Search Results (40)

Dysphagia is a serious complication following cardiac surgery, associated with increased morbidity, prolonged hospitalization, and higher healthcare costs. Variability in the incidence and risk factors highlights the need for consolidated evidence. This scoping review aimed to analyze the incidence of dysphagia after cardiac surgery and identify the associated risk factors. A search was conducted in the PubMed, Embase, Web of Sciences, and PEDro databases for observational studies reporting dysphagia incidence and risk factors in adult cardiac surgery patients. The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale was used to assess the studies’ quality and out of 2920 studies identified, 15 met the inclusion criteria for inclusion in this review. Dysphagia incidence ranged from 2.7% to 60%, with higher rates observed when objective assessments such as FEES or VFSS were employed. Key risk factors included advanced age, prolonged intubation, cerebrovascular events, and complex operative procedures. Post-operative dysphagia was linked to complications like aspiration pneumonia, prolonged ICU/hospital stays, and increased healthcare costs. In conclusion, dysphagia is a significant but under-recognized complication of cardiac surgery. Advanced age, prolonged intubation, and surgical complexity are major risk factors. Standardized assessment protocols and early interventions are crucial to mitigating its impact and improving patient clinical outcomes. Full article

Background/Objectives: The usefulness of presepsin, which is released from macrophages, in acute exacerbation of interstitial lung diseases (AE-ILDs) is unknown. We aimed to investigate the utility of monitoring presepsin with other AE-ILD markers before and after steroid pulse therapy in AE-ILDs. Methods: This pilot single-center retrospective observational study involved 16 patients with AE-ILDs, including the AE of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and idiopathic nonspecific interstitial pneumonia and rapidly progressive connective tissue disease-associated ILD. Patients who survived 90 days were assigned to the survival group (n = 9). The remaining patients were classified in the non-survivor group (n = 7). To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of steroid pulse therapy, specific serum markers were selected—presepsin, as a novel AE-ILD marker, and surfactant protein D, C-reactive protein, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), as classical AE-ILD markers. Results: Thirteen out of sixteen patients with AE-ILDs showed high presepsin levels (presepsin ≥ 470 pg/mL) before steroid pulse therapy. The post-/pre-presepsin ratio and the post-/pre-LDH ratio, calculated by dividing the presepsin and LDH levels after therapy by the levels before therapy, respectively, showed a positive correlation (r = 0.579, p = 0.021). As a result of this correlation, the post-/pre-presepsin–LDH index was created, obtained from the “post-/pre-presepsin ratio” multiplied by the “post-/pre-LDH ratio”. In a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis for non-survival, the post-/pre-presepsin–LDH index showed good discrimination as a prognostic marker for a poor outcome (AUC: 0.873, 95% confidence interval: 0.655–0.999). Conclusions: Tracking presepsin and LDH simultaneously may be useful for determining treatment response to steroid pulse therapy in the clinical management of AE-ILDs. Full article

Background: THA is a widely performed surgical procedure that improves mobility and quality of life in patients with hip joint diseases. The increasing prevalence of obesity has led to a rise in the number of patients undergoing THA following bariatric surgery. This study investigates trends in THA among patients with a history of bariatric surgery, comparing demographics, hospitalization metrics, post-operative complications, and overall surgical outcomes to those without such history. Methods: Using the NIS database (2016–2019), we analyzed a cohort of 1,496,809 THA patients, including 20,429 with a history of bariatric surgery. Propensity score matching was employed to control for confounding factors, resulting in a matched cohort of 20,429 patients in each group. Statistical analyses compared demographic characteristics, comorbidities, hospitalization outcomes, and post-operative complications, with a significance threshold of p < 0.05. Results: The proportion of THA patients with prior bariatric surgery increased significantly between 2016 and 2019 (p < 0.01). Compared to those without a history of bariatric surgery, these patients were younger (60.3 vs. 66.0 years, p < 0.01) and predominantly female (75.0% vs. 55.5%, p < 0.01). After PSM, patients with a history of bariatric surgery had a shorter hospital stay (2.17 vs. 2.37 days, p = 0.027) but incurred higher hospital charges ($63,631 vs. $62,883, p < 0.01). Post-operative complications were significantly higher in this group, with increased risks of hip dislocation (RR = 4.0, 95% CI: 3.4–4.8, p < 0.01), surgical site infection (RR = 2.0, 95% CI: 1.8–2.4, p < 0.01), pneumonia (RR = 2.5, 95% CI: 2.1–2.8, p < 0.01), and intraoperative fracture (RR = 1.6, 95% CI: 1.3–2.0, p < 0.01). Conclusions: The rising prevalence of THA in post-bariatric surgery patients highlights the need for optimized perioperative care. Despite shorter hospital stays, these patients face higher complication risks, requiring tailored management. Further research should explore alternative weight management strategies to improve outcomes. Full article

