An abstract is unavailable. This article is available as a PDF only.

Click on the article title to read more.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to report the short-term results of the Gore^® Acuseal graft for prosthetic vascular access (pVA) in patients with end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis. Methods: Between October 2011 and October 2013, all the consecutive patients who underwent implantation of a new expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) tri-layer graft were included in the study. Primary and secondary patency rate, time to first cannulation, and complications were recorded. Follow-up was performed at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after the intervention. Results: Thirty ePTFE tri-layer heparin bonded grafts were implanted in 18 males and 12 females. The graft configuration was radial-basilic (n=12, 40%), brachial-basilic (n=10, 33.3%), femoro-femoral (n=3, 10.0%), radial-cephalic (n=2, 6.7%), radial-antecubital forearm (n=2, 6.7%), and brachial-axillary (n=1, 3.3%). No patient was lost during a mean follow-up time of 6.3±5.9 months (range, 1-24; median, 5). Mean time to first cannulation was 2.4±1.2 days (range, 1-15). Primary functional patency rate was 68.0% ± 10 at 6 and 12 months. Secondary patency rate was 93.3% ± 6 at 6 and 12 months. Pseudoaneurysm, bleeding, seroma, or graft infection was never observed. Conclusions: In our experience, the Gore^® Acuseal graft was useful and safe. Early cannulation was always performed, and structural complications did not occur. Primary functional and secondary patency rate are satisfactory in the short term.

At the present time, deceased heart-beating donor kidney allografts are usually stored cold. Extended-criteria donor (ECD) grafts show higher sensitivity to ischemia-reperfusion damage than standard kidneys. The increasing use of marginal organs in clinical transplantation urgently requires a more effective preservation system. Pulsatile hypothermic machine perfusion has shown major advantages over static cold storage in terms of reduced organ injury during preservation and improved early graft function. This preliminary study aims to compare pulsatile hypothermic machine perfusion and static cold storage of kidney allografts, outlining differences in the levels of early inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-2 and IL-1β) and soluble intracellular adhesion molecule (sICAM-1) in perfusion and preservation liquid.

A laparoscopic approach is suggested with the highest grade of recommendation for acute cholecystitis, perforated gastroduodenal ulcers, acute appendicitis, gynaecological disorders, and non-specific abdominal pain (NSAP). To date, the main qualities of laparoscopy for these acute surgical scenarios are clearly stated: quicker surgery, faster recovery and shorter hospital stay. For the remaining surgical emergencies, as well as for abdominal trauma, the role of laparoscopy is still a matter of debate. Patients might benefit from a laparoscopic approach only if performed by experienced teams and surgeons which guarantee a high standard of care. More precisely, laparoscopy can limit damage to the tissue and could be effective for the reduction of the overall amount of cell debris, which is a result of the intensity with which the immune system reacts to the injury and the following symptomatology. In fact, these fragments act as damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). DAMPs, as well as pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), are recognised by both surface and intracellular receptors of the immune cells and activate the cascade which, in critically ill surgical patients, is responsible for a deranged response. This may result in the development of progressive and multiple organ dysfunctions, manifesting with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), coagulopathy, liver dysfunction and renal failure. In conclusion, none of the emergency surgical scenarios preclude laparoscopy, provided that the surgical tactic could ensure sufficient cleaning of the abdomen in addition to resolving the initial tissue damage caused by the “trauma”.