Abbreviated laparotomy or damage control laparotomy: Why, when and how to do it?

The goal of abbreviated laparotomy is to treat severely injured patients whose condition requires an immediate surgical operation but for whom a prolonged procedure would worsen physiological impairment and metabolic failure. Indeed, in severely injured patients, blood loss and tissue injuries enhance the onset of the "bloody vicious circle", triggered by the triad of acidosis-hypothermia-coagulopathy. Abbreviated laparotomy is a surgical strategy that forgoes the completeness of operation in favor of a physiological approach, the overriding preference going to rapidity and limiting the procedure to control the injuries. Management is based on sequential association of the shortest possible preoperative resuscitation with surgery limited to essential steps to control injury (stop the bleeding and contamination), without definitive repair. The latter will be ensured during a scheduled re-operation after a period of resuscitation aiming to correct physiological abnormalities induced by the trauma and its treatment. This strategy necessitates a pre-defined plan and involvement of the entire medical and nursing staff to reduce time loss to a strict minimum.

Feasibility of Catheter Placement Under Ultrasound Guidance for Progressive Preoperative Pneumoperitoneum for Large Incisional Hernia with Loss of Domain.

INTRODUCTION: Large incisional hernias with loss of domain (LIHLD) of the abdominal wall remain a therapeutic challenge due to the difficulty of replacing the contents of the hernia sac into the peritoneal cavity. Preoperative progressive pneumoperitoneum (PPP) is a valuable option. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of peritoneal catheter insertion under ultrasound guidance for PPP and to compare the morbidity and mortality of this new technique to previously used techniques in our department. METHODS: Medical records were reviewed retrospectively from February 1989 to April 2013 in a single institution. Three different techniques of PPP were evaluated: surgical subcutaneous implantable port (SIP), surgical peritoneal dialysis catheter (PDC), and radiologic multipurpose drainage catheter (MDC). Collected data included patients' age, sex, body mass index, medical and surgical history, hernia location, PPP technique, length of hospitalization, volume of air injected, morbidity and mortality linked to PPP, and the procedure of hernia repair. RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients with a mean age of 63.1 years were evaluated. Progressive preoperative pneumoperitoneum was performed using SIP, PDC, and MDC for 14, 11, and 12 patients, respectively. Overall morbidity related to the technique was seen in 36 % of SIP, 27 % of PDC, and 0 % of MDC. One patient from the SIP group died on the 3rd postoperative day due to septic shock following aspiration pneumonia. No postoperative mortality in the other groups was observed. CONCLUSION: The MDC is an interesting modification of the original technique and is a safe procedure. It is a minimally invasive technique with a very low risk of perforation of the viscera. Therefore, the use of a non-absorbable prosthesis with MDC technique can be offered for all patients undergoing PPP without increasing the risk of infection.

[Original vacuum dressing for the treatment of open femur fracture with gangrene immobilized by external fixation]. / Pansement aspiratif pour gangrène sur fracture ouverte du fémur immobilisée par fixateur externe.

We report a case of gangrene, which developed following an open fracture of the femur immobilized with an external fixator in a 45-year-old patient. A conventional vacuum dressing (VAC Therapy) could not be applied with the external fixator in place. An original vacuum dressing was thus fashioned after surgical debridement. Scabs were covered with calcium alginate. The lower limb was enveloped in sterile dressings and vacuum was achieved by suction with gastric tubes under adhesive films. The dressing was redone every 48 h in a surgical setting. Antibiotic prophylaxis enabled cure of the infection. Budding appeared within two weeks enabling skin grafting. Centro-medullary nailing was undertaken on day 30 to accelerate bone healing. At three months from the trauma, the initial loss of sensitivity in the leg and foot noted at the first weight bearing required programmed disarticulation of the knee after femur and wound healing. At six months, the patient had resumed his occupational activities and was pain free. This type of dressing could be useful for tissue loss over a fracture immobilized with an external fixator. This type of assembly can easily be installed in the operating room.

[Translational research and Cancer Plan]. / Recherche translationnelle et plan Cancer.

