Assessment of the long-term outcome of TVT procedure for stress urinary incontinence in a female population: results at 17 years' follow-up.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: To assess the outcome of the tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) procedure in female patients with urodynamic stress urinary incontinence at 17 years follow-up. METHODS: We carried out a prospective study at the 2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aretaieio Hospital, University of Athens, Greece. Patients who had undergone a TVT procedure 17 years ago. The follow-up assessment included gynecological examination, urinalysis, cough stress test in the lithotomy and/or upright position, filling and voiding cystometry, and uroflow. Also, all patients were required to complete the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ). RESULTS: Out of the 61 initial patients, 56 were available for follow-up. Objective cure rate was 83.9% (47/56) at 17 years follow-up. Subjective cure rate was 78.6% (44/56), subjective improvement was 8.9%, and failure rate was 12.5%. Frequency was present in 39.3% of patients, overactive bladder symptoms were present in 30.3% of patients and urge urinary incontinence was reported by 12.5% of patients. Difficulty emptying the bladder was reported by 10 patients (17.8%) and recurrent urinary tract infection was seen in 3.5% of patients. There was one case of TVT erosion to the vaginal mucosa, which was managed conservatively. CONCLUSIONS: The TVT procedure for the management of stress urinary incontinence in women maintains its efficacy in the long term, having an objective cure rate of 83.9% and a subjective cure rate of 78.6% at 17 years' follow-up, with a very low complications rate.

Sterile Necrosis of the Sternum: A Rare Complication Following Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery.

We herein present the unique case of a 68-year-old male diabetic patient who developed sterile necrosis of the sternum 1 month after myocardial revascularization with the use of bilateral internal thoracic artery grafts. The sternum had been closed by the bilateral Robicsek wiring technique. The sternum was removed, and bilateral pectoralis major flaps were used to cover the defect. The patient had an uneventful recovery.

Cardiac arrest reveals a mobile large left atrial myxoma.

Left atrial myxoma could be a rare cause of cardiac arrest as this mass could impinge on the mitral orifice causing left ventricular inflow tract obstruction.

Application of metabolomics: Focus on the quantification of organic acids in healthy adults.

Metabolomics, a 'budding' discipline, may accurately reflect a specific phenotype which is sensitive to genetic and epigenetic interactions. This rapidly evolving field in science has been proposed as a tool for the evaluation of the effects of epigenetic factors, such as nutrition, environment, drug and lifestyle on phenotype. Urine, being sterile, is easy to obtain and as it contains metabolized or non­metabolized products, is a favored study material in the field of metabolomics. Urine organic acids (OAs) reflect the activity of main metabolic pathways and have been used to assess health status, nutritional status, vitamin deficiencies and response to xenobiotics. To date, a limited number of studies have been performed which actually define reference OA values in a healthy population and as reference range for epigenetic influences, and not as a reference to congenital metabolic diseases. The aim of the present study was thus the determination of reference values (RVs) for urine OA in a healthy adult population. Targeted metabolomics analysis of 22 OAs in the urine of 122 healthy adults by gas chromatography­mass spectrometry, was conducted. Percentile distributions of the OA concentrations in urine, as a base for determining the RVs in the respective population sample, were used. No significant differences were detected between female and male individuals. These findings can facilitate the more sensitive determination of OAs in pathological conditions. Therefore, the findings of this study may contribute or add to the information already available on urine metabolite databases, and may thus promote the use of targeted metabolomics for the evaluation of OAs in a clinical setting and for pathophysiological evaluation. However, further studies with well­defined patients groups exhibiting specific symptoms or diseases are warranted in order to discern between normal and pathological values.

Predicting response to rFVIIa in neonates with intractable bleeding or severe coagulation disturbances.

