[Valor predictivo de la procalcitonina para la necesidad de cirugía y la presencia de isquemia y necrosis en pacientes con obstrucción del intestino delgado]. / Predictive value of procalcitonin for the need of surgery and the presence of ischemia and necrosis in patients with small bowel obstruction.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this prospective cohort study was to evaluate whether serum procalcitonin (PCT) levels predict the need for surgery and the presence of ischemia and/or necrosis (I/N) in small bowel obstruction. METHOD: Of 54 patients included, conservative management was performed in 31 (non-surgical group) and an exploratory laparotomy in 23 (surgical group). The reference value of the PCT was between 0.10 and 0.50 ng/mL. RESULTS: PCT levels were higher in the surgical group (7.05 ± 7.03 ng/mL) than in the non-surgical (0.37 ± 0.63 ng/mL), and in patients with I/N (10.06 ± 7.07 ng/mL) than without I/N (1.52 ± 1.45 ng/mL). In the ROC curve, the area under the curve was 0.91 for the need for surgery and 0.93 for I/N. PCT ≥ 0.80 ng/mL had the best sensitivity and specificity for surgery and ≥ 1.95 ng/mL for I/N. PCT was also an independent predictor for these events. CONCLUSIONS: The levels of PCT can recognize the need for surgery and the presence of I/N in small bowel obstruction. Additional studies are needed to affirm or invalidate our findings.

OBJETIVO: El propósito de este estudio de cohorte prospectivo fue evaluar si las concentraciones séricas de procalcitonina (PCT) predicen la necesidad de cirugía y la presencia de isquemia o necrosis (I/N) en la obstrucción del intestino delgado. MÉTODO: De 54 pacientes incluidos, se realizó manejo conservador en 31 (grupo no quirúrgico) y laparotomía exploradora en 23 (grupo quirúrgico). El valor de referencia de la PCT fue entre 0.10 y 0.50 ng/ml. RESULTADOS: Los valores de PCT fueron mayores en el grupo quirúrgico (7.05 ± 7.03 ng/ml) que en el no quirúrgico (0.37 ± 0.63 ng/ml), y en los pacientes con I/N (10.06 ± 7.07 ng/ml) que en aquellos sin I/N (1.52 ± 1.45 ng/ml). En la curva COR (Característica Operativa del Receptor), el área bajo la curva fue 0.91 para la necesidad de cirugía y 0.93 para la I/N. La PCT ≥ 0.80 ng/ml obtuvo las mejores sensibilidad y especificidad para una cirugía, y ≥ 1.95 ng/ml para I/N. La PCT también fue un predictor independiente para estos eventos. CONCLUSIONES: Los valores de PCT permiten reconocer la necesidad de cirugía y la presencia de I/N en la obstrucción del intestino delgado. Son necesarios estudios adicionales para reafirmar o invalidar nuestros hallazgos.

[Primary posterior perineal hernia associated with dolichocolon]. / Hernia perineal posterior primaria asociada a dolicocolon.

BACKGROUND: Primary posterior perineal hernias in men are rare. We report a case of this type of hernia associated with dolichocolon, a condition which, to our knowledge, has not been reported previously. CLINICAL CASE: A 71-year old male presenting with a perineal tumour of 40 years evolution. He had no history of perineal surgery or trauma. On physical examination, a lump of 4×3cm was observed in the right para-anal region, which increased in volume during the Valsalva manoeuvre. Computed tomography showed a defect in the pelvic floor, which was reconstructed using a roll of polypropylene mesh in the hernia defect. DISCUSSION: The case described is of interest, not only because a perineal hernia is a rare clinical entity, but also because repair using a roll of mesh has not been reported associated with a dolichocolon, which can be considered a factor risk for development. CONCLUSIONS: The surgical approach and repair technique of the pelvic floor for perineal hernias should be individualised. The use of mesh for reconstruction should always be considered. The presence of dolichocolon can contribute to the gradual development of a perineal hernia.

[Complicated diverticular disease debuting as necrotising fasciitis of pelvic limb. A case report]. / Enfermedad diverticular complicada iniciada como fascitis necrosante de miembro pélvico. Reporte de caso.

