Nerve Capping Techniques for Neuroma Management: A Comprehensive Literature Review.

BACKGROUND/AIM OF THE STUDY: Nerve capping is a method of neuroma treatment or prevention that consists of the transplantation of a proximal nerve stump into an autograft or other material cap, after surgical removal of the neuroma or transection of the nerve. The aim was to reduce neuroma formation and symptoms by preventing neuronal adhesions and scar tissue. In this narrative literature review, we summarize the studies that have investigated the effectiveness of nerve capping for neuroma management to provide clarity and update the clinician's knowledge on the topic. METHODS: A systematic electronic search following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses criteria was performed in the PubMed database combining "neuroma," "nerve," "capping," "conduit," "treatment," "management," "wrap," "tube," and "surgery" as search terms. English-language clinical studies on humans and animals that described nerve capping as a treatment/prevention technique for neuromas were then selected based on a full-text article review. The data from the included studies were compiled based on the technique and material used for nerve capping, and technique and outcomes were reviewed. RESULTS: We found 10 applicable human studies from our literature search. Several capping materials were described: epineurium, nerve, muscle, collagen nerve conduit, Neurocap (synthetic copolymer of lactide and caprolactone, which is biocompatible and resorbable), silicone rubber, and collagen. Overall, 146 patients were treated in the clinical studies. After surgery, many patients were completely pain-free or had considerable improvement in pain scores, whereas some patients did not have improvement or were not satisfied after the procedure. Nerve capping was used in 18 preclinical animal studies, using a variety of capping materials including autologous tissues, silicone, and synthetic nanofibers. Preclinical studies demonstrated successful reduction in rates of neuroma formation. CONCLUSIONS: Nerve capping has undergone major advancements since its beginnings and is now a useful option for the treatment or prevention of neuromas. As knowledge of peripheral nerve injuries and neuroma prevention grows, the criterion standard neuroprotective material for enhancement of nerve regeneration can be identified and applied to produce reliable surgical outcomes.

Complex Abdominal Wall Reconstruction with Biologic Mesh for Ventral/Umbilical Hernias in Patients with Cirrhosis: Technique and Outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with cirrhosis undergoing non-liver transplant surgery have a higher risk or adverse events than those without cirrhosis. The main objectives of this study were to describe characteristics, outcomes, and outcome predictors of cirrhotic patients undergoing complex abdominal wall reconstruction (CAWR) with biologic mesh. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study had retrospective and prospective components, including all cirrhotic patients at our center with CAWR for ventral/umbilical hernia repair with biologic mesh between December 2016 and November 2021. RESULTS: We studied 37 patients with cirrhosis. Their mean age was 57.2 years, and 64.9% were male. The median body mass index (BMI) was 28.1kg/m2. Ascites was present in 83.3% of patients. The other most common comorbidities were alcohol abuse (67.6%), hypertension (37.8%), and diabetes (24.3%). All complications in aggregate occurred in 11 patients (29.7%). Six patients (16.2%) underwent reoperation. Surgical site infections (SSIs) occurred in five patients (13.5%). Four deaths occurred within 90 days (11.2% cumulative mortality). By 120 days, there were five deaths (14.2% mortality, but none due to the operation). Seven predictor variables achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) for SSI of 0.963, and two predictors yielded an AUROC of 0.825 for 120-day mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that CAWR for ventral/umbilical hernias among cirrhotic patients is feasible given a dedicated CAWR team in collaboration with transplant surgeons and a transplant hepatologist. The rates of adverse outcomes were low or at the midpoint of the range of the study-specific estimates.

Improving Liver Transplant Outcomes for Hepatitis C Virus Hepatocellular Carcinoma in the Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy Era.

BACKGROUND: Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy has transformed the outcomes of liver transplant (LT) with hepatitis C virus (HCV). This study aimed to analyze the effects of DAA treatment for HCV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in LT. METHODS: We included patients confirmed with HCC on explant, analyzed data from United Network for Organ Sharing, and defined the pre-DAA era (2012-2013) and DAA era (2014-2016). RESULTS: HCV-associated HCC cases totaled 4778 (62%) during the study period. In the DAA era, the median recipient age was older and the median days on the waiting list were longer. For the donor, median age, body mass index, and the rate of HCV significantly increased in the DAA era. In pathology, the median largest tumor size was significantly higher; however, the rate of completed tumor necrosis was significant higher in the DAA era. The 3-year graft/patient survival had significantly improved in the DAA era. In multivariable analysis, the DAA era (hazard ratio, 0.79; 95% confidence interval, 0.68-0.91) had significantly affected the 3-year graft survival. CONCLUSIONS: DAA has a significant beneficial effect on LT. In the DAA era, graft survival for HCV-associated HCC has been significantly improving.

