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Background: A growing number of surgical infections can be treated safely and effectively with parenteral antimicrobial therapy in the patient's home. Our objective was to define the economic impact of a hospital-in-the-home unit (HITH) introduced into a surgical unit., Methods: Patients admitted to the HITH must be assessed thoroughly for suitability, including clinical stability and social circumstances, and both patient and caregiver consent must be obtained. The HITH received all stable surgical patients with complicated infections and an expected long-term stay. A total of 150 patients were enrolled during a 12-month period. Patients were reviewed daily to monitor the progress of therapy and check for possible complications. Antibiotic selection was based on appropriate prescribing principles rather than dosing convenience. Innovative dosing regimens were included, such as once-daily aminoglycosides, continuous-infusion beta-lactams, once- or twice-daily cephalosporins, and oral fluoroquinolones in order to provide effective therapy for a wide range of infections that previously would have required in-hospital care. Economic efficiency for both the surgical and the HITH unit was assessed by examining Diagnosis-Related Group (DRG)-based clinical processes, profits and losses of each clinical process, and a quantitative model for performance evaluation and benchmarking (data envelopment analysis; DEA)., Results: The mean stay in the surgical unit was decreased (3.95 days) while increasing the case mix (1.42). At the same time, HITH patients had a mean stay of 8.69 days with a stable case mix of 1.61. The economic benefit of both units increased in the surgical unit because of a shorter stay and in the HITH secondary to greater impact of the case mix while maintaining the mean stay., Conclusions: Appropriate use of HITH leads to greater patient and caregiver satisfaction, efficient in-hospital bed use, and financial efficiencies. Patients receiving intravenous antibiotics, wound care, parenteral nutrition, or transfusions do not always need to be in the hospital.

Introduction: Markov models are employed in economic analyses to evaluate all possible expectations in a dilemna. The introduction of a new clinical protocol (Basiliximab induction with calcineurin-sparing protocols) for a group of kidney transplant recipients receiving organs from marginal donors was validated with a Markov simulation model, demonstrating the usefulness of combining simulation with Bayesian estimation methods for analysis of cost-effectiveness data collected alongside a clinical trial. We sought to determine whether calcineurin-sparing protocols using anti-interleukin-2/antibody induction (Simulect) would show a beneficial effect on initial kidney function and reduce transplantation costs upon admission, clinical incidences, graft function, and complications during the first month after transplant., Patients and Methods: A Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) was used to estimate a system of generalized linear models relating costs and outcomes to a kidney transplant process affected by treatment under alternative therapies. The Markov simulation model was established following three chains: a calcineurin-free regimen with Basiliximab induction (chain A); a calcineurin-sparing protocol with Basiliximab induction (chain B); and a conventional immunosuppressive regimen (chain C). The MCMC draws were used as parameters in simulations that yielded inferences about the relative cost-effectiveness of the novel therapy under a variety of scenarios. After designing the Markov chain and cohorts, 31 patients from the "old-to-old" program were assigned; eight to chain A; eight to chain B; and 15 to chain C. A year after transplantation a cost-benefit study was performed guided by the three branches of the Markov model., Results: The Markov model showed a benefit of induction therapies in elderly patients. A cost-benefit model showed that after a year, there was a clear benefit from calcineurin-free plus Basiliximab induction therapies, with a slight benefit from calcineurin-sparing protocols., Conclusions: Markov models are extremely useful when introducing new clinical therapies. The approach allows flexibility in assessing treatment using various premises and quantifies the global effect of parametric uncertainty on a decision maker's confidence to adopt one therapy over another. In our transplant program, a cost-effective analysis of outcomes in old patients using the Markov model showed a clear benefit of calcineurin-sparing protocols with Basixilimab induction.

