Phlebotomy resulting in controlled hypovolemia to prevent blood loss in major hepatic resections (PRICE-2): study protocol for a phase 3 randomized controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Blood loss and red blood cell (RBC) transfusion in liver surgery are areas of concern for surgeons, anesthesiologists, and patients alike. While various methods are employed to reduce surgical blood loss, the evidence base surrounding each intervention is limited. Hypovolemic phlebotomy, the removal of whole blood from the patient without volume replacement during liver transection, has been strongly associated with decreased bleeding and RBC transfusion in observational studies. This trial aims to investigate whether hypovolemic phlebotomy is superior to usual care in reducing RBC transfusions in liver resection. METHODS: This study is a double-blind multicenter randomized controlled trial. Adult patients undergoing major hepatic resections for any indication will be randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to either hypovolemic phlebotomy and usual care or usual care alone. Exclusion criteria will be minor resections, preoperative hemoglobin <100g/L, renal insufficiency, and other contraindication to hypovolemic phlebotomy. The primary outcome will be the proportion of patients receiving at least one allogeneic RBC transfusion unit within 30 days of the onset of surgery. Secondary outcomes will include transfusion of other allogeneic blood products, blood loss, morbidity, mortality, and intraoperative physiologic parameters. The surgical team will be blinded to the intervention. Randomization will occur on the morning of surgery. The sample size will comprise 440 patients. Enrolment will occur at four Canadian academic liver surgery centers over a 4-year period. Ethics approval will be obtained at participating sites before enrolment. DISCUSSION: The results of this randomized control trial will provide high-quality evidence regarding the use of hypovolemic phlebotomy in major liver resection and its effects on RBC transfusion. If proven to be effective, this intervention could become standard of care in liver operations internationally and become incorporated within perioperative patient blood management programs. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03651154 . Registered on August 29 2018.

An unusual cause of pericardial effusion: A case report of a hepatic abscess following foreign body migration and duodenal perforation.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Although foreign bodies are a rare cause of gastrointestinal tract perforation, they may serve as a nidus for hepatic abscess. Abdominal pain is the most common presenting symptom. We present a case of an ingested pen causing duodenal perforation and hepatic abscess several months after initially presenting with a pericardial effusion. CASE PRESENTATION: A 59-year-old female living in an intensive tertiary mental health facility was noted to have an incidental pericardial effusion during work-up for hyponatremia. Seven months later, she developed a new fever and was noted to have interval increase in the pericardial effusion size. This prompted further investigation which finally revealed that an ingested pen had perforated through the first part of the duodenum and caused an abscess in the left lobe of the liver. The pericardial effusion was presumed secondary to local inflammation. Upon discovery of the abscess, the patient underwent successful operative management including abscess drainage, foreign body extraction, and duodenal repair. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: Reports of hepatic abscess from foreign body causing duodenal perforation are rare, with bone fragments and toothpicks the most common foreign bodies implicated. There is one other previously reported case of an ingested pen. Abdominal pain is present in up to 85% of cases, but fever may be the only presenting symptom. CONCLUSION: Foreign body migration causing a hepatic abscess may present non-specifically with unexplained fever or even pericardial effusion. Psychiatric comorbidities may contribute to delays in diagnosis due to difficulties recalling the episode of ingestion.

Effect of epidural analgesia on postoperative opioid requirements following elective laparotomies performed at Vancouver General Hospital.

BACKGROUND: Enhanced recovery pathways aim to reduce postoperative opioid use and opioid-related complications. These pathways often include epidural analgesia (EA). This study examines postoperative opioid use after elective laparotomy with and without EA. METHODS: Retrospective chart review of elective laparotomies performed by General Surgery at a tertiary academic center during 2017 was completed. Primary outcome was postoperative opioid usage. Secondary outcomes were time to mobilization, duration of urinary catheterization and postoperative ileus. RESULTS: Among 236 patients, 213 (90%) received EA. There was no significant difference in mean total oral morphine equivalent (OME) usage between EA and non-EA groups. Mean OME use on postoperative day three was higher in the EA group (38.0 vs 22.4 mg, p = 0.02). On multivariate analysis, preoperative opioid use was associated with increased postoperative OME consumption (regression coefficient 147.5, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort, epidural analgesia did not reduce postoperative opioid consumption.

The usefulness and costs of routine contrast studies after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy for detecting staple line leaks.

