Introduction: Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis is an emerging complication among intensive care unit (ICU) patients with COVID-19 (CAPA). In the present study, all CAPA cases during the first year of the pandemic were reviewed in critically ill patients at a 650-bed tertiary Greek COVID-19 reference hospital. Methods: Data regarding patients admitted to the ICU of Attikon Hospital in Athens, Greece, between 22 March 2020 and 28 February 2021 with a positive PCR for SARS-CoV-2 infection were reviewed. Clinical and microbiological records were analysed including demographic, clinical, laboratory and radiological features, treatment and outcomes. CAPA was determined according to the recent 2020 ECMM/ISHAM definitions. Results: A total of 179 patients were admitted in the ICU and 6 (3.3%) patients were diagnosed with CAPA (4 probable and 2 possible CAPA) with 5/6 with co-infection with multidrug-resistant (MDR) gram-negative pathogens. No patient had a history of immunosuppression. All suffered from acute respiratory distress syndrome. The median (range) time from intubation to diagnosis was 6 (1-14) days. Five patients had positive Aspergillus cultures in bronchial secretions (1 A. fumigatus, 1 A. flavus, 1A. fumigatus ? A. flavus, 1 A. fumigatus ? A. terreus and 1 A. terreus) while culture was negative in one patient. All isolates were susceptible to antifungal drugs. Serum galactomannan (GM), pan-Aspergillus PCR and (1,3)b-D-glucan (BDG) were positive in 4/6 (67%), 5/6 (83%, 3/5 in two consecutive samples) and 4/6 (67%, in consecutive samples) patients, respectively. GM and PCR positive bronchial secretions had GM indices [ 9.95 and PCR C t \ 34. All were treated with antifungal drugs with 5 out of 6 receiving isavuconazole. Mortality was 67% (4/6) with 1/4 attributed to CAPA (two died as a result of bacterial septic shock and one as a result of multiorgan failure). Conclusion:The incidence of CAPA in ICU patients was 3.3% and it was associated with approximately a 17% attributable mortality in the setting of MDR gram-negative pathogen coinfections.
The posterior and anterior fixation of the vesicourethral anastomosis during RRP results in an intact sphincteric mechanism, because no stretch is applied to the urethra, resulting in earlier continence.
Background Morgagni's hernia (MH) is defined by the protrusion of abdominal viscera through an anterior retrosternal diaphragmatic defect. The objective of this study was to systematically review current literature on MHs in adult population and assess their clinical characteristics and therapeutic approach. Methods PubMed and Cochrane bibliographical databases were searched (last search: 15 th January 2021) for studies concerning MHs. Results Inclusion criteria were met by 189 studies that included 310 patients (61.0% females) with an age of 57.37 ± 18.41 (mean ± SD) years. Pulmonary symptoms, abdominal pain, and nausea-vomit were among the most frequent symptomatology. MHs were predominantly right-sided (84.0%), with greater omentum (74.5%) and transverse colon (65.1%) being the most commonly herniated viscera. The majority of cases underwent an open procedure, while 42.3% of patients had a minimally invasive procedure. Abdominal approach was mostly preferred, while a thoracic one was chosen at 20.6% of cases and a thoracoabdominal at 3.2%. Thirty-day postoperative complications were recorded at 29 patients and 30-day mortality was 2.3%. Conclusions MH is a rare type of congenital diaphragmatic hernia which rarely manifests in adult population with atypical pulmonary and gastrointestinal symptoms. Surgery is the gold standard for their management. Open surgical approach is preferable in emergency cases, while laparoscopic surgery is favored in elective setting and is associated with shorter hospitalization. Further studies are crucial in order to elucidate etiology and optimal therapeutic approach.
This is a report of a case who was admitted and operated on for a strangulated femoral hernia. The hernia sac contained a gangrenous appendix, which was excised and the hernia was repaired with sutures without complication. De Garengeot's hernia, although very rare, should be included in the differential diagnosis of cases with strangulated hernia and should receive the optimal treatment.
Background The COVID-19 pandemic caused a rise in healthcare demands leading to significant restructuring of hospital emergency departments worldwide. The aim of the present study is twofold: firstly, to discern any differences in regard to reason for surgical emergency department (SED) attendance and hospital admission during the pandemic and pre-pandemic eras in Greece, and secondly, to assess the impact of the lockdown measures implemented during the pandemic on SED patient attendance. Methods Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Greece (1 March 2020) and up to 15 December 2020, the charts of all adult patients arriving at the SED of the third surgical department of the “Attikon” University Hospital (a tertiary referral center for surgical and COVID-19 cases) were retrospectively reviewed and broken down in four periods reflecting two nationwide lockdown (period A 1/3/2020 to 30/4/2020 and period D 16/10/2020 to 15/12/2020) and two interim (period B 1/5/2020 to 15/6/2020 and period C 15/9/2020 to 30/10/2020) periods. Demographic and clinical data were compared to those obtained from the same time periods of the year 2019. Results The total number of patients attending the SED decreased by 35.9% during the pandemic (from 2839 total patients in 2019 to 1819 in 2020). During the first lockdown, there was statistically significant reduction of motor vehicle accidents (p=0.04) and torso injuries (p=0.01). Contrarily, the rate of head injuries (p<0.001) and abdominal pain (p=0.04) were significantly increased. The same effect was observed regarding the rate of hospital admissions (p=0.002), although in terms of absolute numbers, admissions remained unchanged. During the second lockdown, there was a reduction in the number of perianal abscess cases (p=0.04) and hernia-related problems (p=0.001). An increase in the rate of fall injuries was also demonstrable (p=0.02). Overall, application of the lockdown led to a significant decrease in minor (p<0.001) and torso (p=0.001) injuries. Conclusion The burden of the new COVID-19 disease has left a noticeable imprint in the function of emergency departments worldwide. In Greece, SED attendance was significantly reduced during the pandemic, an effect that was even more pronounced during the lockdown implementation; nevertheless, the overall rate of hospital admissions remained the same, denoting that patient care was not altered.
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