Pelvic fractures in severely injured elderly: a double-adjustment propensity score matched analysis from a level I trauma center.

PURPOSE: Pelvic trauma has increased risk of mortality in the elderly. Our study aimed to analyze the impact of the additional burden of pelvic fractures in severely injured elderly. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained trauma registry from 2012 to 2018 at an American College of Surgeons (ACS) verified Level I Trauma Center. Trauma patients aged ≥ 65 years with ISS ≥ 16 and AIS severity score ≥ 3 in at least two body regions were divided in two groups: group I, consisted of elderly polytrauma patients without pelvic fractures, and group II elderly who had concomitant pelvic fractures. We used a double-adjustment method using propensity score matching (PSM) with subsequent covariate adjustment to minimize the effect of confounding factors, and give unbiased estimation of the impact of pelvic fractures. Balance assessment was conducted by computing absolute standardized mean differences (ASMDs) and ASMD < 0.10 reflects good balance between groups. RESULTS: Of 12,774 patients admitted during this time, 411 (3.2%) elderly with a mean age of 77.75 ± 8.32 years met the inclusion criteria. Of this cohort, only 92 patients (22.4%) had pelvic fractures. Females outnumbered males (55 vs. 45%). Comparing characteristics of group I and group II using ASMDs, pelvic trauma patients were more likely to have higher systolic blood pressure (SBP), head injuries, lower extremity injuries, anticoagulant therapy, and cirrhosis. Fewer variables differed significantly after matching. We observed few instances of worse outcomes associated with pelvic trauma using PSM with and without covariate adjustment. Crude PSM without covariate adjustment, showed a significantly higher rate of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) for pelvic trauma (p < 0.001). Crude PSM also showed a significantly higher rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in group II (p = 0.006). PSM with covariate adjustment did not confirm differences on these outcomes. PSM both without and with covariate adjustment found lower ventilator days and ICU length of stay among patients with pelvic trauma. No significant differences were seen on 12 outcomes: death, acute kidney injury (AKI), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), cardiac arrest with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), myocardial infarction (MI), pulmonary embolism (PE), unplanned intubation, unplanned admission to intensive care unit (ICU), catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI), and hospital length of stay. CONCLUSIONS: At a Level I Trauma Center the additional burden of pelvic fractures in seriously injured elderly did not translate into higher mortality. PSM without covariate adjustment suggests worse rates among pelvic trauma patients for DVT and VAP but covariate adjustment removed statistical significance for both outcomes. Pelvic trauma patients had shorter time on ventilator and in the ICU. Whether similar analytic methods applied to patients from larger data sources would produce similar findings remains to be seen.

Neuroendocrine neoplasms of the gallbladder: early detection and surgery is key to improved outcome.

PURPOSE: Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) of the gallbladder are very rare. As a result, the classification of pathologic specimens from gallbladder NENs, currently classified as gallbladder neuroendocrine tumors (GB-NETs) and carcinomas (GB-NECs), is inconsistent and makes nomenclature, classification, and management difficult. Our study aims to evaluate the epidemiological trend, tumor biology, and outcomes of GB-NET and GB-NEC over the last 5 decades. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of the SEER database from 1973 to 2016. The epidemiological trend was analyzed using the age-adjusted Joinpoint regression analysis. Survival was assessed with Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression was used to assess predictors of poor survival. RESULTS: A total of 482 patients with GB-NEN were identified. Mean age at diagnosis was 65.2 ± 14.3 years. Females outnumbered males (65.6% vs. 34.4%). The Joinpoint nationwide trend analysis showed a 7% increase per year from 1973 to 2016. The mean survival time after diagnosis of GB-NEN was 37.11 ± 55.3 months. The most common pattern of nodal distribution was N0 (50.2%) followed by N1 (30.9%) and N2 (19.2%). Advanced tumor spread (into the liver, regional, and distant metastasis) was seen in 60.3% of patients. Patients who underwent surgery had a significant survival advantage (111.0 ± 8.3 vs. 8.3 ± 1.2 months, p < 0.01). Cox regression analysis showed advanced age (p < 0.01), tumor stage (P < 0.01), tumor extension (p < 0.01), and histopathologic grade (p < 0.01) were associated with higher mortality. CONCLUSION: Gallbladder NENs are a rare histopathological variant of gallbladder cancer that is showing a rising incidence in the USA. In addition to tumor staging, surgical resection significantly impacts patient survival, when patients are able to undergo surgery irrespective of tumor staging. Advanced age, tumor extension, and histopathological grade of the tumor were associated with higher mortality.

