Publication activity of chief and consultant general/visceral surgeons in German university hospitals-a ten-year analysis.

PURPOSE: The publication activity of 38 German general/visceral surgery university departments, documented by first or last authorship from staff surgeons (chief and consultants), was evaluated. METHODS: The observation period extended from 2007 to 2017 and all PubMed-listed publications were considered. Impact factor (IF) was evaluated through the publishing journal's 5-year IF in 2016, as was the IF for each individual publication. Ranking was expressed in quartiles. RESULTS: The staff surgeons of the 38 departments comprised 442 surgeons, of which only 351 (79.4%) were active as first or last authors. Four thousand six hundred and ninety-nine publications published in 702 journals were recorded. The four leading departments in publication number published as much as the last 20 departments (1330 vs. 1336 publications, respectively). The mean of the first (most active) department quartile was 19.6 publications, the second 15.4, the third 11.0, and the last quartile 7.6 per publishing surgeon. The total cumulative impact factor was 14,130. When examining the mean number of publications per publishing surgeons per the 10 year period, the mean of the first quartile was 57.9 cumulative IF, the second 45.0, the third 29.5, and the fourth quartile 17.1. With 352 (7.5%) publications, the most frequently used journal was Chirurg, followed by Langenbeck's Archives of Surgery with 274 (5.8%) publications. Pancreas-related topics led in terms of publication number and IF generated per individual publication. CONCLUSION: A significant difference in publication performance of individual departments was apparent that cannot be explained by staff number. This indicates that there are as yet unknown factors responsible for minor publication activity in many university departments.

[Hemostyptics for treatment of junctional vascular injuries : Management of traumatic vascular injuries at the transition from trunk to extremities]. / Hämostyptika zur Behandlung der "junctional vascular injuries" : Versorgung traumatischer Gefäßverletzungen am Übergang vom Körperstamm zur Extremität.

BACKGROUND: Uncontrolled post-traumatic bleeding is still the leading cause of death among trauma patients. In situations of mass casualty incidents (MASCAL) and military conflicts the treatment of uncontrolled critical bleeding is a challenge and associated with a worse outcome due to the austere environment; however, even under optimal treatment circumstances in situations of individual medicine the severity of vascular trauma is underestimated. As a consequence, this leads to a poorer prognosis for patients with (vascular) injuries. From this perspective it was reasonable to intensify the training of physicians, paramedics (Advanced Trauma Life Support©) and first responders (Hartford consensus) for handling of critical bleeding in traumatized patients. Furthermore, the main emphasis of the revised S3 clinical guidelines on polytrauma/severely injured treatment from 2016 of the German Society for Trauma Surgery is on the preclinical treatment. Despite a renaissance and increasing use of tourniquets, the treatment of bleeding in the transition from the trunk to the extremities (junctional vascular injuries), which are inaccessible to placing a tourniquet, remains a problem. CONCLUSION: It was the military that in addition to the development of special tourniquets, intensified research programs and the implementation of hemostatic devices and dressings in this anatomical region. This article deals with junctional vascular injuries at the transition between the trunk and the extremities. In addition to the anatomical situation, this article gives the reader an overview of the currently available hemostyptics and their mode of action.

Radiation Dosage for Percutaneous PAD Treatment is Different in Cardiovascular Disciplines: Results From an Eleven Year Population Based Registry in the Metropolitan Area of Hamburg.

OBJECTIVE: The worldwide prevalence of peripheral artery disease (PAD) has evolved to an intervention as the primary treatment option and therefore radiation is used with escalating incidence. Dose area product (DAP) correlates well with the total energy imparted to the patient during fluoroscopic interventions. This study aims to determine whether there are any associations among stage of disease, gender, age, and expertise on the radiation dose in single endovascular treatments of PAD. METHODS: This study was a prospective, mandatory, population based cross-sectional registry design. In total, 24,000 invasive percutaneous endovascular treatments of PAD conducted in the metropolitan area of Hamburg (Germany) were consecutively collected between January 2004 and December 2015. DAP was analysed by discipline conducting the procedure, Fontaine classification, patient gender, and age. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences in median DAP values were found. The lowest median DAP values were observed in surgical centres (7.1 vs. 18.0 Gy*cm2, p<.001) and in endovascular revascularisations (ER) following multidisciplinary consultation (11.6 vs. 23.4 Gy*cm2, p<.001). Considering the treatment of intermittent claudication, men had statistically significantly higher DAP values compared with women. Furthermore, lower median DAP values were observed in higher age groups, with lowest dosages in octogenarians. CONCLUSION: This is the first large population based study on DAP during ER for PAD. Several significant differences in median DAP values were observed, although patient stratification was comparable. Pre-operative therapy strategy planning can lead to lower DAP values, emphasising the importance of further vascular research and quality improvement projects targeting this topic. To date, available evidence is limited and therefore there is no accepted range of DAP levels. However, the ever increasing use of fluoroscopic interventions means that further investigation into radiation exposure to patients and healthcare professionals is required in order to keep DAP levels low.

