Are surgeons ready to get the COVID-19 vaccine?

BACKGROUND: Vaccination against COVID-19 has started in several countries already and is on its way in others. However, there is an important hesitance towards the vaccine. The aim of this study is to evaluate the vaccination hesitance and main concerns towards the vaccine among surgeons. METHODS: An anonymous survey of 16 questions was sent to 138 Belgian surgeons before the start of vaccination in Belgium. The questions were divided into sections, evaluating demographics, COVID-19 test status and symptoms, the surgeon's opinion on the COVID-19 vaccination and their main concerns. RESULTS: Ninety-three out of 138 surgeons (67.4%) completed the survey: two-third of them were residents. Sixty-nine surgeons (74.2%) do want to get vaccinated. Forty-two surgeons (45.2%) feel like they do not have enough information about the vaccine. Residents feel significantly more underinformed than consultants (52.3% and 29.0%, respectively). Surgeons who feel to be well-informed are more willing to get vaccinated (92.2%) compared to those who feel to have a lack of information (52.4%). The main concerns among surgeons include effectiveness (26.9%), safety and side effects (19.4%) and organisation and vaccination strategy (12.9%). Twenty-five surgeons (26.9%) have no concerns at all. CONCLUSION: Most surgeons (74.2%) are ready for their COVID-19 vaccine. However, some of the surgeons are still doubtful about the vaccine. A lack of information plays a major role in their scepticism. A strong communication strategy is necessary to educate, reassure and motivate surgeons to get vaccinated.

Perineal bowel evisceration after extralevator abdominoperineal excision and vertical rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap closure.

INTRODUCTION: Perineal bowel evisceration is a rare complication after extralevator abdominoperineal excision (ELAPE). This surgical technique is used to resect low rectal and anal cancer, with a lower likelihood of positive surgical margins, but resulting in a larger perineal defect. A vertical rectus abdominis myocutaneous (VRAM) flap allows filling of the empty pelvic space and closure of the defect in the pelvic floor. CASE PRESENTATION: A 77-year-old woman, with a hysterectomy in her medical history, underwent an ELAPE followed by reconstruction of the perineal defect with a VRAM flap after neoadjuvant radiotherapy for a moderately differentiated invasive adenocarcinoma of the distal rectum. The postoperative course was complicated with a herniation of the perineal wound and evisceration of a bowel loop. CONCLUSION: Closure of the perineal defect after ELAPE remains a challenge, especially in cases where several risk factors for delayed wound healing, flap failure and perineal herniation are present.

Emergency evacuation low-pressure suction for the management of extravasation injuries - a case report.

BACKGROUND: Extravasation is the movement of fluid outside its conduit into the extracellular tissue, possibly leading to a local inflammatory reaction, compartment syndrome, tissue necrosis, and full thickness skin loss at the affected area. To prevent these complications, early recognition, referral and treatment of an extravasation injury is of utter importance. CASE REPORT: We present a case, illustrating an extravasation injury into the breast managed by a renovated surgical technique - emergency evacuation low-pressure suction (EELS). A 54-year-old woman attended the emergency department with 1.5 L of total parenteral nutrition leaked into her right breast via a central portal catheter. The patient was seen within 24 hours of the incident, and presented with a diffuse swollen, tender and erythematous right breast but no overlying skin necrosis. Dry EELS via two small stab incisions was performed to evacuate the extravasated total parenteral nutrition and to minimise the aspiration of healthy fat tissue of the breast. Only a few cases of extravasation injuries into the breast have been described and most cases involve chemotherapy extravasation from a central catheter. Presumably there is an underreporting of this complication in the literature. CONCLUSION: This case-report promotes the use of aspiration in the management of diffusely spread extravasated injuries. EELS is a more appropriate term than liposuction, as there is no intention to evacuate healthy fat tissue. This new term is less confusing and might help medical staff and patients to better understand the treatment as it will break the affiliation with an aesthetic procedure. It is an effective and cosmetically satisfactory technique to treat early total parenteral nutrition extravasation injury at the level of the breast.

Misdiagnosis of sebaceous carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Sebaceous carcinoma is an aggressive malignant tumour. To prevent mutilating surgery and improve patient outcomes, early diagnosis and prompt treatment are necessary. When the tumour invades surrounding tissues, treatment may become complex. METHODS: We present a case report illustrating complex resection and reconstruction of a sebaceous carcinoma after initial misdiagnosis. RESULTS: A 74-year-old man with a sebaceous carcinoma to his right upper eyelid had a delay in treatment due to initial misdiagnosis. Upon the correct diagnosis, computed tomography scan showed tumour invasion of the medial rectus muscle and tumour spread to the right parotid gland. An orbital exenteration, partial parotidectomy and selective cervical lymphadenectomy were performed. Frozen section examination showed false-free margins, as additional paraffin embedded sections showed uncomplete tumour resection. Adjuvant radiotherapy was offered to the patient. The treatment was complicated by radio necrosis, necessitating surgical reconstruction by a paramedian forehead flap. Final reconstruction of the right orbit was accomplished by a personalised epithesis. CONCLUSIONS: Sebaceous carcinoma is a tumour that is often misdiagnosed. The aim of this case report is to emphasize the possible consequences of its misdiagnosis. An overview of characteristic clinical findings is provided to help reduce the number of misdiagnoses.