Early versus delayed complex abdominal wall reconstruction with biologic mesh following damage-control surgery.

BACKGROUND: Damage-control surgery for trauma and intra-abdominal catastrophe is associated with a high rate of morbidities and postoperative complications. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of patients undergoing early complex abdominal wall reconstruction (e-CAWR) in acute settings versus those undergoing delayed complex abdominal wall reconstruction (d-CAWR). METHOD: This study was a pooled analysis derived from the retrospective and prospective database between the years 2013 and 2019. The outcomes were compared for differences in demographics, presentation, intraoperative variables, Ventral Hernia Working Grade (VHWG), US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wound class, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) scores, postoperative complications, hospital length of stay, and readmission rates. We performed Student's t test, χ2 test, and Fisher's exact test to compare variables of interest. Multivariable linear regression model was built to evaluate the association of hospital length of stay and all other variables including the timing of complex abdominal wall reconstruction (CAWR). A p value of <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Of the 236 patients who underwent CAWR with biological mesh, 79 (33.5%) had e-CAWR. There were 45 males (57%) and 34 females (43%) in the e-CAWR group. The ASA scores of IV and V, and VHWG grades III and IV were significantly more frequent in the e-CAWR group compared with the d-CAWR one. Postoperatively, the incidence of surgical site occurrence, Clavien-Dindo complications, comprehensive complication index, unplanned reoperations, and mortality were similar between the two groups. Backward linear regression model showed that the timing of CAWR (ß = -11.29, p < 0.0001), ASA (ß = 3.98, p = 0.006), VHWG classification (ß = 3.62, p = 0.015), drug abuse (ß = 13.47, p = 0.009), and two comorbidities of cirrhosis (ß = 12.34, p = 0.001) and malignancy (ß = 7.91, p = 0.008) were the significant predictors of the hospital length of stay left in the model. CONCLUSION: Early CAWR led to shorter hospital length of stay compared with d-CAWR in multivariable regression model. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, level IV.

Biologic Mesh in Surgery: A Comprehensive Review and Meta-Analysis of Selected Outcomes in 51 Studies and 6079 Patients.

BACKGROUND: In recent decades, biologic mesh (BM) has become an important adjunct to surgical practice. Recent evidence-based clinical applications of BM include but are not limited to: reconstruction of abdominal wall defects; breast reconstruction; face, head and neck surgery; periodontal surgery; other hernia repairs (diaphragmatic, hiatal/paraesophageal, inguinal and perineal); hand surgery; and shoulder arthroplasty. Prior systematic reviews of BM in complex abdominal wall hernia repair had several shortcomings that our comprehensive review seeks to address, including exclusion of laparoscopic repair, assessment of risk of bias, use of an acceptable meta-analytic method and review of risk factors identified in multivariable regression analyses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We sought articles of BM for open ventral hernia repair reporting on early complications, late complications or recurrences and included minimum of 50. We used the quality in prognostic studies risk of bias assessment tool. Random effects meta-analysis was applied. RESULTS: This comprehensive review selected 62 articles from 51 studies that included 6,079 patients. Meta-analytic pooling found that early complications are present in about 50%, surgical site occurrences (SSOs) in 37%, surgical site infections (SSIs) in 18%, reoperation in 7%, readmission in 20% and mortality in 3%. Meta-analytic estimates of late outcomes included overall complications (42%), SSOs (40%) and SSIs (22%). Specific SSOs included seroma (14%), hematoma (4%), abscess (10%), necrosis (5%), dehiscence (8%) and fistula formation (5%). Reoperation occurred in about 17%, mesh explantation in 9% and recurrence in 36%. CONCLUSION: Estimates of nearly all outcomes from individual studies were highly heterogeneous and sensitivity analyses and meta-regressions generally failed to explain this heterogeneity. Recurrence is the only outcome for which there are consistent findings for risk factors. Bridge placement of BM is associated with higher risk of recurrence. Prior hernia repair, history of reintervention and history of mesh removal were also risk factors for increased recurrence.

