Catastrophic complications of a robot-assisted laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy with a barbed suture: ischaemic bowel.

Robot-assisted laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy with barbed sutures has become increasingly utilized due to known benefits of minimally invasive surgery. It is equally as important to recognize the unusual life-threatening complications which may arise in patients presenting with an acute abdomen up to several weeks post-robotic surgery. A 54-year-old woman presented with acute, sudden onset abdominal pain and underwent a diagnostic laparoscopy for suspected small bowel ischemia. The procedure progressed to an open laparotomy where it was found that a V-Loc suture placed during robot-assisted laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy several weeks prior was causing strangulation of the small bowel. Following resection and side-to-side anastomosis the patient spent several days in the intensive care unit and developed a post-operative ileus, however, was eventually discharged home. When evaluating the acute abdomen in the context of recent robotic surgery, ischaemic bowel must be considered as a complication.

Strangulated diverticulum: a new acute complication of small bowel diverticulosis.

Complicated jejunal diverticulosis is a difficult entity to diagnose, which can cause significant morbidity and mortality. We present the case of an 88-year-old female who presented with a unique complication of small bowel diverticulosis progressing to a strangulated diverticulum requiring emergency surgery. We present the case of an 88-year-old female who presented with abdominal pain associated with a new mass on a background of perforated diverticulitis and previous laparoscopic abdominal surgeries for division of adhesions. Due to high suspicion for the mass containing necrotic bowel, the patient was taken directly to theatre for an exploratory laparotomy and was found to have ischaemic small bowel secondary to a strangulated jejunal diverticulum. When evaluating the acute abdomen consideration should be given to the diagnosis of a strangulated jejunal diverticulum causing ischaemic small bowel, with a view to expedite to emergency surgery as the primary treatment.

Avoiding the re-do sternotomy: treatment of an ascending aortic pseudoaneurysm using a percutaneous Amplatzer PFO closure device.

PURPOSE: Ascending aortic pseudoaneurysms are a common phenomenon requiring surgical intervention but can pose high surgical risks in medically complex patients. We report a novel approach to percutaneous closure of ascending aortic pseudoaneurysms using an Amplatzer PFO closure device. CASE REPORT: We present the case of a 65-year-old male with haemoptysis on a background of multiple cardiac surgeries and chronic kidney disease. Serial computerised tomography scans of the thoracic aorta demonstrated an enlarging ascending aortic pseudoaneurysm. Percutaneous closure was considered the safest treatment option. With angiography, the pseudoaneurysm was defined and a 25 mm Amplatzer PFO closure device was deployed. Repeat Computed Tomography aortography performed 43 days later confirmed stable device position and resolution of the pseudoaneurysm. The patient was clinically stable at this follow-up point. CONCLUSION: The off-label use of the Amplatzer PFO device may provide a viable alternative treatment for ascending aortic pseudoaneurysms in medically complex patients to reduce morbidity and mortality.

Chronic ephedrine administration decreases brown adipose tissue activity in a randomised controlled human trial: implications for obesity.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Brown adipose tissue (BAT) activation increases energy expenditure and may have therapeutic potential to combat obesity. The primary activating and adaptive signal for BAT is via ß-adrenergic signalling. We previously demonstrated that human BAT is acutely responsive to oral administration of the sympathomimetic, ephedrine. Here we aimed to determine whether adaptive thermogenesis can be induced via chronic treatment with ephedrine. METHODS: Twenty-three healthy young men, recruited from the general public in Melbourne, Australia, who were non-smokers, physically inactive and non-medicated with no prior history of cardiovascular disease or diabetes were recruited for this study. They were assigned to receive either 1.5 mg kg(-1) day(-1) ephedrine ('active' group; n = 12, age 23 ± 1 years, BMI 24 ± 1 kg/m(2)) or placebo (n = 11; 22 ± 2 years, 23 ± 2 kg/m(2)) for 28 days in a randomised (computer-generated random order sequence), placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial. Participants and all investigators were blinded to treatments. Body composition was measured before and after the intervention by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. BAT activity, measured via (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography, in response to a single dose of 2.5 mg/kg ephedrine, was the primary outcome measure to be determined before and after the 28 day treatment period. RESULTS: Twenty-eight individuals were randomised and consented to the study. Twenty-three completed the trial and only these participants were included in the final analyses. After 28 days of treatment, the active group lost a significant amount of total body fat (placebo 1.1 ± 0.3 kg, ephedrine -0.9 ± 0.5 kg; p < 0.01) and visceral fat (placebo 6.4 ± 19.1 g, ephedrine -134 ± 43 g; p < 0.01), with no change in lean mass or bone mineral content compared with the placebo group. In response to acute ephedrine, BAT activity (change in mean standardised uptake value: placebo -3 ± 7%, ephedrine -22 ± 6%) and the increase in systolic blood pressure were significantly reduced (p < 0.05) in the active group compared with placebo. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Chronic ephedrine treatment reduced body fat content, but this was not associated with an increase in BAT activity. Rather, chronic ephedrine suppressed BAT glucose disposal, suggesting that chronic ephedrine treatment decreased, rather than increased, BAT activity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02236962 FUNDING: This study was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia Program Grant (1036352) and the OIS scheme from the Victorian State Government.