Recent evidence for subcutaneous drains to prevent surgical site infections after abdominal surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infections (SSIs) increase mortality, hospital stays, additional medical treatment, and medical costs. Subcutaneous drains prevent SSIs in gynecological and breast surgeries; however, their clinical impact in abdominal surgery remains unclear. AIM: To investigate whether subcutaneous drains were beneficial in abdominal surgery using a systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: The database search used PubMed, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Library. The following inclusion criteria were set for the systematic review: (1) Randomized controlled trial studies comparing SSIs after abdominal surgery with or without subcutaneous drains; and (2) Studies that described clinical outcomes, such as SSIs, seroma formation, the length of hospital stays, and mortality. RESULTS: Eight studies were included in this meta-analysis. The rate of total SSIs was significantly lower in the drained group (54/771, 7.0%) than in the control group (89/759, 11.7%), particularly in gastrointestinal surgery. Furthermore, the rate of superficial SSIs was slightly lower in the drained group (31/517, 6.0%) than in the control group (49/521, 9.4%). No significant differences were observed in seroma formation between the groups. Hospital stays were shorter in the drained group than in the control group. CONCLUSION: Subcutaneous drains after abdominal surgery prevented SSIs and reduced hospital stays but did not significantly affect seroma formation. The timing of drain removal needs to be reconsidered in future studies.

Patients scheduled to undergo esophageal surgery should have the highest priority for perioperative oral management triage: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: An increasing number of patients visiting the dental office have a growing need for perioperative oral management (POM) to prevent postoperative complications. Therefore, it is necessary to determine which patients should receive preferential POM. This study investigated the dental status of patients scheduled to undergo surgery and addressed the priority for POM. METHODS: This retrospective study included a total of 150 patients who were scheduled to undergo surgery at the Department of Respiratory Surgery (DRS), Department of Neurological Surgery (DNS), Department of Gynecological Surgery (DGS), Department of Breast and Endocrine Surgery (DBES), and Department of Esophageal Surgery (DES) managed by the Perioperative Management Center of Okayama University Hospital. We compared the general and dental status of patients among the five groups. RESULTS: The DES group had significantly fewer teeth than the DBES group (p = 0.012), more severe periodontitis than both the DBES (p = 0.005) and DNS groups (p = 0.020), and poorer molar occlusal support status than both the DBES (p = 0.002) and DGS groups (p = 0.041). The DES group exhibited a significantly higher median age (p = 0.002), a higher ratio of males (p < 0.001), a higher prevalence of malignant tumors (p < 0.001), and higher proportions of smokers (p < 0.001) and drinkers (p < 0.001) than the other groups. CONCLUSION: Patients who underwent surgery at the DES had more dental problems than other surgery patients. Accordingly, these patients should be given the highest priority for POM triage.

An Evaluation of the Safety and Feasibility of Adenosine-assisted Clipping Surgery for Unruptured Cerebral Aneurysms: Study Protocol.

The effectiveness of adenosine-induced flow arrest in surgical clipping for the cerebral aneurysms with difficulties in temporary clip placement to the proximal main trunk has been reported. This is the first clinical trial to evaluate the safety and feasibility of adenosine-assisted clipping surgery for unruptured cerebral aneurysms (UCAs) in Japan. The inclusion criteria are as follows: patients over 20 years old, patients who agree to be enrolled in this study after providing informed consent, patients who undergo clipping surgery for UCA in our institute, and patients in whom the surgeons (T.H. or I.D.) judge that decompression of the aneurysm is effective. The primary endpoint is a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score 30 days after surgery. We plan to enroll 10 patients in this study. The original protocol of adenosine administration was established in this trial. Herein, we present the study protocol.

