Impact on clinical practice of the preoperative screening of Covid-19 infection in surgical oncological patients. Prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: In the oncological patient, an COVID-19-Infection, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic, a surgical procedure may carry a higher postoperative morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to describe the impact on clinical practice of sequential preoperative screening for COVID-19-infection in deciding whether to proceed or postpone surgery. METHODS: Prospective, cohort study, based on consecutive patients' candidates for an oncological surgical intervention. Sequential preoperative screening for COVID-19-infection: two-time medical history (telematic and face-to-face), PCR and chest CT, 48 h before of surgical intervention. COVID-19-infection was considered positive if the patient had a suggestive medical history and/or PCR-positive and/or CT of pneumonia. RESULTS: Between April 15th and May 4th, 2020, 179 patients were studied, 97 were male (54%), mean (sd) age 66.7 (13,6). Sequential preoperative screening was performed within 48 h before to surgical intervention. The prevalence of preoperative COVID-19-infection was 4.5%, 95%CI:2.3-8.6% (8 patients). Of the operated patients (171), all had a negative medical history, PCR and chest CT. The complications was 14.8% (I-II) and 2.5% (III-IV). There was no mortality. The hospital stay was 3.1 (sd 2.7) days.In the 8 patients with COVID-19-infection, the medical history was suggestive in all of them, 7 presented PCR-positive and 5 had a chest CT suggestive of pneumonia. The surgical intervention was postponed between 15 and 21 days. CONCLUSION: Preoperative screening for COVID-19-infection using medical history and PCR helped the surgeon to decide whether to go ahead or postpone surgery in oncological patients. The chest CT may be useful in unclear cases.

Changes in patellar height due to bone-tendon-bone graft. / Modificaciones en la altura patelar por el uso del injerto hueso-tendón-hueso.

PURPOSE: Complications related to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) graft are common. Change in height, especially patella baja, can be a cause of anterior knee pain. Several studies have related ACL reconstruction with bone-tendon-bone graft to patella baja. METHODS: Forty-three patients with ACL reconstruction using a with bone-tendon-bone graft were included in this study. All patients underwent the same surgery, with closure of the paratenon of the patellar tendon. A radiological study was performed before surgery and 2 years after surgery. The Insall-Salvati index, axial view and patellar tilt were analyzed in all patients. The healthy contralateral knees were used as the control group. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed from the preoperative measurements or at the 2-year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The use of patellar tendon with closure of the paratenon in ACL reconstruction was not shown to modify patellar height within the radiological follow-up of two years.

Transscleral resection without hypotensive anaesthesia vs iodine-125 plaque brachytherapy in the treatment of choroidal melanoma.

AimsThe aim of this study was to compare transscleral resection technique performed without hypotensive anaesthesia (TSRWH) with iodine-125 brachytherapy (IBT) in the treatment of choroidal melanoma.Patients and methodsThis was a retrospective surgical cohort study. Nineteen eyes treated with TSRWH were matched with 53 eyes treated with IBT according to: tumour size, distance to fovea, distance to optic nerve, and follow-up time. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), local recurrence, secondary enucleation, metastasis, overall and specific survival, and complications were evaluated.ResultsPatients treated with TSRWH had significantly better BCVA than those treated with IBT. The local recurrence risk was significantly higher when ciliary body was involved (HR=11.4, 95% CI 2.24-49.7, P=0.04). Metastatic disease was observed in 14 of 53 patients (26.4%) in the IBT group vs 3 patients (15.8%) in the TSRWH group (P=0.531). Multivariate analysis showed that iris involvement (HR=16.0, 95% CI 4.2-170.2, P=0.033) and large tumour (HR=2.3, 95% CI 1.2-4.8, P=0.04) increased the probability of metastasis. During follow-up, six patients (11.3%) in IBT group died vs two (10.5%) in the TSRWH group (P≥0.999). Nine patients required secondary enucleation: 5 (9.4%) in the IBT group vs 4 (21.1%) in the TSRWH group (P=0.231). The most common complications in IBT group were radiation-induced retinopathy (45.3%), neovascular glaucoma (28.3%), and macular oedema (24.5%), whereas rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (21.1%), ocular hypertension (21.1%), and submacular haemorrhage (15.8%) were the most frequent complications after TSRWH.ConclusionTSRWH is a technically challenging procedure. However, when performed successfully, this technique achieves better preservation of visual acuity than IBT and without the limitations inherent in hypotensive anaesthesia.

[Anterior cruciate ligament ganglion: a case report]. / Ganglión en ligamento cruzado anterior: a propósito de un caso.

Intraarticular ganglions are rare and they are usually incidental findings of MRIs and arthroscopies. We report the case of a male athlete with this condition affecting the anterior cruciate ligament. The most frequent symptoms include pain that worsens with activity, and motion limitations. The MRI shows the typical signs of a ganglion and it is the most specific and sensitive test. Arthroscopy is used for both the diagnosis and the treatment of this condition. A late diagnosis turns arthroscopic resection into a complicated or impossible procedure that at times warrants extensive debridement of the anterior cruzate ligament.