The Role of Nutritional Access in Malnourished Elderly Undergoing Major Surgery for Acute Abdomen: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis.

BACKGROUND: About 50% of the elderly undergoing emergency abdominal surgery are malnourished. The role of timely surgical nutritional access in this group of patients is unknown. METHODS: We analyzed the National Inpatient Sample database from 2009 through the first three-quarters of 2015 of patients aged ≥65 years who were malnourished and underwent major abdominal surgery for the acute abdomen within the first 2 days of hospital admission. RESULTS: Of 3 246 721 patients analyzed, 4311 patients met inclusion criteria. Of these, only 507 (11.8%) patients had surgical nutritional access (gastrostomy or jejunostomy) (group I), while 3804 patients (88.2%) did not (group II). In the propensity score-matched population, there were 482 patients in each group. The patients in group I had lower odds of mortality and postoperative gastrointestinal complications (paralytic ileus, anastomotic dehiscence, and intestinal fistulae) (P-value <.01, respectively). DISCUSSION: Elderly who receive surgical nutritional access have lower rates of gastrointestinal complications and mortality.

Postoperative opioid-free analgesia in elective bowel resection: Changes over time.

In the pain management evolution, opioid-free analgesia and multimodal analgesia strategies have emerged as feasible in many surgical settings including colorectal surgery. This was a retrospective cohort study including patients having undergone elective bowel resection between February 2012 and June 2018 aiming to evaluate whether there was reduction in opioid use after implementation of opioid-free analgesia in one medical centre. Trend analysis was conducted using Joinpoint regression employing nine-month intervals. The primary outcome for each interval was the proportion of patients receiving postoperative opioid-free analgesia, defined as forgoing all opioid analgesics after the day of surgery. This study showed a significant increasing trend in opioid-free analgesia in elective bowel resection from 0 to 42.5% over 4.5 years.

Medullary Thyroid Cancer in Patients Older than 45-Epidemiologic Trends and Predictors of Survival.

Sporadic medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) can occur anytime in life although they tend to present at a later age (≥45 years old) when the tumors are more easily discernible or become symptomatic. We aimed to identify the factors affecting the survival in patients ≥45 years of age diagnosed with MTC. We analyzed the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry from 1973-2016 focusing on patients ≥45 years of age with MTC as an isolated primary. A total of 2533 patients aged ≥45 years with MTC were identified. There has been a statistically significant increase of 1.19% per year in the incidence of MTC for this group of patients. The disease was more common in females and the Caucasian population. Most patients had localized disease on presentation (47.6%). Increasing age and advanced stage of presentation were associated with worse survival with HR 1.05 (p < 0.001) and HR 3.68 (p < 0.001), respectively. Female sex and surgical resection were associated with improved survival with HR 0.74 (p < 0.001) and 0.36 (p < 0.001), respectively. In conclusion, the incidence of MTC in patients ≥45 years of age is increasing. Patients should be offered surgical resection at an early stage to improve their outcomes.

Clinicopathologic Features and Outcome of Adenocarcinoma of the Anal Canal: A Population-Based Study.

BACKGROUND: Anal canal adenocarcinoma (AA) is an uncommon tumor of the gastrointestinal tract. We seek to provide a detailed description of the incidence, demographics, and outcome of this rare tumor in the United States. METHODS: The data on anal canal adenocarcinoma from SEER Program, between 1973-2015, were extracted. We analyzed the incidence rates by demographics and tumor characteristics, followed by analysis of its impact on survival. RESULTS: The incidence of AA increased initially by 4.03% yearly from 1973 to 1985 but had a modest decline of 0.32% annually thereafter. The mean age for diagnosis of AA was 68.12 ± 14.02 years. Males outnumbered females by 54.8 to 45.2%. Tumors were mostly localized on presentation (44.4%) and moderately differentiated (41.1%). Age generally correlated with poor overall cancer survival. However, young patients (age <40 years) also showed poor long-term survival. Patients with localized disease and well-differentiated tumors showed better survival outcomes. Surgical intervention improved survival significantly as compared to patients who did not (116.7 months vs 42.7 months, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Anal canal adenocarcinoma demonstrated a poor bimodal cancer-free survival in both younger and older patient groups. Surgery significantly improves odds of survival and should be offered to patients amenable to intervention.