Association between preoperative tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitor and surgical site infection after surgery for inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor (TNFi) treatment is effective for ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). Although several meta-analyses have been performed to evaluate the association between TNFi treatment and surgical morbidity, the results are controversial. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevention of surgical site infection (SSI) after surgery for UC and CD in patients on TNFis, based on literature published between January 2000 and May 2019 (registered on PROSPERO, No. CRD42019134156). Overall, 2175 UC patients in 13 observational studies (OBSs) and 7084 CD patients in 16 OBSs were included. The incidences of incisional (INC) SSI and organ/space (O/S) SSI after surgery for UC were 179/1985 (9.0%) and 176/2175 (8.1%), respectively. TNFi use was not associated with the incidences of INC SSI (odds ratio (OR) 1.04, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.47-2.32) or O/S SSI (OR 1.85, 95% CI (0.82-4.20)) after surgery for UC. The INC SSI and O/S SSI incidences after surgery for CD were 289/3089 (9.4%) and 526/7,084 (7.4%), respectively. Preoperative TNFi use was not associated with INC SSI (OR 0.98, 95% CI (0.52-1.83)) or O/S SSI incidence (OR 1.09, 95% CI (0.78-1.52)) after surgery for CD. We did not find a significant association between preoperative TNFi use and SSI in surgery for UC or CD.

The Japan Society for Surgical Infection: guidelines for the prevention, detection, and management of gastroenterological surgical site infection, 2018.

BACKGROUND: The guidelines for the prevention, detection, and management of gastroenterological surgical site infections (SSIs) were published in Japanese by the Japan Society for Surgical Infection in 2018. This is a summary of these guidelines for medical professionals worldwide. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and comprehensive evaluation of the evidence for diagnosis and treatment of gastroenterological SSIs, based on the concepts of the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system. The strength of recommendations was graded and voted using the Delphi method and the nominal group technique. Modifications were made to the guidelines in response to feedback from the general public and relevant medical societies. RESULTS: There were 44 questions prepared in seven subject areas, for which 51 recommendations were made. The seven subject areas were: definition and etiology, diagnosis, preoperative management, prophylactic antibiotics, intraoperative management, perioperative management, and wound management. According to the GRADE system, we evaluated the body of evidence for each clinical question. Based on the results of the meta-analysis, recommendations were graded using the Delphi method to generate useful information. The final version of the recommendations was published in 2018, in Japanese. CONCLUSIONS: The Japanese Guidelines for the prevention, detection, and management of gastroenterological SSI were published in 2018 to provide useful information for clinicians and improve the clinical outcome of patients.

Right single lung transplantation using an inverted left donor lung: interposition of pericardial conduit for pulmonary venous anastomosis - a case report.

BACKGROUND: Lung transplantation (LTx) is still limited by the shortage of suitable donor lungs. Developing flexible surgical procedures can help to increase the chances of LTx by unfolding recipient-to-donor matching options based on the pre-existing organ allocation concept. We report a case in which a successful left-to-right inverted LTx was completed using the interposition of a pericardial conduit for pulmonary venous anastomosis. CASE PRESENTATION: A left lung graft was offered to a 59-year-old male who had idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis with predominant damage in the right lung. He had been prescribed bed rest with constant oxygen inhalation through an oxymizer pendant and had been on the waiting list for 20 months. Considering the condition of the patient (LAS 34.3) and the scarcity of domestic organ offers, the patient was highly likely to be incapable of tolerating any additional waiting time for another donor organ if he was unable to accept the presently reported offer of a left lung. Eventually, we decided to transplant the left donor lung into the right thorax of the recipient. Because of the anterior-posterior position gap of the hilar structures, the cuff lengths of the pulmonary veins had to be adjusted. The patient did not develop any anastomotic complications after the transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: A left-to-right inverted LTx is technically feasible using an autologous pericardial conduit for pulmonary venous anastomosis in selected cases. This technique provides the potential benefit of resolving challenging situations in which surgeons must deal with a patient's urgency and the logistical limitations of organ allocation.

Favorable survival even with high disease-specific complication rates in lymphangioleiomyomatosis after lung transplantation-long-term follow-up of a Japanese center.

