Journal of the American College of Surgeons
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Reduced postoperative chronic pain after tension-free inguinal hernia repair using absorbable sutures: a single-blind randomized clinical trial.
Chronic pain after inguinal hernia repair occurs in 16% to 62% of patients. The underlying mechanism probably involves sensory nerve damage and abnormal healing that might be influenced by the materials chosen for the procedure. We hypothesize that nonabsorbable sutures used for mesh fixation to the surrounding tissues are associated with higher rates of chronic groin pain after surgery. ⋯ Nonabsorbable suture use in inguinal hernia repair is associated with a higher rate of chronic pain and a longer time to pain disappearance as compared with absorbable sutures.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Early angiopoietin-2 levels after onset predict the advent of severe pancreatitis, multiple organ failure, and infectious complications in patients with acute pancreatitis.
Acute pancreatitis is a severe condition that requires early identification of patients at risk of developing potentially lethal complications. Current clinical scoring systems and biochemical parameters are insufficient. In this study, we aimed to assess whether early plasma Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) is associated with adverse outcomes in patients with predicted severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). ⋯ In the setting of this randomized controlled trial, early plasma Ang-2 was found to be an accurate predictor of SAP, multiorgan failure, and infectious complications. As a biomarker, it did outperform all of the investigated conventional predictors that are currently used in clinical practice.