Potential mechanisms of tumor progression associated with postoperative infectious complications.

There is increasing evidence that postoperative infectious complications (PICs) are associated with poor prognosis after potentially curative surgery. However, the role that PICs play in tumor development remains unclear. In this article, we reviewed the literature for novel insights on the mechanisms of cancer progression associated with PICs. The Medline and EMBASE databases were searched for publications regarding the role of suppression of antitumor immunity by PIC in tumor progression and selected 916 manuscripts were selected for this review. In addition, a summary of the authors' own experimental data from this field was set in the context of current knowledge regarding cancer progression under septic conditions. Initially, sepsis/microbial infection dramatically activates the systemic immune system with increases in pro-inflammatory mediators, which results in the development of systemic inflammatory response syndrome; however, when sepsis persists in septic patients, a shift toward an anti-inflammatory immunosuppressive state, characterized by macrophage deactivation, reduced antigen presentation, T cell anergy, and a shift in the T helper cell pattern to a predominantly TH2-type response, occurs. Thus, various cytokine reactions and the immune status dynamically change during microbial infection, including PIC. We proposed three possible mechanisms for the tumor progression associated with PIC: first, a mechanism in which microbes and/or microbial PAMPs may be directly involved in cancer growth; second, a mechanism in which factors released from immunocompetent cells during infections may affect tumor progression; and third, a mechanism in which factors suppress host tumor immunity during infections, which may result in tumor progression. A more detailed understanding by surgeons of the immunological features in cancer patients with PIC can subsequently open new avenues for improving unfavorable long-term oncological outcomes associated with PICs.

Survey on the current status of the indication and implementation protocols for bile replacement in patients with external biliary drainage with special reference to infection control.

PURPOSE: This survey of bile replacement (BR) was conducted on patients with external biliary drainage to assess the current status of indication and implementation protocol of BR with special reference to infection control. METHODS: A 12-item questionnaire regarding the performance of perioperative BR was sent to 124 institutions in Japan. RESULTS: BR was performed in 29 institutions, and the indication protocol was introduced in 19. BR was performed preoperatively in 11 institutions, pre- and postoperatively in 12, and postoperatively in 6. The methods used for BR administration included oral intake (n = 10), nasogastric tube (n = 1), enteral nutrition tube (n = 3), oral intake and enteral nutrition tube (n = 6), oral intake or nasogastric tube (n = 2), nasogastric tube and enteral nutrition tube (n = 2), and oral intake or nasogastric tube and enteral nutrition tube (n = 5). In 10 of 29 institutions, isolation of multidrug-resistant organisms and a high bacterial load were considered contraindications for the use of BR. Seven institutions experienced environmental contamination. CONCLUSIONS: Given the different implementation of BR among institutions, the appropriate indication and protocols for BR should be established for infection control.

Change in antimicrobial susceptibility of pathogens isolated from surgical site infections over the past decade in Japanese nation-wide surveillance study.

Inappropriate antimicrobial therapy for surgical site infections (SSIs) can lead to poor outcomes and an increased risk of antibiotic resistance. A nationwide survey was conducted in Japan from 2018 to 2019 to investigate the antimicrobial susceptibility of pathogens isolated from SSIs. The data were compared with those obtained in 2010 and 2014-2015 surveillance studies. Although the rate of detection of extended-spectrum ß-lactamase producing strains of Escherichia coli was increased from 9.5% in 2010 to 23% in 2014-2015, the incidence decreased to 8.7% in 2018-2019. Although high susceptibility rates were detected to piperacillin/tazobactam (TAZ), the geometric mean MICs were substantially higher than to meropenem (2.67 vs 0.08 µg/mL). By contrast, relatively low geometric mean MICs (0.397 µg/mL) were demonstrated for ceftolozane/TAZ. Although the MRSA incidence rate decreased from 72% in the first surveillance to 53% in the second, no further decrease was detected in 2018-2019. For the Bacteroides fragilis group species, low levels of susceptibility were observed for moxifloxacin (65.3%), cefoxitin (65.3%), and clindamycin (CLDM) (38.9%). In particular, low susceptibility against cefoxitin was demonstrated in non-fragilis Bacteroides, especially B. thetaiotaomicron. By contrast, low susceptibility rates against CLDM were demonstrated in both B. fragilis and non-fragilis Bacteroides species, and a steady decrease in susceptibility throughout was observed (59.3% in 2010, 46.9% in 2014-2015, and 38.9% in 2018-2019). In conclusion, Japanese surveillance data revealed no significant lowering of antibiotic susceptibility over the past decade in organisms commonly associated from SSIs, with the exception of the B. fragilis group.

