Trovafloxacin in the treatment of intra-abdominal infections: results of a double-blind, multicenter comparison with imipenem/cilastatin. Trovafloxacin Surgical Group.

BACKGROUND: Trovafloxacin, a new broad-spectrum fourth-generation quinolone, has in vitro activity against most gram-negative and gram-positive anaerobes and aerobes. Trovafloxacin is available as both an intravenous formulation, alatrofloxacin, and a single daily oral tablet. Excellent tissue pharmacokinetics and oral bioavailability suggest usefulness in the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections. Thus, the efficacy of alatrofloxacin followed by oral trovafloxacin was compared with the standard regimen of intravenous imipenem/cilastatin followed by oral amoxicillin/clavulanic acid in this prospective, multicenter, double-blind trial. METHODS: Patients were randomized to receive either 300 mg alatrofloxacin daily followed by 200 mg oral trovafloxacin daily or 1 g imipenem/cilastatin intravenously thrice daily followed by 500 mg oral amoxicillin/clavulanic acid thrice daily for up to 14 days following surgical intervention of a documented intra-abdominal infection. Efficacy was assessed at the end of therapy and at follow-up (day 30). RESULTS: At the end of the study, cure or improvement occurred in 83% (129/156) and 84% (127/152) of clinically evaluable patients in the trovafloxacin and comparative groups, respectively. Pathogen eradication rates, adverse-event profiles, and significant laboratory abnormalities were comparable between groups. CONCLUSION: Intravenous alatrofloxacin with or without oral trovafloxacin was as effective as intravenous imipenem/cilastatin followed by oral amoxicillin/clavulanic acid in complicated intra-abdominal infections.

Atraumatic hemobilia arising from a cirrhotic liver.

Biliary hemorrhage may occur in a variety of clinical settings, but spontaneous hemobilia has not been reported from a cirrhotic liver. We describe a case of major hepatic hemobilia in a patient with cirrhosis and no history of trauma. A 50-year-old woman had abdominal pain, melena, and profound anemia. An extensive workup did not show the site of bleeding but did show a mass in the gallbladder. Cholecystectomy was performed, and at operation the patient was found to have cirrhosis and portal hypertension. The gallbladder "mass" was simply an organized clot, and hemorrhage recurred postoperatively. On reoperation, bleeding from the ampulla of Vater was observed, confirming the diagnosis of hemobilia. She was treated with angiographic interruption of hepatic arterial flow, at which time bleeding ceased. Her total transfusion requirements included 46 units of blood. Through 16 months of follow-up the patient has had no recurrent bleeding and no evidence of encephalopathy. This case demonstrates that spontaneous hemobilia may indeed arise from a cirrhotic liver. Proximal interruption of arterial flow is usually not recommended for hemobilia, especially in the presence of portal hypertension and cirrhosis, but may be life-saving in selected patients.

Splenectomy for immune thrombocytopenic purpura.

Of 481 splenectomies performed at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, 78 (16.2%) were for immune (idiopathic) thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). The mean platelet count prior to therapy was 13,800/cu mm (range, 500 to 80,000/cu mm). All but two patients were initially treated with corticosteroids, and 58.2% responded with an increase in platelets (mean, 77,900/cu mm). The indications for splenectomy included (1) failure to respond to steroids (33.8%); (2) inability to taper steroids (52.1%); (3) recurrent ITP (5.6%); and (4) miscellaneous (8.5%). There was one death following splenectomy, and the postoperative morbidity was 14.1%. Complete remission occurred in 77.3%, and 84.8% were judged to have benefited from the procedure. The remission rate following splenectomy in patients who responded to preoperative steroids was 93.2%, whereas improvement fell to 68.3% in patients who failed to respond to steroids. This study confirms the benefit of splenectomy for ITP and demonstrates a predictive correlation with response to preoperative preparation with corticosteroids in these patients.

Mallory-Weiss: suture plication without gastrotomy.

A new method of surgical treatment is described for the Mallory-Weiss tear that is not controlled by conservative measures. This technique uses a team approach combining endoscopy with simultaneous laparotomy to plicate the Mallory-Weiss tear without opening the gastrointestinal tract. We believe this method offers equal or better vision of the lesion than gastrotomy and will significantly lower the morbidity and perhaps the mortality associated with violating the integrity of the gastrointestinal tract.