Introduction: EuroTransplant old-to-old program allows patients older than 60 years to receive offers from donors older than 60. The long-term results of kidney transplantation in this model are still under discussion, due to the impaired kidney function of the donor and cumulative diseases in the recipient., Hypothesis: Calcineurin-sparing protocols with IL-2 antibody induction (Simulect) may benefit long-term kidney function in these patients avoiding overimmunosuppression. The main outcome measures are: graft function and rejection rate during the first year after transplant., Patients and Methods: A cohort of 15 consecutive older subjects were prospectively compared with 30 conventional cadaveric kidney transplants. Study patients were induced with Simulect (20 mg, 30 minutes before reperfusion and 4 days after transplantation) and steroids allowing the introduction of CsA to be delayed to the time at which the creatinine is below 3 mg/dL. Conventional patients were immunosuppresed with Tacrolimus (trough 8-12 ng/mL), MMF (1 g/d) and identical steroid tape. The graft and patient survival, kidney function in terms of diuresis, creatinine clearance, rejection episodes and grades were compared between both groups during the first year posttransplantation., Results: Except for the age of the donors and recipients in both groups (72 vs 54 in donors, and 67 versus 52 years in recipients), no significant differences were observed. Patient survival rates were 97% in control patients and 100% in the Simulect group. Graft survival was 97% in the control group and 100% in the old-to-old study group. Acute rejection episodes were decreased among study patients (6.6% vs 13.2%), and corticoid sparing protocols were applied in 75% of Simulect patients but only 50% of control patients. All 44 patients and grafts showed excellent kidney function after one year with equal creatinine levels in both groups (mean 1.42)., Conclusions: Calcineurin free protocols with IL-2 therapy as the main initial suppression allows patients in an old-to-old ET program to have superior results to conventional cadaveric kidney transplants.

Background: In the setting of minimal approach Sestamibi-guided parathyroid surgery for primary hyperparathyroidism we evaluated if total serum calcium level monitoring is as valuable as intraoperative parathyroid hormone (iPTH) monitoring., Study Design: Prospective open single-blinded efficacy trial of two intraoperative diagnostic monitoring methods (iPTH and total serum calcium level) on a cohort of surgical patients. All patients (n = 35) were undergoing parathyroid surgery at the Department of General Surgery at B Cruces' Hospital, Vizcaya, Spain, between October 1999 and March 2001. Kinetics of serum levels of Ca and iPTH during surgery and time of prediction of cure for each method (measured in the clinic, admission, and intraoperatively, such as induction of anesthesia, and every 5 minutes after removal of adenoma) were analyzed., Results: Hypercalcemia and iPTH levels became corrected in 34 patients. Average serum calcium levels dropped from pathologic 11.07 +/- 0.41 mg/dL (mean +/- standard deviation) to normal values 9.7 +/- 0.82 mg/dL during the first intraoperative determination (minute 5), but mean iPTH decreased from pathologic (192 +/- 98 pg/mL) to normal values (39.93 +/- 25.12 pg/mL) during the third intraoperative determination (minute 15). Serum calcium level at 5 minutes after removal decreased by 100% in 34 patients, but iPTH only showed a similar drop during the third determination at 15 minutes. Frozen sections were conclusive for parathyroid tissue (20.56 +/- 10.3 minutes after removal)., Conclusions: Intraoperative measurement of total calcium level might be an easier and less expensive method than iPTH measurement in the prediction of cure during surgery for primary hyperparathyroidism resulting from adenoma.

Introduction: The EuroTransplant "old to old" program establishes that patients older than 60 years can receive offers of organs from donors older than 60 years. The compromised function of these organs makes it a priority to preserve their initial kidney function., Hypothesis: Calcineurin-sparing protocols using anti-IL-2 receptor (IL-2R) antibody induction (Simulect) may benefit initial kidney function in these patients, as assessed by the rates of delayed graft function and of rejection during the first month after transplant., Patients and Methods: A cohort of 15 consecutive elderly patients were prospectively compared with 30 cadaveric kidney transplants in younger recipients. Study patients were induced with Simulect (20 mg, 30 minutes before reperfusion and 4 days after transplantation) and steroids, delaying the introduction of CsA until the serum creatinine was below 3 mg/dL. The other cohort of patients were immunosuppressed with tacrolimus (trough 8 to 12), mycophenolats mofetil (MMF, 1 g/d), and an identical taper of steroids. The analysis compared donor and recipient ages, mean cold ischemic time, incidence of initial kidney function (diuresis in the first 24 h) serum creatinine levels, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), number of dialysis sessions, and rejection rate in the two groups., Results: Except for the donor and recipient ages (72 vs 54 in donors, and 67 versus 52 years in recipients), no significant differences were observed between the groups among the rates of acute rejection (6.6% vs 13.2%), delayed graft function (13.2% required dialysis), or infection (6.6%). Within 1 month all 45 grafts showed primary function with equal creatinine levels (mean 1.65)., Conclusions: Calcineurin-free protocols using IL-2 therapy as the initial suppression allow patients in the "old to old" ET program to display equal results to cadaveric kidney transplants with initial treatment with calcineurin antagonists.