Does computed tomography scan add any diagnostic value to the evaluation of stab wounds of the anterior abdominal wall? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate whether computed tomography (CT) scan adds any diagnostic value in the evaluation of stab wounds of the anterior abdominal wall as compared with serial clinical examination (SCE). METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and MEDLINE via Ovid were systematically searched for records published from 1980 to 2018 by two independent researchers (M.G., R.L.). Quality assessment, data extraction, and analysis were performed according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Mantel-Haenszel method with odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) as the measure of effect size was used for meta-analysis. RESULTS: Three studies (1 randomized controlled trial and 2 observational studies) totaling 319 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Overall laparotomy rate was 12.8% (22 of 172 patients) in SCE versus 19% (28 of 147 patients) in CT. This difference was not significant (OR [95% CI], 0.63 [0.34-1.16]; p = 0.14). Negative laparotomy rate was 3.5% (6 of 172 patients) in SCE versus 5.4% (8 of 147 patients) in CT. The difference was not significant (OR [95% CI], 0.61 [0.20-1.83]; p = 0.37). CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis compared SCE with CT scan in patients presenting with stab wounds of the anterior abdominal wall and provided level II evidence showing no additional benefit in CT scan. Further observational and experimental clinical studies are needed to confirm the findings of this meta-analysis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Systematic review and meta-analysis, level II.

Perioperative complications of complex abdominal wall reconstruction with biologic mesh: A pooled retrospective cohort analysis of 220 patients from two academic centers.

BACKGROUND: Perioperative outcomes in patients who undergo complex abdominal wall reconstruction (CAWR) may be associated with severe complications, mainly when these procedures are done urgently or emergently. This study aims to identify perioperative predictors of outcomes after CAWR with biologic mesh (BM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a retrospective study, perioperative complications (length of hospital stay, ventilator support, surgical site infection, need for wound VAC, reoperation, total complications, and mortality), were analyzed in all patients who underwent open CAWR with BM over six years in two academic centers. Furthermore, we examined the effect of cardiac disease, BMI, diabetes, COPD, case mixed index, hernia size, wound classification, mesh technique, the setting of surgery, on perioperative complications. Multivariable linear and logistic regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: There were 220 patients: 134 patients from center A and 86 patients from center W Mean age was 54.9 ± 14.8 years, 47.7% were females, 33.8% of the patients had BMI ≥30 kg/m2 and median hospital length of stay was 7 days. Center W patients had increased need for mechanical ventilation (10.5% vs. 3%, p = 0.02) and higher need for wound VAC (19.8% vs. 6.7%, p = 0.003). On multivariable linear regression, independent patient predictors of increased hospital length of stay (HLO) were: urgent/emergent surgery (ß 6.93, 95% CI 1.65-12.22, p = 0.01), cardiac disease (ß 7.84, 95% CI 1.23-14.46, p = 0.02) and epigastric defect (ß 13.68, 95% CI 0.29-27.06, p = 0.045). Addition-ally, urgent/emergent setting (OR 3.06, 95% CI 1.69-5.55, p < 0.001) and cardiac disease (OR 2.15, 95% CI 1.03-4.50, p = 0.042) were independently associated with increased odds for perioperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: Perioperative complications of patients undergoing CAWR are considerable and depend on defect complexities, the setting of surgery, comorbidities, wound classification, procedural factors, and case-mix index. Prospective studies on perioperative complications are needed.

The roles of early surgery and comorbid conditions on outcomes of severe necrotizing soft-tissue infections.

PURPOSE: Severe necrotizing soft-tissue infections (NSTIs) require immediate early surgical treatment to avoid adverse outcomes. This study aims to determine the impact of early surgery and comorbid conditions on the outcomes of NSTIs. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed on all subjects presenting with NSTI at an academic medical center between 2005 and 2016. Patients were identified based on ICD codes. Those under the age of 18 or with intraoperative findings not consistent with NSTI diagnosis were excluded. RESULTS: There were 115 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of NSTI with a mean age of 55 ± 18 years; 41% were females and 55% were diabetics. Thirty percent of patients underwent early surgery (< 6 h). There were no significant differences between groups in baseline characteristics. The late group (≥ 6 h) had prolonged hospital stay (38 vs. 23 days, p < 0.008) in comparison to the early group (< 6 h). With every 1 h delay in time to surgery, there is a 0.268 day increase in length of stay, adjusted for these other variables: alcohol abuse, number of debridements, peripheral vascular disease, previous infection and clinical necrosis. Mortality was 16.5%. Multivariable analysis revealed that alcohol abuse, peripheral vascular disease, diabetes, obesity, hypothyroidism, and presence of COPD were associated with an increase in mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Early surgical intervention in patients with severe necrotizing soft-tissue infections reduces length of hospital stay. Presence of comorbid conditions such as alcohol abuse, peripheral vascular disease, diabetes, obesity and hypothyroidism were associated with increased mortality.

