Pancreatogastrostomy: a safe drainage procedure after pancreatoduodenectomy

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of pancreaticogastrostomy as an alternative method of restoring pancreaticointestinal continuity after pancreaticoduodenectomy. Since 1975, 45 patients have undergone pancreaticogastrostomy after pancreaticoduodenectomy at our institution. Pancreaticoduodenectomy was performed for pancreatic carcinoma (24 patients), ampullary carcinoma (8 patients), duodenal carcinoma (4 patients), common bile duct carcinoma (4 patients), pancreatic islet cell carcinoma (1 patient), trauma (1 patient), extensive colon carcinoma (1 patient), chronic pancreatitis (1 patient), and gastroduodenal artery aneurysm (1 patient). There was one operative death, for an overall operative mortality rate of 2%, and seven patients had major postoperative complications, for an overall morbidity rate of 15%. No pancreatic anastomotic leaks or other complications related to the pancreaticogastrostomy occurred. Twenty-four patients have died of recurrent carcinoma, with a mean survival of 25 months (range, 5 to 66 months), and 20 patients are alive and well, with a mean follow-up of 27 months (range, 2 to 106 months). Eight of these patients are alive 2 or more years after operation and four do not have exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. This experience confirms that pancreaticogastrostomy is a safe method of pancreatic drainage after pancreaticoduodenectomy and suggests that it may have technical advantages and therefore merits more widespread application.     

Apoptosis: understanding the new molecular pathway.

Advances in science have increased the knowledge of how cells die in the body (apoptosis). A basic understanding of this process can improve nurses' ability to review new scientific literature and enable them to provide safer bedside care.     

Conservative surgery and radiation therapy in black women with early stage breast cancer. Patterns of failure and analysis of outcome.

Between 1977 and 1986, 75 black and 615 white women with American Joint Committee (AJC) Stages I and II breast cancer were treated with excisional biopsy, axillary dissection, and radiation therapy for breast conservation. Cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and 5-fluorouracil, with and without prednisone and tamoxifen, was given to 92% of premenopausal, 83% of perimenopausal, and 63% of postmenopausal node-positive women; 20 of 106 (19%) postmenopausal node-positive women received tamoxifen only. The clinical characteristics of the similarly treated patients were compared. The 5-year actuarial local only first failure rate was 5% for black women and 6% for white women (P = 0.53). Regional only failure as the first site of failure was 9% for blacks versus 1% for whites (P = 0.002), with regional recurrence as any component of first failure being 16% for blacks and 4% for whites (P = 0.001). The supraclavicular fossa was identified as the primary site of regional recurrence in black patients with either pathologically positive or negative axillae. Distant metastases as the only site of first failure were significantly greater in the black population with a 20% 5-year actuarial failure rate versus 11% in white patients (P = 0.01). The 5-year actuarial overall survival for the black patients was 82% versus 91% for the white patients (P = 0.01), with no-evidence-of-disease (NED) survival being 64% and 83% (P = 0.0002) and relapse-free survival (RFS) being 61% and 77% (P = 0.01), respectively. Black patients younger than 40 years of age or with pathologically positive axillary nodes had significantly worse NED, RFS, and overall survival compared with similarly staged white patients. Cosmetic results were analyzed at 3 and 5 years after completion of therapy. Although significantly fewer black patients had an excellent-to-good cosmetic result at 3 years compared with white patients, the results were not significantly different at 5 years. These results show that appropriately selected black patients with early stage breast cancer have excellent local control after conservative surgery and radiation therapy and should continue to be offered breast preservation as an alternative to mastectomy. Patterns of failure, however, demonstrated higher regional and distant recurrence rates and lower NED, RFS, and overall survival rates in most subsets of black patients reviewed.     

Critical care elements in a rehabilitation nursing course.

This article describes a specialized rehabilitation education program, based on adult learning theory, that was developed to promote retention of rehabilitation nurses at MetroHealth Center for Rehabilitation in Cleveland. The curriculum encompasses the skills required to care for rehabilitation patients needing both advanced rehabilitation nursing and critical care nursing. Critical care and rehabilitation nurses collaborated in the presentation of topics and were guided by the course coordinators. Learners were chosen based on experience in rehabilitation, with priority given to those certified in rehabilitation nursing. A variety of evaluation methods elicited positive responses. A 6-month postcourse survey also was completed to assess the long-term effects of the course.