Lymphocyte-C-reactive Protein Ratio as Promising New Marker for Predicting Surgical and Oncological Outcomes in Colorectal Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Systemic inflammation via host-tumor interactions is currently recognized as a hallmark of cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of various combinations of inflammatory factors using preoperative blood, and to assess the clinical significance of our newly developed inflammatory score in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. METHOD: In total 477 CRC patients from the discovery and validation cohorts were enrolled in this study. We assessed the predictive impact for recurrence using a combination of nine inflammatory markers in the discovery set, and focused on lymphocyte-C-reactive protein ratio (LCR) to elucidate its prognostic and predictive value for peri-operative risk in both cohorts. RESULTS: A combination of lymphocytic count along with C-reactive protein levels demonstrated the highest correlation with recurrence compared with other parameters in CRC patients. Lower levels of preoperative LCR significantly correlated with undifferentiated histology, advanced T stage, presence of lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, and advanced stage classification. Decreased preoperative LCR (using an optimal cut-off threshold of 6000) was an independent prognostic factor for both disease-free survival and overall survival, and emerged as an independent risk factor for postoperative complications and surgical-site infections in CRC patients. Finally, we assessed the clinical feasibility of LCR in an independent validation cohort, and confirmed that decreased preoperative LCR was an independent prognostic factor for both disease-free survival and overall survival, and was an independent predictor for postoperative complications and surgical-site infections in CRC patients. CONCLUSION: Preoperative LCR is a useful marker for perioperative and postoperative management of CRC patients.

Association Between the Frequency of Glove Change and the Risk of Blood and Body Fluid Exposure in Gastrointestinal Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Surgical gloves are used to prevent the transmission of microorganisms from the surgeon's hands to the patient and vice versa. Little is known on the optimal frequency of glove changing. Therefore, we aimed to examine the optimal frequency of glove change during surgery by assessing the glove perforation rate in gastrointestinal surgery. METHODS: In this observational prospective cohort study, we investigated the incidence of perforation of 5,267 gloves during gastrointestinal surgeries. RESULTS: The overall glove perforation rate was 10.1%. There was no significant difference between single gloving (10.2%) and double gloving (10.0%; p = 0.8491). However, the perforation rate of the inner glove (5.7%) was found to be significantly lower than that of the outer glove (11.6%) (p < 0.0001). A significant difference in perforation rate was observed after wearing inner gloves for 240 min (< 240 min, 4.4%; ≤ 240 min, 7.2%; p = 0.0314), and outer gloves for 60 min (< 60 min, 7.1%; ≤ 60 min, 12.6%; p < 0.0001). We found cumulative perforation rate to rapidly increase until the wear time was 90 min. CONCLUSION: The inner gloves and outer gloves have a higher perforation rate as the wear time increased. To reduce the risk of intraoperative blood and fluid exposure and prevent healthcare-associated infection, gloves should be changed for approximately every 60-90 min for outer gloves and approximately every 240 min for inner gloves.