The French Cancer Plan 2003-2007 has made translational research central to its research programme, to ensure the care-research continuum and the quickest application possible for the most recent discoveries, for the patients' benefit. This is a new field of research, still little-known or ill-understood. A working group, composed of physicians and researchers from academic research and industrial research, sought to define translational research in cancerology and define the issues at stake in it. Translational research needs to develop in close connection with the patients in order to enable a bi-directional flow of knowledge from cognitive research toward medical applications and from observations made on patients toward cognitive research. Placed under the aegis of the French National Cancer Institute and Leem Research, the group has put forth a strategy for implementing translational research in cancerology in France to make it attractive, competitive and efficient and to foster the development of public-private partnerships.

[Surgical glove use in France]. / Le gantage chirurgical en France: une évolution lente mais nécessaire.

Since the end of the 19th century, surgeons have used gloves to prevent infectious complications to the patient. The AIDS epidemic of the 1980's sparked the use of universal precautions to protect the surgeon from infection and vice-versa. The interface between surgeon and patient is in effect a two-way street. Surgical techniques must be modified and barrier protection optimized to minimize these risks. A single layer glove is a fragile barrier to blood exposure; unrecognized glove perforations may lead to unrecognized and prolonged exposure. Double gloving, though far from being a widespread practice in France, seems to be the best protection from pathogen exposure. Glove powder and latex allergies have their own inherent risks to both surgeon and patient in the form of latex allergies and adhesive peritonitis. New institutional protocols will be necesssary in order to make powder-free non-latex gloves available to French surgeons.

[Laparoscopic Janeway gastrostomy: an advantageous solution for self-sufficient enteral feeding]. / Gastrostomie tubulisée coelioscopique : une solution avantageuse pour une nutrition entérale autonome.

INTRODUCTION: Laparoscopic gastrostomy according to Janeway (LGJ) is an alternative to percutaneous gastrostomy techniques. METHODS: A series of 10 LGJ is reported. The laparoscopic technique involves an isoperistaltic tube of 6-7 cm of length and 10-12 mm of diameter is created by 2 applications of linear stapling and cutting device. The tube is led out, opened and fixed to the fascial and cutaneous planes and a Foley catheter is inserted. RESULTS: Mean operation time was 35 minutes. There was no complication. The LGJ was indicated in 9 patients with tumour of the pharynx and 1 patient with encephalopathy. CONCLUSION: The main drawback of the LGJ is the need of general anaesthesia. The main advantage is the creation by minimal invasive surgery of a permanent gastrostomy equipped with a removable catheter easily changeable by non specialized health professionals, and even by the patient himself.

[Liver abscesses secondary to sigmoid diverticulitis: report of four cases]. / Abcès intrahépatiques secondaires à une sigmoïdite diverticulaire: à propos de quatre cas.

INTRODUCTION: Pyogenic liver abscess often revealed by right sided abdominal pain and fever is a serious and life-threatening pathology. Biliary tract disease is the origin of the abscess in most cases but sometimes remains unidentified. A sigmoid septic source sometimes paucisymptomatic or hidden by an immunosuppressive treatment must be looked for. EXEGESIS: Here are four observations of liver abscesses, which are secondary to unknown sigmoiditis. The etiologic diagnosis was made either by abdomino-pelvic computed tomography or by enema with water-soluble products completed by a coloscopy. Each patient's liver abscesses were emptied by aspiration or catheter drainage in conjunction with antibiotics. Surgical treatment of sigmoiditis was performed either at the same time or later. CONCLUSION: Any liver abscess of unknown origin must lead to a search for unknown or disguised septic sigmoid pathology. Most of the time, injected abdomino-pelvic computed tomography makes the diagnosis possible, but enema associated with coloscopy is sometimes necessary.

[Damage control laparotomy for haemorragic abdominal trauma. A retrospective multicentric study about 109 cases]. / La laparotomie écourtée dans les traumatismes abdominaux hémorragiques. Etude multicentrique rétrospective sur 109 cas.

