Defining a Relationship Between Postoperative Antibiotic Use and Wound Complications in the Setting of an Uncomplicated Laparoscopic Appendectomy.

INTRODUCTION: Appendicitis is a very common diagnosis that surgeons manage daily. Some surgeons are still giving antibiotics to patients suffering from uncomplicated appendicitis in the postoperative setting, despite an abundance of evidence to support a single preoperative dose of antibiotics. In this paper, we will describe the management of post-operative antibiotics at our institutions following uncomplicated appendicitis with regard to the use of antibiotics in the post-operative setting. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed analyzing post-operative antibiotic use and postoperative complications in 179 patients undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy for uncomplicated appendicitis. We retrospectively examined the patients to change our future practices as we perform appendectomies routinely, and there is practice variation at our centers. Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes for 'laparoscopic appendectomy' were used to identify the patients within our inclusion criteria. Twenty-four patients were excluded from the analysis as they had complicated appendicitis or met other exclusion criteria. We only studied the patient with uncomplicated appendicitis, as those with complicated appendicitis have a different clinical course that involves post-operative antibiotic administration or prolonged antibiotic administration with or without drain placement. Both arms of the study were homogeneous regarding patient characteristics. An independent test of the development of wound infection for those patients receiving post-operative antibiotics versus those not receiving post-operative antibiotics was conducted using the SPC XL 2010 Microsoft Excel (Redmond, USA) add-in. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. This included the odds ratio for the development of complications.  Results: There was no difference in the risk of infection rate in patients given post-operative antibiotics; however, given the odds ratio of 6.53, there is an association between an increased wound infection rate and patients who received post-operative antibiotics.  Discussion: An appendectomy is a standard surgical procedure for acute appendicitis. The guidelines for using pre-operative antibiotics in uncomplicated appendicitis are well established; however, there is no specific recommendation on whether to continue antibiotics post-operatively. However, there is significant provider variability on this topic. Antibiotic use post-operatively in clean-contaminated cases, such as uncomplicated acute appendicitis, has been associated with higher risks of surgical site infections.  Conclusion: The use of antibiotics post-operatively may not be indicated for uncomplicated laparoscopic appendectomy and may increase wound infections. A large-scale study including a larger population and extending it to other hospitals may increase statistical significance and help guide physician management.

Obesity surgery and malignancy: our experience after 1500 cases.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a risk factor for cancer and is associated with increased mortality from a number of malignancies. We describe our experience with bariatric surgery patients with a history of malignancy and review the safety and outcomes of bariatric surgery in patients with a history of cancer. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of prospectively collected data from all patients diagnosed with a malignancy before, during, or after bariatric surgery. Data on weight loss, co-morbidities, and recurrence were collected. RESULTS: From July 1999 to February 2008, 1566 patients underwent bariatric surgery. Of these 1566 patients, 36 (2.3%) had a history of malignancy before they underwent bariatric evaluation and surgery, 4 (0.26%) were diagnosed with a malignancy during their preoperative evaluation, 2 of whom subsequently underwent bariatric surgery, and 2 had intraoperative findings suspicious for malignancy; bariatric surgery was completed in both cases. The evaluation revealed renal cell carcinoma and low-grade lymphoma, respectively. No procedures were aborted because of a suspicion of malignancy. Postoperatively, 16 patients (0.9%) were diagnosed with cancer, 3 of whom had a history of malignancy: 1 with metastatic renal cell, 1 with recurrent melanoma, and 1, who had had prostate cancer, with bladder cancer. CONCLUSION: A history of malignancy does not appear to be a contraindication for bariatric surgery as long as the life expectancy is reasonable. Screening for bariatric surgery might reveal the malignancy. Bariatric surgery does not seem to have a negative effect on the treatment of malignancies that are discovered in the postoperative period.

Portal vein thrombosis after laparoscopic splenectomy for systemic mastocytosis: a case report and review of the literature.

INTRODUCTION: Laparoscopic splenectomy has become the surgical procedure of choice for various diseases of the spleen. Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) after splenectomy occurs in 0.5% to 22% of patients. Symptoms are nonspecific and include fever, abdominal pain, and epigastric distress. Risk factors for PVT after splenectomy include underlying hematologic disorders, massive splenectomy, and other hypercoagulable states. METHODS: We describe a case of PVT in a woman who underwent laparoscopic splenectomy for symptomatic splenomegaly secondary to systemic mastocytosis. The patient was discharged from the hospital without anticoagulation and experienced nonspecific symptoms beginning 10 days postoperatively. Diagnosis of PVT was made by contrast-enhanced abdominal computed tomography. The patient had no underlying risk factors. Anticoagulation treatment facilitated recanalization of the portal vein and this was verified by Doppler ultrasound at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: PVT after laparoscopic splenectomy is not uncommon. Signs and symptoms are vague and require a high index of suspicion for timely diagnosis. Anticoagulation is the treatment of choice and allows recanalization of the portal system in the majority of cases.

Human hybrid NOTES transvaginal sleeve gastrectomy: initial experience.

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is gaining popularity as a treatment of morbid obesity. It is a relatively new procedure with a postoperative follow-up not exceeding 5 years. The natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgical procedures are also gaining in popularity, and we are now experiencing the first transition from animal to human trials. We describe the first sleeve gastrectomy surgery for morbid obesity using the vagina as the natural orifice in the form of a hybrid natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery transvaginal sleeve gastrectomy, including the short-term outcomes and complications.