Outcomes of 1,327 patients operated on through twelve multispecialty surgical volunteerism missions: A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Surgical volunteer missions (SVMs) have become a popular approach for reducing the burden of surgical disease worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of 12 surgical missions between 2006 and 2018 from the mission entitled "Operation Giving Back Bohol" Tagbilaran, Philippines and discuss the lessons learned during these missions in particular seven challenges that every volunteer surgeon should be familiar with. METHODS: This was a retrospective descriptive study of prospectively collected data on all patients treated during one SVM. The data collected included gender, age, diagnosis, types of surgeries performed, and perioperative adverse events. RESULTS: During the study period 1327 operations were performed (842 females (63.4%) and 485 males (36.6%); (male-to-female ratio 0.59); mean age 37 ±â€¯18 years. The majority of operations were for thyroid disease (31.6%), followed by hernia (17.3%), hysterectomies/salpingo-oophorectomies (12.2%), soft tissue tumors (9.9%), cleft lip/palate repairs (7.2%), breast (6.4%), gallbladder disease (4.7%), cataract (2.9%), parotid masses (1.4%) and others (6.4%). For each mission, there were an average 5.5 days of operating, performing a median of 105.5 (80-148) cases per mission. There were 27 complications (2%), of which, 22 were postoperative bleeding and two temporary tracheostomies. The mortality rate was 0.15% (2/1327). In one patient, the family withdrew care following compassionate last ditch effort thyroidectomy for advanced cancer and one patient died as a result of intracranial bleeding from a brain tumor, which was unrecognized before mastectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical volunteerism missions are safe and valuable in lessening the burden of surgical disease globally when performed in an organized fashion and with continuity of care. However, there is need for standardization of surgical care provided during SVMs and creation of a world-wide database of all SVMs, and each surgeon and others who participate in these mission should be familiar with critical elements and challenges for the successful mission.

Correction to: Early versus late intramedullary nailing for traumatic femur fracture management: meta-analysis.

Following the publication of this article [1], the authors reported that they had submitted an incorrect version of Figs. 2, 3 and 4.

Early versus late intramedullary nailing for traumatic femur fracture management: meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: There is no consensus yet on the impact of timing of femur fracture (FF) internal fixation on the patient outcomes. This meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the contemporary data in patients with traumatic FF undergoing intramedullary nail fixation (IMN). METHODS: English language literature was searched with publication limits set from 1994 to 2016 using PubMed, Scopus, MEDLINE (OVID), EMBASE (OVID), Web of Science, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). Studies included randomized controlled trials (RCTs), prospective observational or retrospective cohort studies, and case-control studies comparing early versus late femoral shaft fractures IMN fixation. Variable times were used across studies to distinguish between early and late IMN, but 24 h was the most frequently used cutoff. The quality assessment of the reviewed studies was performed with two instruments. Observational studies were assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. RCTs were assessed with the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. RESULTS: We have searched 1151 references. Screening of titles and abstracts eliminated 1098 references. We retrieved 53 articles for full-text screening, 15 of which met study eligibility criteria. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis addresses the utility of IMN in patients with FF based on the current evidence; however, the modality and timing to intervene remain controversial. While we find large pooled effects in favor of early IMN, for reasons discussed, we have little confidence in the effect estimate. Moreover, the available data do not fill all the gaps in this regard; therefore, a tailored algorithm for management of FF would be of value especially in polytrauma patients.

Risk-adjusted adverse outcomes in complex abdominal wall hernia repair with biologic mesh: A case series of 140 patients.

