ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Survival in critically ill non-trauma patients may be improved by performing temporary abdominal closure using different surgical techniques. We describe the use of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) mesh for temporary abdominal closure in a group of critical patients. We also evaluate definitive abdominal wall closure in these patients once they are in a stable condition. METHOD: We conducted a study of 29 critically ill non-trauma patients who underwent temporary abdominal closure due to sepsis or abdominal compartment syndrome over 7 years at two university hospitals. We analysed factors related to surgical wound type and definitive abdominal wall closure. We evaluated the SAPS 3 severity score and used it to obtain expected mortality. We used the Clavien-Dindo System for Surgical Complications and the Ventral Hernia Working Group Classification during follow-up. RESULTS: Performing temporary abdominal closure with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene mesh was associated with a mortality rate of 20.68%, which was lower than the expected mortality calculated from the SAPS 3 severity score (38.87 ± 21.60). There was no fistula formation related with this type of prosthetic material. In our study group, definitive abdominal wall closure was performed in the 16 patients who survived (69.5%), and six of them underwent this procedure during the original hospital stay. CONCLUSION: Temporary abdominal closure with ePTFE mesh is an effective alternative in some circumstances. We observed a higher survival rate than the predicted figure and there were no cases of enteroatmospheric fistulae using this particular surgical technique. ePTFE facilitates definitive abdominal wall closure, once the patient is in a stable condition.
Subject(s)
Abdominal Wall/surgery , Abdominal Wound Closure Techniques , Critical Illness/therapy , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy , Polytetrafluoroethylene , Retrospective Studies , Surgical MeshABSTRACT
PURPOSE: There is still some concern about the use of polypropylene in case of infection or contamination. The biocompatibility of the recently introduced light-weight polypropylene meshes seems to be promising. This experimental study was designed to evaluate three different weights and pore sizes of polypropylene meshes in a contamination model. METHODS: Thirty rabbits were operated through a pararectal incision. The abdomen, wound and mesh were contaminated with faecal fluid aspirated from the appendix. Groups of ten animals were studied according to three different pore sizes of polypropylene mesh implanted as an inlay technique: very large pore, large pore and medium pore. Five animals of each group were sacrificed on days 21 and 90. Incisional surgical site infection and microbiologic cultures on the 21st and 90th days were the main outcome measures. Tissue integration, shrinkage and biomechanical properties were also tested. RESULTS: Two rabbits died on day 1. There were six incisional surgical site infections (21.4%). Four animals had positive cultures with no macroscopic infection. None of the surviving rabbits with very large pore mesh had clinical infection or positive microbiologic cultures. Very large pore meshes shrank significantly more on day 21. There were no differences in the tensiometric test results. CONCLUSIONS: In our experimental model, low-weight, very large pore polypropylene meshes seem to be the best polypropylene mesh in case of intestinal contamination. These results encourage clinical investigation on the use of low-weight, very large pore polypropylene meshes in the treatment and prevention of hernias in the presence of clean-contaminated or contaminated fields.
Subject(s)
Abdominal Wall/microbiology , Bacterial Infections/microbiology , Materials Testing , Polypropylenes , Surgical Mesh/microbiology , Animals , Biocompatible Materials , Biomechanical Phenomena , Equipment Design , Female , Models, Animal , Rabbits , Surface Properties , Surgical Mesh/adverse effects , Tensile StrengthABSTRACT
GIST is the most common mesenchymal tumor of the gastrointestinal tract. The discovery of KIT proto-oncogene mutations in the pathogenesis of this tumor, and the development of imatinib mesylate, a specific inhibitor of KIT tyrosine kinase function have revolutionized the treatment of GIST. We present the clinical case of a patient with an upper digestive bleeding secondary to a jejunal GIST. Therapeutic options are highlighted.
Subject(s)
Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors/diagnosis , Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors/surgery , Jejunal Neoplasms/diagnosis , Jejunal Neoplasms/surgery , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Proto-Oncogene MasABSTRACT
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