Penile Replantation After Five Hours of Warm Ischemia.

Although a rare occurrence, this event may occur as a result of self-mutilation among individuals with psychiatric disturbances or due to work-related accidents, iatrogenic injuries or the actions of individuals motivated by jealously, rage and feelings of betrayal. In western societies, most penile amputations are the result of self-aggression during a psychotic episode, the treatment of victims involves resuscitation, stabilization and immediate psychiatric support. The amputated tissue must be preserved under hypothermic conditions. Micro-surgery is currently the most widely employed method for penile replantation. This paper describes a successful case of penile replantation following 5 hours of warm ischemia.

Differences among patients undergoing perineal or retropubic radical prostatectomy in pain and perioperative variables: a prospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare pain in the first 24 h, the perioperative variables and the histopathological results among patients who had perineal (PRP) and retropubic radical prostatectomy (RRP), in a randomized trial. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with localized prostate cancer were accrued after selection using inclusion and exclusion criteria; they were prospectively randomized into four different groups: P1 (PRP with general anaesthesia), P2 (RPP with general plus epidural anaesthesia), R1 (RRP with general anaesthesia), and R2 (RRP with general plus epidural anaesthesia) and data collected for age, body mass index, prostate weight, serum prostate-specific antigen level, Gleason score and clinical stage. Pain after RP was evaluated using numerical and oral scales, and by morphine intake delivered by a patient-controlled analgesia pump. Perioperative features assessed prospectively were operating time, intraoperative bleeding, time to diet, time to ambulation, hospital stay and complications. Immediate oncological results were assessed based on histopathological evaluation, e.g. Gleason score, tumour volume, prostate volume, surgical margins and final pathological stage. RESULTS: Between October 2004 and October 2007 80 patients were accrued (mean age 63 years, range 42-80). The groups were similar for preoperative data, but group R1 had larger prostates (P = 0.001). For postoperative pain, group R1 had a significantly greater intensity of pain, based on the visual analogue scales, and greater morphine intake during the first 24 h than the other three groups. Groups P1 and P2 had significantly less bleeding (511 and 612 mL) than groups R1 and R2 (926 and 1165 mL; P < 0.001), regardless of both prostate size and anaesthesia. Complications occurred in 27.5% and 25% (not significant) of patients after PRP and RRP, respectively. There were no differences in positive surgical margin rate and histopathological evaluation among the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who had RRP with general anaesthesia had a greater intensity of pain and higher morphine intake than the other groups. Men who had PRP had significantly less bleeding and shorter hospital stay than those having RRP.

Heparin-antivenom association: differential neutralization effectiveness in Bothrops atrox and Bothrops erythromelas envenoming

Heparin, in some regions of Brazil has been used in the treatment of bothropic accidents, but the data found in the literature are inconclusive about its effectiveness. The venoms of Bothrops atrox and of B. erythromelas were characterized according to their biological activities. The capacity of heparin in neutralizing these activities was tested with doses of 3 and 6 IU in isolated form and associated to Antibothropic Serum (ABS). It was verified that heparin, in doses of 3 and 6 IU, was not effective in neutralizing the desfibrinating and edema-forming activities of B. atrox venom and the hemorrhagic and coagulant actions of both venoms. Heparin diminished the effectiveness of the ABS in the neutralization of the hemorrhagic and edema-forming activities of the B. atrox venom. However, heparin in the 6 IU dose was capable of neutralize the edema-forming of the B. erythromelas and increase the effectiveness of the ABS. Heparin also neutralized the phospholipasic A2 activity of B. atrox (14.3 percent) and B. erythromelas (28.0 percent) venoms. For B. erythromelas venom, the associated treatment, heparin and ABS, was more effective in the neutralization of its lethal activity