Nephrotoxicity and Efficacy Assessment of Polymyxin Use in 92 Transplant Patients

Polymyxins are old antimicrobials, discontinued for many years because of nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity reports and reintroduced recently due to the increasing frequency of multiresistant Gram-negative bacterial infections. There are very few data related to toxicity and efficacy from transplanted patients, the major subjects of this study. All solid-organ-transplanted patients from our institution during January 2001 to December 2007 who used polymyxins were retrospectively assessed for nephrotoxicity and treatment efficacy. Microbiological and clinical cure rates were 100% and 77.2%, respectively. Only transplant patients subjected to at least 72 h of intravenous polymyxin were entered in the study. Overall, 92 transplant patients were included, and the nephrotoxicity rate was 32.6%. Multivariate analysis showed a statistically significant association between duration of polymyxin treatment (P = 0.037; odds ratio [OR], 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00 to 1.12) and significant renal dysfunction. Polymyxin use is associated with very high rates of significant decrease in renal function; therefore, polymyxin must be used only when no other option is available and for as briefly as possible in the solid organ transplant setting.     

Mediastinal lymphadenopathy and pulmonary arterial hypertension in mixed connective tissue disease

A case of mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) is presented in which mediastinal lymphadenopathy was the most prominent radiological finding detected by plain chest radiographs and computed tomography. Pulmonary arterial hypertension, which is a rare and often fatal complication of MCTD, also developed in this patient.     

Nonanatomic Thoracoscopic Wedge Resection for Diffuse Lung Disease and Indeterminate Pulmonary Nodule

Video technology has revolutionized thoracoscopy dramatically, considerably increasing its indications. The clinical charts of patients who underwent a video-thoracoscopic procedure during a 6-year period were reviewed. Any patient in whom lung wedge resection for diffuse disease or an indeterminate nodule was performed met the inclusion criteria. Early and long-term outcomes were analyzed. A total of 310 thoracoscopic procedures were performed in the 250 patients reviewed. Of these patients, 60 presented with diffuse lung disease and 71 with an indeterminate pulmonary nodule. The total morbidity among diffuse disease patients was 5% (one intercostal vessel hemorrhage and two air leaks). Overall mortality for this group was 11% and was related to previous respiratory status and underlying disease. Patients not requiring preoperative mechanical ventilation ended up requiring it postoperatively, for a crossover rate of 23%. There was no morbidity or mortality in patients who did not require mechanical ventilation. The therapeutic impact index (defined as the total number of patients divided by the patients in whom initiation or withdrawal of specific treatment was due to the biopsy result) for diffuse lung disease was 0.9. Regarding lung nodule resection, early morbidity was present in one patient, who developed a persistent air leak. Late morbidity was present in three patients, who developed persistent intercostal pain. Total morbidity was 5.6%. No mortality was observed for this group. Nonanatomic wedge resection via video-thoracoscopy for diffuse pulmonary disease and indeterminate lung nodule is feasible using minimally invasive methods. Morbidity and mortality are related to the underlying disease and the respiratory status; they are not necessarily due to the procedure.     

Pseudoaneurysm of the gastroduodenal artery secondary to chronic pancreatitis

Although pseudoaneurysms are a rare complication of chronic pancreatitis, they are potentially serious both because of the events they can lead to and the diagnostic challenges they may pose. Historically, they used to be treated surgically, through ligation and/or resection; it was not until the last decade that scarcely invasive percutaneous endovascular procedures were introduced. This article reports the case of a patient with chronic pancreatitis presenting with severe upper digestive hemorrhage caused by the rupture of a pseudoaneurysm of the gastroduodenal artery. The patient was successfully treated using selective embolization.     

Use of a Roux Limb to Correct Esophagogastric Junction Fistulas after Sleeve Gastrectomy

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) can be complicated, in the early postoperative course, by an esophagogastric junction (EGJ) leak with very serious consequences. A 48-year-old woman developed an EGJ leak 3 days after LSG surgery and was treated with conservative measures. Finally, 6 weeks after the original surgery, a Roux limb was brought to the EGJ and anastomosed side-to-end to the fistula. At the beginning, the Roux limb was the only functioning outlet and finally, 2 months later, both pathways (the gastric sleeve and the Roux-en-Y) are patent at 3 months after surgery. The Roux limb resolved a dangerous EGJ leak after a LSG.     

Pentafecta: a new concept for reporting outcomes of robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy

Background

Widespread use of prostate-specific antigen screening has resulted in younger and healthier men being diagnosed with prostate cancer. Their demands and expectations of surgical intervention are much higher and cannot be adequately addressed with the classic trifecta outcome measures.

Objective

A new and more comprehensive method for reporting outcomes after radical prostatectomy, the pentafecta, is proposed.

Design, setting, and participants

From January 2008 through September 2009, details of 1111 consecutive patients who underwent robot-assisted radical prostatectomy performed by a single surgeon were retrospectively analyzed. Of 626 potent men, 332 who underwent bilateral nerve sparing and who had 1 yr of follow-up were included in the study group.

Measurements

In addition to the traditional trifecta outcomes, two perioperative variables were included in the pentafecta: no postoperative complications and negative surgical margins. Patients who attained the trifecta and concurrently the two additional outcomes were considered as having achieved the pentafecta. A logistic regression model was created to evaluate independent factors for achieving the pentafecta.

Results and limitations

Continence, potency, biochemical recurrence–free survival, and trifecta rates at 12 mo were 96.4%, 89.8%, 96.4%, and 83.1%, respectively. With regard to the perioperative outcomes, 93.4% had no postoperative complication and 90.7% had negative surgical margins. The pentafecta rate at 12 mo was 70.8%. On multivariable analysis, patient age (p = 0.001) was confirmed as the only factor independently associated with the pentafecta.

Conclusions

A more comprehensive approach for reporting prostate surgery outcomes, the pentafecta, is being proposed. We believe that pentafecta outcomes more accurately represent patients’ expectations after minimally invasive surgery for prostate cancer. This approach may be beneficial and may be used when counseling patients with clinically localized disease.