Lymph node ratio and surgical quality are strong prognostic factors of rectal cancer: results from a single referral centre.

AIM: Nodal stage is a strong prognostic factor of oncological outcome of rectal cancer. To compensate for the variation in total number of harvested nodes, calculation of the lymph node ratio (LNR) has been advocated. The aim of the study was to compare the impact, on the long-term oncological outcome, of the LNR with other predictive factors, including the quality of total mesorectal excision (TME) and the state of the circumferential resection margin. METHOD: Consecutive patients having elective surgery for nonmetastatic rectal cancer were extracted from a prospectively maintained database. Retrospective uni- and multivariate analyses were performed based on patient-, surgical- and tumour-related factors. The prognostic value of the LNR on overall survival (OS) and on overall recurrence-free survival (ORFS) was assessed and a cut-off value was determined. RESULTS: From 1998 to 2013, out of 456 patients, 357 with nonmetastatic disease were operated on for rectal cancer. Neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy was administered to 66.7% of the patients. The mean number of lymph nodes retrieved was 12.8 ± 8.78 per surgical specimen. A lower lymph node yield was obtained in patients who received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (11.8 vs 14.2; P = 0.014). The 5-year ORFS was 71.8% and the 5-year OS was 80.1%. Multivariate analysis confirmed LNR, the quality of TME and age to be independent prognostic factors of OS. LNR, age and perineural infiltration were independently associated with ORFS. Low- and high-risk patients could be discriminated using an LNR cut-off value of 0.2. CONCLUSION: LNR is an independent prognostic factor of OS and ORFS. In line with the principles of optimal surgical management, the quality of TME and lymph node yield are essential technical requirements.

Pre-hospital interventions: introduction to life support systems.

Pre-hospital interventions: introduction to life support systems. Crucial decisions in pre-hospital emergency care are often made; therefore, a tactical emergency medical support team (TEMS) should maintain the capacity to capture the situation instantaneously and in all circumstances. However, low exposure to severe trauma cases can be a weakness for emergency specialists, which makes pre-hospital assessment more difficult. Pre-hospital interventions (PHI) are usually classified in Western countries into BLS (basic life support) and ALS (ad- vanced life support) levels, according to the methods used. This review introduces tactical combat casualty care for medical personnel (TCCC) guidelines, designed for basic care management under fire or in a hostile environment. The phases of TCCC are: (1) care under fire (or in an unstable environment); (2) tactical field care; and (3) tactical evacuation care, and are mainly dependent on the different hazard zones (hot, warm or cold). In a mass casualty situation due to disaster or cataclysm, standardized protocol and triage are unquestionably required for identifying the environmental risks, for categorizing the casualties in accordance with medical care priorities, and for the initial management of casualty care. When considering conflict situations, or chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) events, processes always start at the local level. Even before the detection and analysis of agents can be undertaken, zoning, triage, decontamination, and treatment should be initiated promptly. Otorhinolaryngologists should be aware of PHI procedures for completing preliminary assessment and management together with emergency specialists or TEMS.

Penetrating and blunt trauma to the neck: clinical presentation, assessment and emergency management.

