Cholelithiasis in patients on the kidney transplant waiting list

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the prevalence of cholecystopathy in chronic renal patients awaiting kidney transplants. INTRODUCTION: The prevalence and management of cholelithiasis in renal transplant patients is not well established. METHODS: A total of 342 chronic renal failure patients on the waiting list for a kidney transplant were studied. Patients were evaluated for the presence of cholelithiasis and related symptoms, previous cholecystectomies and other abdominal surgeries, time on dialysis, and general data (gender, age, number of pregnancies, and body mass index). RESULTS: Cholelithiasis was found in 41 out of 342 patients (12 percent). Twelve of these patients, all symptomatic, had previously undergone cholecystectomies. Five out of 29 patients who had not undergone surgery were symptomatic. Overall, 17 patients (41.5 percent) were symptomatic. Their mean age was 54 (range 32-74) years old; 61 percent were female, and their mean body mass index was 25.4. Nineteen (76 percent) out of 25 women had previously been pregnant, with an average of 3.6 pregnancies per woman. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of cholelithiasis was similar to that reported in the literature for the general population. However, the high frequency of symptomatic patients points toward an indication of routine pre-transplant cholecystectomy to avoid serious post-transplant complications.

Biópsia pulmonar a céu aberto: quando indicar? / Open-lung biopsy: when to indicate?

Os autores objetivaram avaliar as correlações entre o momento da indicação da biópsia pulmonar a céu aberto, o estado clínico do paciente e as complicações decorridas. Foram analisados 34 pacientes de novembro de 1974 a abril de 1995. Os pacientes incluídos no estudo foram classificados, segundo o seu estado físico e risco anestésico-cirúrgico, pelo sistema da Sociedade Americana de Anestesiologia (ASA) nos víveis I, II, III, IV e V. Também foram agrupados, de acordo com o padrão respiratório, nas seguintes categorias: não-comprometidos, uso de oxigenoterapia, indicação de intubação e ventilação mecânica.

The objective of this work was to avaliate the correlations between the moment of open-lung biopsy indication, the patient clinical status and its complications. Thirty-four patients were studied in the period of november of 1974 to april of 1995. They were classified by their physical status and anaesthetic surgery risc by ASA on, I, II, II, IV and V levels and they were classed according to the respiratory standard in: no compromise, requiring oxygen therapy, met intubation and mechanical ventilation.