Background and Objectives: Surgical site infection (SSI) makes up the largest single group of postoperative infective complications. For surgeries classified as clean surgeries of the head and neck, such as a thyroidectomy, the routine administration of antimicrobial prophylaxis is not recommended. Despite this, extended usage of antibiotics is common in developing countries. This study evaluated the need for antibiotics in elective transcervical thyroidectomy for the prevention of SSI in a tertiary government hospital in a developing country. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study that included patients who have undergone elective transcervical thyroidectomy at the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (ORL-HNS) of the University of the Philippines - Philippine General (UP-PGH) Hospital from August 1, 2020 to June 30, 2022. Data collection was conducted through review of both in-patient and out-patient records. Results: The data of 58 patients were analyzed. The mean (±SD) age was 42.5±14.5 years, with approximately 2:27 male to female ratio. Of the 58 patients, 26 were given postoperative antibiotics while 32 did not receive postoperative antibiotics. None of the 58 were noted to have SSI on the 3rd postoperative day. Only 54 patients completed the 7-day follow-up of the study and their data were further analyzed. One patient had SSI. There was no significant difference between the presence and absence of postoperative antibiotics in relation to SSI (p-value>0.05). Conclusion This study shows that in patients undergoing transcervical thyroidectomies, there is no significant difference in the occurrence of SSI among patients who received and did not receive postoperative antibiotics. Therefore, there is no need to administer postoperative antibiotics, as long as a sterile surgical technique is ensured.
Surgical Wound Infection ; Thyroidectomy

Objective: To determine the point prevalence of, and risk factors associated with MRSA carriage among resident physicians of surgical departments at the Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center. Methods: Design: Cross-sectional Study. Setting: Tertiary Government Training Hospital. Participants:51 resident physicians from different surgical departments (general surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, otorhinolaryngology – head and neck surgery and dermatology) underwent nasal and pharyngeal swabs with microbial culture and sensitivity testing to identify MRSA carriers. Fisher Exact Test and logistic regression were utilized to determine associations between MRSA carriage and various risk factors including frequency of hand washing and departmental affiliation. Results: Overall prevalence rate of MRSA carriage was 9.8%. Otorhinolaryngology residents had the highest combined prevalence of MRSA of 42.9%, significantly higher compared to other departments and were used as a reference in logistic regression analyses. Notably, handwashing only once daily was associated with a 20-fold increase in the risk of MRSA carriage (OR 20.5, 95% CI: 1.82 to 230, p = .014). Other departments did not demonstrate statistically significant differences in MRSA carriage rates. Conclusions Otorhinolaryngology resident physicians had the highest combined prevalence of MRSA and nasal MRSA was found only in otorhinolaryngology residents. The surgical subspecialty and frequency of handwashing of the healthcare worker were identified as important risk factors to develop MRSA carriage. Targeted interventions (including enhanced infection control protocols and regular screening) are needed especially in high-risk departments.
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; Surgical Wound Infection

RATIONALE/OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices of surgeons and surgical trainees regarding published SSI prevention guidelines. Specifically, the study described knowledge and attitudes towards SSI prevention guidelines among members of surgical training programs, described preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative practices in SSI prevention and identified the presence of surgical site infection surveillance programs among various institutions.

This was a retrospective cross-sectional study that evaluated the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of surgeons and surgical trainees to published SSI prevention guidelines in the Philippines. It utilized existing data from an October 2022 online survey done by the Philippine College of Surgeons distributed to various surgical training institutions in the country.

There were a total of 213 respondents. The different attitudes and knowledge gaps towards present SSI prevention guidelines are described.

Despite the existence of local and international guidelines there still appears to be a significant lack of awareness and variability in practice among the different institutions as well as with surgeons of different levels of expertise or training. Varying preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative practices have also been described, including evident deviations from SSI guidelines. Lastly, there is a lack of standardized SSI surveillance programs among institutions and these are not aligned towards improved patient safety and quality improvement.

