TKA method. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pain control of CLIA versus placebo after a TKA. ⋯ On the basis of the current meta-analysis, CLIA was more efficacious for reducing postoperative pain than the placebo at 24 hours with rest and at 24 and 48 hours with mobilization, but it increased the risk of infection. However, CLIA did not prolong the length of hospital stay or the duration of surgery. There was also a higher heterogeneity of different analgesic drugs mixed and a high risk of selection bias in this analysis; therefore, more high-quality randomized controlled trials with standardized CLIA are necessary for proper comparisons of this technique with other methods.