Enzyme inactivation analysis for industrial blanching applications: comparison of microwave, conventional, and combination heat treatments on mushroom polyphenoloxidase activity.

Browning reactions in fruits and vegetables are a serious problem for the food industry. In mushrooms, the principal enzyme responsible for the browning reaction is polyphenoloxidase (PPO). Microwaves have recently been introduced as an alternative for the industrial blanching of mushrooms. However, the direct application of microwave energy to entire mushrooms is limited by the important temperature gradients generated within the samples during heating, which can produce internal water vaporization and associated damage to the mushrooms texture. A microwave applicator has been developed, whereby irradiation conditions can be regulated and the heating process monitored. Whole edible mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) were blanched by conventional, microwave, and combined heating methods to optimize the rate of PPO inactivation. A combined microwave and hot-water bath treatment has achieved complete PPO inactivation in a short time. Both the loss of antioxidant content and the increase of browning were minor in the samples treated with this combined method when compared to the control. This reduction in processing time also decreased mushroom weight loss and shrinkage.

[Perioperative morbidity and mortality in surgery for dissecting aneurysm of the ascending aorta]. / Morbimortalidad perioperatoria de la cirugía de la disección de aorta ascendente.

OBJECTIVE: To describe complications and mortality in patients diagnosed of Stanford's type A (Daily) dissection of the ascending aorta requiring circulatory arrest for emergency placement of an aortic graft. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective study of 21 patients treated between December 1992 and November 1997. RESULTS: Hypertension was the disease most often associated with the diagnosis (in 8 of the 21 patients). Preoperative mortality was 9.5% (2 of the 21 patients), no deaths occurred in the operating room and postoperative mortality was 15.8% (3 of the 19 patients who underwent surgery). Durations in mean time (SD) in minutes were as follows: anesthesia-surgery 437.9 (92), extracorporeal circulation 192.5 (47), aortic clamping 82.6 (20), circulatory arrest 30.5 (8). Retrograde cerebral circulation was carried out during circulatory arrest in all cases. Mean temperature during this period was 14.9 degrees C. During the postoperative period we recorded three permanent neurological complications, six cases of acute renal failure and seven respiratory complications, specifically one instance of adult respiratory distress syndrome and six of pneumonia, the most common. Consumption of blood products was high, with great interindividual variation. CONCLUSION: Anesthesia for and recovery from surgery for acute aortic dissection is complex and associated with a high rate of postoperative complication and high consumption of blood products.

Cellulose granulomatosis of the lungs.

Chest radiographs and high-resolution chest CT scans were performed in a 30-year-old man with a history of intravenous drug abuse and diffuse micronodular infiltrates. Transbronchial biopsy gave a diagnosis of cellulose granulomatosis of the lung. Cellulose granulomatosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pulmonary interstitial disease, especially in the setting of intravenous drug abuse.

Enzyme inactivation analyses for industrial blanching applications employing 2450 Mhz monomode microwave cavities.

Browning reactions in fruits and vegetables are recognized as a serious problem for the European food industry, particularly for the mushroom sector. The major enzyme responsible for the browning reaction is polyphenoloxidase (PPO). In this paper considerable reduction has been achieved in both the time and temperature required for complete microwave enzyme inactivation compared to conventional hot-water treatments, which can be translated into both increased benefits and enhanced quality products for the food industry. Furthermore, the short exposure time required for complete inactivation of aqueous solutions of PPO irradiated with microwaves within monomode cavities is very important to reduce the browning rate of mushroom extracts, and could lead to a much greater product profitability when treating whole processed mushrooms.

[Oxygen consumption during anaphylactic shock]. / Consumo de oxígeno durante un shock anafiláctico.

We report the case of a 49-year-old man who suffered anaphylactic/anaphylactoid shock within the first few minutes of reaching the recovery room after unremarkable coronary surgery and revascularization. Adequate monitoring permitted differential diagnosis and establishment of specific treatment Monitoring also allowed us to document hemodynamic changes and oxygen consumption during this instance of anaphylactic/anaphylactoid shock. Anaphylactic/anaphylactoid shock caused significant vasoparalysis with decreases in arterial pressures, reduction of oxygen consumption and discrete changes in oxygen exchange. The reposition of volume and administration of adrenaline were insufficient. Appropriate management of noradrenaline perfusion, which was made possible by complete monitoring, was essential for reestablishing normal hemodynamic and oximetric readings and preventing myocardial ischemia.

Atlas of Chagas disease vectors in the Americas

Authors have studied most of the known species of Triatominae with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) JEOL and HITACHI S-500. They were able to photograph structures in these bugs belonging to the 5 known tribes. 12 of the 14 genera existing on the American Continent and Caribbean Islands, and 98 of the 111 recognized species of the subfamily. It was not possible to study either Bolbodera or Parabelminus with SEM