Surgical Management of Spontaneous Ruptured Hepatocellular Adenoma

AIMS: Spontaneous ruptured hepatocellular adenoma (SRHA) is a rare life-threatening condition that may require surgical treatment to control hemorrhaging and also stabilize the patient. We report a series of emergency surgeries performed at our institution for this condition. METHODS: We reviewed medical records and radiology files of 28 patients (from 1989 to 2006) with a proven diagnosis of hepatocellular adenoma (HA). Three (10.7%) of 28 patients had spontaneous ruptured hepatocellular adenoma, two of which were associated with intrahepatic hemorrhage while one had intraperitoneal bleeding. Two patients were female and one was male. Both female patients had a background history of oral contraceptive use. Sudden abdominal pain associated with hemodynamic instability occurred in all patients who suffered from spontaneous ruptured hepatocellular adenoma. The mean age was 41.6 years old. The preoperative assessment included liver function tests, ultrasonography and computed tomography. RESULTS: The surgical approaches were as follows: right hemihepatectomy for controlling intraperitoneal bleeding, and right extended hepatectomy and non-anatomic resection of the liver for intrahepatic hemorrhage. There were no deaths, and the postoperative complications were bile leakage and wound infection (re-operation), as well as intraperitoneal abscess (re-operation) and pleural effusion. CONCLUSION: Spontaneous ruptured hepatocellular adenoma may be treated by surgery for controlling hemorrhages and stabilizing the patient, and the decision to operate depends upon both the patient's condition and the expertise of the surgical team

Development of an instrument to evaluate the knowledge that the patient with hepatic cirhosis has about his disease and treatment

Introduction: hepatic cirrhosis (HC) is a disease with high morbidity and mortality in Brazil. Its treatment is complex and requires from lifestyle changes to large surgeries such as liver transplantation. To reach the best treatment results, it is necessary to guarantee a good patient’s adherence to the treatment. Studies indicate that the patient’s self-knowledge about his or her clinical condition is a determining factor in its adherence.Objectives: to assist in the design of an instrument that evaluates knowledge about the disease and treatment of HC. To improve the student knowledge on liver cirrhosis. Development of skills related to physical examination of the patient with HC.Methodology: The development process of the instrument will be divided into 3 stages: construction of the instrument (1st stage), evaluation of content validity and clarity of the instrument (2nd stage) and assessment of the reliability of the instrument (3 rd stage).Results: an instrument to evaluate the cirrhotic patient knowledge about the disease was made, analyzed by specialists and approved in the criteria proposed.Conclusions:1) The development of the instrument followed the steps described in literature.2) The suggestion of the evaluators allowed to restructure the questions making them clearer and more relevant to the proposal of the instrument.3) it was possible to achieve satisfactorily the proposal of the construction of the instrument.Key words: Liver cirrhosis; Self concept; Surveys and questionnaires; Health education

Revisão sistemática sobre alotransplantes de ilhotas de Langerhans em roedores: análise de sítio de transplante e tempo de sobrevida

Introdução. A escassez de ilhotas é uma restrição importante ao uso de ilhotas pancreáticas para o desenvolvimento do alotransplante para o tratamento do diabetes tipo I. É necessário, portanto, desenvolver fonte ilimitada de células produtoras de insulina. Objetivos. Organizar e analisar dados sobre o sítio de transplante e o tempo de sobrevida relacionados a tentativas experimentais de alotransplante em roedores, a fim de permitir elaborar um modelo mais adequado para suprir a escassez de doadores de ilhotas. Metodologia. Realizamos uma revisão sistemática usando o banco de dados Pubmed para pesquisar artigos publicados que contenham as palavras-chaves “rodent islet transplantation”. Foram incluídos estudos envolvendo experimentos alotransplante de ilhotas de roedores e analisadas as listas de referências das publicações recuperadas. Artigos relacionados a isotransplantes, autotransplantes e xenotransplantes foram excluídos do estudo. Resultados. Um total de 30 estudos relacionados a alotransplantes em diferentes sítios de enxerto foram selecionados para a revisão sistemática baseados na relevância de seus dados e em sua atualização. O fígado e a cápsula renal são sítios que possibilitaram uma maior sobrevida das ilhotas transplantadas. Conclusão. O alotransplante em roedores é promissor e continua a se desenvolver em diversos centros. As taxas de sobrevivência de aloenxertos aumentaram com a utilização de diferentes medicamentos e locais de enxerto.Introduction. The scarcity of islets is an important use of pancreatic islets for the development of allograft for the treatment of diabetes type I. It is therefore necessary to develop unlimited source of insulin-producing cells restriction. Objectives. Organize and analyze parameters related to the site of transplantation and survival time related to experimental rodent allotransplantation attempts in order to allow the elaboration of the most suitable model to supply the scarcity of islet donors. Methodology. We performed a systematic review using the PubMed database to search published articles containing the keywords “rodent islet transplantation”. We included studies involving allotransplantation experiments with rodents’ islets and we reviewed the reference lists of the publications retrieved that were eligible. We excluded articles related to isotransplantation, autotransplantation and xenotransplantation such as transplantation in other species. Articles related to isotransplantations, transplantations and xenografts were excluded from the study. Results. A total of 30 related allografts in different sites of graft studies were selected for the systematic review based on their relevance data and update. The liver and the kidney capsule are sites that showed better survival of transplanted islets. Conclusion. Allograft transplantation in rodents is promising and continues to develop in several centers. The allograft survival rates increased with the use of different drugs and graft sites