Two Decades of Endovascular Repair of Popliteal Artery Aneurysm--A Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: Over the last two decades endovascular repair (EVR) of popliteal artery aneurysms has emerged as a treatment alternative to conventional open surgical repair (OSR). The aim of this review was to evaluate the safety and efficiency of each repair method, comparing the following outcomes after EVR and OSR: (i) primary patency; (ii) operating time; (iii) length of hospital stay; (iv) peri-operative complications; (v) limb salvage; and (vi) patient survival. METHODS: The PubMed and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for publications that compared outcomes after EVR and OSR (last search November 2014). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), prospective and retrospective observational cohort studies were included. The quality of studies was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system. Random effect models were employed to estimate odds ratios (ORs), mean differences, and hazard ratios (HRs). RESULTS: One RCT combined with a prospective cohort study and four retrospective cohort studies with an overall total of 652 cases (236 EVR, 416 OSR) were identified. GRADE quality of evidence was low or very low for all outcomes. After a median follow up of 33 months, patients who received EVR showed equal primary patency rates to patients who received OSR (HR 1.46, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.92-2.33). Lengths of operation and hospitalization were significantly shorter following EVR; rates of 30 day graft thrombosis (OR 3.16, 95% CI 1.31-7.62) and 30 day re-intervention (OR 2.15, 95% CI 1.02-4.55) were significant higher for patients who received EVR compared with those who received OSR. There was no effect on mortality (OR 2.31, 95% CI 0.37-14.49) or limb loss (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.16-2.15). CONCLUSION: EVR of popliteal artery aneurysm showed mid-term results comparable to open surgery and appears to be a safe alternative to OSR. However, the existing empirical evidence base is too fragmentary to draw firm conclusions. Further research and the introduction of population based registries will be needed to allow reliable evaluation of EVR.

Prevalence and Regional Distribution of Lower Limb Amputations from 2006 to 2012 in Germany: A Population based Study.

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: International studies show conflicting results regarding the frequency of lower limb amputations over time. However, published data are often based on event related amputation frequencies per year, on hospital statistics or on regional surveys. Thus, they do not allow population based statements. The present study assesses the population based epidemiology of amputations in Germany. METHODS: Secondary analyses of 80 German statutory health insurance companies with 4 million insurants nationwide in 2012 were performed. From 2006 to 2012, lower limb amputations were identified in the entire population and in persons with diabetes mellitus (DM) and arterial occlusive disease (AOD). Lower limb amputations and persons with DM and arterial occlusive diseases were extracted by specific operation procedure codes and International Classification of Diseases-10 codes. Descriptive standardized analyses by age, sex, and regional distribution were conducted. RESULTS: The proportion of patients with at least one lower limb amputation in the entire population stayed constant over time at 0.04% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.04-0.04). Extrapolated to the German population in 2012 there were 49,150 cases and 32,767 persons with amputations. In 2012, about 70% of amputations were minor (0.03% [95% CI 0.03-0.03]) versus major amputations (0.01% [95% CI 0.01-0.01]). Related to DM and AOD, there was a small decrease in the amputation rate per patient, even though the DM prevalence increased by 10.4%. CONCLUSION: The amputation rates per patient in Germany have remained stable in the overall population and show slight decline in patients with diabetes mellitus and with arterial occlusive disease between 2006 and 2012. In the future, intensified preventive measures are crucial to reduce the number of amputations of the lower extremities permanently.

[Treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms]. / Therapie des abdominalen Aortenaneurysmas.

The treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) has changed significantly since the introduction of endovascular aortic repair (EVAR). In terms of perioperative morbidity and mortality, randomized multicenter trials revealed results in favour of EVAR compared to open reconstruction. However, EVAR is associated with possible late complications caused by endoleaks, stent migration, kinking and/or overstenting of side branches, making life-long follow-up necessary. Since the majority of patients requiring therapy are elderly and exhibit attendant comorbidities, EVAR has become the procedure of choice in those patients with favourable anatomy. Medicamentous and conservative treatment may be relevant in patients with small to medium-sized aneurysms. Since smoking is one of the major risk factors for the development of AAA, all patients should be advised to stop smoking. Studies on long-term statin therapy in patients following surgical AAA repair showed a reduction in both overall and cardiovascular mortality; AAA patients should therefore receive statins for secondary prevention.

[Vascular surgery in old people]. / Gefäßchirurgie bei alten Menschen.

The age pyramid in Germany is upside down. According to the Federal Statistical Office this development will continue in the coming years, which presents a challenge for surgeons to surgically treat increasingly more and increasingly older people. Particularly in vascular surgery, which is a surgery of old people, this fact represents a special challenge. The frailty of old people is, among other things, due to a series of comorbidities, which must be taken into consideration within the framework of surgical treatment. They can have an important influence on the perioperative planning, the operation, the postoperative treatment and the outcome of the patient. This treatment planning becomes more and more challenging, because due to the progress in endovascular surgery there will soon be no limits to what is feasible; however, the question arises whether the feasible is also reasonable? Within the scope of this article the authors try to give answers to the treatment of old patients in vascular surgery and to find strategies for planning and to establish an individualized optimal treatment.

