Disposable bipolar irrigated sealer (Aquamantys(®)) for liver resection: use with caution.

The disposable bipolar irrigated sealer has been demonstrated to reduce perioperative bleeding, but its role in preventing postoperative cut-surface complications has not been evaluated to date. A prospective observational study was performed between January and September 2013 to evaluate a disposable bipolar irrigated sealed (Aquamantys(®)) on a continuous series of 51 first liver resections without biliary reconstruction. Primary end-point was the occurrence of cut-surface complications during the postoperative period. Secondary endpoints were postoperative complications and the 1-year overall survival rate. The results were compared to a propensity score matched group of 153 liver resections performed with conventional monopolar cautery. A cut-surface complication occurred in 13/51 (25.5 %) resected patients. Bleeding, bile leakage and subphrenic abscess occurred in 7.8, 11.8 and 11.8 % patients, respectively. Compared to the matched group, the resected group had a higher rate of cut-surface complications (25.5 vs. 14.7 %, p < 0.01) and a higher rate of Clavien-Dindo type ≥3 postoperative complications (29.5 vs. 17.2 %, p < 0.01). In the multivariate analysis, preoperative chemotherapy (p = 0.03, 95 % CI 1.09-5.9, OR 2.53), blood transfusion (p = 0.02, 95 % CI 1.78-6.55, OR 2.78) and Aquamantys(®) use (p = 0.02, 95 % CI 1.21-6.7, OR 2.85) were independent of cut-surface complications within the first 90 postoperative days. The overall 1-year survival rates were not different between the two groups (p = 0.078). Aquamantys(®) use is associated with an increased rate of postoperative complications compared to classical monopolar cautery, and we recommend that it should be used with caution in this type of surgery.

The pedagogic evolution in Surgery: the University at the centre of a training which becomes territorialized The model of the region Marche.

AIM: We want to show a new organisational model of General Surgery training, in act in Università Politecnica delle Marche, which sees its strength in the territorial formative network. MATERIAL OF STUDY: In our Athenaeum, this organization is not a recent realization, but the firsts to have benefited completely of this system are the four residents who have completed the General Surgery formation in March 2014, for this reason we report their experience. RESULTS: The four residents benefited of the two years in the peripheral structures, two also performed a period in a foreign country, two chose to spend other 6 months in the peripheral structure to prepare the thesis of specialization; surgical activity has been, for each resident, of 400 interventions on average as first operator (237-476) distributed in great surgery 44 (13-80), middle 172 (129-268) and small 209 (70-378). DISCUSSION: The Formative NETWORK becomes an essential strength at the service of the academic world, the network foresees a continuous update, it can be easily standardized for every resident and it doesn't raise barriers to the foreign countries experiences. CONCLUSIONS: With the purpose to conform the model of specialistic formation in General Surgery, we propose a new tailored italian organizational model, tested the lasts 6 years, which seems to give good results and conform to the european standard of surgical training. KEY WORDS: Formative network, General Surgery, Resident, Training.

WSES guidelines for emergency repair of complicated abdominal wall hernias.

Emergency repair of complicated abdominal hernias is associated with poor prognosis and a high rate of post-operative complications.A World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) Consensus Conference was held in Bergamo in July 2013, during the 2nd Congress of the World Society of Emergency Surgery with the goal of defining recommendations for emergency repair of abdominal wall hernias in adults. This document represents the executive summary of the consensus conference approved by a WSES expert panel.

Primary adrenal hypercortisolism: minimally invasive surgical treatment or medical therapy? A retrospective study with long-term follow-up evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Because the most suitable management of subclinical Cushing syndrome (SCS, which involves hypersecretion of cortisol without clinically evident disease) still is undefined, the current study aimed to compare retrospectively the outcome for a cohort of patients treated by medical therapy or laparoscopic adrenalectomy (LA). METHODS: Over a 12-year period, 47 patients with SCS have been treated by means of LA (19 patients, group A) or medical therapy (28 patients, group B). Group A consisted of 15 women and 4 men with a mean age of 54.8 years. Eight patients had a left adrenal mass, whereas nine had a right adrenal mass, and one patient had bilateral lesion. Group B was composed of 18 women and 10 men with a mean age of 57.8 years. Of these patients, 14 had a left adrenal lesion, 12 had a right adrenal lesion, and 1 had bilateral lesion. The patients were followed up for a mean 4 years (range, 1-11 years) by both an endocrinologist and a surgeon. RESULTS: In group A, hypertension improved for 66.3% of the patients; body mass index (BMI) decreased for 47.4%; and hyperlipidemia based on high-density lypoproteins (HDL) cholesterol, total cholesterol ratio, and triglyceridemic concentration improved for 63.2% of the patients. No changes in bone parameters were seen after surgery in SCS patients with osteoporosis. Some patients in group B, during their long-term medical therapy, experienced worsening hypertension (14.2%), hyperlipidemia (17.8%), and diabetes mellitus (8%). CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective study focused on a cohort of patients with SCS. Their medium long-term follow-up evaluation showed that LA is better than medical therapy for treating this condition, especially by reducing the cardiovascular risk (hypertension-hyperlipidemia).