INTRODUCTION: The superiority of laparoscopic repair over open repair of incisional hernias (IHs) in the elective setting is still controversial. Our study aimed to compare the postoperative outcomes of laparoscopic and open elective IH repair in an Asian population. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted in an acute general hospital in Singapore between 2010 and 2015. Inclusion criteria were IH repair in an elective setting, IHs with diameter of 3-15 cm, and location at the ventral abdominal wall. We excluded patients who underwent emergency repair, had recurrent hernias or had loss of abdominal wall domain (i.e. hernia sac containing more than 30% of abdominal contents or any solid organs). Postoperative outcomes within a year such as recurrence, pain, infection, haematoma and seroma formation were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: There were 174 eligible patients. The majority were elderly Chinese women who were overweight. Open repair was performed in 49.4% of patients, while 50.6% underwent laparoscopic repair. The mean operation time for open repair was 116 minutes (116 ± 60.6 minutes) and 139 minutes (136 ± 64.1 minutes) for laparoscopic repair (P = 0.079). Within a year after open repair, postoperative wound infection occurred in 15.1% of the patients in the open repair group compared to 1.1% in the laparoscopic group (P = 0.0007). Postoperative pain, recurrence and haematoma/seroma formation were comparable. CONCLUSION Elective laparoscopic IH repair has comparable outcomes with open repair and may offer the advantage of reduced postoperative wound infection rates.
Humans ; Female ; Aged ; Incisional Hernia/surgery* ; Surgical Wound Infection/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Seroma/surgery* ; Herniorrhaphy/adverse effects* ; Surgical Mesh ; Recurrence ; Hernia, Ventral/surgery* ; Laparoscopy/adverse effects* ; Postoperative Complications/surgery*

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of total laparoscopic versus laparoscopic-assisted distal gastrectomy and investigate the safety and replicability of total laparoscopic distal gastrectomy in older patients. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. The inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) age ≥65 years; (2) malignant gastric tumor diagnosed pathologically preoperatively; (3) Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score 0-1; (4) Grade I-III American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status; (5) preoperative clinical tumor stage I-III; (6) total laparoscopic or laparoscopic-assisted distal gastrectomy performed; and (7) gastrointestinal tract reconstruction using uncut Roux-en-Y or Billroth-II+Braun procedure. Patients who had received neoadjuvant therapy, undergone conversion to open surgery, or had serious comorbidities or incomplete data were excluded. The clinical data of 129 patients who met the above criteria and had undergone laparoscopic surgery for gastric cancer from January 2012 to December 2021 in the Gastrointestinal Cancer Center in the Beijing Cancer Hospital were analyzed. According to the operation method, the patients were divided into total laparoscopic group and laparoscopic-assisted group. Variables studied comprised: (1) surgical procedure and postoperative recovery; (2) postoperative pathological findings; and (3) postoperative complications. Measurement data with skewed distribution are represented as mean(quartile 1, quartile 3). Comparisons between groups were evaluated using the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: After propensity score matching in a 1:1 ratio, there were 40 patients in the total laparoscopic distal gastrectomy group and 40 in the laparoscopic-assisted distal gastrectomy group. Baseline characteristics did not differ significantly between the two groups (all P>0.05).Compared with the laparoscopic-assisted group, the total laparoscopic group had shorter main incisions (4.1±1.0 cm vs. 8.5±2.8 cm, t=9.375, P<0.001), time to fluid intake [4.0 (3.0, 4.8) days vs. 5.0 (4.0, 6.0) days, Z=2.167, P=0.030], and duration of indwelling abdominal drainage catheter [6.0 (6.0, 7.0) days vs. 7.0 (6.0, 8.0) days, Z=2.323, P=0.020]. Numerical Rating Scale scores on postoperative days 1 and 2 were higher in the total laparoscopic than the laparoscopic-assisted group [2.5 (1.0, 3.0) vs. 1.5 (1.0, 2.0), Z=1.980, P=0.048; 2.0 (1.0, 3.0) vs. 1.0 (1.0, 2.0), Z=2.334, P=0.020, respectively]. However, there were no significant differences between the groups in operation time, intraoperative blood loss, white blood cell count, hemoglobin concentration, or albumin concentration on postoperative day 1, time to ambulation, mean time to bowel movement, postoperative admission to the intensive care unit, length of postoperative hospital stay, or Numerical Rating Scale scores on postoperative day 3 (all P>0.05). There were also no significant differences between the two groups in maximum tumor diameter, pathological tumor type, total number of lymph nodes dissected, or total number of positive lymph nodes (all P>0.05). The incidence of postoperative complications was 15.0% (6/40) in the total laparoscopic group and the laparoscopic-assisted group; these differences are not significant (χ²<0.001, P>0.999). Conclusions: Compared with laparoscopic-assisted radical gastrectomy for distal gastric cancer, total laparoscopic surgery has the advantages of shorter incision, shorter time to fluid intake, and shorter duration of indwelling abdominal drainage catheter in older patients (age ≥65 years). Total laparoscopic radical gastrectomy for distal gastric cancer does not increase the risk of postoperative complications and could therefore be performed more frequently.
Aged ; Humans ; Gastrectomy/methods* ; Laparoscopy/methods* ; Postoperative Complications ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms/pathology* ; Surgical Wound ; Treatment Outcome

