Sustained remission of systemic lupus erythematosus related calciphylaxis.

Calciphylaxis continues to present a clinical challenge for patient management. As in this case, it can be associated with connective tissue disease (CTD) such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Unlike previous reported cases, long-term remission has been attained. This provides some insight into methods of therapy as well as potential pathogenic models for this disease.

Day-case inguinal hernia repair in the elderly: a surgical priority.

PURPOSE: To compare patients over 70 years old with those under 50 years old undergoing inguinal hernia repair. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty patients aged >70 years (group A) and 50 patients age <50 years (group B) underwent local anaesthetic mesh repair. The mean age for group A was 77.2 years (range 70-85) and for group B it was 40.2 years (range 17-49). There were 46 patients with comorbidities in group A and seven in group B. There were 30 patients with cardiac comorbidities in group A and two in group B. RESULTS: There were no major complications, infections, haematomas or unplanned admissions in either group. Patients >70 years of age had less post-operative discomfort and recovered more quickly than patients aged <50 years. The number of days of analgesic use and time to return to normal activities was longer in the younger group, 6.0 versus 3.4 and 21 versus 13, respectively. There was no significant difference between the groups in patients having discomfort at 3 months post-operatively. More patients were satisfied in the older group, though the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Elective inguinal hernia repair under local anaesthetic in the elderly has a good outcome, even if there are significant comorbidities. Ambulatory surgery is feasible in this age group and age alone or co-existing disease should not be a barrier to elective day-case inguinal hernia repair.

Simultaneous repair of bilateral groin hernias using local anaesthesia: a review of 199 cases with a five-year follow-up.

BACKGROUND: There has been controversy concerning the simultaneous repair of bilateral groin hernias and the method of anaesthesia. METHODS: A consecutive series of 199 bilateral inguinal hernias was repaired by the Lichtenstein non-tension mesh technique over a two-year period (1997-98). In 96% of them local anaesthesia was used. These were reviewed after five years. RESULTS: There were no increased recurrence or infection rates, with both between 0.5-1%. Pulmonary and urinary complications did not occur. The cost of this technique is substantially less than sequential or laparoscopic operations. DISCUSSION: The reasons advanced for sequential repair of bilateral hernias have been the lower risks of infection and recurrence. Neither of these fears is evident from this study. Furthermore, the use of local anaesthesia permits the operation to be done in a day care clinic. CONCLUSIONS: Simultaneous bilateral repair of inguinal hernias using local anaesthesia is as effective as sequential repair, at lower cost and with less total time off work.

Tension-free mesh repair of umbilical hernia as a day case using local anaesthesia.

BACKGROUND: Umbilical hernias are a common surgical problem with a high recurrence rate using conventional suture techniques. This prospective study examined the feasibility of tension-free mesh repair as a day case using local anaesthetic (LA) for all primary umbilical hernias. METHOD: Fifty-four patients (eight women) were operated on; 49 using LA. Through a periumbilical skin incision the margins of the sac were freed from the edges of the defect, and a space was made in the extraperitoneal plane. In defects <3 cm in diameter, a cone of polypropylene (pp) mesh was inserted and attached with nonabsorbable sutures. In defects >3 cm, a flat piece of pp mesh was inserted into the extraperitoneal space as a sublay. No attempt was made to close the fascial defect. RESULTS: Postoperative pain was graded as mild ( n=37) and moderate ( n=17). No patient had severe postoperative pain. Seven superficial wound infections responded to oral antibiotics. In no case it was necessary to remove the mesh. There were no other complications. Patients were recalled between 2 and 6 years postopertively-mean follow-up 43 months (28- 67). There were no recurrences. CONCLUSION: Umbilical hernia repair can be carried out safely and securely under LA with a tension-free mesh technique (cone or a sublay patch) with a low morbidity, negligible recurrence rate, and a high degree of patient satisfaction. It should be the procedure of choice for all such hernias.

Three thousand one hundred seventy-five primary inguinal hernia repairs: advantages of ambulatory open mesh repair using local anesthesia.

BACKGROUND: Controversy exists over the relative advantages of open mesh repair compared with open stitching methods and the laparoscopic approach. STUDY DESIGN: Two thousand nine hundred six (2,906) consecutive unselected adult patients underwent 3,175 primary inguinal hernia repairs using polypropylene mesh, under local anesthesia on an ambulatory basis. The age range was 15-92 years. The study specifically investigated the postoperative course with regard to pain, complications, and time of return to work. RESULTS: There were no postoperative deaths and no cases of urinary retention. Two percent of patients developed a hematoma. The incidence of deep infection was 0.3%. No case of testicular atrophy occurred. Postoperatively 19% of patients used no analgesia at all; 60% used oral analgesics for up to 7 days. There was a gradual decrease in time of return to work over four successive 1-year periods. Manual workers returned to work in 15 days (median) in the first year, reducing to 9 days in the fourth year. The overall median time of return to work across the whole group was 9 days. There were eight recurrences with an 18-month to 5-year followup. CONCLUSIONS: Open mesh repair under local anesthesia is an effective day case technique, particularly in the elderly and medically unfit. The economic benefits are enhanced by low morbidity, early return to normal activities and low recurrence rates.

The Lichtenstein repair.

The description of the Lichtenstein tension-free mesh repair 12 years ago opened a new era in groin hernia repair. Without the risk for severe morbidity, it can be readily carried out on patients previously considered unsuitable for hernia repair. Fears of complications related to mesh implantation have proved to be without foundation. As a local anesthetic outpatient procedure without the need for complex and expensive instrumentation, combined with the ability of patients to return to work in a short time, overall costs can be kept to a minimum without in any way compromising the safety or the long-term success of the procedure.

Tension-free mesh hernia repair: review of 1098 cases using local anaesthesia in a day unit.

The technical problems, early complications and short-term results of a tension-free method of 1098 inguinal hernia repairs in 1017 patients have been assessed. The operation was conducted under local anaesthesia, and the inguinal canal floor was reinforced by a polypropylene mesh. Patients were discharged home the same day. There was no mortality, no urinary complications and one case of venous thrombosis. There was one recurrence after a primary hernia repair and two patients have developed recurrences after repair of a recurrent hernia. The overall sepsis rate was 0.9% and 1% of patients had persistent neuralgia. No prosthesis required removal. In all, 49.6% of office workers returned to work in 1 week or less and 61% of manual workers in 2 weeks or less. The major advantages of the tension-free mesh repair under local anaesthesia are simplicity, substantial cost savings and very low rates of complications.

Dietary intakes, resting metabolic rates, and body composition in benign and malignant gastrointestinal disease.

Dietary protein and energy intakes were assessed in 42 patients with cancer and 24 with benign conditions of the gastrointestinal tract. The relations of dietary intake to body composition was examined. Resulting metabolic rate was measured in 51 patients. No significant differences in dietary intake or metabolic rate were found between patients with cancer and those with benign disease. There were significant positive correlations between protein and energy intakes and the ratio of total body potassium to total body water in patients with benign disease but not in those with cancer. Weight loss was probably due to inadequate food intake, the main defect being energy deficiency, since protein intake was usually well maintained. Supplementing with energy the voluntary ingested diet of patients with cancer would probably prevent weight loss in most cases.