Colonic Histological Criteria Predict Development of Pouchitis after Ileal Pouch: Anal Anastomosis for Patients with Ulcerative Colitis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Pouchitis is one of the main complications after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis in patients with ulcerative colitis. The aim of this study was to determine whether the use of colonic histological criteria can predict the development of pouchitis. METHODOLOGY: We retrospectively reviewed 147 patients' clinical data and performed a histological evaluation of the resected total colon using Tanaka's criteria, which comprise the following 6 factors: ulceration (H1), crypt abscesses (H2), degree of mononuclear cell infiltration (MNCI) (H3), segmental distribution of MNCI (H4), eosinophil infiltration (H5), and extent of disease of resected colon (H6). RESULTS: The development of pouchitis and chronic pouchitis within 3 years after restoration of gastrointestinal continuity was recognized in 52 (35.4%) and 26 (17.7%) of the 147 patients, respectively. Using various combinations of each score, the H3 + H4 - H5 scores of patients with pouchitis or chronic pouchitis were significantly higher than those of patients without. A H3 + H4 - H5 score of >0.4 was a statistically significant risk factor for the development of both pouchitis and chronic pouchitis. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of the degree of MNCI, segmental distribution of MNCI, and eosinophil infiltration from histological criteria has utility in predicting the future development of pouchitis, especially chronic pouchitis.

Antimicrobial susceptibility of common pathogens isolated from postoperative intra-abdominal infections in Japan.

The principle of empirical therapy for patients with intra-abdominal infections (IAI) should include antibiotics with activity against Enterobacteriaceae and Bacteroides fragilis group species. Coverage of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter cloacae, and Enterococcus faecalis is also recommended for hospital-associated IAI. A nationwide survey was conducted to investigate the antimicrobial susceptibility of pathogens isolated from postoperative IAI. All 504 isolates were collected at 26 institutions and referred to a central laboratory for susceptibility testing. Lower susceptibility rates to ciprofloxacin and cefepime were demonstrated in Escherichia coli. Among E. coli, 24.1% of strains produced extended-spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL). Carbapenems, piperacillin/tazobactam, cephamycins/oxacephem, aminoglycosides, and tigecycline had high activity against E. coli, including ESBL-producing isolates. Among E. cloacae, low susceptibility rates to ceftazidime were demonstrated, whereas cefepime retained its activity. P. aeruginosa revealed high susceptibility rates to all antimicrobials tested except for imipenem. Among B. fragilis group species, low levels of susceptibility were observed for cefoxitin, moxifloxacin, and clindamycin, and high susceptibility rates were observed for piperacillin/tazobactam, meropenem, and metronidazole. Ampicillin, piperacillin, and glycopeptides had good activity against E. faecalis. Imipenem had the highest activity against E. faecalis among carbapenems. In conclusion, we suggested the empirical use of antimicrobials with the specific intent of covering the main organisms isolated from postoperative IAI. Piperacillin/tazobactam, meropenem, or doripenem, are appropriate in critically ill patients. Combination therapy of cefepime (aztreonam in patients with ß-lactam allergy) plus metronidazole plus glycopeptides, imipenem/cilastatin or cephamycins/oxacephem plus ciprofloxacin plus metronidazole are potential therapeutic options.

Proteomics analysis of differential protein expression identifies heat shock protein 47 as a predictive marker for lymph node metastasis in patients with colorectal cancer.

The discovery of biomarkers to predict the potential for lymph node (LN) metastasis in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) is essential for developing improved strategies for treating CRC. In the present study, they used isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation to conduct a proteomic analysis designed to identify novel biomarkers for predicting LN metastasis in patients with CRC. They identified 60 differentially expressed proteins specifically associated with LN metastasis in CRC patients and classified the molecular and functional characteristics of these proteins by bioinformatic approaches. A literature search led them to select heat shock protein 47 (HSP47) as the most suitable candidate biomarker for predicting LN metastasis. Validation analysis by immunohistochemistry showed that HSP47 expression in patients with CRC and the number of HSP47-positive spindle cells in the tumor stroma were significantly higher compared with those in adjacent normal colonic mucosa, and the number of the latter cells increased with tumor progression. Further, the number of HSP47-positive spindle cells in stroma was a more informative marker for identifying LN metastasis than HSP47expression. Multivariate analysis identified spindle cells that expressed elevated levels of HSP47 as an independent predictive biomarker for CRC with LN metastasis. Moreover, these cells served as an independent marker of disease-free and overall survival of patients with CRC. Their data indicate that the number of HSP47-positive spindle cells in the stroma of CRC may serve as a novel predictive biomarker of LN metastasis, early recurrence and poor prognosis.