THE OPTIMUM LEVEL OF MELD TO MINIMIZE THE MORTALITY ON LIVER TRANSPLANTATION WAITING LIST, AND LIVER TRANSPLANTED PATIENT IN SÃO PAULO STATE, BRAZIL

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: After validation in multiple types of liver disease patients, the MELD score was adopted as a standard by which liver transplant candidates with end-stage liver disease were prioritized for organ allocation in the United States since 2002, and in Brazil, since 2006. AIMS: To analyze the mortality profile of patients on the liver transplant waiting list correlated to MELD score at the moment of transplantation. METHODS: This study used the data from the Secretary of Health of the São Paulo State, Brazil, which listed 22,522 patients, from 2006 (when MELD score was introduced in Brazil) until June 2009. Patients with acute hepatic failure and tumors were included as well. We also considered the mortality of both non-transplanted and transplanted patients as a function of the MELD score at presentation. RESULTS: Our model showed that the best MELD score for patients on the liver transplant waiting list associated to better results after liver transplantation was 26. CONCLUSIONS: We found that the best score for applying to liver transplant waiting list in the State of São Paulo was 26. This is the score that minimizes the mortality in both non-transplanted and liver transplanted patients

Liver transplantation for acute liver failure due to antitubercular drugs – a single-center experience

OBJECTIVES: Patients receiving treatment for tuberculosis are at risk of developing acute liver failure due to the hepatotoxicity of antitubercular drugs. We aimed to describe our experience with liver transplantation from deceased donors in this situation. METHODS: We identified patients undergoing transplantation for acute liver failure due to antitubercular drugs in our prospectively maintained database. RESULTS: Of 81 patients undergoing transplantation for acute liver failure, 8 cases were attributed to antitubercular drugs during the period of 2006-2016. Regarding the time of tuberculosis treatment until the onset of jaundice, patients were on antitubercular drugs for a mean of 64.7 days (21-155 days). The model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score of patients ranged from 32 to 47 (median 38), and seven patients underwent transplantation under vasopressors. The 1-year survival was 50%. Three patients died during the week following transplantation due to septic shock (including a patient with acute liver failure due to hepatic/ disseminated tuberculosis), and the remaining patient died 2 months after transplantation due to pulmonary infection. There were 2 cases of mild rejection and 1 case of moderate rejection. Of the surviving patients, all were considered cured of tuberculosis after alternative drugs were given. CONCLUSION: Patients arrived very sick and displayed poor survival after deceased donor transplantation

Development of an instrument to evaluate the knowledge that the patient with hepatic cirrhosis has about his disease and treatment

