Elektive Splenektomie bei Erwachsenen – Vorbereitung, Durchführung und Nachbetreuung

Elective splenectomy in adults is often performed after failure of conservative treatment in patients with hematologic, neoplastic, or autoimmune disorders. The indication to perform a splenectomy should be discussed in an interdisciplinary team and the surgeon should not make the decision on his own. Laparoscopic splenectomy is nowadays established as the gold-standard treatment due to low morbidity and mortality and - compared to open surgery - lower postoperative pain, less intraoperative blood loss and shorter hospital stay. Every patient with planned splenectomy must undergo vaccination against pneumococci and meningococci at least two weeks prior to the operation, which helps reducing the risk of the "overwhelming post-splenectomy infection" (OPSI). Beside re-vaccination against pneumococci and meningococci during follow-up, every patient should be informed about the increased risk of infection, receive a personal post-splenectomy pass and emergency antibiotics in case of infectionDie elektive Splenektomie bei Erwachsenen wird häufig nach erfolgloser, konservativer Therapie bei hämatologischen, neoplastischen und autoimmunen Krankheiten durchgeführt. Die Indikation zur Splenektomie sollte bei allen Pa tienten interdisziplinär – und nicht durch den Chirurgen allein – gestellt werden. Die laparoskopische Splenektomie hat sich heutzutage als Gold-Standard eta bliert mit sehr geringer postoperativer Morbidität und Mortalität und im Vergleich zur offenen Methode weniger postoperativen Schmerzen und einem kür zeren Spitalaufenthalt. Spätestens zwei Wochen präoperativ müssen die Patienten erstmals gegen Pneumokokken sowie Meningokokken geimpft werden, um das Risiko einer „overwhelming post-splenectomy infection“ (OPSI) zu minimieren. Zusätzlich zur Auffrischimpfung im follow-up sollte jeder Patient über das erhöhte Infektrisiko informiert sein sowie einen Post-Splenektomie-Ausweis und ein Notfall-Antibiotikum auf sich tragen

Randomized controlled trial on single dose steroid before thyroidectomy for benign disease to improve postoperative nausea, pain, and vocal function

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of a single preoperative dose of steroid on thyroidectomy outcomes. BACKGROUND: Nausea, pain, and voice alteration frequently occur after thyroidectomy. Because steroids effectively reduce nausea and inflammation, a preoperative administration of steroids could improve these thyroidectomy outcomes. METHODS: Seventy-two patients (men = 20, women = 52) undergoing thyroidectomy for benign disease were included in this randomized, controlled, 2 armed (group D: 8 mg dexamethasone, n = 37; group C: 0.9% NaCl, n = 35), double-blinded study (clinical trial number NCT00619086). Anesthesia, surgical procedures, antiemetics, and analgesic treatments were standardized. Nausea (0-3), pain (visual analog scale), antiemetic and analgesic requirements, and digital voice recording were documented before and 4, 8, 16, 24, 36, and 48 hours after surgery. Patients were followed-up 30 days after hospital discharge. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were similar among the 2 treatment groups. Nausea was pronounced in the first 16 hours postoperatively (scores were <0.3 and 0.8-1.0 for group D and C, respectively (P = 0.005)), and was significantly lower in group D compared with group C during the observation period (P = 0.001). Pain diminished within 48 hours after surgery (visual analog scale 20 and 35 in group D and C, respectively (P = 0.009)). Antiemetic and analgesic requirements were also significantly diminished. Changes in voice mean frequency were less prominent in the dexamethasone group compared with the placebo group (P = 0.015). No steroid-related complications occurred. CONCLUSION: A preoperative single dose of steroid significantly reduced nausea, vomiting, and pain, and improved postoperative voice function within the first 48 hours (most pronounced within 16 hours) after thyroid resection; this strategy should be routinely applied in thyroidectomies

Worse outcomes in patients undergoing urgent surgery for left-sided diverticulitis admitted on weekends vs weekdays: a population-based study of 31 832 patients

Among patients undergoing urgent surgery for left-sided diverticulitis, those admitted on weekends vs weekdays have higher rates of Hartmann procedure and adverse outcomes

Additional file 1: Figure S1. of Recovery of a human natural antibody against the noncollagenous-1 domain of type IV collagen using humanized models

Sequences of rearranged Ig heavy chain variable region genes of human anti-alpha3(IV)NC1 collagen monoclonal antibody 2D6. Sequence of mAb 2D6 heavy chain V-D-J region and sequences of the closest corresponding germline variable region gene segments identified in the IMGT/V-QUEST reference databases, with CDR-IMGT delineated according to the IMGT unique numbering for V-DOMAIN

Association between self-reported motivation to quit smoking with effectiveness of smoking cessation intervention among patients hospitalized for acute coronary syndromes in Switzerland.

Guidelines recommend brief smoking cessation interventions for hospitalized smokers reporting low motivation-to-quit. However, an intensive smoking cessation intervention may improve smoking cessation for these smokers. We conducted a secondary analysis of a pre-post interventional study that tested the efficacy of a proactive approach systematically offering intensive smoking cessation intervention to all hospitalized smokers with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) compared to a reactive approach offering it only to smokers willing to quit. We analyzed data from one study site in Switzerland, which recorded motivation-to-quit smoking at study inclusion between 08.2009 and 02.2012. The primary outcome was smoking cessation at 1- and 5-year. We tested for interaction by participant's motivation-to-quit score (low vs. high motivation), and calculated multivariable adjusted risk ratios (RR), stratified by motivation score. We obtained motivation scores for 230 smokers. Follow-up was 94% (217/230) at 1-year and 68% (156/230) at 5-year. Among participants with low motivation to quit, 19% of smokers in the reactive phase had quit at 1 year compared to 50% of smokers in the proactive phase (multivariable adjusted RR = 2.85, 95%CI:0.91-8.91). Among highly motivated smokers, rates did not differ between phases: 48% vs. 49% (multivariable adjusted RR = 1.02, 95%CI:0.75-1.39, p-value for interaction between motivation-to-quit categories = 0.10). At 5-year follow-up, the point estimates were similar. While our study has limitations inherent to the study design and sample size, we found that a proactive approach to offer systematic smoking cessation counseling for smokers with ACS reporting low motivation to quit was associated with higher smoking cessation rates at 1 year