Antimicrobial susceptibility of pathogens isolated from surgical site infections in Japan: Comparison of data from nationwide surveillance studies conducted in 2010 and 2014-2015.

A nationwide survey was conducted in Japan from 2014 to 2015 to investigate the antimicrobial susceptibility of pathogens isolated from surgical site infections (SSI). The resulting data were compared with that obtained in an earlier survey, conducted in 2010. Seven main organisms were collected, and 883 isolates were studied. A significant reduction in methicillin resistance was observed among Staphylococcus aureus isolates, dropping from 72.5% in 2010 to 53.8% in 2014-2015 (p < 0.001). MRSA isolates with a vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 2 µg/mL accounted for 1.2% of all MRSA isolates, which was significantly lower than in 2010 (9.7%, p = 0.029). Of the Escherichia coli isolates, 23.0% produced an extended spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL) in the 2014-2015 survey, which was a significant increase from 9.5% in 2010 (p = 0.011). The geometric mean MICs for ESBL-producing isolates were 0.07 µg/mL for meropenem, 9.51 µg/mL for tazobactam/piperacillin, 0.15 µg/mL for flomoxef, and 1.56 µg/mL for gentamycin. There was a significant increase in the isolation rate of non-fragilis Bacteroides among Bacteroides fragilis group species between the two study periods (35.2% vs. 53.1%, p = 0.007). More than 90% of isolates belonging to the B. fragilis group remained susceptible to tazobactam/piperacillin, meropenem, and metronidazole. In contrast, lower levels of susceptibility were observed for cefmetazole (49.6%), moxifloxacin (61.9%), and clindamycin (46.9%). Non-fragilis Bacteroides isolates had lower rates of antibiotic susceptibility compared with B. fragilis. Overall, the surveillance data clarified trends in antimicrobial susceptibility for organisms commonly associated with SSI.

Inflammation-based prognostic scores as indicators to select candidates for primary site resection followed by multimodal therapy among colorectal cancer patients with multiple metastases.

BACKGROUND: Although patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) are often unable to undergo treatment after resection of primary tumors, identifying such patients before surgery is not easy. In this study, we evaluated the association among clinicopathological findings, survival outcomes, and ability to undergo multimodal therapy after primary tumor resection in patients with Stage IV CRC. METHODS: We collected clinicopathological findings and preoperative laboratory data, including carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and systemic inflammatory response markers for 92 patients who were treated for Stage IV CRC between 2005 and 2014. We used multivariate analysis on factors that affect prognosis and ability to undergo postoperative treatment. RESULTS: Postoperative multimodal therapy improved overall survival (OS) significantly. Among serum markers, elevated CEA, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and modified Glasgow prognosis score (mGPS) were significant indicators of shorter OS. In multivariate analysis, low performance status (P = 0.003), undifferentiated histology type (P = 0.019), and elevated mGPS (P = 0.042) were independent predictors of worse prognosis; and older age (P = 0.016), right-sided colon cancer (P = 0.043), and elevated mGPS (P = 0.031) were independent risk factors for difficulty of introducing postoperative multimodal therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative mGPS is a useful objective indicator for CRC patients with multiple metastases who are able to undergo primary site resection followed by postoperative multimodal therapy.

Impact of sarcopenia on surgical site infection after restorative proctocolectomy for ulcerative colitis.

PURPOSE: The coexistence of sarcopenia is associated with postoperative complications, including infection after abdominal surgery. We evaluated the association between sarcopenia and surgical site infection (SSI) after surgery for ulcerative colitis. METHODS: The subjects of this retrospective study were 69 patients who underwent restorative proctocolectomy with perioperative abdominal computed tomography (CT). Sarcopenia was diagnosed by measuring the cross-sectional area of the right and left psoas muscles as the total psoas muscle area on CT images. We assessed whether sarcopenia was associated with SSI and clinical factors, including nutritional and inflammatory markers. RESULTS: The lowest quartiles defined as sarcopenia in men and women were 567.4 and 355.8 mm2/m2, respectively. According to this classification, 12 men and 6 women had sarcopenia. Patients with sarcopenia had a lower body mass index (p = 0.0004) and a higher C-reactive protein concentration (p = 0.05) than those without sarcopenia. SSIs were identified in 12 patients (17.3 %) and included six pelvic abscesses and seven wound infections. According to multivariate analysis, sarcopenia was an independent risk factor for SSI (odds ratio = 4.91, 95 % confidence interval 1.09-23.5, p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Sarcopenia is predictive of SSI after pouch surgery for ulcerative colitis.