Sacrococcygeal pilonidal disease(SPD) is an acquired disease intimately related to the presence of hair in the gluteal groove. Although its pathogenesis is still controversial, numerous treatment options are available for SPD including gluteal groove and surrounding skin hair removal, sinusectomy, open healing by secondary intention, primary closure, and local excision with flap reconstruction. Lacking of standardized diagnosis and treatment processes of SPD in China, Chinese Medical Doctor Association Anorectal Branch and its Clinical Guidelines Committee jointly organized experts in this field to form expert consensus opinion on the basis of summarizing latest research progress in China and abroad, experts' clinical experience and principles of evidence-based medicine. The expert group formed opinion in 12 terms of SPD diagnosis, risk factors, non-surgical treatment, surgical treatment, minimally invasive treatment, and wound management, and developed the "Chinese expert consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of sacrococcygeal pilonidal disease (2023 edition)" after rounds of discussion and revision, to improve the diagnosis and treatment of SPD.
Humans ; Consensus ; Surgical Flaps ; Wound Healing ; China ; Pilonidal Sinus/surgery*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical significance of different plastic surgeries in the treatment of poor healing wound after posterior spinal internal fixation. METHODS: In this study, 16 patients with poor incision healing after posterior spinal internal fixation were retrospectively included, and dif-ferent plastic surgery treatment plans were determined according to the wound characteristics and defect condition. The measures included debridement, vacuum sealing drainage (VSD), and different tissue flaps according to the location and extent of the defect. RESULTS: A total of 16 patients meeting the criteria were included, of whom 3 were treated with debridement combined with VSD and wound suture directly, 6 were treated with debridement combined with Z-flap for wound repair, 1 was treated with bilateral sacrospinous muscle flap for dural defect repair combined with Z-flap for skin wound repair, 1 was treated with lectus dorsi flap for wound repair, 3 were treated with the fourth lumbar artery perforator flap for wound repair. The wound was repaired with local rotating flap in 1 case and gluteus maximus musculocutaneous flap in 1 case. Among the 16 patients, 7 cases were positive for wound culture, including 3 cases of Staphylococcus aureus, 1 case of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 1 case of Staphylococcus epidermidis, 1 case of Escherichia coli, 1 case of Klebsiella pneumoniae, and the other 9 cases were negative. After surgery, there were 7 patients with different degrees of poor wound healing, including 3 patients undergoing dressing change, 2 patients undergoing secondary debridement and suture, 1 patient undergoing free scalp skin graft, and 1 patient undergoing local effusion suction treatment. All the above 7 patients were discharged from hospital after improvement, and the remaining 9 patients had good first-stage wound hea-ling after surgery. None of the 16 patients underwent internal fixation. CONCLUSION Multiple factors could lead to poor wound healing after posterior spinal internal fixation. Early intervention, thorough debridement, removal of necrotic/infected tissue, and selection of suitable skin flap for effective wound fil-ling and covering were important means to ensure wound healing after spinal surgery and reduce removal of internal fixation.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Wound Healing ; Debridement ; Plastic Surgery Procedures ; Surgical Flaps/blood supply* ; Skin Transplantation ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of Chinese plaster containing rhubarb and mirabilite on surgical site infection (SSI) in patients with cesarean delivery (CD) by performing a randomized controlled trial. METHODS: This randomized controlled trial included 560 patients with CD due to fetal head descent enrolled at a tertiary teaching center between December 31, 2018 and October 31, 2021. Eligible patients were randomly assigned to a Chinese medicine (CM) group (280 cases) or a placebo group (280 cases) by a random number table, and were treated with CM plaster (made by rhubarb and mirabilite) or a placebo plaster, respectively. Both courses of treatment lasted from the day 1 of CD, followed day 2 until discharge. The primary outcome was the total number of patients with superficial, deep and organ/space SSI. The secondary outcome was duration of postoperative hospital stay, antibiotic intake, and unplanned readmission or reoperation due to SSI. All reported efficacy and safety outcomes were confirmed by a central adjudication committee that was unaware of the study-group assignments. RESULTS: During the