Penetrating and blunt trauma to the neck: clinical presentation, assessment ana emergency management. In Belgium, and even in Western Europe, penetrating and blunt injury to the neck is relatively uncommon in both the civilian and military populations. Pre-hospital and emergency assessment and management will therefore always prove challenging, as individual exposure to this specific type of injury remains low. Historically, the neck has been divided into three anatomical zones with specific landmarks to guide the diagnostic and therapeutic approach to penetrating neck injuries. Most penetrating injuries need to be explored surgically, although with the advent of multi-detector computed tomographic angiography (MDCTA), which yields high diagnostic sensitivity, this inflexible approach has recently changed to a more targeted management, based on clinical, radiographic and, if deemed necessary, endoscopic findings. However, some authors have addressed their concern about this novel, 'no-zone' approach, since the risk of missing less apparent aerodigestive tract injuries may increase. It is recommended, therefore, that all patients with penetrating neck injuries be closely observed, irrespective of the initial findings. The incidence of blunt neck injury is much lower, and this makes risk assessment and management even more difficult in comparison with penetrating injuries. Again, MDCTA is most often the first diagnostic tool if a blunt neck injury is suspected, due to its good sensitivity for blunt cerebrovascular injuries (BCVI) as well as for aerodigestive tract injuries. Specific patterns of injury and unexpected neurological and neuro-radiological findings in trauma patients should always warrant further investigation. Despite ongoing debate, systemic anticoagulation is recommended for most BCVI, sometimes combined with endovascular treatment. Aerodigestive tract injuries may present dramatically, but are often more subtle, making the diagnosis more difficult than other types of neck injuries. Treatment may be conservative if damage is minimal, but surgery is warranted in all other cases.

Facing coagulation disorders after acute trauma.

Facing coagulation disorders after acute trauma. PROBLEMS/OBJECTIVES: Trauma is the leading cause of mortality for persons between one and 44 years of age, essentially due to bleeding complications. METHODOLOGY: We screened the PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane Library databases, using specific keywords. Only publications in English were considered. MAIN RESULTS: The pathophysiology of trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC) is complex and includes the classic "lethal triad" (i.e., haemodilution, acidosis, hypothermia) but may also include activation of protein C, endothelial and platelet dysfunction, and fibrinogen depletion. The time between trauma and treatment of the resultant massive bleeding should be as short as possible using techniques for rapid control of bleeding and avoiding aggravating factors (hypothermia, metabolic acidosis and hypocalcaemia). If given within three hours of injury, tranexamic acid (TXA) reduces all causes of mortality in trauma patients and reduces transfusion requirements. In a bleeding patient, crystalloids are preferred to colloids and the ratio of fresh frozen plasma to packed red blood cells should be at least 1:2. Damage control surgery (DCS) should be considered for patients who present with, or are at risk for developing, the "lethal triad", multiple life-threatening injuries or shock, and in mass casualty situations. DCS can also aid in the evaluation of the extent of tissue injuries and the control of haemorrhage and infection. Finally, there is currently no evidence of the added value of laboratory assays in the management of TIC. CONCLUSIONS: TIC appears quickly after trauma and should be anticipated and detected as soon as possible. TXA plays a central role in the management of such patients. Each institution should establish a local algorithm for the management of bleeding patients.

Three cases of resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) in austere pre-hospital environment-technical and methodological aspects.

Background: The present paper describes three cases where ER-REBOA® was used with partial aorta occlusion (AO), by performing a partial resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta or pREBOA, in an austere pre-hospital military environment.In addition, because no specific REBOA algorithm for pre-hospital environment exists yet, this paper seeks to fill this gap, proposing a new pragmatic REBOA algorithm. Methods: Belgian Special Operations Surgical Team applied REBOA in three patients according to a decisional algorithm, based on the MIST acronym used for trauma patients. Only 3 ml, in the first instance, was inflated in the balloon to get AO. The balloon was then progressively deflated, and reperfusion was tracked through changes of end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2). Results: Systolic blood pressure (SBP) before ER-REBOA® placement was not higher than 60 mmHg. However, within the first 5 min after AO, SBP improved in all three cases. Due to the aortic compliance, a self-made pREBOA was progressively achieved while proximal SBP was raising with intravenous fluid infusion. Afterwards, during deflation, a steep inflection point was observed in SBP and EtCO2. Conclusions: ER-REBOA® is suitable for use in an austere pre-hospital environment. The MIST acronym can be helpful to select the patients for which it could be beneficial. REBOA can also be performed with pREBOA in a dynamic approach, inflating only 3 mL in the balloon and using the aortic compliance. Furthermore, while proximal SBP can be convenient to follow the occlusion, EtCO2 can be seen as an easy and interesting marker to follow the reperfusion.