Supplementation of enteral nutritional powder decreases surgical site infection, prosthetic joint infection, and readmission after hip arthroplasty in geriatric femoral neck fracture with hypoalbuminemia.

BACKGROUND: Nearly half of elderly patients with hip fracture were malnourished, indicated with a serum marker of hypoalbuminemia. Malnutrition was a risk factor for poor outcomes in geriatrics after hip replacement. The purpose of this study was to investigate if oral nutritional supplementation after the procedure in geriatrics with hypoalbuminemia was beneficial for outcomes. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of older (≥ 65 years old) patients suffering femoral neck fracture and undergoing hip replacement with hypoalbuminemia was conducted. Outcomes were compared between patients with and without postoperative nutritional supplementation. RESULTS: There were 306 geriatric patients met the criteria. Following adjustment for baseline characteristics, patients with nutritional supplementation showed a lower grade of wound effusion with adjusted OR 0.57 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.36 to 0.91, P < 0.05). And also a lower rate of surgical site infection (5.5% compared with 13.0% [adjusted OR 0.40, 95% CI, 0.17 to 0.91, P < 0.05]), periprosthetic joint infection (2.8% compared with 9.9% [adjusted OR 0.26, 95% CI, 0.08 to 0.79, P < 0.05]), and 30 days readmission (2.1% compared with 8.7% [adjusted OR 0.22, 95% CI, 0.06 to 0.79, P < 0.05]). The average total hospital stay was longer in patients without nutritional supplementation (10.7 ± 2.0 compared with 9.2 ± 1.8 days, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that postoperative nutritional supplementation is a protective factor for surgical site infection, periprosthetic joint infection, and 30-days readmission in geriatric with hypoalbuminemia undergoing a hip replacement. Postoperative nutritional supplementation for these patients should be recommended.

Negative pressure wound therapy in infants and children: a single-institution experience.

BACKGROUND: Information regarding the use of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) in the pediatric population is limited. Because of adverse outcomes in adult patients, the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning in 2011 about the use of NPWT in infants and children. METHODS: We performed an institutional review board-approved, single-institution, retrospective review of pediatric patients who had undergone NPWT from 2007-2011. We collected the types of wounds for which NPWT was initiated, the NPWT outcomes, and the complications encountered. RESULTS: The data from 290 consecutive patients were reviewed. Their average age was 9.3 y (range 12 d to 18 y), and their average weight was 46.5 kg (range 1.1-177). Of the wounds, 66% were classified as acute, 10% as chronic, and 24% as traumatic. The two most common indications were surgical wound dehiscence (n = 47) and skin grafting (n = 41). NPWT was used in 15 wounds containing surgical hardware, with 2 devices requiring eventual removal. NPWT was used for a median of 9 d per patient (two dressing changes). Complications occurred in 5 patients (1.7%). Documentation problems were noted in 44 patients. After NPWT, about one-third of the patients (n = 95 patients) were able to undergo delayed primary closure. CONCLUSIONS: NPWT is an effective adjunct in wound healing and closure in the pediatric population, with no mortality ascribed to NPWT. Also, the complication rates were low.

Parenteral nutrition does not improve postoperative recovery from radical cystectomy: results of a prospective randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: After radical cystectomy, patients are in a catabolic state because of postoperative stress response, extensive wound healing, and ileus. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether recovery can be improved with total parenteral nutrition (TPN) in patients following extended pelvic lymph node dissection (ePLND), cystectomy, and urinary diversion (UD). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We conducted a prospective, randomised, single-centre study of 157 consecutive cystectomy patients. INTERVENTION: Seventy-four patients (group A) received TPN during the first 5 postoperative days, with additional oral intake ad libitum. Eighty-three patients (group B) received oral nutrition alone. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The primary outcome was the occurrence of postoperative complications. Secondary outcomes were time to recovery of bowel function, biochemical nutritional (serum albumin, serum prealbumin, serum total protein) and inflammatory (C-reactive protein) parameters, length of hospital stay, and costs attributed to the TPN. The Pearson χ(2) test was used for dichotomous variables; the Wilcoxon rank sum test was used for continuous variables. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Postoperative complications occurred in 51 patients (69%) in group A and in 41 patients (49%) in group B (p=0.013), a difference resulting from group A having more infectious complications than group B (32% vs 11%; p=0.001). Serum prealbumin and serum total protein were significantly lower in group B on postoperative day 7 but not on postoperative day 12. Time to gastrointestinal recovery and length of hospital stay did not differ between the two groups. The costs for TPN were €614 per patient. A potential limitation is the use of a glucose-based parenteral nutrition without lipids. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative TPN is associated with a higher incidence of complications, mainly infections, and higher costs following ePLND, cystectomy, and UD versus oral nutrition alone.

Bacterial infections as complications in patients within 3 months after simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation.

INTRODUCTION: Simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation (SPK) is associated with high risk of infectious complications. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to evaluate the incidence of bacterial infections within 3 months after SPK transplantation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 17 patients with type 1 diabetes at the age of 32-54 years (mean age 42.5 +/- 7.1) were retrospectively analyzed within 3 months after SPK. RESULTS: No septic complications were observed in 2 patients (12%). In the remaining 15 patients (88%), at least 1 (from 1 to 5, a total of 30) infection episode was observed during follow-up. The infections were located: only at the surgical site (1 patient--6.7%), only in the urinary tract (6 patients--40%), both at the surgical site and in the urinary tract (7 patients--46.7%), at the surgical site and in blood (1 patient--6.7%). 2 groups of microbes were predominant, namely enterococci represented by 1 species, E. faecium (13 isolates) and the so-called intestinal bacilli, Enterobacteriaceae (19 isolates). No methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains were isolated. Candida species fungi were isolated only 3 times. CONCLUSIONS: In our study only 2 types of infections were observed (urinary tract and surgical site infections) and each of them comprised nearly half of all the septic episodes recorded. Gram-negative bacilli were collected more often than Gram-positive cocci, both from the surgical site and urinary tract infections. All infections ended with full recovery.

Reduced postoperative infections with an immune-enhancing nutritional supplement.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Malnutrition is a significant risk factor for postoperative infections in patients undergoing oncologic surgery. This study was undertaken to determine if perioperative nutritional supplementation with an immune-enhancing formula is superior to standard formula in the prevention of postoperative infectious complications. STUDY DESIGN: This was a prospective, randomized, double-blind trial comparing perioperative nutritional supplementation with Impact and standard nutritional formulas. METHODS: Following stratification, 136 patients undergoing oncologic head and neck surgery were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups: preoperative/postoperative Impact, postoperative Impact, preoperative/postoperative standard formula, and postoperative standard formula. Outcome measures included laboratory evaluations of nutritional status, infectious and wound healing complications, and duration of hospitalization. Statistical analysis was performed using chi2 or two-tailed Fisher Exact Tests, when appropriate. RESULTS: Intent-to-treat (P = .02) and actual therapy (P = .04) analyses revealed a significant decrease in the incidence of postoperative infectious complications (all sites) in patients who received Impact. There was no significant difference in wound healing problems or duration of hospitalization. Postoperative measures of nutrition status demonstrated a higher serum albumin (P = .05) in patients who received Impact compared with standard formula. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with standard formula, perioperative nutritional supplementation with Impact significantly reduced the incidence of infectious complications. The length of hospitalization was significantly prolonged in patients with postoperative infections, suggesting potential cost savings with the use of immune-enhancing formulas such as Impact.