A study to compare strengths of cadaveric tendon repairs with round-bodied and cutting needles.

This human cadaver study investigated whether flexor tendon repairs performed with round-bodied needles had a higher risk of pull-out compared with those performed with cutting needles. Forty human cadaver tendons were repaired (20 with each type of needle), subjected to tensile traction testing and evaluated by failure load and mode of failure. The average failure load was 50 N (SD 13 N) for tendons repaired with round-bodied needles, compared with 49 N (SD 16 N) for tendons repaired with cutting needles. Round-bodied needles resulted in more suture pull-out (18 out of 20 tendons) than cutting needles (6 out of 20 tendons). We found no differences in failure load, but significant differences in the mode of failure between round-bodied and cutting needles when used for cadaveric flexor tendon repair.

Internal herniation through the falciform ligament of the liver: a case report.

Background: An internal abdominal hernia is defined as the protrusion of a viscus through a mesenteric or peritoneal aperture within the peritoneal cavity. A less common type of internal herniation is a small bowel herniation through a defect in the falciform ligament of the liver. This defect can be congenital or iatrogenic after penetration of the falciform ligament with a trocar during laparoscopic surgery. Methods: We present a case report illustrating an internal herniation through an iatrogenic defect in the falciform ligament of the liver. Results: A 78-year-old man comes to the emergency department with severe abdominal pain for several hours. Laparoscopic exploration shows a small bowel herniation through an iatrogenic defect of the falciform ligament after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Reduction of the internal herniation is performed. Due to subsequently small bowel necrosis, a small bowel resection with primary anastomosis has to be performed too. Conclusion: Small bowel herniation through an iatrogenic defect in the falciform ligament is very rare. However, it can lead to severe complications such as small bowel necrosis. To prevent internal herniation, we strongly suggest immediate repair or division of the falciform ligament when an iatrogenic defect is created during laparoscopic procedures.

Ewing's sarcoma of the sternum necessitating complex resection and reconstruction.

We present a 30-year-old man with a sternal Ewing's sarcoma, who was treated by complex resection of the sternal body and reconstruction by a methyl methacrylate sandwich graft and a pedicled latissimus dorsi flap.

Ivory arthroplasty for trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis: 10-year follow-up.

This prospective study investigates long-term functional outcome after total trapeziometacarpal joint replacement with the Ivory arthroplasty for trapeziometacarpal joint osteoarthritis. Clinical outcome, overall function, pain, and radiologic outcome after a minimum of 10 years were evaluated for 26 Ivory arthroplasty in 24 patients. Two patients had bilateral arthroplasties. The female to male ratio was 22:2, and the mean age was 71 years (range 57-83). The mean follow-up period was 130 months (range 120-142). Overall functioning as defined by the QuickDASH score and visual analogue pain score improved by 50% and 81%, respectively, when compared with the preoperative status. However, these outcomes deteriorated beyond 5 years after surgery. Long-term results suggest the Ivory arthroplasty to be a reliable treatment for trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis since it improves overall function and reduces pain up to 10 years postoperatively. However, revision within 10 years after surgery was needed in four of 26 cases. Level of evidence: II.

Ventilation rate in adults with a tracheal tube during cardiopulmonary resuscitation: A systematic review.

AIM: The optimal ventilation rate during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with a tracheal tube is unknown. We evaluated whether in adults with cardiac arrest and a secure airway (tracheal tube), a ventilation rate of 10min-1, compared to any other rate during CPR, improves outcomes. METHODS: A systematic review up to 14 July 2016. We included both adult human and animal studies. A GRADE (Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach was used to evaluate the quality of evidence for each outcome. RESULTS: We identified one human observational study with 67 patients and ten animal studies (234 pigs and 30 dogs). All studies carried a high risk of bias. All studies evaluated for return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). Studies showed no improvement in ROSC with a ventilation rate of 10 min-1 compared to any other rate. The evidence for longer-term outcomes such as survival to discharge and survival with favourable neurological outcome was very limited. CONCLUSION: A ventilation rate recommendation of 10 min-1 during adult CPR with a tracheal tube and no pauses for chest compression is a very weak recommendation based on very low quality evidence.