Outcome and functional prognosis of pelvic sepsis after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis in patients with ulcerative colitis.

PURPOSE: Restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis is a surgical procedure for ulcerative colitis, but pouch failure or pelvic sepsis still occurs in some patients. We conducted this study to investigate the cause of pouch failure and evaluate defecatory function after pelvic sepsis. METHODS: A total of 234 patients who underwent restorative proctocolectomy were enrolled. We analyzed the cause of pouch failure, as well as defecatory function and manometric outcomes, with and without the complication of pelvic sepsis. RESULTS: Pelvic sepsis developed in 29 (12.3%) of the 234 patients who underwent restorative proctocolectomy (pelvic sepsis group). The pelvic sepsis led to pouch failure in two of these patients (as a vaginal fistula in one and ileo-anal anastomotic leakage in one). Of the remaining majority of patients who did not suffer pelvic sepsis (control group), nine suffered pouch failure (as vaginal fistula in four, perianal abscess in two, pouch-spinal marrow fistula in one, and chronic pouchitis in two). There were no significant differences in defecatory function or manometric outcomes between the two groups. In the pelvic sepsis group, stool frequency was significantly correlated with white blood cell count (P = 0.01) and the duration until onset of pelvic sepsis (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Pelvic sepsis after restorative proctocolectomy for ulcerative colitis does not affect defecatory and manometric function, but control of the inflammation caused by pelvic sepsis is integral for defecatory function.

Clinical features and management of afferent limb syndrome after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis for ulcerative colitis.

PURPOSE: Afferent limb syndrome (ALS) is a type of small bowel obstruction (SBO) caused by obstruction of the afferent intestinal limb after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA). The aim of this study was to reveal the clinical features and management of ALS. METHODS: Of 320 patients undergoing IPAA for ulcerative colitis, we analyzed data from patients presenting with SBO. RESULTS: Six of 19 patients with SBO were diagnosed with ALS. All patients with ALS presented with recurrent intermittent obstructive symptoms before admission, whereas 15 % of patients without ALS presented with these symptoms (P < 0.0005). Among the six patients with ALS, four patients required surgery, although they underwent transanal decompression for each episode of obstruction. The proportion of surgery was higher in the ALS group (P < 0.01). Acute angulation of the afferent limb was recognized in four cases and followed by fixation of the afferent limb. No further surgery was required in any patient following the last fixation. CONCLUSIONS: SBO after IPAA may be caused by acute angulation of the afferent limb of the ileal J-pouch. Most patients with ALS may eventually require fixation of the afferent limb due to acute angulation of the afferent limb.

Dynamic pathology for leukocyte-platelet formation in sepsis model.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the dynamic pathology for in vivo real-time leukocyte-endothelium-platelet aggregation in a mouse model of sepsis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A lipopolysaccharide-induced model of sepsis was analyzed in green fluorescent protein transgenic mice using two-photon laser-scanning microscopy (TPLSM). The real-time process of leukocyte-endothelium-platelet complex (LEPC) formation was assessed in vivo using blood flow dynamics. RESULTS: TPLSM allowed direct visualization of LEPC formation at the single-platelet level. Leukocytes rolling number and speed, blood flow velocity, and shear rate gradually decreased with time during the acute phase of sepsis compared with those in the control groups. The number of adherent leukocytes and platelet counts gradually increased over time in the septic group. In the septic group, microcirculatory dysfunction was seen in the postcapillary venules before the capillaries. CONCLUSIONS: In vivo real-time imaging and analysis of LEPC formation can be achieved with little inter-experimental variation using TPLSM. In the acute phase of sepsis, new treatment strategies should target the postcapillary venules because their LEPC formation and blood flow dynamics start to change before those in the capillaries.