recovery process after CD, the rates of localized swelling, redness and heat were significantly lower in the CM group than in the placebo group [7.55% (20/265) vs. 17.21% (47/274), P<0.01]. The durution of postoperative antibiotic intake was shorter in the CM group than in the placebo group (P<0.01). The duration of postoperative hospital stay was significantly shorter in the CM group than in the placebo group (5.49 ± 2.68 days vs. 8.96 ± 2.35 days, P<0.01). The rate of postoperative C-reactive protein elevation (≽100 mg/L) was lower in the CM group than in the placebo group [27.6% (73/265) vs. 43.8% (120/274), P<0.01]. However, there was no difference in purulent drainage rate from incision and superficial opening of incision between the two groups. No intestinal reactions and skin allergies were found in the CM group. CONCLUSIONS CM plaster containing rhubarb and mirabilite had an effect on SSI. It is safe for mothers and imposes lower economic and mental burdens on patients undergoing CD. (Registration No. ChiCTR2100054626).
Pregnancy ; Female ; Humans ; Surgical Wound Infection/etiology* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use* ; Cesarean Section/adverse effects* ; Double-Blind Method ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of lower extremity axial distractor (LEAD) and traction table assisted closed reduction and intramedullary nail fixation in treatment of femoral subtrochanteric fracture. METHODS: The clinical data of 117 patients with subtrochanteric fracture of femur treated by closed reduction and intramedullary nail fixation between May 2012 and May 2022 who met the selection criteria were retrospectively analyzed. According to the auxiliary reduction tools used during operation, the patients were divided into LEAD group (62 cases with LEAD reduction) and traction table group (55 cases with traction table reduction). There was no significant difference in baseline data, such as gender, age, injured side, cause of injury, fracture Seinsheimer classification, time from injury to operation, and preoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) score, between the two groups ( P>0.05). Total incision length, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, fluoroscopy frequency, closed reduction rate, fracture reduction quality, fracture healing time, weight-bearing activity time, and incidence of complications, as well as hip flexion and extension range of motion (ROM), Harris score, and VAS score at 1 month and 6 months after operation and last follow-up were recorded and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: There were 14 cases in the LEAD group from closed reduction to limited open reduction, and 43 cases in the traction table group. The incisions in the LEAD group healed by first intention, and no complication such as nerve and vascular injury occurred during operation. In the traction table group, 3 cases had perineal crush injury, which recovered spontaneously in 1 week. The total incision length, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, fluoroscopy frequency, and closed reduction rate in the LEAD group were significantly better than those in the traction table group ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the quality of fracture reduction between the two groups ( P>0.05). Patients in both groups were followed up 12-44 months, with an average of 15.8 months. In the LEAD group, 1 patient had delayed fracture union at 6 months after operation, 1 patient had nonunion at 3 years after operation, and 1 patient had incision sinus pus flow at 10 months after operation. In the traction table group, there was 1 patient with fracture nonunion at 15 months after operation. X-ray films of the other patients in the two groups showed that the internal fixator was fixed firmly without loosening and the fractures healed. There was no significant difference in fracture healing time, weight bearing activity time, incidence of complications, and postoperative hip flexion and extension ROM, Harris score, and VAS score at different time points between the two groups ( P>0.05). CONCLUSION For femoral subtrochanteric fracture treated by close reduction and intramedullary nail fixation, compared with traction table, LEAD assisted fracture reduction can significantly shorten the operation time, reduce intraoperative blood loss and fluoroscopy frequency, reduce incision length, effectively improve the success rate of closed reduction, and avoid complications related to traction table reduction. It provides a new method for good reduction of femoral subtrochanteric fracture.
Humans ; Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary ; Bone Nails ; Traction ; Blood Loss, Surgical/prevention & control* ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Femoral Fractures ; Hip Fractures/surgery* ; Lower Extremity ; Surgical Wound ; Fracture Fixation, Internal

