Purpose
To update the World Society of the Abdominal Compartment Syndrome (WSACS) consensus definitions and management statements relating to intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) and the abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS).

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Intra-abdominal hypertension and the abdominal compartment syndrome: updated consensus definitions and clinical practice guidelines from the World Society of the Abdominal Compartment Syndrome

http://www.chcs.org.cn/upload/2014-09/14091721577197.pdf

Incisional ventral hernias: Review of the literature and recommendations regarding the grading and technique of repair

Background Several modifications of the classic retromuscular Stoppa technique to facilitate dissection beyond the lateral border of the rectus sheath recently were reported. We describe a novel technique of transversus abdominis muscle release (TAR) for posterior component separation during major abdominal wall reconstructions. Methods Retrospective review of consecutive patients undergoing TAR. Briefly, the retromuscular space is developed laterally to the edge of the rectus sheath. The posterior rectus sheath is incised 0.5–1 cm underlying medial to the linea semilunaris to expose the medial edge of the transversus abdominis muscle. The muscle then is divided, allowing entrance to the space anterior to the transversalis fascia. The posterior rectus fascia then is advanced medially. The mesh is placed as a sublay and the linea alba is restored ventral to the mesh. Results Between December 2006 and December 2009, we have used this technique successfully in 42 patients with massive ventral defects. Thirty-two (76.2%) patients had recurrent hernias. The average mesh size used was 1,201 ± 820 cm2 (range, 600–2,700). Ten (23.8%) patients developed various wound complications requiring reoperation/debridement in 3 patients. At a median follow-up period of 26.1 months, there have been 2 (4.7%) recurrences. Conclusions Our novel technique for posterior component separation was associated with a low perioperative morbidity and a low recurrence rate. Overall, transversus abdominis muscle release may be an important addition to the armamentarium of surgeons undertaking major abdominal wall reconstructions.

Transversus abdominis muscle release: a novel approach to posterior component separation during complex abdominal wall reconstruction.

Shared decision-making is increasingly advocated as an ideal model of treatment decision-making in the medical encounter. To date, the concept has been rather poorly and loosely defined. This paper attempts to provide greater conceptual clarity about shared treatment decision-making, identify some key characteristics of this model, and discuss measurement issues. The particular decision-making context that we focus on is potentially life threatening illnesses, where there are important decisions to be made at key points in the disease process, and several treatment options exist with different possible outcomes and substantial uncertainty. We suggest as key characteristics of shared decision-making (1) that at least two participants-physician and patient be involved; (2) that both parties share information; (3) that both parties take steps to build a consensus about the preferred treatment; and (4) that an agreement is reached on the treatment to implement. Some challenges to measuring shared decision-making are discussed as well as potential benefits of a shared decision-making model for both physicians and patients.

Shared Decision-making in the Medical Encounter: What Does It Mean? (Or, It Takes at Least Two to Tango)

Background: The incidence of surgical site infection (SSI) across surgical procedures, specialties, and conditions is reported to vary from 0.1% to 50%. Operative duration is often cited as an independent and potentially modifiable risk factor for SSI. The objective of this systematic review was to provide an in-depth understanding of the relation between operating time and SSI. Patients and Methods: This review included 81 prospective and retrospective studies. Along with study design, likelihood of SSI, mean operative times, time thresholds, effect measures, confidence intervals, and p values were extracted. Three meta-analyses were conducted, whereby odds ratios were pooled by hourly operative time thresholds, increments of increasing operative time, and surgical specialty. Results: Pooled analyses demonstrated that the association between extended operative time and SSI typically remained statistically significant, with close to twice the likelihood of SSI observed across various time thresho...

Prolonged Operative Duration Increases Risk of Surgical Site Infections: A Systematic Review.

Background The lack of a universally accepted classification system for incisional hernia repair has led to inconsistent reporting of ventral hernia repairs, the inability to compare various series, and the lack of appropriate risk adjusted stratification systems to evaluate surgical outcomes. This study evaluates the Ventral Hernia Working Group's (VHWG) grading scale to accurately predict surgical site occurrence (SSO) after open ventral hernia repair. Study Design All open ventral hernia repairs performed at Case Medical Center were evaluated from a prospectively maintained database. Hernias were graded according to the VHWG grading scale, and patients were evaluated for the incidence of a SSO. The relationships between comorbidities, hernia defect characteristics, CDC wound classification, and SSOs were also evaluated. Results There were 299 patients who met inclusion criteria and were available for follow-up. Surgical site occurrence was identified in 14% grade 1, 29% grade 2, 38% grade 3, and 49% grade 4 patients (p = 0.003). However, grade 3 patients with only a previous wound infection had a significantly different incidence of SSO than those with a violation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and were actually more similar to grade 2 patients. Likewise, violation of the GI tract had a similar rate of SSO to grade 4 patients. Finally, CDC wound classification also accurately predicted SSO across all levels of contamination. Conclusions Modification of the VHWG grading scale into a 3-level grading system would significantly improve the accuracy of predicting SSO after open ventral hernia repair. Grade 2 patients should include those with comorbidities and previous wound infections. Grade 3 patients should be stratified based on CDC definitions of wound contamination. This modified grading scale would significantly improve outcomes reporting after open ventral hernia repair.