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a prevalent and severe condition in neurologically impaired (NI) children, often requiring surgical intervention. This study evaluates the outcomes of two surgical techniques, fundoplication and total esophagogastric dissociation (EGD), in managing GERD in this vulnerable population. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 56 NI children who underwent surgery for GERD at our institution from 2012 to 2023. Outcomes assessed included post-operative weight gain, pneumonia rates, hospitalization duration, and complications. Results: Of the cohort, 39 patients underwent fundoplication and 17 underwent EGD. Both groups experienced significant weight gain post-operatively, with comparable rates between procedures. Fundoplication was associated with shorter hospitalization (16 ± 10 days vs. 35 ± 16 days, p < 0.001) and earlier resumption of enteral feeding (5.5 ± 2 days vs. 10.2 ± 3 days). EGD significantly reduced pneumonia rates (70.59% to 17.65%, p = 0.006) compared to fundoplication (58.97% to 41.03%, p = 0.174). Early complication rates were higher in the EGD group (41% vs. 23%), but long-term GERD-related hospitalizations were fewer (0.8 ± 1/year vs. 3 ± 2/year, p = 0.003). Conclusions: Fundoplication offers shorter recovery times and lower early complication rates, making it suitable for many patients. However, EGD may be preferable for those with severe, refractory GERD, given its superior long-term outcomes, particularly in reducing pneumonia and hospitalizations. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings and refine surgical indications in NI children. Full article

Background: The incidence of urinary tract infections (UTIs) after radical cystectomy (RC) with urinary diversion (UD), the typical pathogens, and associated patient risk factors have not been well documented. In this study, we examined the incidence of post-op UTIs after RC to identify associated risk factors. Methods: Single-center, retrospective case series of 386 patients with bladder cancer who underwent RC with UD between 2012 and 2024. The primary objective was UTI incidence, defined by the frequency of patients with urine culture with >10⁵ colony-forming units per high-powered field, spanning from post-op day 0 (POD0) to 90 days after discharge. Isolated pathogens were reported. Risk factors for UTIs were assessed. Results: The average age was 69 years old at surgery, and patients were predominantly male (80%). The cumulative incidence of post-op UTIs was 14%, among which 12 patients had more than one UTI. The UTI incidence was 2%, 8%, and 7% during the immediate post-op period, within 30 days, and within 31–90 days, respectively. Isolated pathogens included Escherichia coli (26%), Enterococcus faecalis (24%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (21%), and Pseudomonas species (21%). In the immediate post-op period, female sex was the only significant risk factor. At 31 to 90 days, cutaneous ureterostomy UD was the predominant risk factor for UTIs. For ileal conduit patients, those with a Wallace ureteral anastomosis were associated with UTI 31–90 days from discharge for RC. Conclusions: Our retrospective data suggests the incidence of UTIs and their causative pathogens after RC differ based on post-operative time points and vary according to different patient risk factors. Full article

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, several studies demonstrated the effectiveness of lung ultrasound (LUS) as a frontline tool in diagnosing and managing acute SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. However, its role in detecting post-COVID-19 lung sequelae remains to be fully determined. This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of LUS in identifying lung parenchymal damage, particularly fibrotic-like changes, following COVID-19 pneumonia, comparing its performance to that of CT. Methods: Relevant studies published before July 2024 were identified through a comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane library. The search terms were combinations of the relevant medical subject heading (MeSH) terms, key words and word variants for “lung”, “post-COVID”, “long-COVID”, and “ultrasound”. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and summary receiver-operating characteristic (SROC) curve were used to examine the accuracy of CEUS. The selected works used different thresholds for the detection and counting of B-lines by ultrasound. This led to dividing our analysis into two models, the first based on the lower thresholds for detection of B-lines found in the works, and the second on data obtained using a higher detection threshold. Results: In terms of the diagnostic accuracy of LUS in detecting residual fibrotic-like changes in patients post-COVID-19 infection, a low-threshold model displayed a pooled sensitivity of 0.98 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.95–0.99] and a pooled specificity of 0.54 (95% CI: 0.49–0.59). The DOR was 44.9 (95% CI: 10.8–187.1). The area under the curve (AUC) of SROC was 0.90. In the second analysis, the model with the higher threshold to detect B-lines showed a pooled sensitivity of 0.90 (95% CI: 0.85–0.94) and a pooled specificity of 0.88 (95% CI: 0.84–0.91). The DOR was 50.4 (95% CI: 15.9–159.3). The AUC of SROC was 0.93. Conclusions: In both analyses (even using the high threshold for the detection of B-lines), excellent sensitivity (98% in model 1 and 90% in model 2) is maintained. The specificity has a significant variation between the two models from 54 (model 1) to 87% (model 2). The model with the highest threshold for the detection of B-lines displayed the best diagnostic accuracy, as confirmed by the AUC values of the SROC (0.93). Full article