BACKGROUND: Lung transplantation (LT) is a reliable therapeutic option for end-stage pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). Long-term outcome of LAM recipients after LT remains unknown. The aim of this study was to describe the outcomes of LT for LAM with a long-term follow-up, comparing those for other diseases in the same period. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed consecutive 145 LT recipients between 1998 and 2015 at Okayama University Hospital with minimum 3-year follow-up. RESULTS: Twelve LAM recipients including nine sporadic-LAM and three tuberous sclerosis complex -LAM were identified. Nine of 12 underwent bilateral LT including four living-donor lobar LT. There was no significant difference in overall survival between the two groups. (P = 0.15). Chronic lung allograft dysfunction free survival rate in LAM compared with other diseases tended to be better (P = 0.058). However, the rate of requiring hemodialysis was significantly higher in LAM recipients than in the recipients of other diseases (P = 0.047). Notably, 8 of 12 (67%) LAM patients encountered LAM-related complication including chylothorax and pneumothorax, seven (58%) had proliferative diseases consisting of renal angiomyolipoma and recurrent LAM. Nine patients required mTOR inhibitors for LAM-related problems, contributing to improved control of LAM-related problems. While all nine recipients of bilateral LT have still survived, two patients died of diseases in their native lungs and one required re-LT among three recipients of single LT. CONCLUSION: Although the rates of LAM-related complications were unexpectedly high in the long term, LT is a feasible therapeutic option for patients with advanced pulmonary LAM.

Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity Following General and Epidural Anesthesia in A patient with a History of Muscle Relaxant-induced Anaphylaxis.

We here report that a 71-year-old Japanese woman with a history of anaphylaxis induced by muscle relaxants had local anesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST) following an abdominal surgery under general anesthesia with combined spinal-epidural anesthesia without muscle relaxants. The total dosages of local anesthetics reached 0.67 mg/kg of ropivacaine and 11.5 mg/kg of lidocaine over 12.5 h to obtain sufficient muscle relaxation for surgery. Regional anesthesia is useful in cases in which muscle relaxants are to be avoided during a surgery. However, especially for a patient with risk factors and prolonged surgery, precautions should be taken to prevent LAST.

Lung transplantation via cardiopulmonary bypass: excellent survival outcomes from extended criteria donors.

OBJECTIVES: The role of intraoperative cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in lung transplant (LTx) surgery is controversial. CPB enables slow pulmonary reperfusion and initial ventilation with low oxygen concentrations, both theoretically protective of transplanted lungs. In this study, we explored clinical outcomes following extended criteria donor LTx surgery implementing a thoroughly protective allograft reperfusion strategy using CPB. METHODS: Thirty-nine consecutive adult patients who underwent bilateral LTx with elective CPB and protective allograft reperfusion were reviewed. Bilaterally implanted lungs were reperfused simultaneously, via slow CPB flow reduction and initial ventilation with 21% oxygen and nitric oxide, followed by a brief modified ultrafiltration. During weaning from CPB, mean pulmonary arterial pressure was strictly maintained at 10-15 mmHg by controlling CPB and pulmonary flow. The clinical outcomes in 23 patients who received lungs from extended criteria donors (ECD group) were elucidated and compared to 16 patients undergoing LTx from standard criteria donors (SCD group). RESULTS: No life-threatening deterioration was observed to graft functionality during the first 72 h after LTx in the ECD group; however, only one patient required post-transplant extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. In three of 23 ECD LTx patients (12%), surgical revision for bleeding was required. Survival outcomes for the ECD group were favorable, with 100% survival at 6-months, 87.0% at 1-year, and 80.7% at 5-years. Outcomes in the ECD group were comparable to those in the SCD group. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a certain extent of risk associated with full-dose heparinization, use of CPB does not undermine survival outcomes after ECD LTx surgery if protective allograft reperfusion is securely performed.

Feasibility of lung transplantation from donors mechanically ventilated for prolonged periods.

