Minimally Invasive Surgery for Thoracolumbar Spinal Fractures in Patients With Ankylosing Spondylitis.

BACKGROUND: Patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) are prone to spinal fractures even after low-energy trauma. Posterior fusion through open surgery has been the standard procedure for spinal fractures in patients with AS. Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has been proposed as an alternative treatment option. There are few literature reports regarding patients with AS being treated for spinal fractures with MIS. This study aims to present the clinical outcome of a series of patients with AS treated with MIS for spinal fractures. METHODS: We included a consecutive series of patients with AS who underwent MIS for thoracolumbar fractures between 2014 and 2021. The median follow-up was 38 (12-75) months. Medical records and radiographs were reviewed, and data on surgery, reoperations, complications, fracture healing, and mortality were recorded. RESULTS: Forty-three patients (39 [91%] men) were included with a median (range) age of 73 (38-89) years. All patients underwent image-guided MIS with screws and rods. Three patients underwent reoperations, all due to wound infections. One patient (2%) died within 30 days and 7 (16%) died within the first year after surgery. Most patients with a radiographic follow-up of 12 months or more (29/30) healed with a bony fusion on computed tomography (97%). CONCLUSION: Patients with AS and a spinal fracture are at risk of reoperation and have significant mortality during the first year. MIS provides adequate surgical stability for fracture healing with an acceptable number of complications and is an adequate choice in treating AS-related spinal fractures.

Heparin and albumin as part of the priming solution limits exposure to anticoagulation during hemodialysis: in vitro studies.

BACKGROUND: Hemodialysis patients who are subject to increased risk of hemorrhage may need specific dialysis regimes to avoid bleeding. The aim of this study was to determine in vitro which of various anticoagulation options were most beneficial. MATERIALS AND METHOD: 60 in vitro hemodialyses (HD) were performed in parallel using blood from healthy donors. The dialysis circuits were rinsed with either 1 L of 0.9% NaCl alone (n = 6), or with 1 L saline and the addition of either 5 mL 20% albumin (Alb, n = 6), 5,000 U of heparin (Hep, n = 6), Hep and Alb in combination (HA, n = 30), 20,000 U of Hep and Alb (4H-A, n = 6), and finally Hep and 20 mL 20% albumin (H-4A, n = 6). The blood was recirculated for a maximum of 192 min. Clotting was graded. RESULTS: A 192 min dialysis was completed with all series of HA, 4H-A, and H-4A, all with a slight grade of clotting. In contrast to the above settings (p = 0.002, Fisher's test), a total clotting of the dialysis circuit occurred for all series using the NaCl rinsing alone (median time to stop: 21, range:18-27 min, p = 0.026 compared to the HA setting) and for the Alb rinsing (median 26, range: 19-35 min, p = 0.028). CONCLUSIONS: Priming using HA, Hep, 4H-A, and H-4A reduced clotting and allowed 192 min of HD. Clinical studies need to confirm these data in vivo.

Rinsing the extra corporeal circuit with a heparin and albumin solution reduces the need for systemic anticoagulant in hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND: Systemic anticoagulation during hemodialysis (HD) increases the risk for bleeding complications pre- or post-operatively. Based on the concept of blood-membrane interaction, we developed a heparin-albumin solution to rinse the dialysis circuit before start. The aim of this study was to investigate if this method was a valuable tool for our patients at risk for bleeding complications. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective, comparative, quality assessment study included 248 HD in 68 patients; Group1: 178 treatments were performed at patients for risk of bleeding using heparin-albumin-priming and Group 2: 70 acute HD were performed on patients without increased risk of bleeding using a bolus of heparin at start and a continuous infusion of heparin. In Group 1 additional heparin was given upon suspicion of progressive clotting. One L saline contained albumin (1 g/l) and heparin (5000 U/l) used for priming. Excess priming solution was removed by filling the circuit with blood at start of treatment. RESULTS: In Group 1, a mean total dose of 2000 U of heparin was given during the HD (18% performed HD without any heparin) and Group 2 used a mean total dose of 5500 U (p<0.001). There was no increased incidence of clotting in Group 1 versus Group 2 compared to standard HD. No bleeding complications were reported during any of the HA-priming treatments. CONCLUSIONS: Heparin-albumin priming resulted in a reduced total dose of heparin. There was no increased clotting and no incidence of bleeding was reported in either group.