Journal of the American College of Surgeons
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Comparative Study
Outcomes Using Grafts from Donors after Cardiac Death.
Previous reports suggest that donation after cardiac death (DCD) liver grafts have increased primary nonfunction (PNF) and cholangiopathy thought to be due to the graft warm ischemia before cold flushing. ⋯ Careful selection of DCD donors can provide suitable donors, with results of liver transplantation comparable to those with standard brain dead donors.
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Adhesive small bowel obstruction (ASBO), although a potential surgical emergency, is increasingly being managed by medical hospitalists due to the likelihood these patients will not require operation. However, the value of care delivered by medical hospitalists to patients with ASBO has not been reported. ⋯ Adhesive small bowel obstruction patients are treated in a heterogeneous fashion in our hospital, causing disparate outcomes depending on admitting service when patients undergo operation. Admitting all suspected ASBO patients to SS has the potential to dramatically decrease LOS and reduce waste in those requiring operation, thereby reducing health care expenditures.
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There is considerable debate about the safety and clinical equivalence of laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD) and open pancreaticoduodenectomy (OPD) for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDCA). ⋯ Laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy is equivalent to OPD in length of stay, margin-positive resection, lymph node count, and readmission rate. There is a higher 30-day mortality rate with LPD, but this appears driven by a surmountable learning curve for the procedure.
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Readmission rates of 9.7% to 15.5% after hepatectomy have been reported. These rates are difficult to interpret due to variability in the time interval used to monitor readmission. The aim of this study was to refine the definition of readmission after hepatectomy. ⋯ To accurately assess readmission after hepatectomy, patients should be monitored 45 days after discharge.
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Practice guidelines for management of the left subclavian artery (LSA) during thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) are based on low-quality evidence, and there is limited literature that addresses optimal revascularization techniques. The purpose of this study was to compare outcomes of LSA coverage during TEVAR and revascularization techniques. ⋯ During TEVAR, LSA coverage without revascularization is associated with an increased risk of stroke and upper extremity ischemia. When LSA coverage is required during TEVAR, CSB and SCT are equally acceptable options.