[A standard questionnaire to reduce the routine battery of preoperative tests for elective surgery]. / Utilidad de un cuestionario estandarizado para disminuir el uso rutinario de estudios preoperatorios en cirugía electiva.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative medical testing in the United States is estimated at $3,000,000 USD per year. In an attempt to reduce this cost, some key points have been described with the purpose of promoting appropriate preoperative measurements with an adequate costObjective: To evaluate the utility of a preoperative standardized questionnaire in adult patients prior to elective surgery to detect which patients could be operated without laboratory testing. METHOD: An observational, prospective and analytic study was carried out. The questionnaire has been applied to 176 patients, all adults scheduled for elective surgery from April 2011 to March 2012. RESULTS: There were 57.4% females and 42.6% males. Ages varied between 18 and 85 years old, with a median of 46 years; 40.3% of the patients were > 50 years old and 59.7% were < 50 years old. The negative predictive value of the questionnaire is 95.88% (CI 95.34-96.42%). CONCLUSION: This questionnaire is a useful instrument to determinate the necessity of preoperative laboratory testing in young, clinical healthy and elective surgery patients in a general hospital.

Antecedentes: el costo de los exámenes preoperatorios en Estados Unidos se calcula en 3,000 millones de dólares anuales. Con la intención de disminuir este costo se han descrito algunos puntos clave que pueden promover una preparación preoperatoria con un adecuado costo-beneficio. Objetivo: evaluar la utilidad de la aplicación de un cuestionario estandarizado a pacientes adultos llevados a cirugía electiva para identificar a los que pudieran ser operados sin necesidad de estudios preoperatorios. Material y métodos: estudio observacional, prospectivo, analítico, en el que se aplicó un instrumento evaluador estandarizado a pacientes adultos para determinar la necesidad de realizar estudios preoperatorios programados para procedimientos electivos de cirugía general de abril de 2011 a marzo de 2012. Resultados: el cuestionario se aplicó a 176 pacientes, 57.4% mujeres y 42.6% hombres. La edad varió entre 18 y 85 años, con una media de 46 años. El 40.3% de los pacientes eran mayores de 50 años, y 59.7% menores de 50 años de edad. El valor predictivo negativo del cuestionario fue 95.8% (IC 95.34-96.42%). Conclusión: este cuestionario es una herramienta útil, que permite identificar a los pacientes jóvenes, clínicamente sanos, que no requieren estudios de laboratorio prequirúrgicos para cirugía electiva de cirugía general.

[Laparoscopic choledochoduodenostomy as an optional treatment choledocholithiasis]. / Coledocoduodenoanastomosis laparoscópica como opción terapéutica en coledocolitiasis compleja.

INTRODUCTION: Choledochoduodenostomy is indicated for unsolved choledocholithiasis and biliary malignant or benign stenosis. This surgical procedure has been feared for its potential complications. This article shows our initial experience with this laparo-endoscopic approach. METHODS: We performed laparoscopic choledochoduodenoastomy in seven elderly patients with recurrent or unsolved choledocholithiasis. Additionally, laparo-endoscopic extraction of gallstones was performed in necessary cases. We gathered and analyzed the demographic data, diagnostic proofs and follow up of the patients. RESULTS: Average age of patients was 71 years, with 57.1% of women in our population. Main omorbidities of our patients included obesity in 71.4%, diabetes mellitus type 2 in 57.4%, and arterial hypertension in 42.85%. Patients had in average 2.7 previous episodes of choledocholithiasis and/or cholangitis and the average diameter of the removed stones was 22.6 mm. Average follow-up was 155 days (range 28 to 420). DISCUSSION: Laparoscopic chooledochoduodenostomy has proved to be safe, effective and be superior to open surgery, as long as an appropriate selection of patients is performed and surgeons with experience on laparoscopic techniques are available. All these factors reduce the long-term complications with which this surgical procedure has been related. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic choledochoduodenostomy is an option for the definitive surgical treatment of "difficult choledocholithiasis" in elderly patients with multiple comorbidities; it also offers the advantages of the minimally invasive approaches.

Mejoría en el score de riesgo cardiovascular por la cirugía bariátrica / Improvement in the cardiovascular risk score due to bariatric surgery

Introducción: La obesidad se ha considerado como un factor de riesgo para desarrollar eventos coronarios agudos. Los principales factores para desarrollar este tipo de enfermedades están presentes en la mayoría de los pacientes sometidos a cirugía bariátrica. Objetivo: Evaluar el riesgo cardiovascular de los pacientes sometidos a cirugía bariátrica en forma preoperatoria y postoperatoria tras un seguimiento a dos años. Sede: Hospital General ''Dr. Manuel Gea González''. Diseño: Estudio retrospectivo, longitudinal, observacional y comparativo. Material y métodos: Pacientes de la clínica de cirugía bariátrica, operados con la técnica de bypass gástrico, calculando el riesgo cardiovascular de forma preoperatoria y posteriormente a dos años de seguimiento. Resultados: Se incluyeron 64 pacientes (13 hombres y 51 mujeres). La edad promedio de los hombres fue 42 años su índice de masa corporal promedio fue 49.44 kg/m², la puntuación del riesgo cardiovascular preoperatoria fue: 5.15 (2-9). Al seguimiento a dos años su índice de masa corporal promedio disminuyó a 36.23 kg/m², la puntuación del riesgo cardiovascular fue: 2.38 (0-5). En las mujeres la edad promedio fue de 36 años, su índice de masa corporal promedio previo a la cirugía fue 45.32 kg/m², la puntuación del riesgo cardiovascular fue: 4.3 (-10 a 13). A un seguimiento de dos años su índice de masa corporal promedio fue 28.64 kg/m² (20.1-42.1), la puntuación del riesgo cardiovascular fue -4.1 (-11 a 8). Conclusión: La cirugía bariátrica no sólo ha demostrado ser un método eficaz y seguro para la disminución del peso corporal en pacientes con obesidad mórbida, también aquí se demuestra que disminuye el riesgo cardiovascular que poseen estos pacientes.

Introduction: Obesity has been considered a risk factor for acute coronary events. The main factors to develop this type of diseases are present in most of the patients subjected to bariatric surgery. Objective: To assess the cardiovascular risk of patients subjected to bariatric surgery preoperatively and at 2-years follow-up. Setting: General Hospital ''Dr. Manuel Gea González''. Design: Retrospective, longitudinal, observational, and comparative study. Patients and methods: Patients from the bariatric surgery clinic, operated with the gastric bypass technique, calculating the cardiovascular risk preoperatively and at 2-year follow-up. Results: The study included 64 patients (13 men and 51 women). Average age of men was 42 years, their average body mass index was 49.44 kg/m², preoperative cardiovascular risk score was 5.15 (2-9). At 2-year follow-up, their BMI diminished to 36.23 kg/m², the cardiovascular risk score was 2.38 (0-5). In women, average age was of 36 years, their body mass index before surgery was of 45.32 kg/m², the cardiovascular risk score was 4.3 (-10 a 13). At 2-year follow-up, their average body mass index reduced to 28.64 kg/m² (20.1-42.1), and the cardiovascular risk score was -4.1 (-11 to 8). Conclusion: Bariatric surgery has not only been demonstrated as an efficacious and safe method to reduce body weight in patients with morbid obesity but also to diminish the cardiovascular risk depicted by these patients.