BACKGROUND: Diverticular disease, and the diverticulitis, the main complication of it, are widely studied diseases with multiple chronic cases reported in the literature, but there are no atypical presentations with extra-abdominal symptoms coupled with seemingly unrelated entities, such as necrotising fasciitis. CLINICAL CASE: Female 52 years old, was admitted to the emergency department with back pain of 22 days duration. History of importance: Chronic use of benzodiazepines intramuscularly. Physical examination revealed the presence of a gluteal abscess in right pelvic limb with discoloration, as well as peri-lesional cellulitis and crepitus that stretches across the back of the limb. Fasciotomy was performed with debridement of necrotic tissue. Progression was torpid with crackling in abdomen. Computed tomography showed free air in the cavity, and on being surgically explored was found to be complicated diverticular disease. DISCUSSION: It is unusual for complicated diverticular disease to present with symptoms extra-peritoneal (< 2%) and even more so that a diverticulitis is due to necrotising fasciitis (< 1%). The absence of peritoneal manifestations delayed the timely diagnosis, which was evident with the crackling of the abdomen and abdominal computed tomography scan showing the parietal gaseous process. CONCLUSION: All necrotising fasciitis needs an abdominal computed tomography scan to look for abdominal diseases (in this case diverticulitis), as their overlapping presentation delays the diagnosis and consequently the treatment, making a fatal outcome inevitable.

[Risk factors for nosocomial pneumonia in patients with abdominal surgery]. / Factores de riesgo para neumonía nosocomial en pacientes con cirugía abdominal.

BACKGROUND: The risk of post-operative pneumonia is a latent complication. A study was conducted to determine its risk factors in abdominal surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed that included analysing the variables of age and gender, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and smoking, serum albumin, type of surgery and anaesthesia, emergency or elective surgery, incision site, duration of surgery, length of hospital stay, length of stay in the intensive care unit, and time on mechanical ventilation. The adjusted odds ratio for risk factors was obtained using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: The study included 91 (9.6%) patients with pneumonia and 851 (90.4%) without pneumonia. Age 60 years or over (OR=2.34), smoking (OR=9.48), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR=3.52), emergency surgery (OR=2.48), general anaesthesia (OR=3.18), surgical time 120 minutes or over (OR=5.79), time in intensive care unit 7 days or over (OR=1.23), time on mechanical ventilation greater than or equal to 4 days (OR=5.93) and length of post-operative hospital stay of 15 days or over (OR=1.20), were observed as independent predictors for the development of postoperative pneumonia. CONCLUSIONS: Identifying risk factors for post-operative pneumonia may prevent their occurrence. The length in the intensive care unit of greater than or equal to 7 days (OR=1.23; 95% CI 1.07 - 1.42) and a length postoperative hospital stay of 15 days or more (OR=1.20; 95% CI 1.07 - 1.34) were the predictive factors most strongly associated with lung infection in this study.

[Sigmoido-buttock fistula by diverticulitis: report of a rare complication]. / Fístula sigmoideo-glútea por diverticulitis. Reporte de una rara complicación.

INTRODUCTION: The complicated diverticulitis of the colon is characterized by its association with abscesses, bleeding, stenosis, perforation, obstruction or fistula. We report a case of spontaneous sigmoido-cutaneous fistula from diverticulitis to an unusual place in the gluteal region. CLINICAL CASE: A 59-year-old male patient presented an inflammatory wound in left buttock without response to the conservative medical treatment. The fistulography, colonoscopy, barium enema and computed tomography showed a sigmoido-cutaneous fistula to the left buttock from diverticulitis. The biopsy of the lesion ruled out malignancy. We performed an elective sigmoid resection with primary colorectal anastomosis, partial fistulectomy and injection of a fibrin sealant in the residual tract. DISCUSSION: The colon-cutaneous fistulas from diverticulitis are relatively rare. We report a spontaneous fistula with origin in a single diverticulum in the sigmoid colon and that drained through the piriform fossa of the pelvic floor to the skin of the left buttock. CONCLUSIONS: A high index of suspiscion is necessary to not confuse the colo-buttock fistula with local abscesses.

[Analgesic efficacy of the incisional infiltration of ropivacaine vs ropivacaine with dexamethasone in the elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy]. / Eficacia analgésica de la infiltración incisional de ropivacaína vs ropivacaína con dexametasona en la colecistectomía laparoscópica electiva.

