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The consumption of platelet products in Finland is exceptionally high. For the most part, platelets are transfused pre-operatively to thrombocytopenic patients in order to prevent hemorrhage. Most of the minor procedures could, however, be conducted even if the patients'platelet levels would be lower than usual. In cardiac surgery, platelets are used because of the hemorrhagic diathesis associated with platelet inhibitors. Platelet inhibitors will, however, also bind to transfused platelets, whereby instead of prophylactic platelet transfusions it would be more sensible to leave the thorax open and not carry out ineffective platelet transfusions until the effect of the inhibitors has run out. We outline the prophylactic use of platelets based on recent international clinical practice guidelines.

Contacts between humans and animals inevitably involve encounters possibly resulting in the human being injured. During the period of 2000 to 2014 almost 90 people died in this kind of conflict in Finland. Of these deaths, one third were associated with horses. In addition, over the same period 85 people died in traffic accidents in which an animal was hit by a car. Accidents requiring hospitalization occurred for approx. 8 000 people.

The coagulopathy of chronic liver disease involves elevated risks for thrombosis in the portal vein and extra-splanchic sites. Hypercoagulability may moreover accelerate liver fibrosis progression. Cirrhosis-related portal vein thrombosis is associated with decompensation events and inferior prognosis; anticoagulation therapy achieves complete recanalization in -40% of recent thromboses and prevents thrombosis progression in chronic cases. Standard thrombosis prophylaxis seems appropriate for hospitalized cirrhotic patients. This review provides practical guidance to tailoring anticoagulation therapy in cirrhosis according to individual bleeding risk. We also propose an algorithm for using anticoagulation and transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts in the treatment of cirrhotic portal vein thrombosis.

Enteral nutrition of an elderly patient having ended up in hospital or intensive care and suffering from malnutrition should be started as soon as it is technically possible. If less than 60% of the estimated energy need is fulfilled during the first week of treatment, parenteral nutrition should also be initiated. Multi-chamber bags are the most effective means to provide energy and nutrients via the central vein. To reduce the risk of liver damage, parenteral nutrition is upon prolongation recommended to be administered periodically. Weight monitoring is important in order to observe the effect of the treatment and the possible accumulation of fluid load.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is an autoimmune disease leading to biliary strictures and inflammation. The lifetime risk for cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) among PSC patients is 7-13%, and biliary dysplasia is thought to be a precursor lesion for CCA. The diagnosis of PSC is based on endoscopic retrogradic cholangiography (ERC). During ERC brush cytology samples are routinely taken in our unit to detect possible biliary dysplasia. With repeated cytological dysplasia, liver transplantation is considered. Aneuploidy in DNA flow cytometry may support the suspicion of dysplasia. PSC is the most common indication for liver transplantation in Finland, and half of transplantations are prophylactic.

Association of cutaneous leukocytoclastic vasculitis with colon carcinoma has occasionally been reported. We report a case of acute cutaneous leucocytoclastic vasculitis that developed over two weeks after liver resection due to metastatic rectal adenocarcinoma. The primary tumor had earlier been resected and treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. No actual infection was found and the medication was not changed recently except for the prophylaxis cephalosporin for five days at the time of liver resection. The patient received corticosteroid therapy and had remission of vasculitis at one month control but still ongoing haematuria. Eight months after liver resection colonoscopy, contrast enhanced whole-body computed tomography, tumour markers and urine red cell count showed no significant findings.

This article reviews the recent literature on operating room fires. Most of the reported cases have occurred from a spark from an ignition source in an oxygen-enriched atmosphere. Fire requires the presence of three components which all are ample in the operating room: heat, flammable materials or flammable gases.

The annual number of kidney transplantations in Finland is 150 to 200. Successful kidney transplantation improves the patient's quality of life and prognosis and is cost-effective as compared with dialytic therapy. Only a few per cent of transplantations are made from a living donor. Waiting times for kidney transplantations have become longer in the last few years. Whereas attempts should be made to better identify potential brain-dead organ donors in order to increase kidney transplantations, transplantations from living donors could also reduce the disproportion between the availability and the need of organs.

Most poisonings that have resulted in hospitalization in Finland are alcohol, drug or mixed poisonings of adults. If the quantity of the drug or the poison is high or organ injury is anticipated, the patients may require extracorporeal blood purification in order to eliminate the substance or its metabolic products from the circulation. Hemodialysis or hemodiafiltration are used as the treatment, if the substance having caused the poisoning is water-soluble, binds to proteins only to a small extent, and has a low molecular weight and small distribution of volume. Fat-soluble substances are eliminated by using hemoperfusion, those having bound to proteins by using albumin dialysis.

In severe liver disease, simultaneous abnormalities in procoagulant and anticoagulant pathways seem to maintain the hemostatic balance, provided that the platelet level is sufficient. Common coagulation screening tests such as INR fail to measure the concomitant anticoagulant deficiencies and fibrinolytic abnormalities, and do not predict bleeding in patients with compensated liver disease undergoing invasive procedures. Thus, specific INR cut-off levels and prophylactic use of fresh-frozen plasma are discouraged. Volume expansion, hemodynamic disruption, endothelial dysfunction, and infections increase the bleeding risk. Individualized bleeding risk assessment mandates evaluation of the patient's clinical condition and a comprehensive assessment of the hemostatic system.

Wilson's disease is a disorder of the liver's copper metabolism. Accumulation of copper causes liver and central nervous system damage. Wilson's disease should always be suspected, when a liver disease is detected in a child or an adolescent. The disease may also manifest itself as severe neurological or neuropsychiatric disorders. The diagnosis is often delayed despite the fact that the accumulation of copper in the body can be shown by various means. Early started medication will stop the accumulation of copper into the body. If the treatment is delayed or ineffective, liver transplantation is required.