Risk factors for severe morbidity and definitive stoma after elective surgery for sigmoid diverticulitis: a multicenter national cohort study.

BACKGROUND: In the decision to perform elective surgery, it is of great interest to have data about the outcomes of surgery to individualize patients who could safely undergo sigmoid resection. The aim of this study was to provide information on the outcomes of elective sigmoid resection for sigmoid diverticular disease (SDD) at a national level. METHODS: All consecutive patients who had elective surgery for SDD (2010-2021) were included in this retrospective, multicenter, cohort study. Patients were identified from institutional review board-approved databases in French member centers of the French Surgical Association. The endpoints of the study were the early and the long-term postoperative outcomes and an evaluation of the risk factors for 90-day severe postoperative morbidity and a definitive stoma after an elective sigmoidectomy for SDD. RESULTS: In total, 4617 patients were included. The median [IQR] age was 61 [18.0;100] years, the mean ± SD body mass index (BMI) was 26.8 ± 4 kg/m2, and 2310 (50%) were men. The indications for surgery were complicated diverticulitis in 50% and smoldering diverticulitis in 47.4%. The procedures were performed laparoscopically for 88% and with an anastomosis for 83.8%. The severe complication rate on postoperative day 90 was 11.7%, with a risk of anastomotic leakage of 4.7%. The independent risk factors in multivariate analysis were an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score ≥ 3, an open approach, and perioperative blood transfusion. Age, perioperative blood transfusion, and Hartmann's procedure were the three independent risk factors for a permanent stoma. CONCLUSIONS: This series provides a real-life picture of elective sigmoidectomy for SDD at a national level. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Comité National Information et Liberté (CNIL) (n°920361).

Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome after allogeneic hematopoietic SCT: phenotypes and prognosis.

Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) after allogeneic hematopoietic SCT (HSCT) is recognized as a new-onset obstructive lung defect (OLD) in pulmonary function testing and is related to pulmonary chronic GVHD. Little is known about the different phenotypes of patients with BOS and their outcomes. We reviewed the data of all allogeneic HSCT recipients referred to our pulmonary department for a non-infectious bronchial disease between 1999 and 2010. We identified 103 patients (BOS (n=77), asthma (n=11) and chronic bronchitis (n=15)). In patients with BOS, we identified two functional phenotypes: a typical OLD, that is, forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio <0.7 (n=53), and an atypical OLD with a concomitant decrease in the FEV1 <80% and FVC <80% predicted with a normal total lung capacity (n=24). The typical OLD was characterized by more severe FEV1 and fewer centrilobular nodules on the computed tomography scan. The FEV1 was not significantly affected during the follow-up, regardless of the phenotype. In addition to acute and extensive chronic GVHD, only the occurrence of BOS soon after transplantation and the intentional treatment of BOS with steroids were associated with a poor survival. The determination of patient subgroups should be explored to improve the management of this condition.

Lung infections: the radiologist's perspective.

Imaging plays a key role in lung infections. A CT scan must be carried out when there is a strong clinical suspicion of pneumonia that is accompanied by normal, ambiguous, or nonspecific radiography, a scenario that occurs most commonly in immunocompromised patients. CT allows clinicians to detect associated abnormalities or an underlying condition and it can guide bronchoalveolar lavage or a percutaneous or transbronchial lung biopsy. An organism can vary in how it is expressed depending on the extent to which the patient is immunocompromised. This is seen in tuberculosis in patients with AIDS. The infective agents vary with the type of immune deficiency and some infections can quickly become life-threatening. Clinicians should be aware of the complex radiological spectrum of pulmonary aspergillosis, given that this diagnosis must be considered in specific settings.