BACKGROUND: Incisional pain is the main obstacle for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy as an outpatient. We evaluated the analgesic efficacy of local infiltration of ropivacaine with dexamethasone (Rop/Dx), compared with ropivacaine (Rop) alone, during the first 24 hours postoperative of this surgery. Our hypothesis is that incisional pain intensity will be lower in patients of the group Rop/Dx. METHODS: In a randomized, controlled, double-blind trial clinical, 80 patients were divided into two groups. Group Rop (n= 40) received pre and post-incisional infiltration with 150 mg of ropivacaine in 8 mL of 0.9% saline, while group Rop/Dx (n= 40) received 150 mg of ropivacaine with 8 mg of dexamethasone in 6 mL of 0.9% saline. The intensity of pain at rest and movement was assessed at 2, 4, 8, 12 and 24 hours postoperatively by a numerical rating scale of 11 points. RESULTS: Incisional pain scores in group Rop/Dx were significantly lower, compared to the group Rop, at 12 hours (p= 0.05) and 24 hours (p= 0.01) at rest and at 12 hours (p= 0.04) and 24 hours (p= 0.01) during movement postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: We found initial evidence that ropivacaine with dexamethasone for local infiltration decreased incisional pain intensity after 12 hours post-elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy with a good safety profile.

Antecedentes: el dolor incisional es el principal obstáculo para la colecistectomía laparoscópica electiva ambulatoria. Objetivo: evaluar la eficacia analgésica de la infiltración local de ropivacaína con dexametasona (Rop/Dx) en comparación con ropivacaína (Rop) sola, durante las primeras 24 horas del postoperatorio de esta cirugía. Material y métodos: ensayo clínico aleatorizado, controlado y doble ciego, efectuado en 80 pacientes que para fines de estudio se dividieron en dos grupos. El grupo Rop (n= 40) recibió infiltración pre y post-incisional con 150 mg de ropivacaína en 8 mL de solución salina 0.9%, mientras que el grupo Rop/Dx (n= 40) recibió 150 mg de ropivacaína con 8 mg de dexametasona en 6 mL de solución salina 0.9%. La intensidad del dolor durante el reposo y el movimiento se evaluó a las 2, 4, 8, 12 y 24 horas del postoperatorio con una escala de clasificación numérica de 11 puntos. La hipótesis es que la intensidad del dolor incisional será menor en los pacientes del grupo Rop/Dx. Resultados: las puntuaciones del dolor incisional en el grupo Rop/Dx fueron significativamente menores, comparadas con el grupo Rop, a las 12 horas (p= 0.05) y 24 horas (p= 0.01) durante el reposo y a las 12 horas (p= 0.04) y 24 horas (p= 0.01) durante el movimiento postoperatorio. Conclusiones: la evidencia inicial es que la ropivacaína con dexametasona, por infiltración local, disminuye la intensidad del dolor incisional a partir de las 12 horas post-colecistectomía laparoscópica electiva con un buen perfil de seguridad.

[Treatment of open abdomen in patients with abdominal sepsis using the vacuum pack system]. / Tratamiento de abdomen abierto con el sistema de vacuum pack en pacientes con sepsis abdominal.

BACKGROUND: In abdominal sepsis, when the initial surgery fails to control infection, a good choice may be to leave the abdomen open. This is a descriptive study of a series of cases using the vacuum pack system for temporary abdominal closure. METHODS: We studied 19 patients. Demographic data were obtained, as well as those related to the vacuum pack, and the final fascial closure. We describe the technique of temporary abdominal closure. Values are presented as mean ± standard deviation (SD). RESULTS: The average length of the hospital stay was 24.7 days. Fourteen (73.7%) patients survived and five patients (26.3%) died. The mean treatment time with the vacuum pack was 12.7 days, with an average of 3.9 changes. Early fascial closing was achieved in seven patients with an average of 14.6 days. In seven patients a planned ventral hernia formed, which was repaired by separation of components on an average of 261 days or by polypropylene mesh on an average of 228 days. CONCLUSIONS: In our series, early fascial closing was achieved using the vacuum pack at a lower frequency than reported by other authors. Other parameters analyzed were similar to those reported in the literature. The vacuum pack system demonstrated to be effective, although the final selection for temporary abdominal closure will depend on the experience of the institution as well as surgeon preference. The vacuum pack system for temporary abdominal closure of the open abdomen is an effective alternative in patients with abdominal sepsis.