Introdução: cirrose hepática (CH) é uma doença com alta morbidade e mortalidade no Brasil. Seu tratamento é complexo e requer desde mudanças no estilo de vida até se submeter a grandes cirurgias, como o transplante hepático. Para alcançar os melhores resultados é necessário que o paciente tenha uma boa aderência ao tratamento. Estudos indicam que o conhecimento do paciente sobre sua condição clínica é um fator determinante na aderência. Objetivos: criar um instrumento que meça o conhecimento que um paciente com CH tem sobre sua doença e seu tratamento. Methodologia: o processo de desenvolvimento do instrument foi dividido em 3 estágios: construção do instrument (1º estágio), avaliação do conteúdo e claridade do instrument (2º estágio) e avaliação da confiabilidade do instrument (3º estágio). Results: um instrument para avaliar o conhecimento do paciente cirrótico sobre sua doença foi feito, analisado por especialistas e aprovado pelos critérios propostos. Conclusions: 1) O desenvolvimento do instrumento seguiu os passos descritos na literatura. 2) As sugestões dos avaliadores foram seguidas na reestruturação das questões, tornando-as mais claras e relevantes para a proposta do instrumento. 3) Foi possível alcançar de forma satisfatória a proposta de construção do instrumento.Introduction: hepatic cirrhosis (HC) is a disease with high morbidity and mortality in Brazil. Its treatment is complex and requires from lifestyle changes to large surgeries such as liver transplantation. To reach the best treatment results, it is necessary to guarantee a good patient’s adherence to the treatment. Studies indicate that the patient’s self-knowledge about his or her clinical condition is a determining factor in its adherence. Objectives: to assist in the design of an instrument that evaluates knowledge about the disease and treatment of HC. Methodology: The development process of the instrument will be divided into 3 stages: construction of the instrument (1st stage), evaluation of content validity and clarity of the instrument (2nd stage) and assessment of the reliability of the instrument (3 rd stage). Results: an instrument to evaluate the cirrhotic patient knowledge about the disease was made, analyzed by specialists and approved in the criteria proposed. Conclusions: 1) The development of the instrument followed the steps described in literature. 2) The suggestion of the evaluators allowed to restructure the questions making them clearer and more relevant to the proposal of the instrument. 3) it was possible to achieve satisfactorily the proposal of the construction of the instrument

Predictors of micro-costing components in liver transplantation

OBJECTIVES: Although liver transplantation procedures are common and highly expensive, their cost structure is still poorly understood. This study aimed to develop models of micro-costs among patients undergoing liver transplantation procedures while comparing the role of individual clinical predictors using tree regression models. METHODS: We prospectively collected micro-cost data from patients undergoing liver transplantation in a tertiary academic center. Data collection was conducted using an Intranet registry integrated into the institution’s database for the storing of financial and clinical data for transplantation cases. RESULTS: A total of 278 patients were included and accounted for 300 procedures. When evaluating specific costs for the operating room, intensive care unit and ward, we found that in all of the sectors but the ward, human resources were responsible for the highest costs. High cost supplies were important drivers for the operating room, whereas drugs were among the top four drivers for all sectors. When evaluating the predictors of total cost, a MELD score greater than 30 was the most important predictor of high cost, followed by a Donor Risk Index greater than 1.8. CONCLUSION: By focusing on the highest cost drivers and predictors, hospitals can initiate programs to reduce cost while maintaining high quality care standards

Steatosis and steatohepatitis found in adults after death due to non-burn trauma

OBJECTIVE: With the increasing prevalence of steatosis, the number of steatotic liver grafts from deceased donors is also increasing. Thus, determining the prevalence and the population risk factors of steatosis may assist in risk stratification. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and predictors of steatosis and steatohepatitis among livers from adults who died due to non-burn trauma. METHODS: Specimens were collected from 224 adults undergoing autopsy at a regional autopsy referral center from September 2011 to April 2013. Histopathological examination was performed on six samples obtained from different lobes of each liver. The outcomes of interest were the presence of steatosis, steatohepatitis, NASH inflammation and NASH fibrosis. The main predictors were body mass index, abdominal circumference, liver weight and volume, presence of cholelithiasis, and siderosis. Our modeling strategy made use of a series of generalized linear models with a binomial family. RESULTS: Our sample had a mean age of 40 years; steatosis was diagnosed in 48.2% of cases, and steatohepatitis was diagnosed in 2.7%. The presence of a high proportion of fatty changes was more prevalent among males and older individuals, with the most affected age group being 41-60 years. When evaluating the crude odds ratio for steatosis, the factors significantly associated with an increased risk of steatosis were greater abdominal circumference, BMI, and liver weight and the presence of siderosis. CONCLUSION: Our study reinforces the role of older age, obesity and hepatomegaly as predictors of fatty liver disease. These variables should be considered in the assessment of fatty changes in the livers of potential liver donors