PURPOSE: When patients are mechanically ventilated for more than 5 days, they are usually declined as donors for lung transplantation (LTx); thus, the long-term outcomes of LTx from such donors remain unclear. We investigated the feasibility of LTx from donors that had been mechanically ventilated for prolonged periods. METHODS: The subjects of this retrospective comparative investigation were 31 recipients of LTx from donors who had been mechanically ventilated for < 5 days (short-term group) and 50 recipients of LTx from donors who had been mechanically ventilated for ≥ 5 days (long-term group). RESULTS: The median duration of donor mechanical ventilation was 3 days in the short-term group and 8.5 days in the long-term group. However, other than the difference in the duration of donor ventilation, there were no significant differences in the clinical characteristics of the donors or recipients between the groups. The overall survival rate after LTx was comparable between the long-term group and short-term group (5-year survival rate, 66.6% vs. 75.2%). CONCLUSION: The potential inclusion of donors who have been on mechanical ventilation for more than 5 days could be a feasible strategy to alleviate donor organ shortage.

The Efficacy of Antimicrobial-Coated Sutures for Preventing Incisional Surgical Site Infections in Digestive Surgery: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial-coated sutures have recently become well known for preventing surgical site infections (SSIs). However, the evidence and recommendations from some organizations remain controversial. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to analyze the efficacy of antimicrobial-coated sutures for preventing SSIs in digestive surgery. METHODS: We performed a systematic review of literature published from 2000 to 2017 (registered on PROSPERO, No. CRD42017076780). We included studies defined as randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies (OBSs) for the prevention of SSIs and the reduction in hospital stay length associated with digestive surgery. RESULTS: In the 10 RCTs, the incidence rates of incisional SSIs were 160/1798 (8.9%) with coated sutures and 205/1690 (12.1%) with non-coated sutures. Overall, antimicrobial-coated sutures were superior for reducing the incidence of incisional SSI (risk ratio (RR) 0.67, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.48-0.94, p = 0.02) in RCTs for digestive surgery with the mixed wound class and surgeries limited to a clean-contaminated wound (RR 0.66, 95% CI 0.44-0.98, p = 0.04). A superior effect of antimicrobial-coated sutures was found in 9 RCTs that involved only colorectal surgeries (RR 0.69, 95% CI 0.49-0.98, p = 0.04). The mean hospital stay length was similar with coated or uncoated sutures in 5 RCTs involving colorectal surgery (mean difference (MD) - 5.00, 95% CI 16.68-6.69, p = 0.4). CONCLUSION: Antimicrobial-coated sutures are significantly more efficacious for preventing SSIs during digestive and colorectal surgery, even when restricted to clean-contaminated wounds. However, the hospital stay length was not affected.

Low-risk donor lungs optimize the post-lung transplant outcome for high lung allocation score patients.

PURPOSE: The lung allocation score (LAS) has been generally recognized as a contributor to the overall survival in lung transplant candidates. However, donor-related risks have never been taken into consideration in previous research that validated the LAS. This study aimed to determine whether or not the role of the LAS as a predictor of the posttransplant outcome is influenced by the quality of the donor lungs. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 108 patients who underwent lung transplantation at Okayama University Hospital since 1998. The cohort was divided into two groups based on the lung donor score (DS; ≤ 4/> 4). Correlations between the LAS and posttransplant outcomes were investigated in both groups. RESULTS: In the high-DS group, an elevated LAS was strongly associated with posttransplant PaO2/FiO2 (p = 0.018). However, in the low-DS group, no correlation was found between them. There was no significant difference in the long-term survival according to the LAS in the low-DS group. The LAS effectively predicted the posttransplant outcome only when lungs with DS > 4 were transplanted; the LAS was not reliable if high-quality lungs were transplanted. CONCLUSION: Lung transplantation can be feasible and provides a survival benefit even for high-LAS patients if lungs from a low-risk donor are transplanted.

Veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation bridged living-donor lung transplantation for rapid progressive respiratory failure with pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Cases of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) bridged lung transplantation (LTx) are rare in Japan because an allocation system to prioritize patients based on urgency remains to be established. For critically ill patients who cannot wait for a brain-dead donor LTx, ECMO bridge to living-donor LTx may be the only practical option. A 21-year-old woman with pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was admitted to our hospital with rapidly progressive respiratory failure. She was waitlisted for 6 months before admission, but veno-venous ECMO was initiated. She was transported under ECMO support via a jet plane and underwent successful living-donor LTx.

Airway complications have a greater impact on the outcomes of living-donor lobar lung transplantation recipients than cadaveric lung transplantation recipients.

PURPOSE: Airway complications (ACs) after living-donor lobar lung transplantation (LDLLT) could have different features from those after cadaveric lung transplantation (CLT). We conducted this study to compare the characteristics of ACs after LDLLT vs. those after CLT and investigate their impact on outcomes. METHODS: We reviewed, retrospectively, data on 163 recipients of lung transplantation, including 83 recipients of LDLLT and 80 recipients of CLT. RESULTS: The incidence of ACs did not differ between LDLLT and CLT. The initial type of AC after LDLLT was limited to stenosis in all eight patients, whereas that after CLT consisted of stenosis in three patients and necrosis in ten patients (p = 0.0034). ACs after LDLLT necessitated significantly earlier initiation of treatment than those after CLT (p = 0.032). The overall survival rate of LDLLT recipients with an AC was significantly lower than that of those without an AC (p = 0.030), whereas the overall survival rate was comparable between CLT recipients with and those without ACs (p = 0.25). CONCLUSION: ACs after LDLLT, limited to bronchial stenosis, require significantly earlier treatment and have a greater adverse impact on survival than ACs after CLT.

Favorable survival in lung transplant recipients on preoperative low-dose, as compared to high-dose corticosteroids, after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Although the number of patients developing pulmonary complications after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) necessitating lung transplantation (LT) is increasing, a little information is available about factors influencing the prognosis after LT in these patients. Corticosteroids represent the first-line therapy for pulmonary complications after HSCT; however, prolonged corticosteroid treatment prior to LT increases the potential risks of LT. In this study, we assessed the effect of preoperative corticosteroid therapy on long-term survival in patients undergoing LT after HSCT. We retrospectively investigated data from 13 patients who had received high-dose corticosteroid therapy and nine who had received low-dose corticosteroid therapy prior to LT for pulmonary complications after HSCT. Other than the preoperative corticosteroid dose, patient clinical characteristics did not differ. The incidence of postoperative complications within the first year after LT was significantly lower in the low-dose corticosteroid group (p = 0.026). Survival after LT was also significantly better in the low-dose corticosteroid group than in the high-dose corticosteroid group (p = 0.034). In recipients of LT after HSCT, preoperative low-dose corticosteroid use, as compared to preoperative high-dose corticosteroid use, could limit the risks of postoperative complications developing within the first year after the LT, leading to improved long-term survival after LT.

Prolonged Administration of Twice-Daily Bolus Intravenous Tacrolimus in the Early Phase After Lung Transplantation.