Short- and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic gastrectomy in elderly patients with gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Elderly patients are regarded as being at increased risk during major abdominal surgery because of a lack of functional reserve and an increased number of comorbidities. The aim of this study was to compare short- and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic gastrectomy between elderly and young gastric cancer patients. METHODS: Two-hundred ten patients who underwent laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer at our institution between January 2001 and December 2011 were included in this retrospective study. Patients were divided into two age groups (younger than 70 years and older than 70 years) and were evaluated with respect to postoperative morbidity, quality of life (QOL), and survival. RESULTS: Postoperative morbidity was similar in elderly and young groups (18.3 vs. 21.6 %; P = 0.718). Overall survival of the elderly group was significantly worse than that of the young group (P < 0.001). However, disease-specific survival was not significantly different between the two groups. Longitudinal postoperative change in QOL in the elderly group showed a recovery similar to that in the young group. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic gastrectomy can be performed as safely in elderly patients as in young patients, with comparable postoperative results and long-term outcomes, including QOL, although the life expectancy of elderly patients is shorter.

Systemic Analysis of Predictive Biomarkers for Recurrence in Colorectal Cancer Patients Treated with Curative Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative serum systemic inflammatory response (SIR) in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) has been reported to be a predictive biomarker of early recurrence. The molecular status of CRC, including microsatellite instability (MSI), BRAF and KRAS mutations, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), has also been associated with recurrence in CRC patients treated with curative surgery. AIM: We investigated the impacts of SIR status, TILs, and MSI on recurrence in curative CRC patients. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we enrolled 157 patients with stage I-III CRC undergoing curative surgery, for whom preoperative neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) data were available as indicators of SIR status. Molecular status was evaluated by counting TILs as the numbers of intratumoral Foxp3- and CD8-positive T cells by immunohistochemistry. MSI status was determined using five mononucleotide repeat microsatellite markers. RESULTS: Kaplan-Meier analysis of SIR indicators revealed that higher CRP, NLR, and PLR were associated with significantly poorer disease-free survival (DFS). Low levels of infiltrating CD8-positive T cells in CRC tissue was a significant predictor of poor DFS. Multivariate analysis showed that few infiltrating CD8-positive T cells and high serum CRP levels were independent predictive factors for recurrence. Furthermore, the combination of high CRP and few infiltrating CD8-positive T cells increased the predictive accuracy in these patients. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that both CRP levels in preoperative serum and CD8 T cells in CRC tissue are useful biomarkers for predicting early relapse in CRC patients treated with curative surgery.

Impact of Surgical Infection Society/Infectious Disease Society of America-recommended antibiotics on postoperative intra-abdominal abscess with image-guided percutaneous abscess drainage following gastrointestinal surgery.

PURPOSE: The aims of this study were to reveal how using the antibiotics recommended by the 2010 Surgical Infection Society (SIS) and Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) guidelines can affect the therapeutic outcomes. METHODS: We reviewed the cases of 53 patients with a postoperative intra-abdominal abscess without anastomotic leakage after gastrointestinal surgery who underwent image-guided percutaneous abscess drainage (PAD) and concomitant antibiotic therapy. The type of antibiotic initially administered was determined based on the surgeon's judgment. A persistent abscess was defined as one or more PAD procedures resulting in complete resolution after 21 or more days. The recommended antibiotics were defined according to 2010 SIS/IDSA guidelines. RESULTS: All 53 patients had complete resolution without the need for surgery. The results of a multivariable analysis revealed that a C-reactive protein level ≥12 mg/dL and non-recommended antibiotics were significant risk factors for a persistent abscess (P = 0.042 and 0.013, respectively). With regard to a fever lasting more than 48 h, there was a significant difference between the recommended (45.1%) and non-recommended (72.7 %) antibiotic groups (P = 0.046). CONCLUSIONS: Using the recommended antibiotics may shorten the time to defervescence and reduce the risk of a persistent abscess in patients undergoing PAD for a postoperative abscess after gastrointestinal surgery.

