Position paper : timely interventions in severe acute pancreatitis are crucial for survival

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Preoperative prognostic factors for severe diffuse secondary peritonitis : a retrospective study

The aim of this study was to analyse preoperative risk factors for mortality or intensive care unit admission to describe severe peritonitis. This was a single academic centre retrospective study of consecutive adult patients operated for diffuse secondary peritonitis between 2012 and 2013. Patients with appendicitis or cholecystitis were excluded. Independent risk factors were identified using binary and ordinal logistic regression. A total of 223 patients were analysed. Overall 30-day mortality was 14.5 %. Postoperatively, 32.3 % of patients were admitted into the intensive care unit (ICU). Independent risk factors for severe peritonitis were septic shock (odds ratio (OR) 37.94, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 14.52-99.13), chronic kidney insufficiency (OR 5.98 (95 % CI 1.56-22.86), severe sepsis (OR 4.80, 95 % CI 2.10-10.65) and cardiovascular disease (OR 2.58, 95 % CI 1.22-5.47). Patients lacking these factors had no mortality. ICU admission was refused in 24 (10.8 %) patients with 70.8 % mortality. In a subgroup of patients without treatment limitations (n = 190), independent risk factors for weighted outcome of ICU admission or mortality were septic shock (OR 11.89, 95 % CI 4.98-28.40), severe sepsis (OR 5.56, 95 % CI 2.39-12.89), metastatic malignant disease or lymphoma (OR 3.11, 95 % CI 1.34-7.20) and corticosteroid use (OR 2.98, 95 % CI 1.18-7.51). When receiving full level of care, patients with preoperative organ dysfunctions in this subgroup had 8.2 % 30-day mortality. Preoperative organ dysfunctions, chronic kidney insufficiency and cardiovascular disease are the most important risk factors for severe peritonitis. Without these risk factors, patients had no mortality.Peer reviewe

Bleeding pancreatic pseudoaneurysms : management by angioembolization combined with therapeutic endoscopy

Bleeding pancreatic pseudocysts (PPCs) are a rare but lethal complication of pancreatitis. Transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) is the first-line treatment of acute hemorrhage, but consensus on the definitive management of bleeding PPCs is lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the combination of TAE and therapeutic endoscopy in the treatment of bleeding PPCs. Patients with acute or chronic pancreatitis treated for bleeding PPCs in Helsinki University Hospital during 2004-2014 comprised the study group. Inpatients with acute necrotizing pancreatitis were excluded. Patients underwent TAE as the primary treatment to control the bleeding. Therapeutic endoscopy performed on an outpatient visit after TAE allowed the definitive treatment of PPCs. A total of 58 patients underwent TAE. Re-bleeding rate (<30 days) was 15.5 %, necessitating re-embolization on seven and surgical intervention on two patients. Overall, TAE success rate was 96.6 %. Mortality rate (<30 days) was 3.4 %. Of the 58, 47 patients were followed up for their PPCs in our unit. PPCs resolved spontaneously in 13 (27.1 %). The remaining 34 had an endoscopic treatment attempt with endoscopic draining performed on 32 and unsuccessful cannulation on two (5.9 %). Of the 32 patients with initially successful endoscopy, 7 (21.9 %) needed an additional drainage procedure (six non-surgical and one surgical). Overall success rate of non-surgical management was 91.5 %. Post-endoscopy mortality rate (<30 days) was 2.9 %. Our follow-up continued for 15 (1-75) months. By the time of data retrieval, 35 of 58 patients had died with alcohol liver disease being the most common cause of death. Five-year survival estimate was 63 %. Bleeding pancreatic pseudoaneurysms require non-surgical management. We need more data on the optimal timing of therapeutic endoscopy and on the role of empirical embolizations.Peer reviewe

A new adult appendicitis score improves diagnostic accuracy of acute appendicitis - a prospective study

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Intra-abdominal pressure in severe acute pancreatitis

BACKGROUND: Hospital mortality in patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) remains high. Some of these patients develop increased intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) which may contribute to organ dysfunction. The aims of this study were to evaluate the frequency of increased IAP in patients with SAP and to assess the development of organ dysfunction and factors associated with high IAP. METHODS: During 2001–2003 a total of 59 patients with severe acute pancreatitis were treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Helsinki University Hospital. IAP was measured by the intravesical route in 37 patients with SAP. Data from these patients were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Maximal IAP, APACHE II score, maximal SOFA score, maximal creatinine, age and maximal lactate were significantly higher in nonsurvivors. There was a significant correlation of the maximal IAP with the maximal SOFA, APACHE II, maximal creatinine, maximal lactate, base deficit and ICU length of stay. Patients were divided into quartiles according to the maximal IAP. Maximal IAP was 7–14, 15–18, 19–24 and 25–33 mmHg and the hospital mortality rate 10%, 12.5%, 22.2% and 50% in groups 1–4, respectively. A statistically significant difference was seen in the maximal SOFA, ICU length of stay, maximal creatinine and lactate values. The mean ICU-free days in groups 1–4 were 45.7, 38.8, 32.0 and 27.5 days, respectively. The difference between groups 1 and 4 was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: In patients with SAP, increased IAP is associated with development of early organ failure reflected in increased mortality and fewer ICU-free days. Frequent measurement of IAP during intensive care is important in optimizing abdominal perfusion pressure and recognizing patients potentially benefitting from decompressive laparotomy

Trauma quality indicators : internationally approved core factors for trauma management quality evaluation

Introduction Quality in medical care must be measured in order to be improved. Trauma management is part of health care, and by definition, it must be checked constantly. The only way to measure quality and outcomes is to systematically accrue data and analyze them. Material and methods A systematic revision of the literature about quality indicators in trauma associated to an international consensus conference Results An internationally approved base core set of 82 trauma quality indicators was obtained: Indicators were divided into 6 fields: prevention, structure, process, outcome, post-traumatic management, and society integrational effects. Conclusion Present trauma quality indicator core set represents the result of an international effort aiming to provide a useful tool in quality evaluation and improvement. Further improvement may only be possible through international trauma registry development. This will allow for huge international data accrual permitting to evaluate results and compare outcomes.Peer reviewe

Position paper: management of perforated sigmoid diverticulitis

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Laparoscopic versus open adhesiolysis for small bowel obstruction - a multicenter, prospective, randomized, controlled trial

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IROA: the International Register of Open Abdomen.

Actually the most common indications for Open Abdomen (OA) are trauma, abdominal sepsis, severe acute pancreatitis and more in general all those situations in which an intra-abdominal hypertension condition is present, in order to prevent the development of an abdominal compartment syndrome. The mortality and morbidity rate in patients undergone to OA procedures is still high. At present many studies have been published about the OA management and the progresses in survival rate of critically ill trauma and septic surgical patients. However several issues are still unclear and need more extensive studies. The definitions of indications, applications and methods to close the OA are still matter of debate. To overcome this lack of high level of evidence data about the OA indications, management, definitive closure and follow-up, the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) promoted the International Register of Open Abdomen (IROA). The register will be held on a web platform (Clinical Registers®) through a dedicated web site: www.clinicalregisters.org. This will allow to all surgeons and physicians to participate from all around the world only by having a computer and a web connection. The IROA protocol has been approved by the coordinating center Ethical Committee (Papa Giovanni XXIII hospital, Bergamo, Italy). IROA has also been registered to ClinicalTrials.gov (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02382770)