Early Routine Upper Gastrointestinal Contrast Study Following Bariatric Surgery: an Indispensable Postoperative Care or a Medicolegal Heritage?

Concerns still exist regarding the role of early routine upper gastrointestinal contrast study (UGI) after bariatric procedures for detection of early complications. We reviewed our database to identify patients who underwent laparoscopic primary or redo surgery (previously placement of adjustable gastric banding), between January 2012 and December 2017. All the patients underwent UGI within 48 h after surgery. Among 1094 patients, early UGI was abnormal in 5 patients: in 4 cases a leak (one false positive) and in one case stenosis (one true positive) were suspected. In this clinical setting, five leaks were observed and required surgical re-exploration: 3 correctly identified and 2 not detected at UGI. Overall, 3 patients developed anastomotic stenosis. Our data suggest that early routine UGI after bariatric procedures has limited utility.

Malpractice litigation in cardiac surgery: Alleged injury mechanisms and outcomes.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The feared prospect of involvement in malpractice litigation ultimately becomes a reality for many physicians in high-risk specialties such as cardiothoracic surgery. This study systematically analyzes malpractice claims by procedure type and alleged injury mechanism. METHODS: An extensive nation-wide database of medical malpractice claims was searched, and 140 involving cardiac procedures were identified. The primary reason for the lawsuit was classified as a periprocedural injury, postoperative mismanagement, failure to operate in a timely manner or at all, performing an unnecessary procedure, performing a procedure too soon, lack of informed consent, or patient abandonment. RESULTS: Cardiac surgeons were defendants in 47.8% of cases and cardiologists in 56.4%. Forty percent of cases involved coronary artery bypass grafting, valvular surgery, or both; 50% of these received defendant verdicts. The most common reason for the lawsuit was periprocedural injury, most frequently due to poor prosthetic valve fit/securement (23.1%) or surgical site infection (15.4%). For congenital cases, most lawsuits alleged periprocedural injury, with perfusion-related issues (cooling during circulatory arrest, failure to inform surgeon about poor oxygenation) cited in 37.5%. Cardiologists and cardiothoracic or vascular surgeons were codefendants in 14.3% of cases, most commonly coronary artery bypass grafting (40%) or cardiac catheterizations (25%). In all catheterization cases, the allegation against the surgeon was a failure to diagnose/treat the complication in a proper or timely manner. In postoperative mismanagement cases, bleeding/tamponade was the most common allegation category (31.8%). CONCLUSIONS: A careful review of cardiac surgical malpractice litigation can identify common contributory factors to adverse patient outcomes and catalyze practice improvement.

Litigation in thyroid surgery in England.

Thyroid surgery has the potential for significant life-changing postoperative complications. Since 1995, the NHS Litigation Authority has handled litigation claims in England. This article reviews all thyroid surgery litigation claims between 1995 and 2012 and looks at potential strategies to minimize future claims.

[Silent death in the recovery room--organizational fault with fatal consequences]. / Stilles Sterben im Aufwachraum--Organisationsverschulden mit Todesfolge.

Cases of death related to simple routine outpatient surgery are repeatedly reported. Minimum standards of staff and medical equipment for postoperative surveillance are deliberately ignored for economic reasons. Using two case studies this article identifies classical types of medical malpractice and organizational fault. Recommendations for criminal investigation in this type of cases are outlined for the competent authorities.

The Endocrine Society's Clinical Practice Guideline on endocrine and nutritional management of the post-bariatric surgery patient: commentary from a European Perspective.

Bariatric and metabolic surgery is experiencing a noteworthy increase worldwide in recent years, but protocols and consensus published in the past decade have not yet established clear evidence-based clinical recommendations. The Endocrine Society, with the participation of the European Society of Endocrinology, has promoted the creation of an expert panel to propose a clinical practice guideline for postoperative management of patients, candidates to bariatric surgery, that places a particular emphasis on evidence-based medical aspects. The main arguments reflected in those recommendations are set out in this article and are subject to analysis and discussion from the specific viewpoint of the current European experience.

[Outpatient hand surgery--possibilities and limitations]. / Ambulante und kurzzeitstationäre Handchirurgie. Möglichkeiten und Grenzen.

On January 1st 2004, a new contract between the government, health insurance services, and hospitals was inaugurated in Germany. The aim of the contract is to decrease costs for surgical therapies by abolishing or at least minimizing hospitalization of patients. Hand surgery is widely affected by the new contract, since a very large part of surgical therapies for the hand was declared to be compulsory outdoor and another major part to be preferable outdoor. The surgeon may decide whether a patient needs inpatient or outpatient treatment but has to justify his decision. Hospitals and surgical clinics are both allowed to offer outpatient hand surgery and get the same payment under the same regulations. For most hospitals, structural changes will be necessary to offer outpatient surgery without financial loss. In our experience a personal and regular contact between patient and surgeon is most necessary for the best surgical result. Many of the compulsory outpatient operations in hand surgery can be done sufficiently and at high standard. This may not be the case for the second group to be handled not compulsory outdoor. The new contract allows hospitals to offer postoperative care for only 14 days, whereas many specific hand surgical procedures will need the surgeon's control and care for a much longer time. On the other hand, clinics and general practitioners have strict limitations for the prescription of hand therapies. We believe that the quality of hand surgery is highly dependent on sufficient postoperative treatment. If the postoperative care is neglected or restricted, secondary costs such as sick leave will increase.