Reasons for relaparotomies following operations on the biliary tract in nontumorous lesions

According to the authors' data the incidence of relaparotomies after 1500 operations for non-tumor diseases of bile ducts was 2.5%. Causes of relaparotomies at early and late terms of the postoperative period were different. The dependence of results of the treatment on the amount of relaparotomies and the presence of such complications as jaundice, cholangitis and pancreatitis has been established. In such complications and increased amount of relaparotomies lethality was considerably higher. General lethality after relaparotomies was 49%. Complex of prophylactic and curative measures of the complications resulting in relaparotomies has been developed.     

Possibility of predicting and preventing postoperative complications leading to relaparotomy

The occurrence of relaparotomies is known to be 1,2% of operations on the abdomen organs. Pyo-inflammatory complications are responsible for more than half cases resulting in relaparotomies. Relaparotomies are divided into emergent and urgent, radical and palliative. A system for prognosis of complications and differential diagnosis of postoperative paresis of the gastro-intestinal tract and postoperative peritonitis is presented. Prophylactics of postoperative complications reduced lethality after relaparotomies from 79% to 56%.     

Emergency relaparotomy in children

Early relaparotomies following operations on organs of the abdominal cavity were shown by the authors to be necessary in 1,3% of the patients operated on due to developing intraperitoneal complications. The main causes of repeated operations were: intestinal obstruction, diffuse peritonitis, intestinal eventration, limited purulent processes in the abdominal cavity and intraperitoneal bleedings. Postoperative lethality proved to be high (23,5%).     

Indications for relaparotomy and its results

For the recent six years 6855 operations on abdominal organs have been performed which were followed by relaparotomies in 104 patients (1.5%). The authors show that the greatest amount of relaparotomies followed operations for ulcer disease, tumors and cholecystitis. The main causes of relaparotomies were peritonitis, intestinal obstructions and bleedings. The group of greater risk consisted of men aged 50-60. The amount of relaparotomies can be reduced due to unification of medical tactics, strict observation of the operation technique and responsible management of the patients in the postoperative period.     

Early relaparotomy

An analysis of 14565 operations on organs of the abdominal cavity has shown that main causes of early relaparotomies were peritonites (47,4%), intestinal obstruction (33,3%), eventration of the abdominal organs (16,0%) and hemoperitoneum (3,3%). The highest lethality was after postoperative peritonitis (54,1%). For the recent 10 years the total lethality has become 31,6% lower due to better diagnosis and early relaparotomies.     

Strategy of the surgical treatment of postoperative complications in patients with obstructive ileus of the colon of tumorous etiology]

Under analysis were postoperative intraperitoneal complications and results of relaparotomies in 33 patients (13 women and 20 men) aged from 33 to 76 years with obturative ileus caused by stenosing cancer of different portions of the colon. High frequency of peritonitis in the general picture of postoperative complications was due to incompetent sutures of the colonic anastomoses applied during emergency and urgent operations in patients with sub- and decompensated forms of intestinal obstruction. The best variant of completion of radical operations in emergency surgery in this category of patients is the formation of a single- or double-trunk colostomy without a primary reestablishment of the continuity of the intestinal tube especially when stenosing cancer is localized in the left part of the colon.     

Urgent Abdominal Re-Explorations

Background  

Treatment of a number of complications that occur after abdominal surgeries may require that Urgent Abdominal Re-explorations (UARs), the life-saving and obligatory operations, are performed. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the reasons for performing UARs, outcomes of relaparotomies (RLs) and factors that affect mortality.     