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the early effectiveness of the Ti-Robot assisted femoral neck system (FNS) in the treatment of elderly Garden type Ⅱ and Ⅲ femoral neck fractures. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 41 elderly patients with Garden type Ⅱ and Ⅲ femoral neck fractures who were admitted between December 2019 and August 2022 and met the selection criteria. Among them, 21 cases were treated with Ti-Robot assisted FNS internal fixation (study group), and 20 cases were treated solely with FNS internal fixation (control group). There was no significant difference in baseline data, including gender, age, side, cause of injury, time from injury to surgery, fracture Garden classification, and fracture line classification, between the two groups ( P>0.05). Surgical effectiveness was evaluated based on parameters such as operation time (including incision time and total operation time), reduction level, number of dominant pin insertions, intraoperative fluoroscopy frequency, incision length, whether to extend the incision, need for assisted reduction, postoperative hospital stay, fracture healing time, incidence of osteonecrosis of the femoral head, postoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) score at 1 day, and Harris hip score at last follow-up. RESULTS: The study group showed significantly shorter incision time, fewer dominant pin insertions, fewer instances of extended incisions, fewer intraoperative fluoroscopy frequency, and smaller incisions than the control group ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in total operation time, reduction level, and assisted reduction frequency between the two groups ( P>0.05). Both groups achieved primary wound healing postoperatively, with no complications such as incision leakage or skin infection. All patients were followed up 12-24 months with an average of 14.6 months. Fractures healed in both groups, with no significant difference in healing time ( P>0.05). There was no significant difference in postoperative hospital stay between the two groups ( P>0.05). The study group showed significantly better VAS score at 1 day after operation and Harris hip score at last follow-up when compared to the control group ( P<0.05). No complication such as internal fixation failure, fracture displacement, or hip joint varus occurred in both groups during the follow-up. Osteonecrosis of the femoral head occurred in 1 patient of the control group, while no was observed in the study group, and the difference in the incidence of osteonecrosis of the femoral head between the two groups was not significant ( P=0.488). CONCLUSION Compared to sole FNS internal fixation treatment, Ti-Robot assisted FNS internal fixation for elderly Garden typeⅡ and Ⅲ femoral neck fractures can reduce incision time, achieve minimally invasive and accurate nail implantation, and decrease intraoperative fluoroscopy frequency, leading to improved postoperative hip joint function recovery.
Humans ; Aged ; Femur Neck ; Robotics ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Titanium ; Femoral Neck Fractures/surgery* ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; Osteonecrosis ; Surgical Wound