Quill barbed sutures in body contouring surgery: a 6-year comparison with running absorbable braided sutures.

BACKGROUND: Body contouring operations are concluded with suture closure of long incisions under tension. While an expeditious and secure repair without complications is the objective, wound closure typically consumes a substantial percentage of the operative time and too often leads to delayed wound healing and other problems. OBJECTIVES: The authors evaluate suture-line wound healing for body contouring operations with barbed suture wound closure compared with absorbable running suture closure. METHODS: In this retrospective study, wound-healing complications for a 228 consecutive-patient cohort with barbed sutures over a period of 4 years were compared with those for a prior 132 consecutive-patient cohort with absorbable running sutures over a period of 2 years. Complications were classified according to severity: grade 1 (mild), grade 2 (moderate), and grade 3 (severe). The preferred suture techniques for the closure of either thick or thin subcutaneous tissue under tension are described. The authors' clinical impressions are also presented. RESULTS: Patients whose wounds were closed with absorbable running sutures had a significantly greater incidence of complications at all severity grades of severity than did those with barbed suture closures, with the exception of grade 3 (severe) complications in thighplasty. Logistical regression was <1, and the confidence interval was also <1, in support of these results. CONCLUSIONS: Proper barbed suture selection and 2-layer technique led to a statistically significant lower rate of wound-healing complications as compared with prior experience with traditional running braided absorbable sutures. Other benefits were more rapid speed of closure, adequate security of the wound closure, and increased surgeon satisfaction. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

Trends and predictors for vagotomy when performing oversew of acute bleeding duodenal ulcer in the United States.

BACKGROUND: In the era of Helicobacter pylori treatment, the role of vagotomy in bleeding duodenal ulcers is debatable. National outcomes were evaluated to determine the current surgical treatment and use of vagotomy for bleeding duodenal ulcers. METHODS: Data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) were used from years 1999 to 2003. Patients were selected using diagnostic codes for acute duodenal ulcer bleed and procedure codes for simple oversew of a bleeding ulcer and vagotomy. Data were analyzed using multiple linear and logistic regression. RESULTS: Between 1999 and 2003, 100,931 patients with an acute bleeding duodenal ulcer were identified. Over time, there was a decrease in the number of acute bleeding ulcers (p = 0.027) and a decrease in the number of vagotomies (p = 0.027). A high co-morbidity index [odds ratio (OR), 0.60, p = 0.017], operation in the Midwest (OR 0.50, p < 0.001) and operation in the West (OR 0.68, p = 0.034) were predictive of no vagotomy during surgery for a bleeding duodenal ulcer. CONCLUSIONS: A vagotomy is not commonly performed during surgical treatment of an acute bleeding duodenal ulcer. This variation in practice was not fully explained by patient characteristics. We must seek new evidence to determine the safety of combined medical and surgical management of this clinical problem.

Surgical management of inguinal hernia.

The Lichtenstein repair is now the gold standard for open hernia repairs. This repair is easier to learn and easy to implement for the average general surgeon. Open mesh repairs are not the end-all in hernia operations, however, and surgeons must retain the knowledge for open tissue-based procedures. Laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair is a safe alternative to open repair for inguinal hernias but is much more operator dependent. Open mesh repair has a lower recurrence rate when compared with TEP or TAPP repairs for less experienced laparoscopists. Laparoscopic repair has a quicker return to work, is associated with less postoperative pain, and has a better cosmetic result. It is more difficult to learn, however, and hospital costs are higher. Surgeons need to look at their own numbers and experience to decide which approach is better given the clinical situation based on their proficiency with the various techniques.

Long-term results of Armstrong beveled grommet tympanostomy tubes in children.

OBJECTIVE: Many different tympanostomy tubes have been developed with different sizes, shapes, compositions, and coatings. Despite the frequency of ventilation tube placement, very few large studies have examined the outcomes of patients receiving this procedure. An ideal tube would be easy to insert and would extrude at a predictable interval without complications. This study was performed to assess outcome measures and complication rates of the Armstrong beveled grommet tube. DESIGN: A retrospective case series of patients who had Armstrong beveled grommet tympanostomy tubes placed over a 3 year period by two Children's Hospital of Wisconsin pediatric Otolaryngology staff. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patient age, diagnosis, operative findings, and time to tube extrusion were reviewed. Otorrhea, perforation, and cholesteatoma rates were also assessed. RESULTS: Five hundred seven consecutive patients who had Armstrong tubes placed were reviewed. One thousand ninety-six Armstrong tubes were placed in these patients. Follow-up to extrusion rates were available for 756 tubes. The mean patient age at tube placement was 33.3 months, and the median age was 23 months. Mean and median times to extrusion were 16.5 and 15.5 months. One hundred sixty episodes of otorrhea were noted in 148 patients. Four patients had histories of cholesteatoma, none of which developed in conjunction with Armstrong tubes. Ten (1.32%) perforations that have not resolved over time were noted after Armstrong tube placement. CONCLUSIONS: Armstrong beveled grommet tympanostomy tubes have complication rates comparable with those reported for Armstrong or other short-acting tubes in smaller series.

Recent trends and predictors in immediate breast reconstruction after mastectomy in the United States.

