RESUMEN
(1) Background: The postoperative morbidity rate after pancreatic head resection remains high, partly due to infectious complications. The primary aim of this study was to analyze the influence of selective decontamination of the digestive tract (SDD) on the postoperative infection rate after pancreatic surgery. (2) Methods: From January 2019, the standard of care for patients undergoing pancreatic head resections at the Department for Visceral, Thoracic, and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Dresden was the preoperative oral administration of SDD. The influence of SDD was evaluated for patients operated on between January 2019 and June 2020 in comparison to a propensity score-matched cohort, extracted from an existing database including all pancreatic resections from 2012 to 2018. The primary endpoint of the study was the shift of the bacterial load on the intraoperative bile swab test. The secondary endpoint was the association of SDD with postoperative complications. (3) Results: In total, 200 patients either with SDD (n = 100; 50%) or without SDD (non-SDD, n = 100; 50%) were analyzed. In the patient group without a preoperative biliary stent, 44% (n = 11) of the non-SDD group displayed positive bacterial results, whereas that was the case for only 21.7% (n = 10) in the SDD group (p = 0.05). Particularly, Enterobacter species (spp.) were reduced from 41.2% (n = 14) (non-SDD group) to 23.5% (n = 12) (SDD group) (p = 0.08), and Citrobacter spp. were reduced by 13.7% (p = 0.09) from the non-SDD to the SDD cohort. In patients with a preoperative biliary stent, the Gram-negative Enterobacter spp. were significantly reduced from 52.2% (n = 12) in the non-SDD group to 26.8% (n = 11) in the SDD group (p = 0.04). Similarly, Citrobacter spp. decreased by 20.6% from 30.4% (n = 7) to 9.8% (n = 4) in the non-SDD compared to the SDD group (p = 0.04). In general, deep fluid collection and abscesses occurred more frequently in the non-SDD group (36%; n = 36 vs. 27%; n = 27; p = 0.17). (4) Conclusions: Adoption of SDD before pancreatic head surgery may reduce the bacterial load in bile fluid. SDD administration does not significantly affect the postoperative infectious complication rate after pancreatic head resections.
RESUMEN
The vertebral trabecular bone has a complex three-dimensional microstructure with an inhomogeneous morphology. Correct identification and assessment of the weakest segments of the cancellous bone may lead to better prediction of fracture risk. The aim of this study was to compare cancellous bone from 240 vertebrae of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine of ten body donors with osteoporosis in regard to bone volume fraction (BVF), trabecular thickness, separation, trabecular number and degree of anisotropy, to ascertain why cervical vertebrae rarely fracture, even with severe osteoporosis. Samples were obtained from all vertebrae with a Jamshidi needle (8 Gauge). The investigations were performed with a micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) device (SKYSCAN 1172, RJL Micro & Analytic GmbH, Karlsdorf-Neuthard, Germany). Existing vertebral fractures and the bone mineral density of the lumbar spine were assessed with quantitative CT. Regarding the micro-CT parameters, statistically significant differences were observed between the various sections of the spine. We found a higher BVF, trabecular number and trabecular thickness, as well as a lower trabecular separation of the cervical vertebrae compared to other vertebrae. In addition, the degree of anisotropy in the cervical spine is lower than in the other spinal column sections. These results are age and sex dependent. Thus, the cervical spine has special structural features, whose causes must be determined in further investigations.
