Primary axillary-subclavian venous thrombosis: is aggressive surgical intervention justified?

Multimodal (thrombolysis, surgical decompression, venous reconstruction, oral anticoagulation) treatment of primary axillary-subclavian venous thrombosis was reviewed to assess the impact of venous patency on functional outcome. Since 1996, 7 patients (6 men, 1 woman) of ages 16-53 years (mean 33 years) presented with symptomatic acute axillosubclavian venous thrombosis as a result of a recent athletic or strenuous arm activity. Five patients had undergone previous (>2 weeks) catheter-directed thrombolysis and venous angioplasty. Diagnostic contrast venography followed by repeat catheter-directed thrombolysis demonstrated abnormal (residual stenosis [n=6] or occlusion [n=1]) axillosubclavian venous segments in all patients. Surgical intervention was performed at a mean interval of 7 days (range 1-19 days) after thrombolysis and consisted of thoracic outlet decompression with scalenectomy and 1st rib resection via a paraclavicular (n=4) or supraclavicular (n=3) approach. Medial claviculectomy or cervical rib resection was performed in 2 patients. Concomitant venous surgery was performed in all patients to restore normal venous patency by circumferential venolysis (n=7) and balloon catheter thrombectomy (n=3), or vein-patch angioplasty (n=2), or endovenectomy (n=5), or internal jugular transposition (n=2). Postoperative venous duplex testing beyond 1 month identified recurrent thrombosis in 4 patients despite therapeutic oral anticoagulation. Subsequent venous recanalization was documented in 3 patients. Poor functional outcome was associated with an occluded venous repair and extensive venous thrombosis on initial presentation. A patent or recanalized venous repair present in 6 of 7 patients was associated with good functional outcome and may justify multimodal intervention in patients with primary axillosubclavian effort thrombosis presenting with recurrent thrombosis and significant residual disease after thrombolysis.

Expanded application of in situ replacement for prosthetic graft infection.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the outcome of an individualized treatment algorithm for prosthetic graft infection, including the application of in situ graft replacement, based on clinical presentation, extent of graft infection, and microbiology. METHODS: There was a retrospective review (1991-2000) of 119 patients with 68 aortoiliofemoral or 51 extracavitary (infrainguinal, 19; axillofemoral, 16; femorofemoral, 16) prosthetic graft infections presenting more than 3 months (range, 3-136 months) after implantation/revision. The treatment algorithm consisted of graft excision with or without ex situ bypass grafts for patients presenting with sepsis or graft-enteric erosion, whereas in situ replacement (autogenous vein, rifampin-bonded polyester, polytetrafluoroethylene [PTFE]) was used in patients with less virulent gram-positive graft infection, in particular infections caused by Staphylococcus epidermidis. Outcomes (death, limb loss, recurrent infection) were correlated with treatment type and infecting organism. RESULTS: In situ replacement was used in 52% of aortoiliofemoral (autogenous vein, 10; rifampin-bonded polyester, 6; PTFE, 9) and 80% of extracavitary (autogenous vein, 26; PTFE, 9; rifampin, 6) graft infections. Total graft excision with ex situ bypass was performed in 34 patients, including 21 patients with graft-enteric erosion/fistula, with a 21% operative mortality and 9% amputation rate. In situ graft replacement was used to treat 76 graft infections with a 30-day operative mortality rate of 4% and an amputation rate of 2%. Graft excision alone was performed in nine patients with one 30-day death. Gram-positive cocci were the prevalent infecting organisms of both intracavitary (59% of isolates) and extracavitary (76% of isolates) graft infections. S epidermidis was the infecting organism in 40% of patients, accounting for the expanded application of in situ prosthetic replacement using a rifampin-bonded polyester or PTFE prosthesis. During the mean follow-up interval of 26 months, recurrent graft infection developed in 3% (1 of 34) of patients after conventional treatment, 3% (1 of 36) patients after in situ vein replacement, and 10% (4 of 40) patients after in situ prosthetic graft replacement (P >.05). Failure of in situ replacement procedures was the result of virulent and antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. CONCLUSIONS: In situ replacement was a safe and durable option in most (64%) patients presenting with prosthetic graft infection. In situ replacement with a rifampin-bonded graft was effective for S epidermidis graft infection, but when the entire prosthesis is involved with either a biofilm or invasive perigraft infection, in situ autogenous vein replacement is preferred. Virulent graft infections presenting with sepsis, anastomotic dehiscence, or graft enteric fistula should continue to be treated with total graft excision, and if feasible, staged ex situ bypass graft.