Introduction: Markov models are employed in economic analyses to evaluate all possible expectations in a dilemna. The introduction of a new clinical protocol (basiliximab induction with calcineurin-sparing protocols) for a group of kidney transplant recipients receiving organs from marginal donors was validated with a Markov simulation model., Hypothesis: Calcineurin-sparing protocols using anti-IL-2/antibody induction (Simulect) show a beneficial effect on initial kidney function, reducing transplantation costs reception based upon mean length of stay, mean admission cost, and incidences of delayed graft function and complications during the first month after transplant., Patients and Methods: A Markov simulation model was established following three different chains. A calcineurin-free regimen with basiliximab induction (chain A), a calcineurin-sparing protocol with basiliximab induction (chain B), and a conventional immunosuppressive regimen (chain C). After designing the Markov chain and cohorts, 31 patients from the "old to old" program were assigned to each chain eight to chain A, (eight to chain B, and 15 to chain C). A month after transplantation a cost-benefit study was performed guided by the three branches of the Markov model., Results: The Markov model showed a benefit of induction therapies in elderly patients. A cost-benefit model showed that after a month there was a clear benefit from Calcineurin=free plus basiliximab induction therapies, with a slight benefit from calcineurin-sparing protocols., Conclusions: Markov models are extremely useful when introducing new clinical therapies. In our transplant program, a cost-effective analysis of outcomes in old patients using the Markov model showed a clear benefit of calcineurin-sparing protocols with basixilimab induction.

Background: The prognosis of bilio-pancreatic cancer (pancreas, bile duct and gallbladder) is poor due to the fact of late diagnosis. The only curative treatment for such tumors is surgery. The 5-year survival rate is still below 5% and less than one-third of patients suffering from such carcinomas are resectable at the time of diagnosis. Although specific tumor markers do exist, to date there is no screening marker for these diseases., Materials and Methods: Gallbladder bile of 44 consecutive cholecystectomized patients were prospectively analyzed for TAP concentrations. Group one (n = 14) consisted of the patients suffering from malignancies of the bilio-pancreatic system, group 2 (n = 22) comprised patients suffering from benign biliar or pancreatic diseases and group 3 (n = 6) included patients suffering from gastrointestinal carcinoma outside the bilio-pancreatic system with no affection of the bilio-pancreatic system., Results: The median TAP gallbladder bile concentration in malignant disease of the bilio-pancreatic system was 1328.00 nmol/l (range: 83.69-5133.00). Benign bilio-pancreatic disease revealed a median TAP bile concentration of 2.02 nmol/l equaling the concentration of patients suffering from other gastrointestinal carcinomas with a median of 2.00 nmol/l. In the control groups (2 + 3) there was a significant difference for TAP bile concentrations with an increase in the case of acute inflammation., Conclusion: Gallbladder bile TAP concentration discriminates between benign and malignant lesions of the bilio-pancreatic system. In the case of benign disease there is a significantly higher TAP concentration in the case of acute inflammation.