INTRODUCTION: Immediate breast reconstruction after mastectomy has increased in frequency during the past decade, but the socioeconomic and patient factors have yet to be fully identified. METHODS: Data were analyzed from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 1999 to 2003 using International Classification of Disease-9 codes to identify patients undergoing immediate breast reconstruction. Regression analyses were used to examine predictive variables for immediate breast reconstruction after mastectomy. RESULTS: Between 1999 and 2003, 469,832 patients underwent mastectomy. Immediate breast reconstruction occurred in 110,878 patients, yielding a 5-year average rate of 23.6% (range of 22.2% to 25.3%). Independent predictors of immediate breast reconstruction after mastectomy include private insurance, hospital in an urban location, teaching hospital, white race, hospital region in the south, age between the 3rd and 6th decades, and low number of comorbidities. CONCLUSIONS: Immediate breast reconstruction after mastectomy is still not commonly performed in the United States. Socioeconomic and geographic factors play a significant role in whether patients undergo immediate reconstruction.

Increasing use of endovascular therapy in acute arterial injuries: analysis of the National Trauma Data Bank.

OBJECTIVE: The application of endovascular technology for the emergency treatment of traumatic vascular injuries is a new frontier. This study examines recent nationwide use of endovascular therapy in acute arterial traumatic injuries. METHODS: This retrospective study used the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB). Cases with a diagnosis of arterial vascular injury were identified according to the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification, and procedure codes for endovascular therapy were selected. A descriptive analysis and multiple regressions were performed to identify variables predictive of outcomes. RESULTS: From 1994 to 2003, 12,732 arterial injuries were identified. Between 1997 (when the first endovascular repair was recorded in the NTDB) and 2003, 7286 open arterial repairs and 281 endovascular repairs were recorded for an overall utilization rate for endovascular procedures of 3.7%. The yearly number of endovascular procedures registered in the NTDB increased 27-fold, from four in 1997 to 107 in 2003. Use of stents substantially increased from 12 in 2000 to 30 in 2003; endograft use increased from one in 2000 to 37 in 2003. Nearly equal numbers of blunt (n = 134) and penetrating (n = 111) injuries were treated. The injury severity score (median, interquartile range [IRQ]) was significantly lower in patients who underwent an endovascular procedure at 13 (IRQ, 9 to 26) for trauma vs patients requiring an open procedure at 20 (IRQ, 10 to 34; P < .001), a finding corroborated by the lower number of associated injuries in patients undergoing endovascular repair (8.7 +/- 7.2 vs 13.0 +/- 16.1, P < .001). Using multivariable regression to control for differences in injury severity score and associated injuries, mortality was significantly lower for patients undergoing endovascular procedures (odds ratio, 0.18; P = .029) including those with an arterial injury of the torso or head and neck (odds ratio, 0.51, P = .007). Total length of hospital stay also tended to be lower for patients undergoing endovascular procedures by 18% (P = .064). CONCLUSION: The use of endovascular therapy in the setting of acute trauma is increasing in a dramatic fashion and is being used to treat a wide variety of vessels injured by blunt and penetrating mechanisms. Endovascular therapy appears to be particularly suitable for patients who present with less severe injuries and greater hemodynamic stability. These preliminary data suggest that the use of endovascular therapy for acute traumatic arterial injuries yields shorter lengths of stay and improved survival.

Comparing outcomes after transthoracic and transhiatal esophagectomy: a 5-year prospective cohort of 17,395 patients.

BACKGROUND: Debate continues over whether transhiatal esophagectomy (THE) offers decreased morbidity and mortality compared with transthoracic esophagectomy (TTE). To definitively answer this question, we used the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database to compare morbidity and mortality after THE and TTE. STUDY DESIGN: Using ICD-9 procedure codes, we queried the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database for patients undergoing THE and TTE. Multivariate statistical analysis was completed to compare morbidity, mortality, length of stay, and hospital volume analysis between the groups. RESULTS: Between 1999 and 2003, 17,395 patients included in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample underwent esophagectomy. Mean patient age was similar in those undergoing THE and TTE (61.9 versus 62.0 years, respectively). Overall morbidity and mortality after esophagectomy were 50.7% and 8.8%, respectively. In-hospital mortality after THE was 8.91% compared with 8.47% after TTE (p=0.642). Multivariate regression analysis showed no difference in the incidence of mediastinitis, wound, infectious, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, systemic, procedure-related, or overall complications or hospital length of stay between the two groups. Controlling additionally for hospital volume showed high-volume centers (more than 10 esophagectomies per year) had significantly lower mortality rates than low-volume centers (10 or fewer esophagectomies per year, p=0.024). Additionally, low-volume centers have a higher incidence of gastrointestinal and systemic complications in the TTE group (p=0.048 and p=0.038, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This large-volume, multicenter study constitutes the largest cohort in the literature to compare outcomes after THE and TTE. These findings indicate the outcomes after THE and TTE for esophageal disease are equivalent, although higher-volume centers will have lower morbidity and mortality.

Variations reported in surgical practice for bleeding duodenal ulcers.

BACKGROUND: To determine the current surgical management of bleeding duodenal ulcers in our program, faculty (FAC) and residents (RES) were surveyed. METHODS: FAC (n = 33) and RES (n = 42) were surveyed regarding their surgery of choice between oversew (OS) or acid-reducing procedures (ARPs) in 4 scenarios. FAC who had recertified in general surgery (RECERT) were compared with young FAC who had not and RES (RES/young FAC). Two-group comparisons were performed. RESULTS: Seventy-three percent of FAC and 62% of RES responded. RES perform more ARPs on hemodynamic (HD), unstable, elderly patients than FAC (P = .013). On the elderly patient, RES/young FAC perform more ARPs in a HD stable (P = .07) and unstable condition (P = .18). HD unstable patients would undergo OS more frequently than stable patients (P = .016). CONCLUSIONS: In this survey, the choice of optimal surgical procedure for an acute bleeding ulcer varies among surgeons based on years of surgical experience and individual patient factors.