Objectives: Ongoing research has begun to develop innovative approaches to deliver local antibiotics while minimizing systemic side effects, antimicrobial resistance, and limited tissue penetration. Autologous platelet concentrates (APCs) offer promise in delivering antibiotics directly to infection sites. Despite the interest, a comprehensive evaluation of their effectiveness is lacking. Therefore, this systematic scoping review aims to collect and appraise studies regarding the efficacy of APCs in delivering antibiotics. Methods: A systematic electronic search of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, using a combination of keywords, was conducted up to February 2024. Articles addressing the use of APCs as a local antibiotic delivery system were included. Results: A total of 13 articles, including 10 in vitro studies, 1 in vitro and clinical study, 1 ex vivo study, and 1 clinical study, were selected. Antibiotic loading capacity and release was confirmed in all studies using doxycycline, gentamicin, linezolid, vancomycin, metronidazole, and penicillin. In addition, the antibacterial effect was obtained mainly against E. coli., P. aeruginosa, S. mitis, H. influenzae, S. pneumoniae, and S. aureus. Conclusions: The incorporation of antibiotics into APCs has been proven to facilitate the effective release of antimicrobial agents at optimal concentrations, potentially reducing the incidence of post-operative infections, substituting, or augmenting systemic antibiotic treatment while retaining APCs’ inherent healing properties. Full article

Wandering spleen (WS) is a rare condition often linked with torsion or infarction, but its association with Bochdalek hernia, acute appendicitis, and thrombocytopenia is exceptionally rare. We present a case of a nine-year-old girl who was admitted with acute abdominal pain, later diagnosed with WS, Bochdalek hernia, and acute appendicitis. A literature search was performed on PubMed and Google Scholar on 30 May 2024 with keywords including “Wandering spleen” and (“Bochdalek Hernia” OR “Sepsis” OR “Acute Appendicitis” OR “Thrombocytopenia”). The management was complicated by severe thrombocytopenia and post-operative sepsis, with Klebsiella pneumoniae as the causative agent. Imaging revealed an abnormally located spleen and significant splenic enlargement over time. The patient’s condition was managed non-operatively concerning the WS, avoiding splenectomy due to the risks of post-splenectomy sepsis. Instead, laparotomy was performed to address the appendicitis and diaphragmatic hernia. The patient experienced post-operative complications, including a seizure and persistent fever, which resolved with appropriate antibiotic therapy. This case underscores the complexity of managing WS with concurrent severe conditions, highlighting the importance of individualised treatment strategies. It also emphasises the need for further studies to explore optimal treatment modalities for such rare and complex presentations. This case serves as an educational example in clinical settings, demonstrating the challenges and considerations when treating multiple rare pathologies simultaneously. Full article

Background and Objectives: Hyponatraemia increases the morbidity and mortality risks of orthopaedic patients. When undergoing spine surgery, hyponatraemic patients have high risks of pneumonia and of staying in hospital for up to 1 day longer compared with non-hyponatraemic patients. This study aims to assess the occurrence of adverse events among patients with pre-operative hyponatraemia after undergoing lumbar surgery. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Patients who underwent spinal surgery in 2011 to 2013 were identified from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. Multivariate analysis was conducted to demonstrate the difference in post-operative complication rates between hyponatraemic patients and normonatraemic patients. Post-operative adverse events, need for blood transfusion and length of stay were considered as clinical outcome data. Results: A total of 58,049 patients were included; pre-operatively, 55,012 (94.8%) were normonatraemic and 3037 (5.2%) were hyponatraemic. Multivariate analysis showed that hyponatraemic patients had higher rates of adverse events, blood transfusions and urinary tract infections. Specifically, 632 (20.8%) hyponatraemic patients developed adverse events, compared with 6821 (12.4%) normonatraemic patients; the hyponatraemic patients received transfusions, compared with 6821 (7.4%) normonatraemic patients; and 97 (3.2%) hyponatraemic patients developed urinary tract infections, compared with 715 (1.3%) normonatraemic patients. Finally, an extended length of stay beyond 6 days occurred in 604 (19.9%) hyponatraemic patients, compared with 4676 (8.5%) normonatraemic patients. Conclusions: Our study identified an association between pre-operative hyponatraemia and post-operative adverse events in spinal surgery patients. However, it is unclear whether hyponatraemia caused the higher adverse event rate. Full article