BACKGROUND: Although laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) has been shown to be a safe and effective treatment for severe obesity (body mass index ≥ 35), staple line leaks remain a major complication and account for a substantial portion of the procedure's morbidity and mortality. Many centres performing LSG routinely obtain contrast studies on postoperative day 1 for early detection of staple line leaks. We examined the usefulness of Gastrografin swallow as an early detection test for staple line leaks on postoperative day 1 after LSG as well as the associated costs. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of a prospectively collected database that included 200 patients who underwent LSG for severe obesity between 2011 and 2014. Primary outcome measures were the incidence of staple line leaks and the results of Gastrografin swallow tests. We obtained imaging costs from appropriate hospital departments. RESULTS: Gastrografin swallow was obtained on postoperative day 1 for all 200 patients who underwent LSG. Three patients (1.5%) were found to have staple line leaks. Gastrograffin swallows yielded 1 true positive result and 2 false negatives. The false negatives were subsequently diagnosed on computed tomography (CT) scan. The sensitivity of Gastrografin swallow in this study was 33%. For 200 patients, the total direct cost of the Gastrografin swallows was $35 000. CONCLUSION: The use of routine upper gastrointestinal contrast studies for early detection of staple line leaks has low sensitivity and is costly. We recommend selective use of CT instead.

CONTEXTE: Même si la gastrectomie longitudinale par laparoscopie (GLL) s'est révélée sûre et efficace pour le traitement de l'obésité sévère (indice de masse corporelle ≥ 35), les fuites survenant à la ligne d'agrafes demeurent une complication majeure et sont responsables d'une bonne partie des complications et des décès associés à cette chirurgie. Plusieurs des centres effectuant des GLL procèdent au dépistage systématique des fuites à la ligne d'agrafes en réalisant des tests avec des agents de contraste le jour suivant la chirurgie. Nous avons évalué l'utilité du test à la gastrografine comme méthode de dépistage précoce des fuites à la ligne d'agrafes au jour 1, ainsi que les coûts qui y sont associés. MÉTHODES: Nous avons mené une étude rétrospective à partir d'une base de données créée de façon prospective qui portait sur 200 patients ayant subi une GLL entre 2011 et 2014 en raison d'une obésité sévère. Les principaux indicateurs de résultats étaient l'incidence de fuites à la ligne d'agrafes et les résultats obtenus aux tests à la gastrografine. Les renseignements sur le coût des tests d'imagerie nous ont été fournis par les départements appropriés des hôpitaux. RÉSULTATS: Selon les résultats des tests à la gastrografine au jour 1 obtenus pour les 200 patients ayant subi une GLL, 3 patients (1,5 %) présentaient des fuites à la ligne d'agrafes. Il s'agissait en réalité d'un vrai positif et 2 faux négatifs. Le diagnostic des faux négatifs a ensuite été effectué par tomographie par ordinateur. La sensibilité du test à la gastrografine était donc de 33 % au cours de cette étude. Le coût total de ce test, pour les 200 patients, était de 35 000 $. CONCLUSION: Le recours à des examens systématiques du tractus gastro-intestinal supérieur au moyen d'agents de contraste pour le dépistage précoce des fuites à la ligne d'agrafes a une faible sensibilité et est associé à des coûts élevés. Nous recommandons plutôt l'utilisation sélective de la tomographie par ordinateur.

Evaluation of an initiation protocol of 4 mg of warfarin for atrial fibrillation in the outpatient setting.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the efficacy and safety of an initiation algorithm for 4 mg of warfarin in ambulatory patients with atrial fibrillation. DESIGN: Prospectively planned retrospective chart review. SETTING: Centre for Family Medicine Family Health Team in Kitchener, Ont. PARTICIPANTS: Ambulatory patients requiring anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were prescribed 4 mg of warfarin to be taken once daily for 3 days. An international normalized ratio (INR) measured on the morning of the fourth day was used to predict the maintenance dose of warfarin. Subsequent INR measurements were obtained biweekly until patients reached their actual maintenance dose. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Number of INR values greater than or equal to 4.0 before the warfarin maintenance dose was achieved. Secondary outcome measures included thromboembolic and bleeding events, number of days required to reach therapeutic INR, and correlation between predicted and actual warfarin maintenance dose. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients were included in the study. The average age was 76.0 years (range 56.0 to 89.0), and 17 patients were women. The average CHADS2 (congestive heart failure, hypertension, age ≥ 75 years,diabetes mellitus, and stroke or transient ischemic attack) score was 2.0.Only 1 patient had an INR greater than 4.0 during the study period. The mean time to achieve a therapeutic INR was 11.0 days. The day 4 INR was moderately predictive of the maintenance dose (r2 = 0.47). There were no adverse events that required medical attention during the study period. CONCLUSION: In this pilot study, an initiation algorithm for 4 mg of warfarin was safe and achieved a therapeutic INR within a reasonable time frame in outpatients with atrial fibrillation.