BACKGROUND Despite over 150000 amputations of lower limbs annually,there remains a wide variation in tourniquet practice patterns and no consensus on their necessity,especially among orthopedic patient populations.The...BACKGROUND Despite over 150000 amputations of lower limbs annually,there remains a wide variation in tourniquet practice patterns and no consensus on their necessity,especially among orthopedic patient populations.The purpose of this study was to determine whether tourniquet use in orthopedic patients undergoing below knee amputation(BKA) was associated with a difference in calculated blood loss relative to no tourniquet use.AIM To determine if tourniquet use in orthopedic patients undergoing BKA was associated with a difference in calculated blood loss relative to no tourniquet use.METHODS We performed a retrospective review of consecutive patients undergoing BKA by orthopedic surgeons at a tertiary care hospital from 2008 through 2018.Blood loss was calculated using a combination of the Nadler equation for preoperative blood volume and a novel formula utilizing preoperative and postoperative hemoglobin levels and transfusions.Univariate and forwards step-wise multivariate linear regressions were performed to determine the association between tourniquet use and blood loss.A Wilcoxon was used to determine the univariate relationship between tourniquet use and blood loss for in the restricted subgroups of patients who underwent BKA for trauma,tumor,and infection.RESULTS Of 97 eligible patients identified,67 underwent surgery with a tourniquet and 30 did not.In multivariate regression,tourniquet use was associated with a 488 mL decrease in calculated blood loss(CI 119-857,P = 0.01).In subgroup analysis,no individual group showed a statistically significant decrease in blood loss with tourniquet use.There was no significant association between tourniquet use and either postoperative transfusions or reoperation at one year.CONCLUSION We found that tourniquet use during BKA is associated with decreased calculated intraoperative blood loss.We recommend that surgeons performing this procedure use a tourniquet to minimize blood loss.展开更多
AIM: To prospectively assess the impact of time of endoscopy and endoscopist's experience on the outcome of non-variceal acute upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding patients in a large teaching hospital.METHODS: Al...AIM: To prospectively assess the impact of time of endoscopy and endoscopist's experience on the outcome of non-variceal acute upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding patients in a large teaching hospital.METHODS: All patients admitted for non-variceal acute upper GI bleeding for over a 2-year period were potentially eligible for this study. They were managed by a team of seven endoscopists on 24-h call whose experience was categorized into two levels (high and low) according to the number of endoscopic hemostatic procedures undertaken before the study. Endoscopic treatment was standardized according to Forrest classification of lesions as well as the subsequent medical therapy. Time of endoscopy was subdivided into two time periods: routine (8 a.m.-5 p.m.) and on-call (5 p.m.-8 a.m.). For each category of experience and time periods rebleeding rate, transfusion requirement, need for surgery, length of hospital stay and mortality we compared. Multivariate analysis was used to discriminate the impact of different variables on the outcomes that were considered.RESULTS: Study population consisted of 272 patients (mean age 67.3 years) with endoscopic stigmata of hemorrhage. The patients were equally distributed among the endoscopists, whereas only 19% of procedures were done out of working hours. Rockall score and Forrest classification at admission did not differ between time periods and degree of experience.Univariate analysis showed that higher endoscopist's experience was associated with significant reduction in rebleeding rate (14% vs 37%), transfusion requirements (1.8±0.6 vs 3.0±1.7 units) as well as surgery (4% vs 10%), but not associated with the length of hospital stay nor mortality. By contrast, outcomes did not significantly differ between the two time periods of endoscopy.On multivariate analysis, endoscopist's experience was independently associated with rebleeding rate and transfusion requirements. Odds ratios for low experienced endoscopist were 4.47 for rebleeding and 6.90 for need of transfusion after the endoscopy.CONCLUSION: Endoscopist's experience is an important independent prognostic factor for non-variceal acute upper GI bleeding. Urgent endoscopy should be undertaken preferentially by a skilled endoscopist as less expert staff tends to underestimate some risk lesions with a negative influence on hemostasis.展开更多
文摘BACKGROUND Despite over 150000 amputations of lower limbs annually,there remains a wide variation in tourniquet practice patterns and no consensus on their necessity,especially among orthopedic patient populations.The purpose of this study was to determine whether tourniquet use in orthopedic patients undergoing below knee amputation(BKA) was associated with a difference in calculated blood loss relative to no tourniquet use.AIM To determine if tourniquet use in orthopedic patients undergoing BKA was associated with a difference in calculated blood loss relative to no tourniquet use.METHODS We performed a retrospective review of consecutive patients undergoing BKA by orthopedic surgeons at a tertiary care hospital from 2008 through 2018.Blood loss was calculated using a combination of the Nadler equation for preoperative blood volume and a novel formula utilizing preoperative and postoperative hemoglobin levels and transfusions.Univariate and forwards step-wise multivariate linear regressions were performed to determine the association between tourniquet use and blood loss.A Wilcoxon was used to determine the univariate relationship between tourniquet use and blood loss for in the restricted subgroups of patients who underwent BKA for trauma,tumor,and infection.RESULTS Of 97 eligible patients identified,67 underwent surgery with a tourniquet and 30 did not.In multivariate regression,tourniquet use was associated with a 488 mL decrease in calculated blood loss(CI 119-857,P = 0.01).In subgroup analysis,no individual group showed a statistically significant decrease in blood loss with tourniquet use.There was no significant association between tourniquet use and either postoperative transfusions or reoperation at one year.CONCLUSION We found that tourniquet use during BKA is associated with decreased calculated intraoperative blood loss.We recommend that surgeons performing this procedure use a tourniquet to minimize blood loss.
文摘AIM: To prospectively assess the impact of time of endoscopy and endoscopist's experience on the outcome of non-variceal acute upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding patients in a large teaching hospital.METHODS: All patients admitted for non-variceal acute upper GI bleeding for over a 2-year period were potentially eligible for this study. They were managed by a team of seven endoscopists on 24-h call whose experience was categorized into two levels (high and low) according to the number of endoscopic hemostatic procedures undertaken before the study. Endoscopic treatment was standardized according to Forrest classification of lesions as well as the subsequent medical therapy. Time of endoscopy was subdivided into two time periods: routine (8 a.m.-5 p.m.) and on-call (5 p.m.-8 a.m.). For each category of experience and time periods rebleeding rate, transfusion requirement, need for surgery, length of hospital stay and mortality we compared. Multivariate analysis was used to discriminate the impact of different variables on the outcomes that were considered.RESULTS: Study population consisted of 272 patients (mean age 67.3 years) with endoscopic stigmata of hemorrhage. The patients were equally distributed among the endoscopists, whereas only 19% of procedures were done out of working hours. Rockall score and Forrest classification at admission did not differ between time periods and degree of experience.Univariate analysis showed that higher endoscopist's experience was associated with significant reduction in rebleeding rate (14% vs 37%), transfusion requirements (1.8±0.6 vs 3.0±1.7 units) as well as surgery (4% vs 10%), but not associated with the length of hospital stay nor mortality. By contrast, outcomes did not significantly differ between the two time periods of endoscopy.On multivariate analysis, endoscopist's experience was independently associated with rebleeding rate and transfusion requirements. Odds ratios for low experienced endoscopist were 4.47 for rebleeding and 6.90 for need of transfusion after the endoscopy.CONCLUSION: Endoscopist's experience is an important independent prognostic factor for non-variceal acute upper GI bleeding. Urgent endoscopy should be undertaken preferentially by a skilled endoscopist as less expert staff tends to underestimate some risk lesions with a negative influence on hemostasis.
