CATÁSTROFE DA PAREDE ABDOMINAL, ESTRATÉGIA TERAPÊUTICA – RELATO DE UM CASO CLÍNICO E REVISÃO DA LITERATURA

A complete abdominal wall defect (AWD) is life-threatening, has a functional and cosmetic impact on patients’ quality of life and represents a significant challenge for surgeons, requiring a multidisciplinary treatment strategy. The goals of the reconstructive surgery in the management of these defects are to provide stable coverage of the abdominal contents, restore function and achieve complete wound closure. We present a case that shows that the use of a biological mesh (porcine dermis), negative wound pressure therapy (NPWT) and split skin grafting is suitable to manage such defects when visceral exposure is present. A biological mesh is a good and less aggressive alternative to the use of free flaps, closing the AWD in a tension-free manner in an infected field or in one that is suspected of being infected and it has been shown to be better tolerated than synthetic meshes in open abdomens, with the ability to provide vascular ingrowth and incorporate itself into the native tissue. On the other hand, NPWT showed to provide a firm bandage for the patient and a closed, moist environment, protected from the invasion of bacteria, while eliminating excessive exudation, stimulating angiogenesis and reducing the wound surface area. Um defeito completo da parede abdominal (AWD) ameaça a vida, tem um impacto funcional e cosmético na vida dos doentes e representa um grande desafio para os cirurgiões, exigindo uma estratégia de tratamento multidisciplinar. Os objetivos da cirurgia reconstrutiva no tratamento destes defeitos são fornecer uma cobertura estável do conteúdo abdominal, restaurar a função da parede abdominal e atingir um encerramento completo da ferida. Apresentamos um caso clínico que mostra que o uso de uma prótese biológica (derme suína), terapia de pressão negativa (NPWT) e enxertos cutâneos é adequado para tratar estes defeitos quando o doente tem exposição visceral. O uso de uma prótese biológica é uma alternativa boa e menos agressiva em comparação com o uso de retalhos livres, encerrando o AWD sem tensão num terreno infetado, e mostrou ser melhor tolerado do que o uso de próteses sintéticas num abdómen aberto, com a capacidade de fornecer um meio para crescimento vascular e de se incorporar aos tecidos do doente. Por outro lado, a NPWT mostrou fornecer um ambiente firme, fechado e húmido, protegido da invasão de bactérias, ao mesmo tempo que elimina a exsudação excessiva, estimula a angiogénese e reduz a área de superfície da ferida.&nbsp

Assessment of perioperative mortality risk in patients with infective endocarditis undergoing cardiac surgery: performance of the EuroSCORE I and II logistic models

OBJECTIVES: The European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) has been established as a tool for assisting decision- making in surgical patients and as a benchmark for quality assessment. Infective endocarditis often equires surgical treatment and is associated with high mortality. This study was undertaken to (i) validate both versions of the EuroSCORE, the older logistic EuroSCORE I and the recently developed EuroSCORE II and to compare their performances; (ii) identify predictors other than those included in the EuroSCORE models that might further improve their performance. METHODS: We retrospectively studied 128 patients from a single-centre registry who underwent heart surgery for active infective endocarditis between January 2007 and November 2014. Binary logistic regression was used to find independent predictors of mortality and to create a new prediction model. Discrimination and calibration of models were assessed by receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis, calibration curves and the Hosmer–Lemeshow test. RESULTS: The observed perioperative mortality was 16.4% (n = 21). The median EuroSCORE I and EuroSCORE II were 13.9% interquartile range (IQ) (7.0–35.0) and 6.6% IQ (3.5–18.2), respectively. Discriminative power was numerically higher for EuroSCORE II {area under the curve (AUC) of 0.83 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.75–0.91]} than for EuroSCORE I [0.75 (95% CI, 0.66–0.85), P = 0.09]. The Hosmer– Lemeshow test showed good calibration for EuroSCORE II (P = 0.08) but not for EuroSCORE I (P = 0.04). EuroSCORE I tended to overpredict and EuroSCORE II to under-predict mortality. Among the variables known to be associated with greater infective endocarditis severity, only prosthetic valve infective endocarditis remained an independent predictor of mortality [odds ratio (OR) 6.6; 95% CI, 1.1–39.5; P = 0.04]. The new model including the EuroSCORE II variables and variables known to be associated with greater infective endocarditis severity showed an AUC of 0.87 (95% CI, 0.79–0.94) and differed significantly from EuroSCORE I (P = 0.03) but not from EuroSCORE II (P = 0.4). CONCLUSIONS: Both EuroSCORE I and II satisfactorily stratify risk in active infective endocarditis; however, EuroSCORE II performed better in the overall comparison. Specific endocarditis features will increase model complexity without an unequivocal improvement in predictive ability.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Approach to synchronous liver metastases from colorectal carcinoma - results from a Portuguese reference center