Penetrating esophageal injuries: multicenter study of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to define the period of time after which delays in management incurred by investigations cause increased morbidity and mortality. The outcome study is intended to correlate time with death from esophageal causes, overall complications, esophageal related complications, and surgical intensive care unit length of stay. METHODS: This was a retrospective multicenter study involving 34 trauma centers in the United States, under the auspices of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Multi-institutional Trials Committee over a span of 10.5 years. Patients surviving to reach the operating room (OR) were divided into two groups: those that underwent diagnostic studies to identify their injuries (preoperative evaluation group) and those that went immediately to the OR (no preoperative evaluation group). Statistical methods included Fisher's exact test, Student's T test, and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The study involved 405 patients: 355 male patients (86.5%) and 50 female patients (13.5%). The mean Revised Trauma Score was 6.3, the mean Injury Severity Score was 28, and the mean time interval to the OR was 6.5 hours. There were associated injuries in 356 patients (88%), and an overall complication rate of 53.5%. Overall mortality was 78 of 405 (19%). Three hundred forty-six patients survived to reach the OR: 171 in the preoperative evaluation group and 175 in the no preoperative evaluation group. No statistically significant differences were noted in the two groups in the following parameters: number of patients, age, Injury Severity Score, admission blood pressure, anatomic location of injury (cervical or thoracic), surgical management (primary repair, resection and anastomosis, resection and diversion, flaps), number of associated injuries, and mortality. Average length of time to the OR was 13 hours in the preoperative evaluation group versus 1 hour in the no preoperative evaluation group (p < 0.001). Overall complications occurred in 134 in the preoperative evaluation group versus 87 in the no preoperative evaluation group (p < 0.001), and 74 (41%) esophageal related complications occurred in the preoperative evaluation group versus 32 (19%) in the no preoperative evaluation group (p = 0.003). Mean surgical intensive care unit length of stay was 11 days in the preoperative evaluation group versus 7 days in the no preoperative evaluation group (p = 0.012). Logistic regression analysis identified as independent risk factors for the development of esophageal related complications included time delays in preoperative evaluation (odds ratio, 3.13), American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Organ Injury Scale grade >2 (odds ratio, 2.62), and resection and diversion (odds ratio, 4.47). CONCLUSION: Esophageal injuries carry a high morbidity and mortality. Increased esophageal related morbidity occurs with the diagnostic workup and its inherent delay in operative repair of these injuries. For centers practicing selective management of penetrating neck injuries and transmediastinal gunshot wounds, rapid diagnosis and definitive repair should be made a high priority.

Nonoperative management of liver and/or splenic injuries: effect on resident surgical experience.

Changes in the management of trauma over the past few years are significantly affecting postgraduate surgical education, with the lack of operative trauma experience being a major concern in some programs. This problem is accentuated in residency programs that obtain their trauma caseload primarily from blunt injury. Our experience over the past 6 years confirms that the growing trend toward nonoperative management of blunt liver and spleen injuries in adults is likely to exacerbate this problem. Blunt trauma admissions to our Level I trauma center increased from 2888 from 1991 through 1993 (group A) to 3587 from 1994 through 1996 (group B). Liver and/or splenic injuries occurred with equal frequency in both groups. Whereas diagnostic peritoneal lavage was used in 26 per cent of group A, its use dropped to 2 per cent in group B as abdominal computerized tomography was used more frequently to evaluate these patients. Nonoperative management increased from 10 per cent of group A to 54 per cent of group B. As a result, therapeutic laparotomies dropped from 85 in group A (58% of patients with liver/splenic injuries) to 74 (35%) in group B and nontherapeutic laparotomies from 48 (33%) to 23 (11%). While the evolution in the management of blunt liver and splenic injuries has resulted in the avoidance of nontherapeutic laparotomies, the operative caseload available to surgical housestaff has been adversely affected. Although the Residency Review Committee has stressed the importance of the critical care management of these patients, the criteria used to evaluate the number of trauma cases in postgraduate surgical education may need to be revised.

Thoracoscopy in the management of posttraumatic persistent pneumothorax.