Introduction: Incidence of surgical infection is greater among elderly patients undergoing surgery than among the general population, with a serious compromise regarding morbidity and mortality in this group of patients with increased risk., Aim of the Study: To determine the microbiological features of surgical infections in patients over 65 years of age compared with those younger than 65., Patients and Methods: Over the past 2 years, 2,064 patients underwent surgery in our Department. One thousand three hundred sixty seven of those patients (66.7%) had 65 years of age or less and 688 (33.3%) were over 65. Patient characteristics regarding the type of surgery (degree of contamination) and the nature and type of the condition requiring surgery are reported. One hundred five hundred sixty two samples were submitted for microbiological study. The microbiological infectious pathogens and their characteristics were determined. The Chi-square test was used for the analysis of potential differences related to the age of the patient., Results: The rate of samples sent for microbiological study is higher among patients over 65. In addition, these patients show both quantitative and qualitative differences in their infectious microbiological spectrum, mainly in clean-contaminated, contaminated and dirty surgical procedures. Fungal infections play a significant role in this group of patients., Conclusions: Facultative gram-negative bacilli, aerobic gram-positive cocci, and fungi are the main pathogens responsible of surgical infections in elderly patients, compared to all other patients, thus requiring specific antibiotic prophylactic and therapeutic regimes.

Background: The pre-operative differentiation of tumors of the pancreas, Papilla of Vater and the biliary tract is still unsatisfactory. Tumor marker analysis of the pancreatic juice did not improve the pre-operative diagnosis by a great deal., Methods: Bile from resected gallbladders of patients suffering from carcinomas of the pancreato-biliary system was analysed for CA 19-9, CEA, CA 72-4, CA 125 and AFP concentrations. The results were compared to patients suffering from acute cholecystitis, cholecystolithiasis as well as those suffering from benign tumors of the pancreato-biliary region., Results: Extreme high CA 19-9 concentrations were found in bile. Evaluations of the tumor-antigens CA 19-9, CA 72-4 and CEA in gallbladder bile were superior to any serum and pancreatic juice examination with respect to sensitivity and specificity. Observed sensitivities amounted to 100% for patients suffering from bile duct carcinoma (CA 19-9) and papillary carcinoma (CEA) at a specificity of 100%. CA 19-9 showed a sensitivity of 76.5% for pancreatic carcinomas at a specificity of 96.4%. CA 19-9 showed significant differences for the local tumor burden and for the degree of lymph node metastasis. Examination of tumor antigens in the gallbladder results in a high degree of discrimination for malignant and benign lesions of the subhepatic pancreato-biliary system., Conclusions: CA 19-9 must follow a entero-hepatic circulation, since it showed raised bile concentrations (factor: 10(4)) compared to serum analysis. Analysis of CA 19-9, CEA and CA 72-4 gives an opportunity for improvement in the detection of cancers of the pancreato-biliary system. Since the clinical important differentiation of tumors of the head of the pancreas (carcinoma vs. pancreatitis) remains unclear, an improvement by bile analyses must be assumed.

Risk factors associated with surgical infections are related to many events that modulate the immune system and affect the surgical procedure. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of low CD4+ lymphocyte counts in 24 patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) undergoing abdominal surgery. Blood samples were obtained, and the lymphocyte population was evaluated perioperatively, as was the nutritional status of the patient. All the patients received selective antibiotic prophylaxis depending on the surgical procedure performed: (1) clean surgery: splenectomies (n = 8); (2) clean-contaminated: cholecystectomy and biliary tract surgery (n = 8); and (3) contaminated: appendectomy (n = 8). Depending on their CD4 count, two groups were formed: one with 200 to 500 cells/ml (n = 11) and the other with < 200 cells/ml (n = 13). When surgical infection was suspected, surgical drainage and microbiologic cultures were undertaken. For statistical evaluation of the groups ANOVA and the chi-square test were used; p < 0.05 was considered significant. Altogether 14 patients (58.3%) had a wound infection, and the mean (+/- SD) CD4 count in those patients was decreased (221.7 +/- 75.1) compared with that of the 10 patients in the uneventful group (386 +/- 81.2). Surgical infection rates were 50% for clean procedures, 62.5% for clean-contaminated procedures, and 62.5% for contaminated surgery. The group of patients with CD4 counts of < 200 cell/ml had an increased incidence of surgical infection, regardless of the type of surgery (p = 0.002). Thus the surgical infection rates with HIV patients undergoing abdominal surgery are dramatically increased. The CD4 and subsequently depressed neutrophil populations increase the risk of surgical infection during major procedures regardless of the type of surgery performed.