Diagnosis and treatment of postoperative intraabdominal complications

Postoperative complications after 8168 reoperations were seen in 143 (1.8%) patients. Clinical symptoms, laboratory tests, results of x-ray and ultrasound examinations were taken into account in diagnosis of the complications. Differential diagnosis of postoperative peritonitis, stable paralytic intestinal obstruction, early adhesive obstruction and intraabdominal bleeding based only on clinical data is difficult in many cases. Ultrasonic examination and laparoscopy permitted to reduce number of unjustified relaparotomies. In the majority of cases relaparotomy was considered as a method of choice in treatment of these complications. Mini-invasive surgeries may be performed only in mild complications. Lethality in the treatment of postoperative complications after relaparotomy was 39.4%, after laparoscopic surgeries--8.8%, after US-assisted drainage--0. General lethality was 29.4%.     

An analysis of the reasons for relaparotomy in the surgical clinic]

The results of surgical treatment of 4,078 patients who underwent operation in 1985-1989 were studied. Due to the occurrence of complications in the early postoperative period, 182 relaparotomies were carried out in 164 patients. The main indications for relaparotomies were advanced underlying disease, surgical errors (tactical, technical), changes of the patients' immune status. Early diagnosis, timely operation with the use of technically correct manipulations, and the application of a full complex of intensive therapy measures in the postoperative period are important in the prevention of complications.     

Relaparotomy after appendectomy]

A result of 70 relaparotomies performed after the operative intervention for acute appendicitis has been analysed. The causes and indications for reoperation, an outcome, nature of complications which required performance of relaparotomy have been considered. A classification of relaparotomies depending on time of their performance is suggested.     

The problem of relaparotomy in emergency surgery

For the recent 15 years the authors have made 6220 operations on organs of the abdominal cavity, among them there were 111 relaparotomies in 96 patients (1.78%). An atypical course of the postoperative period was an early symptom of unfavorable state of the stomach. Thirty patients died (31.25%). The authors consider that a delayed first operation in urgent surgery is one of the main causes resulting in relaparotomy and appeal to properly perform the sanitary-instructive work, dispensary observation and planned sanitation of surgical patients.     

Relaparotomies: Why is Mortality Higher?

Background:   

Relaparotomy is sometimes required for complications that develop after abdominal surgery, but it is associated with high mortality. We aimed to investigate the independent risk factors related to mortality in patients that undergo relaparotomies.     

Diagnostic errors and inadequate therapeutic tactics in tumors of the large intestines

The authors observed 21 patients after previous non-radical treatment in other medical institutions. The age of the patients was from 38 to 80. Radical operations were performed on all the patients during relaparotomies. The authors make a conclusion that choice of a rational surgical and curative tactics in colonic tumors was determined individually with special reference to the general state of the patient, careful assessment of the degree of local spread of the tumor. A dogmatic approach is thought to be inadmissible.     

Early reoperations after resection of stomach in gastroduodenal ulcers]

The material is based on the 20 years' experience in urgent surgical treatment of 2146 patients with gastroduodenal ulcers (GDU). 120 patients of them underwent relaparotomy. The main reasons for the repeated operations were insufficiency of the sutures of the duodenal stump, peritonitis, bleeding, abscesses of the abdominal cavity. Owing to new tactics of surgical treatment for GDU the authors managed to reduce the number of relaparotomies from 9.3 to 3.7% and total mortality rate from 5 to 0.7%.     

Surveillance and rescue of pancreas grafts

BACKGROUND: Technical failure rates are higher for pancreas allografts (PA) compared with other solid organs. Posttransplant surveillance and prompt availability of rescue teams with multidisciplinary expertise both contribute to improve this result. We herein report a single institution's experience with posttransplant surveillance and rescue of PA. METHODS: A retrospective survey was performed of a consecutive series of 177 whole organ pancreas transplants in 173 patients. Antithrombotic prophylaxis was used in all recipients and tailored on anticipated individual risk of thrombosis. During the first posttransplant week, all PA were monitored with daily Doppler ultrasonography. Surgical complications were defined as all adverse events requiring relaparotomy during the initial hospital stay or the first 3 posttransplant months. RESULTS: A total of 26 relaparotomies were performed in 25 patients (14.7%). One recipient needed two relaparotomies (0.6%). Graft rescue was attempted in patients without permanent parenchymal damage at repeat surgery and in 12 recipients diagnosed with nonocclusive vascular thrombosis. Overall 25 grafts (96.3%) were rescued and one was lost. One-year recipient and graft survivals in patients with versus without complications potentially leading to allograft loss were 92.6% and 63.0% versus 94.4% and 94.3%, respectively. Excluding complications for which graft rescue was not possible, 1-year graft survival rate increased to 78.7%. CONCLUSIONS: Close posttransplant surveillance can allow rescue of a relevant proportion of PA developing nonocclusive venous thrombosis or other surgical complications. Further improvement awaits better understanding of biological reasons for posttransplant complications jeopardizing PA survival and the development of more effective preventive measures.     