[IMPACT OF PREOPERATIVE BOWEL PREPARATION ON PREVENTION OF SURGICAL SITE INFECTION].

Preoperative preparation of the bowel includes two methods, mechanical bowel preparation (MBP) to remove gross feces and oral antibiotic bowel preparation (OABP) to reduce the colonic bacterial load. MBP and OABP have been performed since the 1940s to 1950s. MBP is routinely performed to reduce the morbidity and mortality of elective colorectal surgery and has been a surgical dogma since the early 1970s. However, numerous prospective, randomized, controlled trials and meta-analyses have questioned the need for MBP in elective colorectal surgery, and a meta-analysis showed that significantly more anastomotic leaks were found after MBP. OABP decreases postoperative infectious complications considerably, although the results differ with the type of antibiotic used. Recently, several large retrospective studies have demonstrated that MBP plus OABP is associated with reduced postoperative infectious complications including surgical site infection rates after elective colorectal surgery. Further prospective, randomized trials of MBP and OABP alone and in combination should be conducted.

Infantile Crohn's disease is one of the risk factors for catheter-related bloodstream infection.

BACKGROUND: Central venous catheterization is recognized as a lifeline that is important for chemotherapy or nutritional support in pediatric patients with malignant disease and intestinal failure. This study analyzed the risk of infection with Broviac line use among these patients at a single Japanese center. METHODS: Two hundred and four Broviac lines were inserted in patients in the pediatric ward from January 2003 to October 2011. We analyzed the risk of catheter-related bloodstream infection (CR-BSI) using clinical characteristics including underlying disease, sepsis history, inserted situation, drug use, and laboratory data at the time of Broviac insertion or before CR-BSI. RESULTS: During the study period, data from a total of 15 lines were excluded because of missing blood culture data. In the remaining 189 Broviac lines, 52 lines developed CR-BSI. On univariate analysis, leukemia, infantile Crohn's disease, sepsis history before Broviac insertion, existence of a stoma opening, and immunosuppressant use before CR-BSI were risk factors for CR-BSI. On multivariate logistic regression analysis infantile Crohn's disease, sepsis history before Broviac insertion, and immunosuppressant use before CR-BSI were independently associated with CR-BSI (P = 0.015, P = 0.045, and P = 0.043, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Infantile Crohn's disease carries a high risk for CR-BSI because of its pathological condition, the therapeutic drugs required, and surgical intervention.

Risk factors for anastomotic leakage and favorable antimicrobial treatment as empirical therapy for intra-abdominal infection in patients undergoing colorectal surgery.

PURPOSE: Anastomotic leakage is the most concerning complication that can occur after colorectal surgery. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of and risk factors for clinical anastomotic leakage following colorectal resection. In addition, we evaluated the efficacy of empirical antimicrobial therapy with respect to the clinical outcomes. METHODS: Between January 2002 and December 2010, we prospectively collected surveillance data for patients, who were undergoing colorectal resection at Mie University Hospital. RESULTS: A total of 918 patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery were included in our surveillance program, 633 of whom were eligible for the study. Clinical anastomotic leakage was identified in 40 (6.3 %) patients. The use of preoperative irradiation and an NNIS risk index ≧2 were found to be independent predictors of clinical anastomotic leakage after colorectal surgery. Empirical antibiotic treatment strayed from the 2010 IDSA/SIS guidelines, the length of hospital stay was prolonged and the rate of re-intervention was increased. CONCLUSIONS: Anastomotic leakage remains a major complication of colorectal surgery. Surgeons should be aware of such high-risk patients. In patients with anastomotic leakage after surgery, the empirical use of antimicrobial regimens with broad-spectrum activity against both aerobic and anaerobic organisms to treat postoperative intra-abdominal infections following colorectal surgery in accordance with the 2010 IDSA/SIS guidelines is associated with better outcomes.