AIM OF THE STUDY: Damage control laparotomy is a new approach to the more severe abdominal traumas. It stems from a better understanding of the physiopathology of the haemorragic shock. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A national retrospective study from 27 centers about 109 trauma patients who underwent a damage control procedure between January 1990 and December 2001, is analysed. Surgical procedures included 97 hepatic packing, 10 abdominal packing, 4 exclusive skin closure, 1 open laparotomy technique and 3 digestive stapplings. RESULTS: The mortality rate is 42%. Eleven abdominal compartment syndromes have occurred with 7 decompressive laparomy (4 deaths). CONCLUSION: This study is based on the largest series of damage control laparotomy published in France. Results in terms of mortality and morbidity are similar to those of published studies from the USA.

A new case of congenital cyst of the pancreas.

A new case of congenital cyst of the pancreas is reported. A 34-year-old woman was admitted with a painless, large, epigastric mass. Ultrasonography revealed an anechogenic retrogastric tumor. Computed tomography scan described a liquid cyst of the pancreas which was 15 cm in diameter. During surgery, a well-delimited translucent cyst was found and no local malignancy was observed. Extensive distal pancreatic resection with preservation of the spleen was performed and a thin part of cephalic pancreas was preserved. The liquid of the cyst did not contain any mucus. Microscopic study of the cyst wall described normal cuboidal cells and congenital cyst of the pancreas was diagnosed. Several diagnoses including hydatid cyst, pseudocyst and cystic tumors of the pancreas are discussed. Before surgery, lack of acute pancreatitis in recent medical history rules out pseudocyst and hydatid cyst. During the operation, if cystadenocarcinoma is easily ruled out, macrocystic serous cystadenoma is more difficult to exclude. Only histological examination of the cystic wall confirms the difference between cystadenoma and congenital cyst which remains an exceptional entity.

[Electronic detection of breaks in the surgeon-patient barrier. Evaluation of protective clothing in visceral surgery]. / Détection électronique des ruptures de la barrière opérateur-opéré. Evaluation de la protection vestimentaire en chirurgie viscérale.

STUDY AIM: Breakdown of the aseptic surgeon-patient barrier causing abnormal contact between skin and body fluids represents a risk for transmission of infectious disease. Such breakdowns are frequently not perceived by the surgical team over prolonged periods. The aim of this prospective randomized study was to evaluate the protection afforded by double gloving and reinforced gowns in visceral surgery. METHODS: An electronic device detected breakdowns of the surgeon-patient barrier in a series of 80 surgical procedures, randomly assigned to double or single gloves, and normal or reinforced gowns. Fluid contacts due to glove perforation, glove porosity or gown wetting were recorded during 151 individual participations covering 238 hours. Surgical procedures were called deep for incisions of more than 10 cm. RESULTS: Deep surgical procedures carried a sevenfold-increased risk of barrier breakdown, compared with superficial ones. Skin contacts through wet gowns were not prevented by the use of double thickness materials, but double gloving reduced the number of perforation and porosity alarms twofold in both superficial and deep surgery. CONCLUSION: Without electronic detection, 96% of barrier breakdowns would remain undetected by the surgical team and lead to prolonged contact with potentially contaminating-fluids. The use of double gloving provides a real protection against contamination risk.

Intraperitoneal chemohyperthermia with mitomycin C for digestive tract cancer patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis.

BACKGROUND: Most patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis of digestive tract origin die within 6 months. Intraperitoneal chemohyperthermia (IPCH) associated with surgery has been reported as a possible new therapeutic approach. METHODS: A prospective Phase II trial was carried out with 83 patients who had digestive tract cancer and peritoneal carcinomatosis to evaluate the tolerance and efficacy of IPCH with mitomycin C (MMC) associated with surgery. Eighty-six IPCH treatments with MMC were given as complementary therapy after surgery (peritoneal perfusate with a 10 mg/L dose of MMC; inflow temperature, 46-49 degrees C; use of a closed circuit; duration, 90 minutes). Primary tumors were mainly gastric (in 42 cases) or colorectal (in 27 cases). RESULTS: Mortality and morbidity occurred in 3 of 83 cases and 8 of 83 cases, respectively. For patients with resectable tumors, the median survival time was 16 months when carcinomatosis was Stage I and II (malignant granulations less than 5 mm in greatest dimension), whereas it was 6 months when carcinomatosis was Stage III and IV (malignant granulations more than 5 mm in greatest dimension). For patients with resectable gastric cancer and Stage I and II carcinomatosis, 1-, 2-, and 3-year actuarial survival rates were 80%, 61%, and 41%, respectively, whereas the rate was 10% at 1 year for patients with bulky disease (Stage III and IV). CONCLUSIONS: IPCH appears to be a promising new approach to treating patients with digestive tract cancers and peritoneal carcinomatosis with small, malignant granulations (Stage I and II).