Programmed relaparotomy in generalized purulent peritonitis

Efficacy of programmed relaparotomy in combined treatment of 51 patients with generalized peritonitis is analyzed. Based on evaluation of surgical data, basic clinical and laboratory markers of endotoxicosis algorithm of programmed relaparotomy has been developed. Comparative analysis of the results of treatment of 36 patients after 1-2 programmed relaparotomies (1.6+/-0.5 surgeries) and 15 patients after repeated relaparotomies (3.4+/-0.3 surgeries) demonstrated that these methods were more effective before development of significant polyorganic disturbances. Nine (17.6%) patients died.     

Relaparotomies following the creation of intestinal anastomoses in newborn infants]

An analysis of the immediate postoperative period in 295 newborns after putting intestinal anastomoses was made. Postoperative surgical complications were found in 38 children who required 47 relaparotomies. Surgical tactics was determined for the complications of the postoperative period as well as the indications for relaparotomy.     

Early post‐liver transplant surgical morbidity in HIV‐infected recipients: risk factor for overall survival? A nationwide retrospective study

The aim of the study was to analyse the risk factors for early surgical complications requiring relaparotomy and the related impact on overall survival (OS) in HIV‐infected patients submitted to liver transplantation. Thus a retrospective investigation was conducted on a nationwide multicentre cohort of 157 HIV patients submitted to liver transplantation in six Italian Transplant Units between 2004 and 2014. An early relaparotomy was performed in 24.8% of cases and the underlying clinical causes were biliary leak (8.2%), bleeding (8.2%), intestinal perforation (4.5%) and suspect of vascular complications(3.8%). No differences in terms of prevalence for either overall or cause‐specific early relaparotomies were noted when compared with a non‐HIV control group, matched for MELD, recipient age, HCV‐RNA positivity and HBV prevalence. While in the control group an early relaparotomy appeared a negative prognostic factor, such impact on OS was not noted in HIV recipients. Nonetheless increasing number of relaparotomies were associated with decreased survival. In multivariate analysis, preoperative refractory ascites and Roux‐en‐Y choledochojejunostomy reconstruction were significant risk factors for early relaparotomy. To conclude, in HIV liver transplanted patients, an increasing number of early relaparotomies because of surgical complications does negatively affect the OS. Preoperative refractory ascites reflecting a severe portal hypertension and a difficult biliary tract reconstruction requiring a Roux‐en‐Y choledochojejunostomy are associated with increased risk of early relaparotomy.     

Combined treatment of acute diffuse peritonitis]

Results of treatment in 199 patients were analysed. The patients were divided into 3 groups. In group 1 (80 patients) acute diffuse peritonitis was treated with conventional methods, in group 2 (62 patients) conventional treatment was supplemented by exchange plasmapheresis, in group 3 (57 patients) conventional treatment was used together with extracorporeal detoxication and elective relaparotomies. Plasmapheresis and elective relaparotomies resulted in increase of effectiveness of the treatment in acute diffuse peritonitis. The intervals between the elective relaparotomies and sessions of plasmapheresis depended on the stage and the course of peritonitis. Lethality rate in conventional method of treatment for acute diffuse peritonitis made up 39%, in plasmapheresis 29%, and in combined treatment--24.5%.