Day surgery: a problem of economics or financial management?

Day surgery is often cited as a means of reducing expenditure on health care or increasing surgical activity within a given budget, whilst at the same time maintaining or improving the quality of care offered to patients. The aims of this paper are to explore the validity of this claim and to look at the issues involved in putting it into practice. The main conclusions are that day surgery is much better value for money than inpatient surgery, but there is no guarantee that savings will be made in every case. The main problem is one of sound financial management of change rather than economics. It is necessary to: (i) agree clear targets with surgeons and monitor them; (ii) ensure that the potential for day surgery is being maximized by monitoring the characteristics of patients having inpatient surgical procedures which are suitable for day surgery; and (iii) give surgeons greater control over their own budgets so that they can see the benefits of improved efficiency.     

Tibialis posterior tendon dysfunction: a primary or secondary problem?

Seventeen patients with a mean follow-up of 64.4 months following a tibialis posterior tendon transfer to regain active foot dorsiflexion were clinically examined specifically for signs of tibialis posterior tendon dysfunction. The results show that 8 patients (47%) had Grade 4 or better power of eversion but none had a clinical flatfoot on the Harris-Beath footprints. Only 6% had forefoot abduction; 17% exhibited hindfoot valgus and 82% were able to perform the single-heel rise. Tibialis posterior tendon dysfunction therefore does not appear to be an inevitable sequel of tibialis posterior tendon transfer even in the presence of a functioning peroneal muscle. Other studies have noted that a pre-existent flatfoot was often present in patients with tibialis posterior tendon dysfunction. None of the patients in this study had pre-existent flatfoot. We suggest that a predisposition, in the form of a pre-existent tendency to flatfoot may also be a factor in the pathogenesis of tibialis posterior tendon dysfunction. This may explain the long-term failure of flexor digitorum longus and flexor hallucis longus tendon transfers in the treatment for tibialis posterior tendon dysfunction when the biomechanics of the foot has not been altered.     

Autoimmune-like syndromes during TNF blockade: does infection have a role?

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists are effective treatments for immune-mediated inflammatory disorders. The most dreaded adverse events associated with these agents are severe infections. Occasionally, patients develop autoimmune-like syndromes (AILS), which include episodes of lupus-like syndrome, multiple-sclerosis-like demyelination and inflammatory neuropathies. The underlying pathologic mechanisms of these syndromes remain, however, matters of debate. Evidence indicates that the onset of systemic lupus erythematosus, inflammatory nervous system demyelination or peripheral neuropathies in the general population may have infectious etiologies. This article discusses whether infectious agents might also have a role in the development of AILS during anti-TNF therapy. TNF antagonists might facilitate the dissemination of dormant or newly acquired viral or bacterial infections, which either directly promote symptoms that mimic autoimmune diseases or break immunological tolerance and induce autoimmunity in predisposed individuals. The occurrence of AILS during TNF blockade should, therefore, lead to reliable infection screening strategies to identify infection-induced autoimmunity and autoimmune mimics.     

Male infertility and genital chlamydial infection: victim or perpetrator?

The role of Chlamydia trachomatis in the cause of male infertility is under discussion. This paper attempts to summarize data from the literature, which support the role of C. trachomatis in male infertility or oppose this suggestion. The following observations are based on a survey of the literature: 1) Chlamydia trachomatis is a frequent pathogen in male genital inflammation, the micro-organisms are rarely present in healthy men. 2) Without doubt, C. trachomatis causes inflammations of the male urethra and the epididymis. Prostatitis and glandulitis vesicalis are discussed controversially. 3) Chlamydia trachomatis antigen or DNA is not demonstrable in secretions of the male accessory glands including the semen with sufficient reproducibility. However, it is easily demonstrable in urethral swabs and the urine. 4) Determination of chlamydial antibodies in serum or semen does not conclusively indicate a current infection with C. trachomatis. 5) There are no conclusive studies showing that men infected with C. trachomatis are less fertile than uninfected men. 6) The male genital chlamydial infection is a threat to the female genital organs, because C. trachomatis infection of the female genital organs may be deleterious to female fertility.     

Pin tract infection with contemporary external fixation: how much of a problem?

OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of pin tract infection.DESIGN Retrospective chart review. SETTING: Level 1 trauma center in an urban community. PATIENTS: A total of 285 patients with 285 fractures over a 4-year period (1997-2001). INTERVENTION: External fixation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENT: Incidence of pin tract infection. RESULTS: Of 285 fractures, 32 (11.2%) were complicated by infection. The incidence of infection according to montage was 3.9% (3/77) for ring fixators, which was significantly different (P < 0.04) from the 12.9% incidence (23/178) for unilateral fixators and the 20.0% incidence (6/30) for hybrid fixators (P = 0.004). The incidences of pin tract infection for the unilateral fixator group and the hybrid fixator group were not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with hybrid external fixators had a similar risk of pin tract infection as patients who had unilateral fixators. The infection rate in the ring fixator group was significantly lower than the hybrid external and unilateral fixator groups.     