Optimal duration of antibiotic therapy in vertebral osteomyelitis.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the risk of relapse of vertebral osteomyelitis (VO), according to the duration of antibiotic therapy (< or =6 weeks versus >6 weeks). METHODS: We performed a 10-year retrospective study to assess the risk of VO relapse and to verify that this risk was not enhanced in patients who received 6 weeks of antibiotic therapy (Group 1) as compared with those who received a longer treatment (Group 2). VO was diagnosed based on clinical manifestations, magnetic resonance imaging and/or computed tomography findings, and isolation of a pyogenic organism in blood cultures and/or a discovertebral biopsy. Relapse was diagnosed based on isolation of the same organism in blood cultures and/or a discovertebral biopsy. Outcome was evaluated 6 months post-treatment and in December 2004. RESULTS: Group 1 included 36 patients (mean age, 58 +/- 15 years) and Group 2 included 84 patients (mean age, 67 +/- 15 years) (P = 0.003). Clinical data and microorganisms were comparable in the 2 groups. In the first 6 months, 6 (5%) patients died (Group 1, n = 2; Group 2, n = 4), and 5 (4%) in Group 2 relapsed, 2 with recurrent VO and 3 with recurrent bacteremia. In 2004, 91 patients were evaluated (mean follow-up, 40.6 +/- 31 months): 77 (85%) were cured, 13 (14%) died (Group 1, n = 3; Group 2, n = 10), 1 had VO due to a different microorganism (Group 2), and no long-term relapses occurred. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that antibiotic therapy of VO could be safely shortened to 6 weeks without enhancing the risk of relapse.

[Co-infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Pneumocystis jiroveci in a patient without HIV infection]. / Co-infection à Mycobacterium tuberculosis et Pneumocystis jiroveci chez une patiente non infectée par le VIH.

INTRODUCTION: Co-infection with Pneumocystis jiroveci and Mycobacterium tuberculosis is rarely reported in patients without HIV infection. CASE REPORT: We report the case of a 30 year old woman admitted to hospital for respiratory distress associated with a diffuse infiltrative pneumopathy. Corticosteroid therapy had been started two months earlier for suspected pulmonary sarcoidosis. Fibreoptic bronchoscopy and broncho-alveolar lavage produced evidence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and cysts of Pneumocystis jiroveci. HIV serology was negative. Clinical progress was satisfactory following anti-tuberculous and anti-fungal therapy. CONCLUSION: Pneumocystis pneumonia is rare in subjects without HIV infection and is most often associated with a pathology or treatment leading to depression of cellular immunity. Corticosteroid treatment, even of short duration, presents the greatest risk. Systematic antibiotic prophylaxis should be considered in relation to the immune status of the patient. Co-infection with the tubercle bacillus as reported here is exceptionally rare.

[Anesthesia for scoliosis surgery: preoperative assessment and risk screening of patients undergoing surgery to correct spinal deformity]. / Anestesia para la cirugía de la escoliosis. Estudio preoperatorio y selección de pacientes de riesgo en la cirugía de las deformidades raquídeas.

Spinal column deformity is associated with potentially serious alterations of respiratory and cardiac function. Such alterations, in association with the underlying disease that caused the deformity--such as neuromuscular disease--are risk factors that affect the prognosis for scoliosis patients undergoing anesthesia and surgery. It is important for the anesthesiologist to carry out a detailed preoperative assessment to identify patients at risk with the aim of decreasing morbidity and mortality related to surgical correction of deformities. Of paramount importance is awareness of the risk of injury to the spinal cord that will affect function. Other issues are how to manage the patient in anomalous positions, the risk associated with hypothermia secondary to exposure of a large surgical field for a long period, and bleeding, which can sometimes exceed the patient's total volume. In the case of scoliosis surgery, all those situations may converge, obliging us to provide careful intraoperative monitoring, particularly of spinal function; to choose the appropriate anesthetic technique; and to maintain vigilance during the early postoperative period to foresee possible complications. Because scoliosis surgery is multidisciplinary, several teams must work together to assure success.

Analysis of nutritional parameters in idiopathic scoliosis patients after major spinal surgery.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to investigate the evolution of nutritional parameters after major spinal surgery in patients with idiopathic scoliosis. METHODS: This retrospective study included 31 patients with a mean age of 18 y, diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis. The following variables were analyzed: demographic, surgical (type, number of fused segments, duration, and blood loss), nutritional assessment (proteins, albumin, prealbumin, transferrin, lymphocytes, and body mass index), and duration of hospitalization at different time points. Statistical analyses were performed with the SPSS 6.1 software. RESULTS: Before surgery, nutritional status was normal in all patients. At 24-48 h after surgery, statistically significant decrease with respect to preoperative values was recorded for all the parameters studied: proteins (P < 0.001), albumin (P < 0.001), prealbumin (P < 0.01), transferrin (P < 0.001), and lymphocytes (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our results showed a significant postoperative decrease in the nutritional parameters analyzed in a previously well-nourished population considered to be at low risk for nutritional depletion.

