Usefulness of free pericardial fat pads as pledgets for air leaks in pulmonary resection.

PURPOSE: Intraoperative control of air leaks is important for preventing prolonged air leaks after surgery. The usefulness of suturing free pericardial fat pads (FPFPs) as pledgets for repairing air leaks was investigated. METHODS: A total of 111 patients who underwent anatomical lung resection and required suture repair for intraoperative air leaks were retrospectively reviewed. Mattress sutures were performed using polyglycolic acid (PGA) sheets (PGA group; n = 60) in the early period (April 2014 to March 2018) and FPFPs (FPFP group; n = 51) in the late period (April 2018 to March 2021) as pledgets. RESULTS: More patients had a history of smoking in the FPFP group than in the PGA group. The duration of air leakage was significantly shorter (mean 1.2 vs. 3.5 days, p = 0.002) and prolonged air leakage (> 5 days) was less frequently observed (23.3% vs. 5.9%, p = 0.016) in the FPFP group than in the PGA group. The FPFP group had fewer cases requiring pleurodesis and with recurrent air leaks than in the PGA group. In one case in the FPFP group, fat necrosis with fibrosis and fibrous adhesion to the visceral pleura was found on a pathological examination. CONCLUSION: Parenchymal repair using FPFPs as pledgets can reduce prolonged air leaks after surgery.

Clinical significance of postoperative pulmonary complications in elderly patients with lung cancer.

OBJECTIVES: An increasing number of elderly patients with impaired immunity, malnutrition and comorbidities are considered surgical candidates. This study aimed to clarify the predictive factors and prognostic impact of postoperative pulmonary complications in elderly patients with lung cancer. METHODS: This retrospective study included 188 patients (≥75 years) who underwent complete anatomical lung resection for non-small cell lung cancer between 2005 and 2019. Postoperative pulmonary complications graded ≥II in the Clavien-Dindo classification, occurring within 30-day post-surgery were evaluated. Multivariate logistic regression analyses and Cox proportional hazard models were used to analyse predictors and prognostic impact of complications. RESULTS: Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery was performed in 154 patients (81.9%). The 90-day mortality rate was 0.5%. Postoperative pulmonary complications including air leak, pneumonia, sputum retention, atelectasis, bronchopleural fistula and empyema occurred in 29 patients (15.4%). A lower prognostic nutritional index (<45) and longer operative time were independent predictive factors of pulmonary complications, with 33.3% of patients experiencing both factors. Following a median follow-up of 48 months, the 5-year overall and relapse-free survival rates were significantly worse in patients with pulmonary complications than in those without them (54.4% vs 81.5% and 41.2% vs 74.9%). Pulmonary complications were significantly associated with worse overall and relapse-free survival [hazard ratio (95% confidence interval): 1.97 (1.01-3.66), P = 0.047 and 2.35 (1.28-4.12), P = 0.007, respectively] along with pathologic stage and carcinoembryonic antigen levels. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative pulmonary complications are associated with a lower prognostic nutritional index and prolonged operative time; the complications are independent adverse prognostic factors in elderly patients.

High Neutrophil Count as a Negative Prognostic Factor for Relapse in Patients with Thymic Epithelial Tumor.

PURPOSE: Preoperative neutrophil count is reportedly associated with poor prognosis in cancer patients. This study aimed to investigate the clinical significance of pre-treatment peripheral blood cell counts in patients with thymic epithelial tumors (TETs). METHODS: A retrospective review of 71 patients with completely resected TETs [64 thymoma, 6 thymic carcinoma, and 1 thymic neuroendocrine tumor] between 2000 and 2018 was conducted. Associations between tumor recurrence and pre-treatment peripheral blood cell counts of leukocytes (WBC), neutrophils (Neut), lymphocytes (Lymph), monocytes (Mono), and platelets (Plt) were analyzed. Optimal cut-off points were selected using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis to predict tumor recurrence. RESULTS: High WBC (≥ 7000), Neut (≥ 4450), and Plt (≥ 226 × 103) counts had significantly poor relapse-free survival (RFS), but high Lymph (≥ 1950) and Mono (≥ 400) did not. High Neut had the strongest correlation with recurrence (area under curve, 0.800); we focused on the analysis between high-Neut and low-Neut groups. High Neut count significantly correlated with smoking history, pre-treatment C-reactive protein level, and advanced stage; high Neut count and aggressive histology tended to show correlations. RFS was significantly poorer in the high-Neut group than in the low-Neut group (p = 0.003), with 5-year RFS rates of 63.8% and 96.8%, respectively. High Neut count was a significant adverse predictor for RFS and cumulative incidence of recurrence (p = 0.005 and p < 0.001, respectively). The risk scoring system comprising high Neut count, advanced stage, and aggressive histology demonstrated better prognostic ability than any prognostic factors alone. CONCLUSIONS: High Neut count significantly correlated with TET recurrence, suggesting a negative prognostic effect of latent inflammation in TET patients.

Total hip arthroplasty following Girdlestone arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: Complications associated with re-implantation of total hip arthroplasty (THA) after resection arthroplasty for the treatment of primary septic hip arthritis or infected THA and bipolar hemiarthroplasty (BHA) are not well-documented. Furthermore, no comparison has been made between septic arthritis (SA) and infected THA and BHA. We divided subjects into two groups for evaluation: a SA group and an infected THA or BHA group. METHODS: Nineteen hips in 19 patients (12 in the SA group, 7 in the infected THA or BHA group) with an average of 77 months of follow-up from the time of re-implantation THA were retrospectively evaluated. RESULTS: The average Japanese Orthopaedic Association hip score improved from 50 points (range, 30 to 73 points) preoperatively to 80 points (range: 64 to 96 points) at the time of the final follow-up (p < 0.01). Intra- and postoperative complications occurred in 11 cases, including intraoperative fracture in 1 hip, deep infection in 6 hips, dislocation in 7 hips, and septic loosening of acetabular component in 2 hips. Following re-implantation, further surgical revision was required in four cases. Two revisions were performed for recurrent infection: one patient had recurrent dislocation of one hip, and one patient had recurrent infection and dislocation. The number of hips with relapsed infection in the infected THA or BHA group (5 hips) was significantly higher than that in the SA group (1 hip) (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Re-implantation after septic hip arthritis or infected THA or BHA was an effective treatment for improving the activity of daily life, especially the gait function. Furthermore, 94.7% of patients were free of infection at the latest follow-up. However, the rate of recurrence of infection was 31.6%, and re-implantation after resection arthroplasty following infected THA or BHA led to a lower rate of infection control than that after primary SA.