About 15%-25% of patients with colorectal cancer, have synchronous liver metastases. The best surgical approach for the patients with asymptomatic primary colorectal tumor and synchronous liver metastases is still the subject of much debate. We aimed to evaluate the perioperative and long-term results as well as to identify possible prognostic factors of the two strategies:  liver- first and synchronous resection. Observational, retrospective study, which included patients with synchronous liver metastases from colorectal cancer, who underwent liver surgery between January 2016 and December 2021, in a Portuguese reference center. Patients were divided into two groups according to the therapeutic approach (synchronous resections vs Liver First) and into three groups according to the hepatic tumor burden (single liver lesion versus more than three liver lesions versus bilobar lesions). To determine the overall and disease-free survival, Kaplan-Meier curves and the log-rank test were performed and, to identify factors with an impact on the prognosis, a univariate and multivariate analysis were performed with the application of Cox regression (significance of 5%). Among the 46 patients included, 54,4% underwent the liver-first approach and 21 patients (45.7%) underwent simultaneous resection. The liver-first group had a greater number of patients with primary rectal tumor (84% vs.14.3%; p<0.001), with more than 3 hepatic lesions (56% vs.14%; p=0.004) and with more extensive hepatic resection. As for postoperative morbimortality, no statistically significant difference was observed between the two approaches (p=0.514). The median overall survival was similar even when considering the hepatic tumor burden (35.0 months (95%CI 15.91- 54.09) in the liver-first group vs. 48.0 months (95%CI 21.69-74.96) in the synchronous resection group; p=0.145). The same was observed for the median disease-free survival (16.0 months (95% CI 0-32.7) vs. 23.0 months (95% CI 16.3-29.7) p=0.651, respectively). The two strategies showed similar morbidity. No statistically significant difference was observed with regard to overall and disease-free survival even when the hepatic tumor burden was considered. One-year and three-year survival were also similar. However, it should be stressed that, the choice of the surgical approach for each group did not took into account the hepatic tumor burden, which we believe it is essential in choosing the best surgical approach.The existence of a multidisciplinary team is fundamental for the therapeutic success of these patients

Portal venous pressure variation during hepatectomy: a prospective study

Excessive portal venous pressure in the liver remnant is an independent factor in the occurrence of posthepatectomy liver failure and small-for-size syndrome. The baseline portal pressure prior to hepatectomy was not considered previously. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of portal pressure change during hepatectomy on the patient outcome.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cholangiocarcinoma: from molecular biology to treatment

Abstract Cholangiocarcinoma is a rare tumor originating in the bile ducts, which, according to their anatomical location, is classified as intrahepatic, extrahepatic and hilar. Nevertheless, incidence rates have increased markedly in recent decades. With respect to tumor biology, several genetic alterations correlated with resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy have been identified. Here, we highlight changes in KRAS and TP53 genes that are normally associated with a more aggressive phenotype. Also IL-6 and some proteins of the BCL-2 family appear to be involved in the resistance that the cholangiocarcinoma presents toward conventional therapies. With regard to diagnosis, tumor markers most commonly used are CEA and CA 19-9, and although its use isolated appears controversial, their combined value has been increasingly advocated. In imaging terms, various methods are needed, such as abdominal ultrasound, computed tomography and cholangiopancreatography. Regarding therapy, surgical modalities are the only ones that offer chance of cure; however, due to late diagnosis, most patients cannot take advantage of them. Thus, the majority of patients are directed to other therapeutic modalities like chemotherapy, which, in this context, assumes a purely palliative role. Thus, it becomes urgent to investigate new therapeutic options for this highly aggressive type of tumor

An unattended sepsis population with high mortality risk

©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can be associated with life-threatening organ dysfunction due to septic shock, frequently requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission, respiratory and vasopressor support. Therefore, clear clinical criteria are pivotal for early recognition of patients more likely to need prompt organ support. Although most patients with severe COVID-19 meet the Sepsis-3.0 criteria for septic shock, it has been increasingly recognized that hyperlactatemia is frequently absent, possibly leading to an underestimation of illness severity and mortality risk. AIM: To identify the proportion of severe COVID-19 patients with vasopressor support requirements, with and without hyperlactatemia, and describe their clinical outcomes and mortality. METHODS: We performed a single-center prospective cohort study. All adult patients admitted to the ICU with COVID-19 were included in the analysis and were further divided into three groups: Sepsis group, without both criteria; Vasoplegic Shock group, with persistent hypotension and vasopressor support without hyperlactatemia; and Septic Shock 3.0 group, with both criteria. COVID-19 was diagnosed using clinical and radiologic criteria with a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) positive RT-PCR test. RESULTS: 118 patients (mean age 63 years, 87% males) were included in the analysis (n = 51 Sepsis group, n = 26 Vasoplegic Shock group, and n = 41 Septic Shock 3.0 group). SOFA score at ICU admission and ICU length of stay were different between the groups (P < 0.001). Mortality was significantly higher in the Vasoplegic Shock and Septic Shock 3.0 groups when compared with the Sepsis group (P < 0.001) without a significant difference between the former two groups (P = 0.713). The log rank tests of Kaplan-Meier survival curves were also different (P = 0.007). Ventilator-free days and vasopressor-free days were different between the Sepsis vs Vasoplegic Shock and Septic Shock 3.0 groups (both P < 0.001), and similar in the last two groups (P = 0.128 and P = 0.133, respectively). Logistic regression identified the maximum dose of vasopressor therapy used (AOR 1.046; 95%CI: 1.012-1.082, P = 0.008) and serum lactate level (AOR 1.542; 95%CI: 1.055-2.255, P = 0.02) as the major explanatory variables of mortality rates (R 2 0.79). CONCLUSION: In severe COVID-19 patients, the Sepsis 3.0 criteria of septic shock may exclude approximately one third of patients with a similarly high risk of a poor outcome and mortality rate, which should be equally addressed.publishersversionpublishe

