A surgical care practitioner (SCP) completed a structured training programme to perform all aspects of varicose vein surgery including sapheno-femoral disconnection and long saphenous vein stripping. Over a four-year period, she performed 152 groin procedures, closed 191 groin wounds and undertook phlebectomies on 91 legs with excellent results. A SCP can be used to improve theatre utilization and efficiency with no obvious drawbacks.
Chronic vitamin D deficiency, inadequate calcium intake, and secondary hyperparathyroidism are common in obese individuals, placing them at risk for low bone mass and metabolic bone disease. After bariatric surgery, they are at even higher risk, owing to malabsorption and decreased oral intake. Meticulous preoperative screening, judicious use of vitamin and mineral supplements, addressing modifiable risk factors, and monitoring the absorption of key nutrients postoperatively are essential in preventing metabolic bone disease in bariatric surgery patients. ■ KEY POINTS Metabolic bone disease in obese patients is multifactorial: causes include sequestration of vitamin D in the adipocytes, inadequate nutrition due to chronic dieting, and lack of physical activity. Before bariatric surgery, one must look for and treat preexisting nutritional deficiencies.
A prospective study of four cycles of etoposide with ifosfamide and cisplatin (VIP) chemotherapy was conducted in 42 germ cell tumor (GCT) patients who were refractory to cisplatin with etoposide/vinblastine-based therapy. Forty patients were evaluable for response. Ten patients (25%) had a complete response: seven to chemotherapy alone and an additional three patients after surgical resection of viable GCT. With a median follow-up of 15 months, four complete responders relapsed, and six patients (15%) remain in remission. Hematologic and nephrotoxicity were moderately severe. Durable complete responses with VIP as second salvage were achieved and suggests that ifosfamide adds efficacy to standard first-salvage therapy. The observed nephrotoxicity and myelotoxicity are considerations in the design of ifosfamide-cisplatin-based regimens. Hematopoietic growth factors may be useful in ameliorating myelotoxicity. The early use of ifosfamide-based chemotherapy may reduce the nephrotoxicity exacerbated by prior cisplatin. A trial of VIP as first salvage after a relapse from a complete response to platinum-based induction therapy is warranted. The modest proportion of patients who achieve a durable remission to VIP as second salvage emphasizes the need for more efficacious salvage therapy for patients who do not achieve a durable complete response.
Obesity, which is becoming endemic in the United States, causes a significant challenge for reconstructive surgeons. This study evaluates postoperative complications and impact of weight loss in the high body mass index (BMI) population undergoing breast reconstruction with abdominal free flaps. A retrospective review of 182 consecutive patients was performed. Patients were divided into groups according to their BMI at the time of surgery (preoperative BMI) and presence of weight loss, and data were compared among groups. Multivariate analysis of effect of preoperative BMI on complications revealed that overall flap (P = 0.008) and donor (P = 0.016) complication rates were significantly higher in the obese group. Analysis of preoperative weight loss did not yield a statistically significant reduction in flap (P = 0.5161) or donor (P = 0.8034) complication rates. Univariate analysis showed that higher preoperative BMI is associated with higher risk of systemic complications (P = 0.027). It is important to inform patients preoperatively that weight loss, although beneficial for ease of procedure and quality of life, does not diminish their increased risk of complications. Body mass index during surgery is the most important predictor of complications.
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