BACKGROUND Although administration of tacrolimus, whether by the enteric, sublingual, or continuous intravenous routes, has some limitations, twice-daily bolus intravenous tacrolimus administration has been shown to be beneficial in optimizing efficacy and safety after lung transplantation. However, at present, the duration of bolus intravenous tacrolimus administration is limited, and the effects of prolonged bolus intravenous tacrolimus administration remain unknown. Our study was aimed at assessing the safety and efficacy of prolonged twice-daily bolus intravenous tacrolimus administration in the early phase after lung transplantation. MATERIAL AND METHODS We retrospectively investigated the data of 62 recipients of lung transplantation who had received twice-daily bolus intravenous administration of tacrolimus, followed by oral tacrolimus, after lung transplantation at our institution between January 2011 and October 2015. RESULTS The median duration of bolus intravenous tacrolimus administration was 19 days (4-72 days). The target trough level was achieved in 89% of the patients by day 3. Acute kidney injury occurred in 27% of the patients during bolus intravenous tacrolimus. Two patients (3%) had neurotoxicity, necessitating discontinuation of tacrolimus. Suspected acute rejection requiring steroid pulse therapy occurred in 21% of patients during the follow-up period. Eight patients (13%) developed chronic lung allograft dysfunction during the follow-up period. The 1-year and 5-year survival rates after lung transplantation were 95% and 76%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that prolonged bolus intravenous tacrolimus administration in the early phase after lung transplantation is a safe and effective alternative to enteric, sublingual, or continuous intravenous administration.

High Frequency of Acute Adverse Cardiovascular Events After Lung Transplantation in Patients With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Receiving Preoperative Long-Term Intravenous Prostacyclin.

Adverse cardiovascular events after lung transplantation (LT) increase the mortality in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Long-term intravenous prostacyclin is the usual treatment in severe patients with PAH, but it may increase the risk of hemorrhage due to its antiplatelet aggregation effect or thrombocytopenia. We investigated the impact of length of intravenous prostacyclin therapy on acute adverse cardiovascular events including hemorrhagic complication after LT. We retrospectively compared the incidence of adverse events (death, intrathoracic hematoma and bleeding, cardiac congestion or shock, cerebral infarction and pulmonary embolism) within 30 days after LT between no/short-term (median 0.6 years, n = 13) and long-term (median 3.7 years, n = 15) intravenous prostacyclin groups. There were no differences in the dose of intravenous prostacyclin and pulmonary artery pressure between the two groups. Among 22 adverse events (0.8 ± 1.1 events/patient), 4 events occurred in the no/short-term intravenous prostacyclin group and 18 occurred in the long-term intravenous prostacyclin group. The event rate per patient in the long-term intravenous prostacyclin group (1.2 ± 1.3 events/patient) was significantly higher than that in the no/short-term intravenous prostacyclin group (0.3 ± 0.5 events/patient) (P < 0.05). Intrathoracic hematoma and bleeding was the most frequent adverse event (9 events, 41%). Preoperative long-term intravenous prostacyclin therapy increases acute adverse cardiovascular events after LT in patients with PAH.

Successful Lung Transplantation Using a Deceased Donor Mechanically Ventilated for Ten Months.

A successful outcome after lung transplant was achieved using lungs donated from a teenage boy who underwent prolonged mechanical ventilation. The donor experienced hypoxic brain damage and was declared brain dead 324 days after tracheal intubation. At the time of referral, the donor's lungs revealed diffuse radiologic infiltration and atelectasis but excellent function, with a PaO2/FiO2 ratio of 450. The lungs were transplanted to a 10-year-old girl with bronchiolitis obliterans. She developed grade 2 primary graft dysfunction, but recovered quickly. She is doing well and has not experienced any other critical adverse events 12 months after lung transplantation.

Pregnancy and delivery after myelomeningocele repair, ventriculoperitoneal shunt implantation, and augmentation cystoplasty.

INTRODUCTION: Management of pregnancy and delivery of a patient with a history of myelomeningocele requires a multidisciplinary team approach. CASE REPORT: We report a case of pregnancy and delivery by a patient who had a history of myelomeningocele surgical repair, ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt, and bladder augmentation enterocystoplasty. Regarding types of delivery style, anesthesiologists recommended a Cesarean section under general anesthesia. However, urologists recommended a vaginal delivery because they were concerned that she would require a nephrostomy because of severe adhesion between her uterus and the neobladder if she had a Cesarean section. DISCUSSION: In a pregnant myelomeningocele patient with a VP shunt, neurosurgeons are expected to manage the VP shunt during pregnancy and delivery. The possible types of delivery style and the best options based on the neurological deficit should be discussed together with a medical team.