Wet beriberi and Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) are caused by thiamine deficiency and are potentially lethal and serious diseases. Thiamine deficiency occurs mainly due to poor oral intake or inadequate provision of thiamine in enteral or parenteral nutrition therapy. We report cases of wet beriberi and WE that developed after surgery in a surgical intensive care unit. The first patient, who was diagnosed with wet beriberi, underwent right total mastectomy and radical subtotal gastrectomy, simultaneously. The second was diagnosed with irreversible WE, respectively, due to long-term malnutrition. In both cases, intravenous replacement of thiamine was initiated after the admission to the surgical intensive care unit. However, comatose mentality of the second patient did not improve. As a result, we conclude that, if a patient's clinical feature is suspected to be thiamine deficiency, prompt intravenous thiamine replacement is needed.
Beriberi ; Coma ; Critical Illness ; Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Critical Care ; Malnutrition ; Mastectomy, Simple ; Parenteral Nutrition ; Thiamine ; Thiamine Deficiency ; Wernicke Encephalopathy

Abdominal tuberculosis is a rare disease, about 5% of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis. However, the diagnosis of abdominal tuberculosis is difficult, because of its atypical symptoms and signs, and ambiguous results upon physical examination. When abdominal tuberculosis is combined with abdominal injury, the diagnosis will be especially complex. We present our experience of abdominal tuberculosis associated with abdominal trauma.
Abdomen ; Abdominal Injuries ; Diagnosis ; Physical Examination ; Rare Diseases ; Tuberculosis*

Intra-abdominal infection is a common, serious complication in patients undergoing emergency abdominal surgery following blunt abdominal trauma. Infectious conditions increase the incidence of autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA), but reports of AIHA occurring after abdominal trauma surgery are rare. Therefore, we report a case of sepsis due to fasciitis and AIHA after abdominal trauma surgery which was successfully managed following the appropriate treatment of both conditions.

Intra-abdominal infection is a common, serious complication in patients undergoing emergency abdominal surgery following blunt abdominal trauma. Infectious conditions increase the incidence of autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA), but reports of AIHA occurring after abdominal trauma surgery are rare. Therefore, we report a case of sepsis due to fasciitis and AIHA after abdominal trauma surgery which was successfully managed following the appropriate treatment of both conditions.

Purpose: In the Republic of Korea, the use of trauma centers was recently adopted and is expected to have better outcome for severely injured patients. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes and treatment methods for unstable pelvic bone fractures in trauma centers. Methods: The annual number of patients, clinical outcomes, and treatment methods of unstable pelvic bone fractures in three trauma centers from 2016 to 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were dichotomized into survivors and deceased, and demographic data, treatment, and clinical outcomes were compared. Multivariable analysis was performed to identify the factors associated with survival. Results: Among 237 patients, 101 (42.6%) were deceased. Mortality was lower in the later period (2019- 2020) compared with the early period (2016-2018; 33.6% vs. 50.0%, p = 0.011). Direct admission of an increasing number of patients to trauma centers reduced prehospital time. Although the use of angioembolization in treating pelvic bone fracture (p < 0.001), and the use of other treatment methods did not change significantly (2016-2020). Lower age, lowest systolic blood pressure in the trauma bay, and higher lactate level, international normalized ratio, the amount of packed red blood cell transfusion at 24 hours were positively associated with mortality in the multivariate analysis. Conclusion Increasingly more patients with unstable pelvic bone fracture were admitted to trauma centers; mortality improved. Angioembolization increased significantly and multi-disciplinary modality for early bleeding control was still essential.

PURPOSE: Since the 1990's, negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has been used to treat soft tissue defects, burn wounds, and to achieve skin graft fixation. In the field of abdominal surgery, the application of NPWT is increasing in cases with an open abdominal wound requiring temporary wound closure and a second look operation. In the present study, the authors analyzed patients that underwent NPWT for postoperative wound dehiscence. METHODS: The computerized records of patients that had undergone an abdominal operation from November 2009 to May 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: The number of total enrolled patients was 50, and 30 patients (60%) underwent an emergency operation. Diagnoses were as follows: panperitonitis or intra-abdominal abscess (24 cases, 48%), intestinal obstruction (10 cases, 20%), cancer (7 cases, 14%), mesentery ischemia (3 cases, 6%), and hemoperitoneum (1 case, 2%). NPWT was applied at a mean of 12.9 +/- 8.2 days after surgery and mean NPWT duration was 17.9 days (2 to 96 days). The 11 patients (22%) with unsuccessful wound closure had a deeper and more complex wound than the other 39 patients (78%) (90.9% vs. 38.5%, P = 0.005). There were two complication cases (4%) due to delayed wound healing. CONCLUSION: Most patients recovered well due to granulation formation and suturing. NPWT was found to be convenient and safe, but a prospective comparative study is needed to confirm the usefulness of NPWT in patients whose wounds are dehisced.
Abdomen ; Abdominal Abscess ; Burns ; Emergencies ; Hemoperitoneum ; Humans ; Intestinal Obstruction ; Ischemia ; Mesentery ; Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Skin ; Surgical Wound Dehiscence ; Transplants