Background: Radical cystectomy is a complex procedure imposing significant post-operation complications. Objective: Explore the impact of peri-operative pRBC transfusion on mortality and overall morbidity in a matched cohort. Methods: The American College of Surgeons—National Surgical Quality Improvement Program’s (ACS-NSQIP) dataset was used to select patients who underwent RC in 2008–2019. Patients who witnessed pre-operative transfusion and emergency cases were excluded. Peri-operative pRBC transfusion was defined as an intra-operative or up to 24-h post-operative pRBC transfusion. We matched patients who underwent peri-operative pRBC transfusion to patients who did not receive transfusion. Length of stay, mortality, and overall morbidity were compared between the two matched cohorts. Results: The match cohort was matched on all pre-operative demographics and medical history variables and yielded 3578 matched patients. Patients who underwent peri-operative pRBC transfusion had a longer length of hospital stay (9.3 days) as compared to patients who did not undergo transfusion (8.13 days) (p < 0.001). Furthermore, patients who underwent transfusion also had higher odds of mortality (OR = 1.934) and overall morbidity (OR = 1.443) (p < 0.03). Specifically, patients who underwent transfusion had higher odds of organ space SSI, pneumonia, unplanned intubation, pulmonary embolism, failure to wean off of ventilator, renal insufficiency, urinary tract infections, stroke, myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest requiring CPR, deep vein thrombosis, and septic shock (p < 0.047). Conclusion: Peri-operative pRBC transfusion in RC was associated with longer hospital stays, significant morbidity, and mortality. For this reason, pre-operative patient optimization and possible alternatives to common pRBC practices should be considered in RC to circumvent complications. Full article

Recent research has shown that antibiotic-resistant microorganisms are becoming more prevalent in intensive care units (ICUs) at an exponential rate. Patients in the ICU can get infected by pathogens due to invasive operation procedures and critical health conditions. This study primarily emphasized tracheal samples from ICU patients due to their reliance on ventilators, increasing their susceptibility to Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP). Moreover, the rise of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens makes treatment strategies more challenging for these patients. In this study, we tested 200 tracheal specimens to determine the prevalence of microorganisms and analyzed the antibiotic susceptibility of these isolates against regular antibiotics, including 4th generation drugs. Among the 273 isolates, 81% were gram-negative bacteria, 10% were gram-positive bacteria, and 9% were fungi. The most prevalent gram-negative bacteria were Acinetobacter spp. (34%), Klebsiella spp. (22%), Pseudomonas spp. (14%), and Escherichia coli (9.2%). The most prevalent gram-positive bacteria were Staphylococcus aureus (5.9%), and the fungi were Candida spp. (7.3%). Among the most prevalent bacteria, except Staphylococcus aureus isolates, around 90% were resistant to multiple drugs, whereas 60% of Acinetobacter spp. and Pseudomonas spp. were extensively drug resistant. Sensitivity analysis against the gram-negative and gram-positive drug panel using a one-way ANOVA test followed by Tukey’s post hoc test showed that in the in vitro assay, colistin was the most effective antibiotic against all gram-negative bacteria. In contrast, linezolid, vancomycin, and fusidic acid were most effective against all gram-positive bacteria. Regular monitoring of nosocomial infections and safe management of highly resistant bacteria can help prevent future pandemics. Full article