We report a rare case of achalasia coexistent with megacolon. The patient, a 25-year-old woman, presented at our hospital with a history of abdominal pain with distension, and was finally operated on for a megacolon. Five months later she presented symptoms of progressive dysphagia and heartburn. Oesophageal manometry of the upper and lower oesophageal sphincter and X-ray studies showed images compatible with achalasia. Oesophagomyotomy of the oesophagogastric junction (Heller procedure with Dor haemifundoplication technique) was performed. In the specimens taken for biopsy, neither pathology of the myenteric plexuses, nor atrophy of the muscle fibres was evident. Chagas' disease serological diagnosis for Trypanosoma cruzii, neurological disease, diabetes and all the pathological events related with neuromuscular disorders of the gastrointestinal tract proved negative. We believe that the pathological findings are related to a dysfunction of the physiological mediators of the upper and lower digestive tract motility. The present case is extraordinary and, to our knowledge, extremely rare. The association of the two pathological diseases is questionable, and the literature is reviewed.

Background: Acute abdominal pain due to complicated Meckel's diverticulum is an unusual event. Even the presence of biliary enterolithiasis at the onset of inflamed congenital diverticulum has rarely been reported previously., Results: Despite this unusual presentation, an episode of gallstone passage through the biliary tract has not yet been described., Conclusions: Whether the stones were primarily formed in the diverticulum as enterolithiasis, or secondary to gallstone passage is discussed. The complications of Meckel's diverticulum requiring surgical treatment are reviewed, focusing on the unusual finding of biliary stones in Meckel's diverticulum and the etiogenic mechanism of enterolithiasis.

A striking pancreatic juice reflux toward the biliary tree (PR) has frequently been found in subjects with common bile-pancreatic conduit (CBPC) and gallstone-induced acute pancreatitis (SAP). Our aim was to determine the role of the CBPC functional diameter as a potential trigger of PR. The CBPC was calibrated in three groups of patients: (A) patients with gallbladder stones using intraoperative direct cholangiometry (n = 24), (B) patients after surgical removal of common bile duct stones using postoperative cholangiometry via T-drain (n = 6), and (C) patients with SAP using the same procedures as in group B (n = 6). In all patients in groups B and C, aliquots of bile were collected and assayed for pancreatic amylase content. The mean functional diameter of the CBPC varied from 0.80 mm in patients in groups A and B to 0.47 mm in group C (p < 0.001). The bile samples of group B contained low concentrations of amylase, whereas high values could be found in all samples of group C. We conclude that PR is a frequent event occurring after bile duct revision concerning small amounts of pancreatic juice. However, CBPC functional stenosis as seen in patients with SAP obviously induces PR with high amounts of pancreatic juice.

Objective: To find out the incidence of wound infection in patients with HIV and reduced counts of CD4 lymphocytes., Design: Open study., Setting: University hospital, Spain., Subjects: 70 patients with HIV infection and enlarged lymph nodes., Interventions: Biopsy of lymph nodes and withdrawal of a sample of blood for counts of CD4 lymphocytes and neutrophils., Main Outcome Measure: Development of infection at the biopsy site, and correlation of infecting organism with culture taken at the time of biopsy., Results: Patients were divided into three groups depending on their CD4 count: more than 500 cells/ml (n = 26), 200-500 cells/ml (n = 24), and less than 200 cells/ml (n = 20). Their neutrophil counts were 5.1, 3.8, and 2.5 x 10(9)/1, respectively. There were found four wound infections (6%); 2 were in the group with more than 500 CD4 cells/ml, and these were caused by Staphylococcus aureus (which had been grown from nodes in 6 patients at the time of biopsy). The other 2 were in the group with less than 500 cells/ml and these were caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis; cultures of the nodes had shown Staphylococcus epidermidis (n = 3) and M tuberculosis (n = 17). There were no infections in the group with 200-500 CD4 cells/ml, in which S epidermidis (n = 5) and M tuberculosis (n = 8) had been cultured from the lymph nodes., Conclusions: The CD4 count was of no prognostic importance in the development of wound infection, but severe depression of the CD4 count may increase the risk of atypical wound infections.