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in patients with hematologic malignancies: a descriptive study.

Objectives. A retrospective multicentric study was conducted over a five-year period to evaluate the clinical and laboratory characteristics and outcome of patients with proven Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) complicating hematologic malignancies.Results. The study included 60 HIV-negative patients with 18 non-Hodgkin's malignant lymphoma (30%), 13 chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (21.7%), 10 acute leukemia (16.6%), 5 multiple myeloma (8.3%), 4 Waldenström's diseases (6.6%), 4 chronic myeloid leukemia (6.6%), 3 myelodysplasia (5%), 2 Hodgkin's diseases (3.3%) and 1 thrombopenia. Bronchoalveolar lavage was diagnostic in all patients. Forty-nine patients received cytotoxic drugs (81.7%), 25 (41.7%) a long-term corticotherapy and 15 (25%) underwent bone marrow transplantation. Twenty-seven patients (45%) required admission in the intensive care unit, 35 (58.3%) received an adjunctive corticotherapy and 18 mechanical ventilation (30%). Twenty patients (33.3%) died of PCP. A previous long-term corticotherapy (p=0.04), high respiratory (p=0.05) and pulse rates (p=0.02), elevated C reactive protein (p=0.01) and mechanical ventilation (OR=13.37; IC: 1.9-50) were associated with a poor prognosis. Adjunctive corticotherapy did not modify the prognosis.Conclusions. These results suggest that PCP can occur during the course of various hematologic malignancies, not only lymphoproliferative disorders. Prognosis remains poor. The diagnosis should be advocated more frequently and earlier to improve the prognosis.

[Radial artery aneurysm: an unusual complication of radial artery catheterization]. / L'anévrisme de l'artère radiale: une complication inhabituelle du cathétérisme radial.

Percutaneous arterial cannulation is systematically used in cardiac surgery and reanimation for hemodynamic monitoring. It was frequently used in coronarography. Risk factors for occurrence of radial aneurysm after catheterization may include advanced age, longer duration of catheterization, hospitalization duration, and general infection with Staphylococcus aureus. We report an uncommon case of radial artery aneurysm, after cardiac surgery. We operated the patient with a good result.

Prevalence of asymptomatic cardiac valve anomalies in idiopathic scoliosis.

The prevalence of asymptomatic cardiac valve anomalies was determined in 82 patients (69 females and 13 males) diagnosed as having idiopathic scoliosis and scheduled for corrective surgery (mean age at surgery 16.3 years). The preoperative study in each patient included echocardiography and ultrasound Doppler. Twenty-three valvular anomalies were found in 20 patients (24.4%). The most frequent was mitral valve prolapse. The occurrence of valvular anomalies did not correlate with sex, curve magnitude, or age at diagnosis. Eighteen patients presented a total of 20 comorbid conditions: positive family history of scoliosis (five cases), isthmic spondylolisthesis (five cases), nervous anorexia (two cases), hereditary exostosis, cystic fibrosis, ureteral stenosis, mammary hypoplasia, slipped capital femoral epiphysis, psoriasis, celiac disease, and lactose intolerance. A significant relationship was found between valvular anomalies and comorbidity. Valvular anomalies were detected in 11 out of 64 patients (17.2%) with no comorbidity and in nine out of 18 patients (50%) with a comorbid condition (Chi-square 8.2, p = 0.004). In this latter group of patients, routine echocardiographic study seems advisable in the preoperative evaluation.

Analysis of underlying diseases and prognosis factors associated with Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in immunocompromised HIV-negative patients.