BACKGROUND: To date, clinical experience with recombinant factor VIIa (rFVIIa) in neonates is rather limited because of the lack of controlled studies. ΑIM: The objective of this study was to present further experience from our center with regard to the use of rFVIIa in newborns with severe bleeding or coagulopathy resistant to conventional therapy and to determine factors affecting the clinical outcome. METHODOLOGY: We performed a retrospective data analysis of 29 neonates with intractable bleeding or severe coagulation disturbances. All patients received 100 µg/kg of rFVIIa per dose bolus intravenously (maximum of 23 doses), as rescue procedure after other interventions had failed to achieve hemostasis. RESULTS: Fourteen neonates survived (group A), whereas 15 died (group B). There was no difference in birth weight, gestational age, and bleeding site and causes between the 2 groups. In the neonates who survived, rFVIIa had been administered earlier in the disease process (<24 h of beginning of bleeding) compared with those who died (P=0.009). In all 29 neonates, international normalized ratio was directly restored (from 2.99±1.4 before rFVIIa administration to 1.6±1.1 afterward, P<0.001) and prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time were significantly decreased after administration of rFVIIa (from 28 to 16.4 and from 180 to 67, respectively; P=0.001 and 0.05, respectively). Blood products administered were significantly less in group A than in group B, as time from the beginning of bleeding to the administration of rFVIIa was significantly less in group A than in group B. Neither acute adverse events nor thromboembolic complications were observed. CONCLUSIONS: In this neonatal group with intractable bleeding and/or severe coagulation disturbances, rFVIIa was more effective in early intervention as rescue therapy, without any adverse events in all neonates. Upon failure to achieve hemostasis with initial administration of blood products, fast intervention with rFVIIa could be considered in neonates with serious bleeding and coagulation disorders.

Gastrointestinal emergencies in cardiac surgery. A retrospective analysis of 3,724 consecutive patients from a single center.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to retrospectively analyze risk factors, diagnosis and management of gastrointestinal (GI) complications following cardiac operations. METHODS: Patients who developed GI complications after a cardiac operation were studied. Anesthesia protocols, techniques of cardiac surgery, potential risk factors, complications and medical and surgical interventions were reviewed and analyzed. RESULTS: Out of 3,724 consecutive patients undergoing heart operations during an 8-year period, 33 patients developed GI complications. Eleven patients developed ischemic colitis, 8 cholecystitis, 6 GI bleeding, 4 liver failures, 3 pancreatitis and 1 esophageal hernia. Patients with GI complications had a lower mean ejection fraction compared to patients not developing these complications (45.1 vs. 49.7%, p < 0.01). Also, patients undergoing an urgent cardiac operation were significantly more likely (3.49 times more likely) to develop GI complications postoperatively. Of the 33 affected patients, 18 were treated conservatively and 15 underwent an emergency exploratory laparotomy. Overall mortality was 12% (4 patients). CONCLUSIONS: Intestinal ischemia and cholecystitis appear to be the most frequent GI complications associated with cardiac surgery. Risk factors include a low ejection fraction and an urgent cardiac operation. Early recognition and treatment of these complications may reduce mortality.

Outcome of percutaneous mitral balloon valvuloplasty: comparison of the inoue and retrograde non-transseptal techniques. A single-center experience.

INTRODUCTION: The transseptal Inoue (IN) and to a lesser extend retrograde non-transseptal (RNT) techniques are established procedures for percutaneous mitral balloon valvuloplasty (PBMV) in patients with mitral stenosis. However, a head to head comparison of these two techniques, especially from a single center, has not yet been reported. METHODS: Seventy-two consecutive patients (n = 35 IN and n = 37 RNT) underwent PMBV in our clinic from October 1993 to December 1999. All baseline and procedural characteristics were compared, as well as immediate and long-term outcomes (mean follow-up, 42 12 months) of the patients. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were similar in the two groups. A successful immediate result was achieved in 91% of IN patients and 89% of RNT patients. After the PMBV, mitral valve area (MVA) increased from 1.04 0.16 cm2 to 1.6 0.3 cm2 and from 1.06 0.23 cm2 to 1.55 0.3 cm2 in the IN group and RNT group, respectively (p = NS). There was a higher percentage of mild mitral regurgitation (MR) after the RNT technique (p = 0.03). Mean fluoroscopy time was 31 16 minutes in the IN group and 39 11 minutes in the RNT group (p = 0.02). After discharge, major adverse cardiac events (MACE: mitral valve replacement, repeat PMBV) occurred in 3 patients (8%) patients in the IN group and 5 patients (13.5%) in the RNT group (p = NS). Follow-up echocardiographic evaluation revealed no significant changes regarding MVA in either group. CONCLUSIONS: The IN and RNT techniques are comparable regarding the achieved MVA, with slightly more frequent MR post-RNT PBMV. IN requires significantly less fluoroscopy time. MACE and event-free survival rates at follow-up were similar in the two groups.