PURPOSE: The presence of gastrointestinal (GI) cancer and its treatment might aggravate patient nutritional status. Malnutrition is one of the major factors affecting the postoperative course. We evaluated changes in perioperative nutritional status and risk factors of postoperative severe malnutrition in the GI cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nutritional status was prospectively evaluated using patient-generated subjective global assessment (PG-SGA) perioperatively between May and September 2011. RESULTS: A total of 435 patients were enrolled. Among them, 279 patients had been diagnosed with gastric cancer and 156 with colorectal cancer. Minimal invasive surgery was performed in 225 patients. PG-SGA score increased from 4.5 preoperatively to 10.6 postoperatively (p<0.001). Ten patients (2.3%) were severely malnourished preoperatively, increasing to 115 patients (26.3%) postoperatively. In gastric cancer patients, postoperative severe malnourishment increased significantly (p<0.006). In univariate analysis, old age (>60, p<0.001), male sex (p=0.020), preoperative weight loss (p=0.008), gastric cancer (p<0.001), and open surgery (p<0.001) were indicated as risk factors of postoperative severe malnutrition. In multivariate analysis, old age, preoperative weight loss, gastric cancer, and open surgery remained significant as risk factors of severe malnutrition. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of severe malnutrition among GI cancer patients in this study increased from 2.3% preoperatively to 26.3% after an operation. Old age, preoperative weight loss, gastric cancer, and open surgery were shown to be risk factors of postoperative severe malnutrition. In patients at high risk of postoperative severe malnutrition, adequate nutritional support should be considered.
Colorectal Neoplasms/surgery ; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms/*surgery ; Humans ; Malnutrition/diagnosis ; *Nutritional Status ; Postoperative Complications ; Risk Factors ; Stomach Neoplasms/surgery

PURPOSE: This study was undertaken to assess the feasibility of early feeding in patients that have undergone emergency gastrointestinal (GI) surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors retrospectively reviewed 84 patients that underwent emergency bowel resection and/or anastomosis from March 2008 to December 2011. Patients with severe shock, intestinal ischemia, sustained bowel perforation, or short bowel syndrome were excluded. Patients were divided into the early (group E; n=44) or late (group L; n=40) group according to the time of feeding commencement. Early feeding was defined as enteral feeding that started within 48 hours after surgery. Early and late feeding groups were compared with respect to clinical data and surgical outcomes. RESULTS: The most common cause of operation was bowel perforation, and the small bowel was the most commonly involved site. No significant intergroup differences were found for causes, sites, or types of operation. However, length of stay (LOS) in the intensive care unit (1 day vs. 2 days, p=0.038) and LOS in the hospital after surgery were significantly greater (9 days vs. 12 days, p=0.012) in group L than group E; pulmonary complications were also significantly more common (13.6% vs. 47.5%, p=0.001) in group L than group E. CONCLUSION: After emergency GI surgery, early feeding may be feasible in patients without severe shock or bowel anastomosis instability.
Emergencies* ; Emergency Treatment ; Enteral Nutrition ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Ischemia ; Length of Stay ; Methods ; Retrospective Studies ; Shock ; Short Bowel Syndrome

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of short hospital stays after laparoscopic appendectomy for uncomplicated appendicitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The records of 142 patients who underwent laparoscopic appendectomy for uncomplicated appendicitis from January 2010 to December 2012 were analyzed retrospectively. Patients were allocated to an early (<48 hours) or a late (>48 hours) group by postoperative hospital stay. Postoperative complications and readmission rates in the two groups were evaluated and compared. RESULTS: Overall mean patient age was 50.1 (+/-16.0) years, and mean hospital stay was 3.8 (+/-2.8) days. Fifty-four patients (group E, 38.0%) were discharged within 48 hours of surgery, and 88 patients (group L, 62.0%) stayed more than 48 hours. Overall complication rates were similar in the two groups (14.8% vs. 21.6%, p=0.318), and wound complications (13.0% vs. 12.5%), postoperative bowel obstruction (1.9% vs. 2.3%), and abdominal pain (1.9% vs. 3.4%) were not significantly different. CONCLUSION: Patients that undergo laparoscopic appendectomy due to uncomplicated appendicitis may be safely discharged within 48 hours. Further study should be conducted to determine the optimal length of hospital stay after laparoscopic appendectomy to reduce hospital costs.
Abdominal Pain ; Acute Disease ; Adult ; Aged ; Appendectomy/*methods ; Appendicitis/*surgery ; Feasibility Studies ; Female ; Humans ; *Laparoscopy ; Length of Stay/*statistics & numerical data ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications ; Postoperative Period ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: This retrospective study evaluated the clinical utility of the delta neutrophil index (DNI) as a predictor of mortality in critically ill surgical patients with Acinetobacter baumannii (AB) pneumonia. METHODS: The medical records of 104 surgical patients with AB pneumonia treated from March 2011 to October 2014 were reviewed and analyzed. RESULTS: The mean patient age was 60.8±18.8 years, and the mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score was 15.8±5.3. At the time of culture, 16 patients (15.4%) had renal failure, and the median DNI was 2.7% (0∼39.4%). Twenty-four patients (23.1%) died from infection during intensive care unit admission. Bivariate analysis indicated that several factors were associated with mortality, namely age, occurrence of shock, renal failure, low platelet count and elevated DNI at the time of culture. Logistic regression analysis revealed that elevated DNI (odds ratio [OR], 1.136; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.001∼1.288), acute renal failure (OR, 3.811; 95% CI, 1.025∼14.176) and decreased platelet count (OR, 0.994; 95% CI, 0.989∼1.000) at the time of culture are associated with mortality. When a receiver-operating characteristics curve was constructed to determine the optimal cut-off value to predict mortality within seven days of the bacterial culture, the area under the curve was 0.839 (95% CI, 0.694∼0.985) and the cut-off DNI value was 6.85%. CONCLUSION: DNI may be an effective predictor of mortality in critically ill surgical patients with AB pneumonia.
Acinetobacter baumannii* ; Acinetobacter* ; Acute Kidney Injury ; APACHE ; Critical Illness* ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Logistic Models ; Medical Records ; Mortality* ; Neutrophils* ; Platelet Count ; Pneumonia* ; Renal Insufficiency ; Retrospective Studies ; Shock