BACKGROUND: Persistent posttraumatic pneumothorax (PPP) is an uncommon complication of traumatic injuries of the chest, usually managed with suction drainage and involving prolonged hospital stays. This study was conducted to assess the advantages of using video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in the management of patients with PPP. STUDY DESIGN: Eleven patients with PPP underwent VATS for diagnosis and for definitive treatment. RESULTS: Before VATS was done, all patients had undergone multiple attempts to resolve the PPP; the hospital stay before VATS was 10 days (range, 4-14 days). In 10 patients, the cause of the PPP was identified and a segmental stapled resection was performed, with complete success in resolving the air leak and obtaining pleural synthesis. In another patient, the source of the air leak was not identified and a thoracoscopically assisted chemical pleurodesis was performed, with immediate cessation of the air leak. All chest tubes were removed within 48 hours of the procedure; 9 patients were discharged within 72 hours of VATS. Preoperative computed tomography of the chest was useful in 2 patients, but bronchoscopy did not disclose any major airway injury. CONCLUSIONS: Videothoracoscopy is an accurate, safe, and reliable alternative to an open thoracotomy in the management of patients with PPP. In the patients in whom the procedure was completed, excellent results were obtained and the hospital stay was reduced. We believe that VATS should be used earlier and more frequently after failure of conservative management in such patients.

Autonomic interactions for control of atrial rate are maintained after SA nodal parasympathectomy.

Autonomic control of atrial rate was evaluated in anesthetized dogs by electrical stimulation of stellate ganglia and/or cervical vagi before and after the intrinsic cardiac right atrial ganglionated plexus (RAGP) was injected with the nicotinic blocker hexamethonium or the membrane stabilizing chemical lidocaine, or the RAGP was surgically removed. Injections of lidocaine or hexamethonium into or surgical removal of the RAGP eliminated the bradycardia elicited by vagal stimulation without reducing the tachycardia induced by stellate stimulation. Yet, after surgical ablation of the RAGP, the tachycardia induced by sympathetic stimulation was still reduced by 94% by parasympathetic stimulation. After injections of hexamethonium or lidocaine into the RAGP were administered, the sympathetically induced tachycardia was reduced by 39 and 85%, respectively, by parasympathetic stimulation. After RAGP ablation, when atrial rate was increased by infusion of beta-adrenergic agonists, parasympathetic stimulation reduced atrial rate by 13%. Sinoatrial (SA) nodal parasympathectomy, produced by disrupting the RAGP, eliminates direct vagal control of the SA node while leaving prejunctional parasympathetic projections to sympathetic afferents innervating the SA node intact.

Redistribution of organ blood flow after hemorrhage and resuscitation in full-term piglets.

Newborn piglets (aged 1 to 2 days and 7 to 14 days) were used to study (1) the redistribution of organ blood flow after a 25% acute blood loss and (2) the response to resuscitation with shed blood (20 mL/kg), crystalloid (normal saline [NS] or lactated Ringer's [LR]; 60 mL/kg), and colloid (Dextran-40, 20 mL/kg). Hemodynamic parameters showed little differences in the response to hemorrhage and resuscitation. The two age groups had no significant differences in parameters or blood flow (results combined). The animals maintained flow to the heart and central nervous system (CNS) and had significantly decreased flow to the kidneys and splanchnic organs. In the gastrointestinal tract, the small intestine was affected most severely, with a significant decrease in blood flow, especially to the mucosa. In all organ systems, Dextran 40 restored blood flow to levels significantly above the baseline. Shed blood and crystalloid restored flow to organs sustaining decreased flow, but crystalloid did not restore flow to the baseline level in the kidney and all segments of the gastrointestinal tract.

Differential sympathetic regulation of automatic, conductile, and contractile tissue in dog heart.

Sympathetic pathways mediating chronotropic, dromotropic, and inotropic responses during ansae subclavia stimulation were determined by sequential dissection around major cardiac vessels. Right sympathetic (RS) projections influencing ventricular contractile force converge at the common pulmonary artery and within the pulmonary artery nerves (PAN). RS projections influencing left atrial contractile force course within the PANs. RS pathways to pacemaker and right atrial contractile tissue were localized between the superior vena cava and ascending aorta. RS projections influencing conductile tissue converge between the common pulmonary artery and proximal right pulmonary artery. Left sympathetic (LS) projections to ventricular contractile tissue were localized at the common pulmonary artery, within the PANs, and in the ventral lateral cardiac nerve (VLCN). LS pathways influencing heart rate and conductile tissue were localized at the left pulmonary artery and coursing between the right pulmonary artery and left superior pulmonary vein. LS projections to atrial contractile tissue were localized within the PANs and coursing between the right pulmonary artery and left superior pulmonary vein. We conclude that there are parallel, yet distinct, projections of sympathetic efferents to automatic, conductile, and contractile tissue of the canine heart.