Early analgesic treatment regimens for patients with acute abdominal pain: a nationwide survey among general surgeons.

INTRODUCTION: Early pain relief in patients with acute nontraumatic abdominal pain in emergency departments has been discussed for years. Some randomized trials have addressed this issue but conclusive data are lacking. In this study, we assessed the current treatment practice in German hospitals in order to evaluate the necessity of a further clinical trial. METHODS: An online survey containing 27 questions was sent to general and visceral surgeons at attending level using a mailing list provided by the Professional Board of German Surgeons (BDC) using a standard interview software. The questionnaire collected demographic data, current treatment policies about frequency of early analgesia, types of pain medication, and opinions about their use and effects. RESULTS: Four hundred ninety-five completed questionnaires were returned. Many surgeons were cautious about early analgesia in the emergency department. Forty-five percent of the surgeons would provide analgesia prior to diagnosis to the majority of patients. Within the departments, differing opinions existed regarding the analgesic treatment (41 %). Thirty-two percent of all the respondents knew about a false diagnosis after early analgesia. There was heterogeneity in the estimation of the impact of pain medication on masking of clinical symptoms. A randomized controlled trial would be supported by the majority of respondents. As influencing factors for withdrawing early analgesia, we found the examiner being over 40 years of age (p < 0.05), low experience with the clinical picture of acute abdominal pain (p < 0.05), high estimation of the masking of clinical findings (p < 0.001), and knowing about a false diagnosis after early analgesia (p < 0.001) to be significant. CONCLUSION: Discordance in the analgesic treatment regimens in patients with acute abdominal pain still exists in German hospitals. The topic remains subject of frequent discussions. More high quality data are needed before a clear guideline can be given for implementation in clinical routine management.

[The curriculum for rotation physicians within the CHIR-Net]. / Kurrikulum für Rotationsärzte im CHIR-Net.

INTRODUCTION: CHIR-Net is a German national surgical network for clinical trials. It is supported by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF 01GH0605) to establish infrastructure and expertise in the conduct of clinical trials within the surgical disciplines. An important aspect of this network is a qualified advanced training for physicians deployed at the CHIR-Net as part of a job rotation. METHODS: A catalog of activities for the time of rotation within the network has been developed in cooperation with the CHIR-Net, the deployed physicians and cooperating regional clinical trials centers (ZKS/KKS). RESULT: The focal points of the physicians' rotation in the CHIR-Net are outlined in a curriculum that has been established and evaluated in the network since January 2008. CONCLUSION: After the rotation time at the CHIR-Net the skilled physicians act as multipliers of specialized knowledge on clinical research. In this way the acquired expertise will be transferred into clinical practice and treatment of patients within research projects will benefit directly.

[Retroperitoneal giant angiomyolipoma diagnosed post-partum with lymph node involvement]. / Postpartal diagnostiziertes retroperitoneales Riesenangiomyolipom mit Lymphknotenbefall.

HISTORY AND PRESENTING COMPLAINT: A 30-year-old primipara after a normal pregnancy had delivered a 3340 g child. After an uneventful post-partum period she had noticed her abdomen failing to reduce in size. INVESTIGATIONS, DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT: The abdominal sonography discovered a large retroperitoneal tumor. CT and MRI showed a giant tumor which originated from the right kidney. Suspecting the diagnosis of renal liposarcoma the kidney and tumor were excised with removal of enlarged precaval and preaortal lymph nodes. Gross inspection revealed a ca. 3,2 kg myxoid tumor, measuring 27 x 19 x 10 cm. The histological examination of the surgical preparation revealed a retroperitoneal angiomyolipoma. CONCLUSION: This is the first case of a giant retroperitoneal angiomyolipoma with lymph node involvement diagnosed post partum.