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Background: Postoperative bowel paralysis is common after abdominal operations, including colectomy. As a result, hospitalization may be prolonged, thereby leading to increased cost. A recent randomized controlled trial showed that the consumption of regular black coffee after colectomy is associated with a significantly faster resumption of intestinal motility. The mechanism by which coffee stimulates intestinal motility is unknown, but caffeine seems to be the most likely stimulating agent. Thus, the effect of caffeine on postoperative bowel activity after colon surgery will be analyzed in this trial, herein referred to as CaCo.Methods/design: Patients scheduled for elective laparoscopic colectomy or upper rectum resection are eligible to participate in this double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized trial. Patients fulfilling all inclusion criteria will be allocated after the surgical procedure to one of three treatment arms: 100 mg caffeine, 200 mg caffeine, or placebo (corn starch). Patients will take the capsules containing the study medication three times daily with a meal. The primary endpoint of the study is the time to a solid bowel movement. The study treatment will be stopped after the patient produces a solid bowel movement or has taken ten capsules, whichever occurs first. To determine the colonic passage time, patients will take a capsule with radiopaque markers at breakfast for the first 3 days after surgery. On the fourth day, the location of the markers will be determined with an abdominal X-ray scan. Further secondary objectives are the postoperative morbidity and mortality, well-being, sleeping behavior, and length of hospital stay. The study size was calculated to be 180 patients with an interim analysis occurring after 60 patients.Discussion: From a previous study investigating coffee, evidence exists that caffeine might have a positive influence on the postoperative bowel activity. This double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized trial tries to show that caffeine will shorten the postoperative bowel paralysis and, thus, will improve recovery and shorten the hospital stay after colon surgery.Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02510911 Swiss National Clinical Trials Portal SNCTP000001131. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In liver surgery, appropriate preoperative evaluation and preparation of the patient is of cardinal importance. The up-to-date, preoperative prediction of residual liver function has thus far been limited. As posthepatectomy liver failure is a major cause of mortality, a new and simple bedside test (LiMAx) has been developed to predict postoperative liver function in conjunction with preoperative volumetric analysis of the liver. Case presentation: A 45-year-old patient presented with a cecal carcinoma and a large synchronous liver metastasis for major liver surgery. Liver function was determined by the LiMAx-test for the enzymatic capacity of cytochrome P450 1A2, which is ubiquitously and solely active in the liver. A solution of 2 mg/kg body weight 13C-labeled methacetin was injected as a bolus into an intravenous catheter and, thereafter, was metabolized into acetaminophen and 13CO2 and pulmonarily exhaled. The analysis of the 13CO2/12CO2 ratio was performed using online breath sampling over a period of maximally 60 minutes. Based on this test, a value of more than 315 μg/kg/h represents normal liver function. A laparoscopic right hemihepatectomy was planned during virtual resection with a residual liver volume of 48% and a preoperative anticipated residual LiMAx of 301 μg/kg/h. After successful resection, the initial postoperative LiMAx value was 316 μg/kg/h, indicating good liver function and a correct prediction of the outcome. Conclusion: In the presented patient, residual liver function could be accurately predicted preoperatively using a combination of the new LiMax test with CT-volumetry. This test might significantly improve preoperative evaluation and postoperative outcomes in liver surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Postoperative nausea and vomiting after general anesthesia is not only an unpleasant problem affecting 20-30% of surgical patients but may also lead to severe postoperative complications. There is a particularly high incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting following thyroidectomy. Dexamethasone has been described as highly effective against chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting and has been proposed as a first-line method of postoperative nausea and vomiting prophylaxis. Despite this possible beneficial effect, the prophylactic administration of dexamethasone before surgery to prevent or ameliorate postoperative nausea and vomiting has not been established. A bilateral superficial cervical plexus block during thyroid surgery under general anesthesia significantly reduces pain. Of even greater clinical importance, this block prevents the need for postoperative opioids. Therefore, patients undergoing thyroidectomy and a bilateral superficial cervical plexus block are an ideal group to investigate the efficacy of