Background: The development of prolonged post-operative ileus (POI) remains a significant problem in the general surgical patient population. The aetiology of ileus is poorly understood and management options/preventative measures are currently extremely limited. The pathophysiology leading to a post-operative ileus is relatively poorly understood, and there is no validated method to estimate ileus occurrence or duration. Ileus in the post-operative period commonly occurs following major colorectal surgery and leads to painful abdominal distension, vomiting, nutritional deficit, pneumonia, prolonged hospital stays and susceptibility to hospital-acquired infection. An increased hospital stay, the burden of treatment costs and the burden on the health system highlight the importance of future research on finding definitions, preventions and predictions of ileus. Methods: A systematic literature review was performed to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the rate of ileus on various treatments for prolonged post-operative ileus following colorectal surgery. A confidence evaluation in a meta-analysis were performed using CINeMA. Direct and indirect comparisons of all interventions were simultaneously carried out using a network meta-analysis. The level of certainty was appraised using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach. The method of assessing the risk of bias, the quality assessment, used the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool (RoB2). Results: Among the seven included studies, the majority suffered from considerable within-study bias, affecting the confidence rates of study findings. Heterogeneity and incoherence made the pairwise meta-analysis and ranking of interventions unfeasible. Indirect comparisons were considered unreliable due to this incoherence. Conclusions: This systematic review, with a confidence evaluation in the network meta-analysis, determined that there is a knowledge gap in the field of study on prolonged ileus following digestive surgery. The current evidence suffers from heterogeneity and incoherence more than imprecision. There is a gap in the data on ileus occurrence in interventional trials for digestive surgery. This could inform clinicians and trialists to better appraise the current literature and plan future trials. Full article

Background: The use of robotic surgery is attracting ever-growing interest for its potential advantages such as small incisions, fine movements, and magnification of the operating field. Only a few randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have explored the differences in perioperative outcomes between the two approaches. Methods: We screened the main online databases from inception to May 2023. We included studies in English enrolling adult patients undergoing elective gastrointestinal surgery. We used the following exclusion criteria: surgery with the involvement of thoracic esophagus, and patients affected by severe heart, pulmonary and end-stage renal disease. We compared intra- and post-operative complications, length of hospitalization, and costs between laparoscopic and robotic approaches. Results: A total of 18 RCTs were included. We found no differences in the rate of anastomotic leakage, cardiovascular complications, estimated blood loss, readmission, deep vein thrombosis, length of hospitalization, mortality, and post-operative pain between robotic and laparoscopic surgery; post-operative pneumonia was less frequent in the robotic approach. The conversion to open surgery was less frequent in the robotic approach, which was characterized by shorter time to first flatus but higher operative time and costs. Conclusions: The robotic gastrointestinal surgery has some advantages compared to the laparoscopic technique such as lower conversion rate, faster recovery of bowel movement, but it has higher economic costs. Full article

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is one of the most common cardiac surgical procedures. It is commonly known that post-operative infection has a negative impact on the patient’s short-term treatment outcomes and long-term prognosis. The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of perioperative infection on 5-year and 10-year survival in patients undergoing elective on-pump CABG surgery. The present prospective observational study was carried out between 1 July 2010 and 31 August 2012 among patients undergoing cardiac surgery at our centre. Infections were identified according to the ECDC definitions. We initially assessed the incidence of infection and its relationship with the parameters analysed. We then analysed the effect of particular parameters, including infection, on 5-year and 10-year survival after surgery. We also analysed the impact of particular types of infection on the risk of death within the period analysed. The significant risk factors for reduced survival were age (HR 1.05, CI 1.02–1.07), peripheral artery disease (HR 1.99, CI 1.28–3.10), reduced LVEF after surgery (HR 0.96, CI 0.94–0.99), post-operative myocardial infarction (HR 1.45, CI 1.05–2.02) and infection (HR 3.10, CI 2.20–4.28). We found a strong relationship between post-operative infections and 5-year and 10-year mortality in patients undergoing CABG. Pneumonia and BSI were the only types of infection that were found to have a significant impact on increased long-term mortality after CABG surgery. Full article

Background: Chronic media with effusion (COME) and recurrent acute otitis media (RAOM) are closely related clinical entities that affect childhood. The aims of the study were to investigate the microbiological profile of otitis-prone children in the post-PCV7 era and, to examine the biofilm-forming ability in association with clinical history and outcome during a two-year post-operative follow-up. Methods: In this prospective study, pathogens from patients with COME and RAOM were isolated and studied in vitro for their biofilm-forming ability. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of both the planktonic and the sessile forms were compared. The outcome of the therapeutic method used in each case and patient history were correlated with the pathogens and their ability to form biofilms. Results: Haemophilus influenzae was the leading pathogen (35% in COME and 40% in RAOM), and Streptococcus pneumoniae ranked second (12% in COME and 24% in RAOM). Polymicrobial infections were identified in 5% of COME and 19% of RAOM cases. Of the isolated otopathogens, 94% were positive for biofilm formation. Conclusions: This is the first Greek research studying biofilm formation in complex otitis media-prone children population in the post-PCV7 era. High rates of polymicrobial infections, along with treatment failure in biofilms, may explain the lack of antimicrobial efficacy in otitis-prone children. Full article