CAGS AND ACS EVIDENCE BASED REVIEWS IN SURGERY. 49: Is a diverting loop ileostomy and colonic lavage an alternative to colectomy for the treatment of severe Clostridium difficile–associated disease?

Objective: To determine whether a colon-sparing diverting ileostomy with colonic lavage reduces mortality in patients with severe Clostridium difficile–associated disease (CDAD) when compared with colectomy. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting & patients: Forty-two patients with diagnosed severe, complicated CDAD who were treated at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center or VA Pittsburgh Health Care System between June 2009 and January 2011 with diverting loop ileostomy and colonic lavage (warmed polyethylene glycol 3350/electrolyte solution via the ileostomy and postoperative antegrade instillation of vancomycin flushes via the ileostomy). Patients were compared with a historical control group of 42 patients who had a colectomy. Main outcome: Resolution of CDAD. Results: There was no significant difference in age, sex, pharmacologic immuno-suppression and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation-II (APACHE-II) scores between the current cohort and historical controls. In the ileostomy group, surgery was performed laparoscopically in 35 patients (83%). This treatment strategy resulted in reduced mortality compared with the historical population (19% v. 50%; odds ratio [OR] 0.24, p = 0.006). Preservation of the colon was achieved in 39 of 42 patients (93%). Conclusion: Loop ileostomy and colonic lavage are an alternative to colectomy in the treatment of severe, complicated CDAD, resulting in reduced morbidity and preservation of the colon.     

Multicentric evaluation of the DiaMed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay malaria antibody test for screening of blood donors for malaria

BACKGROUND: The risk of malaria transmission by blood transfusion is critical due to extensive travel from endemic areas to non-endemic areas. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) malaria antibody test has been developed that is claimed to perform better than the immunofluorescence assay test (IFAT). The assay contains antigens to both Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. A multicentre study was performed to evaluate the appropriateness of replacing the IFAT by the new ELISA test. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Nine French blood banks participated in this multicentre study. Two panels of samples were evaluated. The first included 4163 samples from healthy donors and was used to calculate clinical specificity of the assay. The second involved 10,995 samples, either collected retrospectively or prospectively from malaria-risk donors , was used to assess the comparative performance of the ELISA and IFAT. Discordant samples were further tested using an in-house IFAT and also tested for presence of Plasmodium DNA by polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The ELISA showed a clinical specificity of 99.02%. In the malaria-risk blood donors groups, the retrospective group showed a concordance rate of 92.6% (k = 0.90), while the prospective group showed a concordance rate of 97% (k = 0.46). After confirming the discordant sample results by an in-house IFAT, the k index increased to 0.81. None of the discordant samples was shown to contain Plasmodium DNA. CONCLUSION: The performance of the ELISA test in this study has confirmed its potential as a new screening test for use in blood banks, as an alternative to the IFAT in prevention of transfusion-transmitted malaria in non-endemic countries.     

Anti‐D investigations in individuals expressing weak D Type 1 or weak D Type 2: allo‐ or autoantibodies?

BACKGROUND: Whether anti‐D produced by individuals with a weak D phenotype are allo‐ or autoantibodies remains a matter of debate even though blood transfusion practice is impacted. The aim of our study was to determine the serologic features of anti‐D in individuals expressing the most frequent weak D type in Caucasians that are weak D Type 1 or weak D Type 2, to assess whether anti‐D were allo‐ or autoantibodies. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Serologic D typing and molecular analysis enabled the including of 121 weak D Type 1 individuals and 99 weak D Type 2 individuals in our study. Serologic features of anti‐D included autologous controls, direct antiglobulin test, elution, and titration of anti‐D before and after adsorption of serum on autologous red blood cells (RBCs). RESULTS: Serologic D typing showed a variable reactivity of RBCs expressing weak D Type 1 or weak D Type 2 (4+ to 0). Anti‐D was identified in six weak D Type 1 and six weak D Type 2 individuals, respectively. The serologic data were in favor of autoantibodies. CONCLUSION: A complete anti‐D investigation in individuals with a D variant (weak D or partial D identified by molecular analysis) should be systematically performed before any valid conclusion on the nature of the antibody. Transfusing weak D Type 1 or weak D Type 2 patients with D+ RBC units should be recommended. Weak D Type 1 or weak D Type 2 pregnant women do not need anti‐D immunoprophylaxis.     

