Vascular laparoscopic injuries are rare (0.2/1000), however, they are associated with 6-13% morbidity and mortality. Commonest sites for catastrophic haemorrhage are the right iliac vessels, inferior vena cava and less commonly the abdominal aorta. The injuries commonly occur at entry using a Veress needle or insertion of trocars. These risks are inherent to all laparoscopic surgery. A systematic approach for managing these includes prompt recognition, communication within the operative team, immediate resuscitation and specific operative strategies for the control of vascular haemorrhage based on the location and severity of the injury. Major vascular injuries may require midline laparotomy and vascular surgeons. 1:1:1 resuscitation and adjunct haemostatic agents may help. Major vascular injury is a rare but a potentially fatal complication. We propose a skills and drills approach to improve outcomes. We also propose a practical algorithms for the management of haemorrhage in the acute situation.

A best evidence topic in cardiac surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was: is there a difference in cardiothoracic surgery outcomes in terms of morbidity or mortality of patients operated on by a sleep-deprived surgeon compared with those operated by a non-sleep-deprived surgeon? Reported search criteria yielded 77 papers, of which 15 were deemed to represent the best evidence on the topic. Three studies directly related to cardiothoracic surgery and 12 studies related to non-cardiothoracic surgery. Recommendations are based on 18 121 cardiothoracic patients and 214 666 non-cardiothoracic surgical patients. Different definitions of sleep deprivation were used in the studies, either reviewing surgeon's sleeping hours or out-of-hours operating. Surgical outcomes reviewed included: mortality rate, neurological, renal, pulmonary, infectious complications, length of stay, length of intensive care stay, cardiopulmonary bypass times and aortic-cross-clamp times. There were no significant differences in mortality or intraoperative complications in the groups of patients operated on by sleep-deprived versus non-sleep-deprived surgeons in cardiothoracic studies. One study showed a significant increase in the rate of septicaemia in patients operated on by severely sleep-deprived surgeons (3.6%) compared with the moderately sleep-deprived (0.9%) and non-sleep-deprived groups (0.8%) (P = 0.03). In the non-cardiothoracic studies, 7 of the 12 studies demonstrated statistically significant higher reoperation rate in trauma cases (P<0.02) and kidney transplants (night = 16.8% vs day = 6.4%, P <0.01), as well as higher overall mortality (P = 0.028) and morbidity (P <0.0001). There is little direct evidence in the literature demonstrating the effect of sleep deprivation in cardiothoracic surgeons on morbidity or mortality. However, overall the non-cardiothoracic studies have demonstrated that operative time and sleep deprivation can have a significant impact on overall morbidity and mortality. It is likely that other confounding factors concomitantly affect outcomes in out-of-hours surgery.

Introduction and hypothesis The perineal body is a fibromuscular pyramidal structure located between the vagina and the anus. It has been difficult to image because of its small size and anatomical location. This study used 2D transperineal ultrasound to measure the perineal body and assess whether there is an association with prolapse. Methods An observational, cross-sectional study was carried out in a tertiary level Urogynaecology department and included prolapse patients and healthy nulliparous volunteers (control group). This was a clinical assessment, including POP-Q and transperineal 2D ultrasound measurement of the perineal body height, length, perimeter, and area. Parametric tests were used, as the data were normally distributed. Results are reported as mean and 95% confidence interval (±95% CI). Results A total of 101 participants were recruited of which 22 were nulliparous healthy volunteers. Mean perineal body measurements in controls were height 22.5 ± 3.3 mm, length 17.4 ± 2.7 mm, perimeter 7.5 ± 0.9 mm, and area 2.8 ± 0.38 cm 2. Perineal body measurements in 79 prolapse patients: height 16.9 ± 1.7 mm, length 16.0 ± 1.4 mm, perimeter 6.5 ± 0.5 mm and area 2.1 ± 0.5 cm 2. A small perineal body was strongly associated with posterior compartment prolapse (paired t test, p < 0.0001) and wider POP-Q GH (paired t test, p = 0.0003). Surprisingly, Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification Perineal Body (POP-Q PB) of the two groups was not significantly different. A perineal body mid-sagittal area of less than 2.4 cm 2 has been shown to be associated strongly with posterior compartment prolapse. Conclusions It is possible to measure the perineal body on 2D ultrasound. This technique facilitates the objective diagnosis of perineal deficiency. POP-Q PB does not predict the length or area of the perineal body.

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A best evidence topic in cardiac surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was: is vaginal delivery or caesarean section (CS) the safer mode of delivery in patients with adult congenital heart disease? Of the 119 studies, 13 papers represented the best evidence on the topic. Recommendations are based on 29 262 patients. Those having undergone successful corrective or palliative cardiac surgery for congenital heart disease, in addition to patients with unoperated congenital heart disease are a high-risk obstetric population. Heart disease is a leading cause of maternal mortality in the USA and the UK. Traditionally, CS was regarded as the mode of delivery of choice for high-risk patients, but growing experience in this field has now made this advice appear controversial. Patients are stratified into high- and low-risk, depending on the degree of heart failure symptoms [New York Heart Association (NYHA) class]. All studies demonstrated adverse outcomes in ACHD patients compared with normal age-matched controls. This pertained to a higher overall risk of maternal cardiac death, neonatal death, preterm birth, fetal growth restriction and longer hospital stay. On univariate regression analysis, the variables that imparted the highest risk to mother and foetus, were right ventricular failure, pulmonary regurgitation and pulmonary hypertension (P < 0.001). Induction of labour was deemed safe and was not associated with higher CS rates. There was no increase in maternal or neonatal complications in patients who were NYHA class I and II at labour. Patients who were NYHA class III and IV at labour had higher complication rates with adverse feto-maternal outcomes (P < 0.0001) and longer intensive care unit and hospital stay (Spearman's correlation 0.326, P = 0.007). The largest cohort from the USA (26 973 ACHD births) demonstrated that ventricular septal defect was associated with the highest risk of maternal death and complications (P < 0.05). The data would indicate that patients NYHA class I and II symptoms are suitable for VD. For most NYHA III and IV patients a trail of labour is safe with expedited delivery under good analgesic control as dictated by obstetric needs. Due to high complication risks, CS may be indicated in a proportion of patients.

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This data show, that an accurate pre-surgical evaluation of patients with prolapse is incomplete without a structured validated questionnaire and urodynamics, due to the high proportion of abnormal KHQ and UDS findings in presumably "asymptomatic" patients.