Peritoneal carcinomatosis from non-gynecologic malignancies: results of the EVOCAPE 1 multicentric prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) is a common evolution of digestive cancer, associated with a poor prognosis. Yet it is poorly documented in the literature. METHODS: Three hundred seventy patients with PC from non-gynecologic malignancies were followed prospectively: the PC was of gastric origin in 125 cases, of colorectal origin in 118 cases, of pancreatic origin in 58 cases, of unknown origin in 43 cases, and of miscellaneous origins in 26 cases. A previously reported PC staging system was used to classify these 370 patients. RESULTS: Mean and median overall survival periods were 6.0 and 3.1 months, respectively. Survival rates were mainly affected by the initial PC stage (9.8 months for Stage I with malignant peritoneal granulations less than 5 mm in greatest dimension, versus 3.7 months for Stage IV with large, malignant peritoneal masses more than 2 cm in greatest dimension). The presence of ascites was associated with poor survival of patients with gastric or pancreatic carcinoma. Differentiation of the primary tumor did not influence the prognoses of patients with PC. CONCLUSIONS: A better knowledge of the natural history of PC is needed, in view of the many Phase I, II, and III trials currently being conducted to evaluate aggressive multimodal therapeutic approaches to treating patients with PC from non-gynecologic malignancies.

Electronic evaluation of the value of double gloving.

BACKGROUND: Breakdown of the surgeon-patient barrier represents a risk for transmission of infectious disease. Such breakdowns are frequently not recognized by the surgical team. The protection afforded by double gloving under normal operating conditions was evaluated. METHODS: An electronic device detected breakdown of the surgeon-patient barrier in a series of 80 surgical procedures, randomly assigned to either double or single gloving. Fluid contact due to glove perforation, porosity or gown wetting was recorded during 151 individual surgeon episodes covering 238 operator-hours. Surgical procedures were called superficial for incisions of less than 10 cm. RESULTS: Double gloving reduced the number of perforation and porosity alarms twofold in both superficial and deep surgical procedures. Deep procedures carried a sevenfold increased risk of barrier breakdown compared with superficial procedures, the risk being greatest for the principal operator. CONCLUSION: Without electronic detection, a large majority of barrier breakdowns would remain undetected by the surgical team and lead to prolonged contact with potentially contaminating body fluids. The use of double gloving provides real protection against such contamination risks.

Peritonectomy combined with intraperitoneal chemohyperthermia in abdominal cancer with peritoneal carcinomatosis: phase I-II study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility and the tolerance of Peritonectomy Procedure (PP) combined with Intraperitoneal Chemohyperthermia (IPCH) in patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis, a phase I-II study has been realised from January 1997 to September 1998. METHODS: Eighteen patients were included for peritoneal carcinomatosis from colorectal cancer (13), ovarian cancer (2), gallbladder cancer (1), gastric cancer (1) and peritoneal mesothelioma (1). Peritoneal carcinomatosis were mainly advanced disease (16 stage 3 and 4, 2 stage 2). All the patients underwent surgical resection of their primary tumor with PP as described by Sugarbaker and IPCH (with Mitomycin C, Cisplatinum or both). IPCH used in this study was a "closed sterile circuit" device with inflow temperatures ranging from 46 to 48 degrees C. IPCH was performed on the same day as PP (8118) or delayed (10/18). RESULTS: Significant down-staging of peritoneal carcinomatosis was achieved for 16 patients. One patient died postoperatively, while the morbidity rate was 6/18 (long postoperative ileus, grade 3 leucopenia and anastomotic leakage). CONCLUSIONS: Combination of PP and IPCH could achieve significant tumoral volume reduction in peritoneal carcinomatosis. This aggressive treatment must be employed selectively because of its morbidity. Larger phase III studies are now needed.