Scand J Surg
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Review
The use of pre- or postoperative antibiotics in surgery for appendicitis: a systematic review.
The aim of this study was to review the literature regarding the use of pre- and/or postoperative antibiotics in the management of appendicitis, using data obtained from PubMed and the Cochrane Library. ⋯ Preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis is recommended in all patients with acute appendicitis, whereas postoperative antibiotics only in cases of perforation.
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Multicenter Study
An 8-year follow-up study of 221 consecutive hip fracture patients in Finland: analysis of reoperations and their direct medical costs.
Some hip fracture patients need one or more reoperations because of complications following initial operative treatment. ⋯ Almost 10% of hip fracture patients required reoperations, and these reoperations caused significant direct costs to health care. However, direct costs account for only approximately 25% of the first year's total costs. These costs should be taken into account when evaluating the economics of hip fractures and the burden of health care.
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Comparative Study
Hip resurfacing arthroplasty versus large-diameter head metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasty: comparison of three designs from the Finnish Arthroplasty Register.
Large headed metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasty may produce more metal ions than hip resurfacing arthroplasty. Increased metal-ion levels may be associated with higher revision rates due to adverse reaction to metal debris. The purpose of our study was to compare the survivorship of three hip resurfacing arthroplasty designs with their analogous cementless large-diameter head metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasties. ⋯ We conclude that the short-term revision risk of large headed metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasties was not increased compared to analogous hip resurfacing arthroplasties in two out of three devices studied at a nationwide level. There may be implant-related factors having an effect on the success of single manufacturer devices. However, more information on the incidence of adverse soft-tissue reactions in these patient cohorts is needed.
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This study assessed the timing of reversal of defunctioning stoma following low anterior resection of the rectum for cancer and risk factors for a defunctioning stoma becoming permanent in patients who were not reversed. ⋯ Four in five patients experienced a delayed stoma reversal, in a majority because of the low priority given to this surgical procedure.
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The mastery of manual skills that are indispensable for the performance of surgical tasks is a competence specific to surgery. One way of facilitating this acquisition is to move the training out of the operating room and all of its restrictions. Surgical training out of the operating room, also called simulation, has spread widely in the past decade, especially in laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery. ⋯ There is a wealth of simulators, ranging from low- to high-fidelity simulators incorporating haptic feedback. They comprise basic tasks, procedural modules, and full procedures. Virtual reality simulators have shown acceptable fidelity and validity evidence. Moreover, training out of the operating room on virtual reality simulators has demonstrated its positive impact on basic skills during real laparoscopic procedures in patients. The benefit of virtual reality over simple video trainers remains unclear for teaching basic skills. However, virtual reality simulators provide automatic feedback that permitted to design structured competency-based curricula and allow deliberate practice. Finally, advanced procedures and patient-specific models have been designed on virtual reality simulators, and further investigations are still awaited to appraise their educational value.