INTRODUCTION: Biologic mesh is preferred for repair of complex abdominal wall hernias (CAWHs) in patients at high risk of wound infection. We aimed to identify predictors of adverse outcomes after complex abdominal wall hernia repair (CAWR) using biologic mesh with different placement techniques and under different surgical settings. METHODS: A retrospective case series study was conducted on all patients who underwent CAWR with biologic mesh between 2010 and 2015 at a tertiary medical center. RESULTS: the study population included 140 patients with a mean age of 54 ± 14 years and a median follow up period 8.8 months. Mesh size ranged from 50 to 1225 cm2. Ninety percent of patients had undergone previous surgery. Type of surgery was classified as elective in 50.7%, urgent in 24.3% and emergent in 25.0% and a porcine mesh was implanted in 82.9%. The most common mesh placement technique was underlay (70.7%), followed by onlay (16.4%) and bridge (12.9%). Complications included wound complications (30.7%), reoperation (25.9%), hernia recurrence (20.7%), and mesh removal (10.0%). Thirty-two patients (23.0%) were admitted to the ICU and the mean hospital length of stay was 10.8 ± 17.5 days. Age-sex adjusted predictors of recurrence were COPD (OR 4.2; 95%CI 1.003-17.867) and urgent surgery (OR 10.5; 95%CI 1.856-59.469), whereas for reoperation, mesh size (OR 6.8; 95%CI 1.344-34.495) and urgent surgery (OR 5.2; 95%CI 1.353-19.723) were the predictors. CONCLUSIONS: Using biologic mesh, one-quarter and one-fifth of CAWR patients are complicated with reoperation or recurrence, respectively. The operation settings and comorbidity may play a role in these outcomes regardless of the mesh placement techniques.

Screening for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: a comparative effectiveness review.

BACKGROUND: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important cause of health care-associated infections. Although the evidence in support of MRSA screening has been promising, a number of questions remain about the effectiveness of active surveillance. METHODS: We searched the literature for studies that examined MRSA acquisition, MRSA infection, morbidity, mortality, harms of screening, and resource utilization when screening for MRSA carriage was compared with no screening or with targeted screening. Because of heterogeneity of the data and weaknesses in study design, meta-analysis was not performed. Strength of evidence (SOE) was determined using the system developed by the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation Working Group. RESULTS: One randomized controlled trial and 47 quasi-experimental studies met our inclusion criteria. We focused on the 14 studies that addressed health care-associated outcomes and that attempted to control for confounding and/or secular trends, because those studies had the potential to support causal inferences. With universal screening for MRSA carriage compared with no screening, 2 large quasi-experimental studies found reductions in health care-associated MRSA infection. The SOE for this finding is low. For each of the other screening strategies evaluated, this review found insufficient evidence to determine the comparative effectiveness of screening. CONCLUSIONS: Although there is low SOE that universal screening of hospital patients decreases MRSA infection, there is insufficient evidence to determine the consequences of universal screening or the effectiveness of other screening strategies.

Comparative effectiveness review: prostate cancer antigen 3 testing for the diagnosis and management of prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: We compared the effectiveness of PCA3 (prostate cancer antigen 3) and select comparators for improving initial or repeat biopsy decision making in men at risk for prostate cancer, or treatment choices in men with prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MEDLINE®, EMBASE®, Cochrane Database and gray literature were searched from January 1990 through May 2012. Included studies were matched, and measured PCA3 and comparator(s) within a cohort. No matched analyses were possible. Differences in independent performance estimates between PCA3 and comparators were computed within studies. Studies were assessed for quality using QUADAS (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies) and for strength of evidence using GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) criteria. RESULTS: Among 1,556 publications identified, 34 observational studies were analyzed (24 addressed diagnostic accuracy and 13 addressed treatment decisions). Most studies were conducted in opportunistic cohorts of men referred for procedures and were not designed to answer key questions. Two study biases (partial verification and sampling) were addressed by analyses, allowing some conclusions to be drawn. PCA3 was more discriminatory than total prostate specific antigen increases (eg at an observed 50% specificity, summary sensitivities were 77% and 57%, respectively). Analyses indicated that this finding holds for initial and repeat biopsies, and that the markers were independent predictors. For all other biopsy decision making comparisons and associated health outcomes, strength of evidence was insufficient. For treatment decision making, strength of evidence was insufficient for all outcomes and comparators. CONCLUSIONS: PCA3 had a higher diagnostic accuracy than total prostate specific antigen increases, but strength of evidence was low (limited confidence in effect estimates). Strength of evidence was insufficient to conclude that PCA3 testing leads to improved health outcomes. For all other outcomes and comparators, strength of evidence was insufficient.