[An approach to vacuum-assisted closure therapy using the S-B Vac].

Vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) therapy is increasingly applied for patients with wound dehiscence or mediastinitis caused by surgical site infection (SSI) after open-heart surgery. We have used wall suction for such cases in the past. But this method was an obstacle for improvement of the quality of life (QOL) of the patient. Since the S-B Vac is portable, this equipment may allow wound healing without decreasing QOL. Here, we report a case in which VAC therapy was performed using the S-B Vac.

Long term outcome of femoropopliteal bypass for claudication and critical ischemia.

We performed 167 femoropopliteal bypass surgeries in 151 patients (95 patients underwent above-knee bypass and 56 below-knee bypass) from December 1985 to December 2000 with the use of prosthetic graft or autologous vein graft. We compared primary patency rates between age, sex, graft material, distal anastomotic site and severity of ischemia, considering their survival rates to elucidate the long-term outcome of above-knee and below-knee femoropopliteal bypass. The 10 year patency rate for above-knee bypass was 47.4%, compared to 36.9% for below-knee ( p < 0.01). Better results were found after bypass surgery for claudicants than for critical ischemia ( p < 0.05). With regard to graft material and age categories, there were unexpectedly no statistical differences in either above-knee or below-knee anastomosis. The survival rate at 10 years in claudicants was 51.2%, compared to 15.9% with critical ischemia ( p < 0.01). Mortality was much influenced by ischemic heart disease ( p < 0.002) and the age of patient ( p < 0.05). The results after above-knee bypass had comparable patency, whereas the results after below-knee bypass were disappointing. Below-knee arterial reconstruction for claudicants should be carefully considered and might be recommended only to patients with critical ischemia.

Ischemic intestinal involvement in a patient with Buerger disease: case report and literature review.

A 42-year-old Japanese man who had undergone amputation of the left leg below the knee because of Buerger disease required emergency thrombectomy 7 months later. He complained of acute abdominal pain after thrombectomy. At aortography the distal superior mesenteric artery and its branches were not well visualized. Emergency laparotomy was performed because of suspected intestinal ischemia, and the terminal ileum and cecum and part of the ascending colon were resected. In total, the patient underwent laparotomy four times. Histopathologic findings revealed that the arteries and veins of the resected small intestine were occluded with organized thrombi. Inflammatory cell infiltration was recognized mainly in the intima. These findings are compatible with Buerger disease.