Residual paralysis: a real problem or did we invent a new disease?

Purpose

Over the past three decades, many studies have shown a high proportion of patients in the recovery room with residual neuromuscular blockade after anesthesia. The purpose of this Continuing Professional Development module is to present the physiological consequences of residual paralysis, estimate the extent of the problem, and suggest solutions to prevent its occurrence.

Principal findings

Residual paralysis is defined as a train-of-four ratio (TOFR) < 0.9 at the adductor pollicis. While tidal volume and, to a lesser extent, vital capacity are well preserved as the intensity of blockade increases, the probability of airway obstruction, impaired swallowing, and pulmonary aspiration increases markedly as TOFR decreases. In recent studies, incidences of residual paralysis from 4-57% have been reported, but surveys indicate that anesthesiologists estimate the incidence of the problem at 1% or less. The decision to administer neostigmine or sugammadex should be based on the degree of spontaneous recovery at the adductor pollicis muscle (thumb), not on recovery at the corrugator supercilii (eyebrow). The most important drawback of neostigmine is its inability to reverse profound blockade, which is a consequence of its ceiling effect. When spontaneous recovery reaches the point where TOFR > 0.4 or four equal twitch responses are seen, reduced doses of neostigmine may be given. The dose of sugammadex required in a given situation depends on the intensity of blockade.

Conclusion

Careful monitoring and delaying the administration of neostigmine until four twitches are observed at the adductor pollicis can decrease the incidence of residual paralysis. The clinical and pharmacoeconomic effects of unrestricted sugammadex use are unknown at this time.     

Kentucky hepatoma: epidemiologic variant or same problem in a different region?

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis and cirrhosis are common etiologic factors in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the United States. However, noncirrhotic, nonfibrotic HCC has been recognized more frequently in Kentucky. The aim of this study was to evaluate the epidemiologic features of this variant of HCC. HYPOTHESIS: Kentucky hepatoma, defined as a noncirrhotic, nonfibrotic, hepatitis-negative HCC, occurs in an older population with more favorable preoperative factors when compared with other patients with HCC. DESIGN: A prospective review of our 1002 hepatopancreaticobiliary patients, the Kentucky Cancer Registry, and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. SETTING: An academic referral center. PATIENTS: All patients with HCC treated from January 1, 1999, through September 30, 2005, were reviewed for clinicopathologic factors, recurrence, and outcome. RESULTS: In a review of the region's 703 patients with HCC, we have seen a 4-fold increase in age-specific HCC diagnosis, with the most rapid increase seen in the 60- to 69-year-old age group. In our institution's 103 patients with HCC, 62 (60.2%) were without hepatitis or cirrhosis. These noncirrhotic, hepatitis-free patients were found to be significantly older (70 vs 55 years; P = .001), to be more often female (40.3% vs 24.4%; P = .01), to have a larger tumor size (6.5 vs 3.9 cm; P = .004), to have fewer liver lesions (1 vs 3; P = .22), and to more frequently undergo surgical therapy (75.6% vs 53.8%; P = .01) than the patients with cirrhosis or hepatitis (n = 41). CONCLUSIONS: A larger percentage of the patients with HCC seen in our region are significantly different from those in other reports throughout the United States in preoperative clinical and pathologic presentation. The reason for this change is as yet unknown, but the incidence continues to rise annually.     

Is Clostridium difficile infection a particular problem after reversal of ileostomy?

Aim Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitals. Various independent risk factors have been identified, including age and antibiotic exposure. This study attempted to determine whether surgery and associated antibiotic use influence the development of CDI. Method A retrospective review of all patients with a diagnosis of CDI diagnosed during admission to a colorectal unit was conducted over a 20‐month period. Patient records were cross‐referenced with a microbiology database to identify previous episodes of infection and cases of recurrence. Results There were 38 CDI episodes in 29 patients, including nine with recurrence. In 33, the use of antibiotics prior to the onset of CDI was documented, but in 14 (37%) patients this was limited to perioperative prophylaxis. The incidence of CDI after various procedures was as follows: ileostomy closure (4.2%), right hemicolectomy (2.1%) and anterior resection (1%). Conclusion Ileostomy closure may carry a higher risk of CDI.