Use of OmpU porins for attachment and invasion of Crassostrea gigas immune cells by the oyster pathogen Vibrio splendidus

OmpU porins are increasingly recognized as key determinants of pathogenic host Vibrio interactions. Although mechanisms remain incompletely understood, various species, including the human pathogen Vibrio cholera, require OmpU for host colonization and virulence. We have shown previously that OmpU is essential for virulence in the oyster pathogen Vibrio splendidus LGP32. Here, we showed that V. splendidus LGP32 invades the oyster immune cells, the hemocytes, through subversion of host-cell actin cytoskeleton. In this process, OmpU serves as an adhesin/invasin required for β-integrin recognition and host cell invasion. Furthermore, the major protein of oyster plasma, the extracellular superoxide dismutase Cg-EcSOD, is used as an opsonin mediating the OmpU-promoted phagocytosis through its RGD sequence. Finally, the endocytosed bacteria were found to survive intracellularly, evading the host defense by preventing acidic vacuole formation and limiting reactive oxygen species production. We conclude that (i) V. splendidus is a facultative intracellular pathogen that manipulates host defense mechanisms to enter and survive in host immune cells, and (ii) that OmpU is a major determinant of host cell invasion in Vibrio species, used by V. splendidus LGP32 to attach and invade oyster hemocytes through opsonisation by the oyster plasma Cg-EcSOD.     

Outcomes of Ileal Pouch Excision: an American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) Analysis

Background

This study aimed to define the incidence and risk factors of postoperative morbidity and mortality after pouch excision (PE).

Methods

ACS-NSQIP database was queried for patients who underwent PE between 2005 and 2015. Main outcome measures were 30-day mortality, major morbidity, overall surgical site infections (SSI), reoperation, and length of stay (LOS). Risk factors associated with these outcomes were assessed using multivariate logistic or quantile regression.

Results

Three hundred eighty-one patients underwent PE (mean age 47.7(±15.3) years; 51.7% female). Mean body mass index (BMI) was 24.6(±5.7) kg/m², 55.4% were ASA class 1–2 and 18.4% were immunosuppressed. Mean operative time was 252(±112.7) min, 98% were elective cases, and median LOS was 7(5–11) days. Twenty-eight percent experienced major morbidity, including SSIs (21.5% overall, 9.2% superficial, 3.7% deep, 10.3% organ space), sepsis (9.5%), urinary tract infection (5.8%), and postoperative pneumonia (2.4%). The observed venous thromboembolism rate was low, with 0.5 and 0.8% of patients suffering pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis, respectively; 5.5% required reoperation. Postoperative mortality was 0.8%. On multivariate logistic regression, smoking (OR 3.03 [95% CI 1.56, 5.88]) and operative time (OR 1.003 [95% CI 1.0003, 1.0005) were associated with increased odds of major morbidity. Smoking (OR 3.29 [95% CI 1.65, 6.54]) and operative time (OR 1.002 [95% CI 1.000, 1.004]) were independent risk factors for overall SSI. LOS was significantly increased in patients with major morbidity (3.29 days [95% CI 1.60, 4.99]) and increased operative time (0.013 days [95% CI 0.007, 0.018]).

Conclusions

PE is an operation with significant risk of morbidity. However, mortality was low in the present cohort of patients. Patients who were smokers and had longer operative time had increased risk of overall infectious complications and major morbidity. Furthermore, major morbidity and operative time were associated with increased hospital length of stay following PE.

     

Rituximab therapy for acute humoral rejection after kidney transplantation

A pilot study was performed on eight consecutive renal-transplant (RT) patients presenting with acute humoral rejection (AHR) to assess the efficacy of monoclonal anti-B cell antibodies, such as rituximab (375 mg/m weekly) for 3 to 5 consecutive weeks, in addition to plasma exchange (PE), steroids, mycophenolate mofetil, and tacrolimus. AHR was associated with increased serum creatinine, the appearance of donor-specific alloantibodies (DSA), and the presence of C4d in a transplant biopsy. After a follow-up of 10 months (range 7-23), patient and graft survivals were 100% and 75%, respectively. Renal function improved in six cases in which serum creatinine decreased from 297+/-140 to 156+/-53 micromol/L (P=0.015); graft loss occurred in two cases; and four patients had infectious complications. At last follow-up, DSA had disappeared or decreased in four cases. Rituximab therapy, in addition to PE, might be of benefit for RT patients presenting with AHR.