[Publication performance of university orthopedic trauma surgery in Germany]. / Zur Publikationsleistung der universitären Unfallchirurgie in Deutschland.

BACKGROUND: One of the performance criteria of a university hospital is its publication activities. The aim of this bibliometric study was a comparative benchmarking of the publication activities of German orthopedic trauma surgery university hospitals. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The publication performance of the leading groups, consisting of chief and senior physicians, section and division heads of 39 German orthopedic trauma surgery university hospitals, was recorded over a period of 10 years (1 January 2010-31 December 2019). All publications that were listed in PubMed and for which the appropriate persons were first or last author were considered. In addition, the impact factor (IF) was determined. RESULTS: A total of 4438 publications were recorded published by 381 surgeons. The share of publishing authors was 72.8%. The articles were published in 545 journals. The average IF of all publications was 1.81. The publication activities of hospitals showed a wide range, this applied to both the number of publications and the IF generated by the individual author. The publication activity ranged from an average of 16.4 publications per author in the top-ranked hospital to 1.5 publications in the last-placed hospital. The same result was seen with the total IFs. In the highest ranking hospital according to this criterion the individual surgeon achieved on average of 42.1 cumulative IFs compared with 1.7 IFs in the last placed hospital. CONCLUSION: The publication performance of German orthopedic trauma surgery university hospitals showed a high variance, as was also found in other disciplines. The causes must remain open, but a different research motivation cannot be ruled out.

Abdominal incision defect following AAA-surgery (AIDA): 2-year results of prophylactic onlay-mesh augmentation in a multicentre, double-blind, randomised controlled trial.

The reported incidence of incisional hernia following repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) via midline laparotomy is up to 69%. This prospective, multicenter, double-blind, randomised controlled trial was conducted at eleven hospitals in Germany. Patients aged 18 years or older undergoing elective AAA-repair via midline incision were randomly assigned using a computer-generated randomisation sequence to one of three groups for fascial closure: with long-term absorbable suture (MonoPlus®, group I), long-term absorbable suture and onlay mesh reinforcement (group II) or extra long-term absorbable suture (MonoMax®, group III). The primary endpoint was the incidence of incisional hernia within 24 months of follow-up, analysed by intention to treat. Physicians conducting the postoperative visits and the patients were blinded. Between February 2011 and July 2013, 104 patients (69.8 ± 7.7 years) were randomised, 99 of them received a study intervention. The rate of incisional hernia within 24 months was not significantly reduced with onlay mesh augmentation compared to primary suture (p = 0.290). Furthermore, the rate of incisional hernia did not differ significantly between fascial closure with slow and extra long-term absorbable suture (p = 0.111). Serious adverse events related to study intervention occurred in five patients (5.1%) from treatment groups II and III. Wound healing disorders were more frequently seen after onlay mesh implantation on the day of discharge (p = 0.010) and three (p = 0.009) and six (p = 0.023) months postoperatively. The existing evidence on prophylactic mesh augmentation in patients undergoing AAA-repair via midline laparotomy probably needs critical review. As the implementation of new RCTs is considered difficult due to the increasing number of endovascular AAA treated, registry studies could help to collect and evaluate data in cases of open AAA-repair. Comparisons between prophylactic mesh implantation and the small bite technique are also required. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01353443. Funding Sources: Aesculap AG, Tuttlingen, Germany.

Perioperative management and "Fast-Track" therapy in vascular medicine.

Perioperative risk in vascular medicine is particularly high due to the increased prevalence of cardiovascular comorbidity. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that during periprocedural management the patient remains in good general condition and that the patient is mobilized as soon as possible. Along with implementation of minimally-invasive techniques and endovascular procedures, networking and cooperation between the surgeon, anesthesiologist, physiotherapist and the nursing team can lead to an optimization of perioperative mobilization. The Fast-Track concept represents uncharted territory in the field of vascular surgery and it can provide advantages, particularly in relation to multimorbidity in the field of vascular medicine. The Fast-Track concept was introduced by Danish surgeon Henrik Kehlet and was originally intended to be implemented in general surgery. When compared to conventional management, this method offers better medical results, lower costs and other advantages for the patient: besides a better perioperative condition a reduction of postoperative complications and reduction of overall in-hospital stay was achieved. Therefore, the next logical step was to introduce and adapt this concept to other fields of operative medicine. This paper represents a systematic review on the actual experience of the fast-track concept in vascular surgery.

Surgical reconstructions in peripheral arterial occlusive disease.

The prognosis of patients suffering from peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAD) is directly correlated with the severity of the disease. In critically ischemic legs, after one year only 50% will be alive with a preserved leg. The other 50% will die or undergo an amputation during this time. Reconstructive surgery is highly effective in PAD caused by extensive arterial lesions. Depending on the localization of the occlusion, operative procedures range from local desobliteration to profundoplasty and from aortofemoral to femorodistal bypass procedures. Especially in critical ischemia, time is of the essence for limb salvage. Evidence-based data for diagnosis and operative treatment are described in detail. Only the consequent use of these critical techniques can improve the prognosis of these patients.