The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the underlying diseases associated with Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) in immunocompromised HIV-negative patients and to identify prognosis factors in this population. One hundred three cases of PCP were diagnosed over a 5-year period. Diagnosis was established on the basis of clinical features and by detection of Pneumocystis carinii cysts in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Underlying diseases comprised hematologic malignancies (n=60; 58%), inflammatory diseases (n=27; 26%), and solid tumors (n=18; 17.5%); 9 (8%) patients were solid organ transplant recipients. Seventy-one (69%) patients received cytotoxic drugs, 57 (55%) were treated with long-term corticotherapy, and 15 (14.7%) underwent bone marrow transplantation. Fifty-eight (56%) patients were admitted to the intensive care unit, and 52 (41%) required mechanical ventilation. Thirty-nine (38%) patients died of PCP; data from these patients were compared with those from surviving patients. The following factors were associated with a poor prognosis: high respiratory rate (P=0.005), high pulse rate (P=0.0003), elevated C-reactive protein (P=0.01), elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase level (P=0.02), and mechanical ventilation (OR, 14.4; 95%CI, 5-50). The results suggest that PCP can occur during the course of many immunosuppressive diseases, particularly various hematologic malignancies. The diagnosis of PCP should be considered more frequently and advocated earlier in immunocompromised HIV-negative patients, since prompt diagnosis may improve the prognosis of these patients.

[Total parenteral nutrition in major surgery of the spine]. / Nutrición parenteral total en la cirugía mayor del raquis.

This paper presents clinical experience with the use of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) in patients undergoing major spinal surgery, as well as the identification of possible risk factors involved in the extended duration of TPN. Although TPN is an expensive therapy, it may even represent a cost saving in patients with a high risk of developing malnutrition. Therefore, it is necessary to identify those patients with the greatest likelihood of presenting nutritional deterioration in order to select those who would benefit from post-operative TPN. During the period under analysis (1995-1998), 137 patients were operated on and could be analyzed retrospectively. The variable considered were: age, sex, weight, body mass index, height, diagnosis, type and time of surgery involved, bleeding, duration of TPN and number of days admitted. The statistical analysis was carried out using the SPSS 6.1 for Windows software package. It comprised a descriptive univariate study, a bivariate comparative means analysis using Student's t test and multi-variant analysis using multiple regression. In the bivariate analysis, a greater duration of TPN was found in those patients subjected to circumferential arthrodesis (p = 0.0001), as well as in patients diagnosed as having kyphoscoliosis following neuromuscular disease (p = 0.0041). The multi-variant analysis gave a correlation statistically significant duration of TPN and surgery time (p = 0.00001), intra-operative bleeding (p = 0.01) and weight (p = 0.0002). No link was found between the duration of TPN and age, nor with the number of days spent in hospital.

Isolated thrombosis of the external jugular vein.

Thrombosis of the external jugular vein (EJV) is an infrequent clinical condition that has been associated with central venous catheterization, head and neck infections, intravenous drug abuse, and compression at the affected site. The authors report a case of thrombotic obstruction of the EJV in the late postoperative period after laparoscopic anterior lumbar interbody fusion. A 40-year-old morbidly obese woman with a depressive syndrome was diagnosed with L5-S1 discopathy and was submitted to laparoscopic anterior isthmic fusion. The operation lasted approximately 6 hours, during which the patient remained in a supine decubitus and Trendelenburg position. The left radial artery, peripheral veins, and right internal jugular vein were canalized. The internal jugular vein catheter was electively withdrawn 24 hours after the intervention. The postoperative period was satisfactory, and the patient was started on prophylaxis with low-molecular-weight heparin. She sat up and began walking at 24 hours and was discharged to her home 4 days after the procedure. Eight days after discharge she returned, experiencing right cervical pain. Palpation revealed a painful induration and erythematous area under the anterior edge of the sternocleidomastoid muscle. Results of otoscopy and laryngoscopy were normal. Cervical echo-Doppler disclosed an image consistent with EJV thrombosis. The most frequent causes of jugular vein thrombosis are mentioned above. A higher incidence has been described after upper abdomen and pelvic surgery; other contributing factors are age, obesity, and associated illness. There are few references in the literature to position-induced EJV thrombosis in the late postoperative period. The authors' patient presented signs and symptoms of EJV thrombosis (probably because of various factors), which was confirmed by echo-Doppler study and treated with 10 days of calcic heparin.