Continuous positive airway pressure in immediate postoperative period after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: is it safe?

BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnea is a common condition in the morbidly obese population. Many patients undergoing bariatric surgery require postoperative continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. Few data have been published evaluating gastrointestinal anastomotic morbidity in patients receiving CPAP therapy immediately after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB). The objective of the present study was to examine the short-term morbidity of postoperative CPAP in patients after LRYGB in a research setting. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed a prospectively collected database of 310 patients who underwent LRYGB from June 2005 to August 2006. The hospital and office charts and respiratory treatment records were reviewed from the completion of surgery until the first postoperative visit at 2 weeks. The data collected included age, gender, body mass index, presence of obstructive sleep apnea, in-patient CPAP use, and perioperative complications. Patients were divided into 2 groups: those who used immediate postoperative CPAP therapy and those who did not. Patients requiring revisional surgery and other bariatric procedures were excluded from the present series. RESULTS: Postoperative CPAP was required by 91 patients (29.3%) and 219 did not use CPAP (70.7%). The mean patient age was 47.2 and 43.9 years (P <.01), and the average body mass index was 52 and 46.4 kg/m(2) in the groups that did and did not require CPAP postoperatively, respectively (P <.0001). No anastomotic leaks occurred in either group, and the most common in-hospital complication, seen in 7 patients (2.2%), was basal atelectasis (3 in the postoperative CPAP group; P >.05), followed by wound infection in 4 patients overall (1.2%; 3 patients in the postoperative CPAP group; P >.05) and gastrointestinal bleeding in 1 patient (.32%) in the group without postoperative CPAP. The difference in overall morbidity, unrelated to the integrity of the anastomosis, between those who used CPAP postoperatively and those who did not was not significant (4.5% versus 3.6%, respectively; P >.05). CONCLUSION: The use of CPAP after LRYGB did not result in increased the morbidity in our patient series.

Complications after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) has recently become a feasible option in the management of morbid obesity. The objective of this study was to examine the morbidity and mortality arising from LSG as a primary procedure for weight loss. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the data of 164 patients who underwent LSG from 2004 to 2007. Patients underwent LSG as a primary procedure or as revisional bariatric surgery. The short-term morbidity and mortality were examined. RESULTS: One-stage LSG was performed in 148 patients. The major complication rate was 2.9% (4 of 149), including 1 leak (0.7%) and 1 case of hemorrhage (0.7%)-each requiring reoperation-1 case of postoperative abscess (0.7%), and 1 case of sleeve stricture that required endoscopic dilation (0.7%). One late complication of choledocholithiasis and bile duct stricture required a Whipple procedure. LSG was used as revisional surgery in 16 patients (9%); of these, 13 underwent LSG after complications related to laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, 1 underwent LSG after aborted laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, and 2 underwent LSG after failed jejunoileal bypass. One of these patients developed a leak and an abscess (7.1%) requiring reoperation. One case was aborted, and 2 cases were converted to an open procedure secondary to dense adhesions. No patient died in either group. All but 3 cases were completed laparoscopically (98%). CONCLUSION: LSG is a relatively safe surgical option for weight loss as a primary procedure and as a primary step before a secondary nonbariatric procedure in high-risk patients.

Splenic rupture after colonoscopy.

Colonoscopy is a familiar and well-tolerated procedure and is widely used as a diagnostic and therapeutic modality by both gastroenterologists and surgeons. Although perforation and hemorrhage are the most common complications, splenic injury or rupture is a rare but potentially lethal complication. We report a case of splenic rupture diagnosed 18 hours after colonoscopy, which required emergent splenectomy. We also reviewed over 39 other cases of splenic rupture or injury after colonoscopy reported in the English literature. Despite being an infrequent complication, splenic rupture warrants a high degree of clinical suspicion critical to prompt diagnosis. Most patients present with symptoms within 24 hours after colonoscopy, although delayed presentation days later has been described. CT scan of the abdomen is the radiological study of choice to evaluate colonoscopic complications. Splenic injury can be managed conservatively or with arterial embolization depending on the extent of trauma, but splenectomy remains definitive management. Clinical criteria are the primary determinants in choosing operative therapy over observation. Herein, possible risk factors for splenic trauma during colonoscopy are identified, and clinical outcomes are evaluated.

Surgical management of a hemodialysis catheter-induced right atrial thrombus.

The placement of hemodialysis catheters are widely performed by vascular surgeons and surgical residents for use in both the hospital and the outpatient setting. Although long-term complications of this type of vascular access are relatively uncommon, an appreciation is warranted for the life-threatening complication of right atrial thrombus (RAT). Once recognized, medical or surgical management is mandatory to prevent further consequences from RAT. The optimal treatment for catheter-induced RAT is still controversial. Our case and review illustrates how the routine placement of a malpositioned hemodialysis catheter in a young man can lead to the serious complication of RAT that necessitated cardiac surgery after thrombolysis failed. We describe the successful surgical management of a hemodialysis catheter-induced RAT and suggest that in cases of large, mobile RATs with adherence to both atrial wall and catheter, suspicion or evidence of pulmonary embolus (PE), and low-risk surgical candidates, open thrombectomy may be an optimal and definitive treatment.

De novo growth of a large preperitoneal lipoleiomyoma of the abdominal wall.

BACKGROUND: Extrauterine lipoleiomyomas are an uncommon finding, especially in the preperitoneum. These benign tumors have been attributed to seeding after surgical fibroid resection, exogenous hormonal therapy, or major disturbances in glucose metabolism. CASE: We are reporting the case of a postmenopausal woman without any history of gynecological surgery, hormonal therapy, or significant metabolic abnormality who developed a large, symptomatic, preperitoneal lipoleiomyoma requiring resection. The patient had an uneventful recovery with full resolution of her symptoms. CONCLUSION: Our case relates the first description to our knowledge of the de novo growth of a large lipoleiomyoma in an incisional umbilical scar independent of gynecological pathology or hormonal influence.