Journal of the American College of Surgeons
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Biologic vs synthetic inguinal hernia repair: 1-year results of a randomized double-blinded trial.
Various surgical meshes are used in the repair of inguinal hernia and are associated with numerous complications. Our main objective in this study was to determine whether a biologic hernia matrix is equivalent to polypropylene mesh in an open inguinal hernia repair using the Lichtenstein technique. ⋯ The IHM hernioplasty compares favorably with PP mesh at 1-year follow-up with similar recurrence rates and complications. Surgeon experience appears to be a major factor affecting successful outcomes.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Impact of stress-induced diabetes on outcomes in severely burned children.
Post-burn hyperglycemia leads to graft failure, multiple organ failure, and death. A hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp is used to keep serum glucose between 60 and 110 mg/dL. Because of frequent hypoglycemic episodes, a less-stringent sliding scale insulin protocol is used to maintain serum glucose levels between 80 and 160 mg/dL after elevations >180 mg/dL. ⋯ Burn-induced hyperglycemia develops in a subset of severely burned children. Length of stay was reduced in the no insulin group, and there were no deaths in this group. Administration of insulin positively impacted bone mineral content and muscle strength, but increased resting energy expenditure, hypoglycemic episodes, and mortality. New glucose-lowering strategies might be needed.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Adjuvant radiotherapy in centrally located hepatocellular carcinomas after hepatectomy with narrow margin (<1 cm): a prospective randomized study.
Although radiotherapy (RT) provides potential benefits for patients with hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) that are unsuitable for operation, the specific role of adjuvant RT in HCC after hepatectomy remains ill defined. The current study's aim was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of adjuvant RT for centrally located HCCs after narrow-margin (<1 cm) hepatectomy. ⋯ Adjuvant RT for centrally located HCCs after narrow-margin hepatectomy was technically feasible and relatively safe. No significant between-group difference was observed in recurrence-free and overall survival. The post-hoc subgroup comparison showed that adjuvant RT improved recurrence-free survival considerably, but not overall survival, in patients with small HCCs (≤5 cm). More in-depth studies are needed to validate this finding.
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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.