dexamethasone for postoperative nausea and vomiting. These patients have a high incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting and do not require opioids. They have no abdominal surgery, which can cause nausea and vomiting via a paralytic ileus. Combined with the highly standardized anesthesia protocol in use at our institution, this setting allows all known biases to be controlled. Methods/design: We will perform a parallel two-arm, randomized (1:1), double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-center trial. Adults (≥18 years) scheduled for primary partial or total thyroidectomy because of a benign disease will be eligible for inclusion. The participants will be randomized to receive a single, intravenous preoperative dose of either 8 mg of dexamethasone in 2 ml saline (treatment group) or saline alone (placebo group). All the patients will receive a bilateral superficial cervical plexus block and standardized anesthesia. The primary outcome will be the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting. A total of 152 patients will be recruited, providing 80% power to detect a 50% reduction in the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting. Any patients who require opioid treatment will be excluded from the per-protocol analysis. Discussion: In the present protocol, we reduced bias to the greatest extent possible. Thus, we expect to definitively clarify the efficacy of dexamethasone for postoperative nausea and vomiting prophylaxis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A new surgical technique, the Perineal Stapled Prolapse resection (PSP) for external rectal prolapse was introduced in a feasibility study in 2008. This study now presents the first results of a larger patient group with functional outcome in a mid-term follow-up. Methods: From December 2007 to April 2009 PSP was performed by the same surgeon team on patients with external rectal prolapse. The prolapse was completely pulled out and then axially cut open with a linear stapler at three and nine o'clock in lithotomy position. Finally, the prolapse was resected stepwise with the curved Contour® Transtar™ stapler at the prolapse's uptake. Perioperative morbidity and functional outcome were prospectively measured by appropriate scores. Results: 32 patients participated in the study; median age was 80 years (range 26-93). No intraoperative complications and 6.3% minor postoperative complications occurred. Median operation time was 30 minutes (15-65), hospital stay 5 days (2-19). Functional outcome data were available in 31 of the patients after a median follow-up of 6 months (4-22). Preoperative severe faecal incontinence disappeared postoperatively in 90% of patients with a reduction of the median Wexner score from 16 (4-20) to 1 (0-14) (P < 0.0001). No new incidence of constipation was reported. Conclusions: The PSP is an elegant, fast and safe procedure, with good functional results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inguinal hernia repair is one of the most common surgical procedures worldwide. This procedure is increasingly performed with endoscopic techniques (laparoscopy). Many surgeons prefer to cover the hernia gap with a mesh to prevent recurrence. The mesh must be fixed tightly, but without tension. During laparoscopic surgery, the mesh is generally fixed with staples or tissue glue. However, staples often cause pain at the staple sites, and they can cause scarring of the abdominal wall, which can lead to chronic pain. We designed a trial that aims to determine whether mesh fixation with glue might cause less postoperative pain than fixation with staples during a transabdominal preperitoneal patch plastic repair.Methods/design: The TISTA trial is a prospective, randomized, controlled, single-center trial with a two-by-two parallel design. All patients and outcome-assessors will be blinded to treatment allocations. For eligibility, patients must be male, ≥18 years old, and scheduled for laparoscopic repair of a primary inguinal hernia. One group comprises patients with a unilateral inguinal hernia that will be randomized to receive mesh fixation with either tissue glue or staples. The second group comprises patients with bilateral inguinal hernias. They will be randomized to receive mesh fixation with tissue glue either on the right or the left side and with staples on the other side. The primary endpoint will be pain under physical stress, measured at 24 h after surgery. Pain will be rated by the patient based on a numeric rating scale from 0 to 10, where 10 equals the worst pain imaginable. A total of 82 patients will be recruited (58 patients with unilateral inguinal hernias and 24 patients with bilateral hernias). This number is estimated to provide 90% power for detecting a pain reduction of one point on a numeric rating scale, with a standard deviation of one.Discussion: Patients with bilateral hernias will receive two meshes, one fixed with glue, and the other fixed with staples. This design will eliminate the inter-individual bias inherent in comparing pain measurements between two groups of patients.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01641718. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]