Are we giving it too much credit?

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is a new form of acute respiratory failure leading to multiorgan failure and ICU admission. Gathered evidence suggests that a 3-fold rise in D-dimer concentrations may be linked to poor prognosis and higher mortality. PURPOSE: To describe D-dimer admission profile in severe ICU COVID19 patients and its predictive role in outcomes and mortality. METHODS: Single-center retrospective cohort study. All adult patients admitted to ICU with COVID19 were divided into 3 groups: (1) Lower-values group (D-dimer levels < 3-fold normal range value [NRV] [500ng/mL]), Intermediate-values group (D-dimer ≥3-fold and <10-fold NRV) and Higher-value group (≥10-fold NRV). RESULTS: 118 patients (mean age 63 years, 73% males) were included (N = 73 Lower-values group, N = 31 Intermediate-values group; N = 11 Higher-values group). Mortality was not different between groups (p = 0.51). Kaplan-Meier survival curves revealed no differences (p = 0.52) between groups, nor it was verified even when gender, age, ICU length of stay, and SOFA score were considered as covariables. CONCLUSIONS: In severe COVID19 patients, the D-dimer profile does not retain a predictive value regarding patients' survivability and should not be used as a surrogate of disease severity.publishersversionpublishe

Eight years of experience

Copyright © 2017 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.INTRODUCTION: Aortic stenosis is the most prevalent type of valvular disease in Europe. Surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) is the standard therapy, while transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an alternative in patients at unacceptably high surgical risk. Assessment by a heart team is recommended by the guidelines but there is little published evidence on this subject. The purpose of this paper is to describe the experience of a multidisciplinary TAVI program that began in 2008. METHODS: The heart team prospectively assessed 473 patients using a standardized approach. A total of 214 patients were selected for TAVI and 80 for SAVR. Demographic, clinical and procedural characteristics and long-term success rates were compared between the groups. RESULTS: TAVI patients were older than the SAVR group (median 83 vs. 81 years), and had higher surgical risk scores (median EuroSCORE II 5.3 vs. 3.6% and Society of Thoracic Surgeons score 5.1 vs. 3.1%), as did the patients under medical treatment only. These scores were unable to assess multiple comorbidities. Patients' outcomes were different between the three groups (mortality with SAVR 25% vs. TAVI 37.6% vs. conservative therapy 57.6%, p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The heart team program was able to select candidates appropriately for TAVI, SAVR and conservative treatment, taking into account the risk of both invasive treatments. The use of a prospective standardized heart team approach is recommended, but requires continuous monitoring to ensure effectiveness in a timely manner.publishersversionpublishe

Plasmatic Oxidative and Metabonomic Profile of Patients with Different Degrees of Biliary Acute Pancreatitis Severity

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an inflammatory process of the pancreas with variable involvement of the pancreatic and peripancreatic tissues and remote organ systems. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the inflammatory biomarkers, oxidative stress (OS), and plasma metabolome of patients with different degrees of biliary AP severity to improve its prognosis. Twenty-nine patients with biliary AP and 11 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. We analyzed several inflammatory biomarkers, multifactorial scores, reactive oxygen species (ROS), antioxidants defenses, and the plasma metabolome of biliary AP and healthy controls. Hepcidin (1.00), CRP (0.94), and SIRI (0.87) were the most accurate serological biomarkers of AP severity. OS played a pivotal role in the initial phase of AP, with significant changes in ROS and antioxidant defenses relating to AP severity. Phenylalanine (p < 0.05), threonine (p < 0.05), and lipids (p < 0.01) showed significant changes in AP severity. The role of hepcidin and SIRI were confirmed as new prognostic biomarkers of biliary AP. OS appears to have a role in the onset and progression of the AP process. Overall, this study identified several metabolites that may predict the onset and progression of biliary AP severity, constituting the first metabonomic study in the field of biliary AP