While the prevalence of overweight was high among Jordanian children compared with that in the neighboring countries, the prevalence of obesity was lower.

Despite similar multimodality treatment of postoperative pain after IHR, patients who underwent CCP required significantly less opioid analgesia and reported less pain.

Obesity impacts intraoperative complexity and 30-day postoperative outcomes. Long-term functional outcomes are not affected. These findings underscore the need to counsel patients on preoperative weight loss before undergoing elective IPAA.

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BACKGROUND The window for safe reoperation in early postoperative (<6 weeks) small bowel obstruction (ESBO) is short and intimately dependent on elapsed time from the initial operation. Laparoscopic procedures create fewer inflammatory changes than open laparotomies. We hypothesize that it is safer to reoperate for ESBO after laparoscopic procedures than open. METHODS Review of patients who underwent re-exploration for ESBO from 2003 to 2009 was performed. Based on the initial operation, patients were classified as “open” or “laparoscopic.” The Revised Accordion Severity Grading System was used to define complications as minor (1 to 2) or severe (3 to 6). RESULTS There were 189 patients identified (age 55 years, 48% male): 130 open and 59 laparoscopic. Adhesive disease was more common (65% vs 42%, P <.01), while strictures were less frequent (5% vs 14% P = .03), in the open group. The open group had a greater rate of malignancy, days to re-exploration, and severity of complications. There was no difference in the rates of minor complications, enterotomy, and mortality. ESBO after laparoscopic surgery was more commonly caused by a focal source (85% vs 63%). Eighty-three patients (64 open, 19 laparoscopic) underwent re-exploration at or beyond 14 days. Within this subgroup, there were more severe complications (25% vs 5%) after open procedures with equivalent mortality (4% vs 0%). CONCLUSIONS Laparoscopic approaches confer a lower rate of adhesive disease and severity of complications in early SBO as compared with open surgery even if performed after 2 weeks of index procedure.

Introduction Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) have been deemed “reasonably preventable” by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) thereby eliminating reimbursement. Elderly trauma patients, however, are at high risk for developing urinary tract infections (UTI) given their extensive comorbidities, immobilization, and environmental changes in the urine which provide the ideal environment for bacterial overgrowth. Whether these patients develop CAUTI as a complication of their hospitalization or have asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) or UTI upon admission must be determined in order to justify the “reasonably preventable” classification. We hypothesize that a significant proportion of elderly patients will present with ASB or UTI on admission. Methods IRB permission was obtained to perform a prospective, observational clinical trial of all elderly (≥ 65 years) patients admitted to our Level I Trauma Center as a result of injury. Urinalysis (UA) and culture (UCx) were obtained at admission, 72 hours, and, if diagnosed with UTI, at 2 weeks after injury. Mean cost of UTI was calculated based Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates of $862 – $1,007 per UTI. Results Of 201 eligible patients, 129 agreed to participate (64%). Mean age was 81±8.6 years. All patients had a blunt mechanism of injury (76% falls) with a mean Injury Severity Score of 13.8±7.6. Of the 18 (14%) patients diagnosed with CAUTI, 14 (78%) were present at admission. Additionally, there were 18 (14%) patients with ASB on admission. The most common bacterial species present on admission urine culture were E. coli (24%) and Enterococcus (16%). Clinical features associated with bacteriuria on admission included a history of UTI, positive gram stain, abnormal microscopy, and pyuria. The estimated loss of reimbursement for 18 UTIs on admission was $15,516 – $18,126; however, given an estimated cost of $1981 to screen all patients with UA and UCx at admission, up to $16,144 savings was realized. Conclusion Many elderly trauma patients present with UTI. Screening UA and UCx on admission for elderly trauma patients identifies these UTIs and is cost-effective.

INTRODUCTION Damage control laparotomy (DCL) is a life-saving operation used in critically ill patients; however, interval primary fascial closure remains a challenge. We hypothesized that flaccid paralysis of the lateral abdominal wall musculature induced by Botulinum Toxin A (BTX), would improve of rates of primary fascial closure, decrease duration of hospital stay (LOS), and enhance pain control. METHODS Consenting adults who had undergone a DCL at two institutions were prospectively randomized to receive ultrasound-guided injections of their external oblique, internal oblique, and transversus abdominus muscles with either BTX (150cc, 2units/cc) or placebo (150cc 0.9%NaCl). Patients were excluded if they had a BMI>50, remained unstable or coagulopathic, were home O2 dependent or had an existing neuromuscular disorder. Outcomes were assessed in a double-blinded manner. Univariate and Kaplan Meier estimates of cumulative probability of abdominal closure were performed. RESULTS We randomized 46 patients (24 BTX, 22 placebo). There were no significant differences in demographics, comorbidities, and physiological status. Injections were performed on average 1.8 ± 2.8 days after DCL (range 0-14). The 10-day cumulative probability of primary fascial closure was similar between groups: 96% for BTX (95% CI 72%-99%) and 93% for placebo (95% CI 61%-99%); HR =1.0 (95% CI 0.5-1.8). No difference between BTX and placebo groups was observed for LOS (37 vs 26 days, p=0.30) or intensive care unit stay (17 vs 11 days, p=0.27). There was no difference in median morphine equivalents following DCL. The overall complication rate was similar (63% vs 68%, p=0.69), with 2 deaths in the placebo group and 0 in the BTX group. No BTX or injection procedure complications were observed. CONCLUSION Use of BTX after DCL was safe but did not appear to affect primary fascial closure, LOS, or pain modulation after DCL. Given higher than expected rates of primary fascial closure, type II error may have occurred.

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