Towards spill-free in-bag morcellation: a health failure mode and effects analysis.

BACKGROUND: To assess potential risks of new surgical procedures and devices before their introduction into daily practice, a prospective risk inventory (PRI) is a required step. This study assesses the applicability of the Health Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (HFMEA) as part of a PRI of new technology in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery. METHODS: A reference case was defined of a patient with presumed benign leiomyoma undergoing a laparoscopic hysterectomy or myomectomy including in-bag power morcellation; however, pathology defined a stage I uterine leiomyosarcoma. Using in-bag morcellation as a template, a HFMEA was performed. All steps of the in-bag morcellation technique were identified. Next, the possible hazards of these steps were explored and possible measures to control these hazards were discussed. RESULTS: Five main steps of the morcellation process were identified. For retrieval bags without openings to accommodate instruments inside the bag, 120 risks were identified. Of these risks, 67 should be eliminated. For containment bags with openings 131 risks were identified of which 68 should be eliminated. Of the 10 causes most at risk to cause spillage, two can be eliminated by using appropriate bag materials. Myomectomy appears to be more at risk for residual tissue spillage compared to total hysterectomy. CONCLUSION: The HFMEA has provided important new insights regarding potential weaknesses of the in-bag morcellation technique, particularly with respect to hazardous steps in the morcellation process as well as requirements that bags should meet. As such, this study has shown HFMEA to be a valuable method that identifies and quantifies potential hazards of new technology.

[A pregnant woman with a blood vessel in the membrane]. / Een zwangere vrouw met een bloedvat in de vliezen.

In a 34-year-old woman with a dichorionic twin pregnancy, a velamentous insertion of the umbilical cord of the second twin was diagnosed with ultrasound. During caesarean section the second child was born within the membranes; the velamentous insertion was clearly visible.

Pellagra: a non-communicable disease of poverty.

Pellagra is a disease of poverty that is treatable but easily overlooked. The disease is caused by a deficiency of niacin and is clinically characterized by the triad of dermatitis, diarrhoea and dementia. We describe two cases of pellagra in a Malawian district hospital and discuss the pathogenesis, clinical manifestations and treatment of the disease.