https://www.journalacs.org/article/S1072-7515(12)01095-2/pdf

Modified Hernia Grading Scale to Stratify Surgical Site Occurrence after Open Ventral Hernia Repairs

Objective:Our objective was to evaluate the safety and durability of biologic mesh for single-staged reconstruction of contaminated fields.Introduction:The presence of contamination during ventral hernia repair (VHR) poses a significant challenge. Some advocate for a multistaged reconstructive appro

A 5-year clinical experience with single-staged repairs of infected and contaminated abdominal wall defects utilizing biologic mesh.

Background The ideal technique for the use of AlloDerm (LifeCell Corp) in complicated ventral hernia repair has not been defined. The expense of these products mandates careful evaluation to justify their widespread use. We compared two techniques of fascial bridging versus fascial reinforcement repair with regard to their longterm recurrence rates using AlloDerm. Study Design We retrospectively studied patients with abdominal defects repaired with AlloDerm at our institution. Results Thirty-seven patients with abdominal wall repairs using AlloDerm were identified between January 2004 and December 2005. Eleven patients underwent bridged fascial repair; 26 patients had reinforced fascial repair. There was no statistical significance between the 2 groups in terms of average age (57 versus 52 years), body mass index (35 versus 29 kg/m2), American Society of Anesthesiologists score (2.9 versus 2.5), or number of earlier abdominal operations (3.4 versus 3.5). The average sizes of AlloDerm used were 175 cm2 for bridged and 89 cm2 for reinforced repair (p=0.005). In patients with reinforced closure, primary repair was achieved with lateral component separation in 22 of 26 patients. Mean followup was 21.4 months (range 15 to 36 months). In the bridged group, 1 patient died on postoperative day 20. Of the remaining 10 patients, 8 patients (80%) developed recurrences. Seven patients required reoperation, but one patient refused repair. In the reinforced group, four patients were lost to followup and two patients died. Four of the remaining 20 patients (20%) developed recurrences that required repair; this was significantly different from the recurrence rate in the bridged group (p=0.009). Conclusions This study demonstrated that the method in which AlloDerm is used in abdominal wall reconstruction has a significant impact on recurrence rates. Based on our findings, AlloDerm should be used only as a reinforcement after primary fascial reappoximation.

https://www.journalacs.org/article/S1072-7515(07)00764-8/pdf

Use of Acellular Dermal Matrix for Complicated Ventral Hernia Repair: Does Technique Affect Outcomes?

Background Success of a surgical intervention is often measured by hard clinical outcomes. In ventral hernia repair (VHR) these include wound morbidity and hernia recurrence. These outcomes fail to account for a surgical intervention's effect on a patient's quality of life (QofL). Our objective was to design a hernia-specific QofL instrument with a focus on abdominal wall function, evaluate its measurement properties, and assess the impact of VHR on QofL using this new instrument. Study Design A 16-question QofL survey tool, HerQLes, was constructed. Patients presenting for elective VHR completed the survey. Rasch modeling was used to evaluate the items; fit statistics, person-item mapping, separation index, and reliability were examined. Associations between baseline characteristics and QofL were assessed. Results Eighty-eight patients completed the survey before assessment for VHR. Mean age was 57.2 years (±12.4 years), mean American Society of Anesthesiologists score was 2.8 (±0.5), and mean body mass index was 34.9 kg/m 2 (±9.3 kg/m 2 ). Based on Rasch modeling, 12 of 16 items met model fit criteria. The 4 poorly fitting items were eliminated from further analysis. The 12 items retained have good internal consistency reliability (0.86). On a 0- to 100-point scale, mean QofL score was 47.2 (±15.6). Patients with higher grade hernias had lower HerQLes scores (p = 0.06). Patients showed significant improvement in abdominal wall function and QofL 6 months after VHR (p Conclusions Quality-of-life is an important component of surgical management of ventral hernias. The 12-question QofL survey, HerQLes, is reliable and valid. At baseline, patients with more complex hernias tended to have a decreased abdominal wall function and QofL. Six months after surgical repair, HerQLes scores change in the predicted direction. We believe HerQLes is potentially a valuable tool to assess patient-centered abdominal wall functional improvements after VHR.

Design and initial implementation of HerQLes: A hernia-related quality-of-life survey to assess abdominal wall function

Background Anterior components separation (ACS) creates large lipocutaneous flaps to release the external oblique fascia often leading to major wound complications. Posterior components separation (PCS) involves the release of the posterior rectus sheath and transversus abdominis muscles. We hypothesized that PCS provides effective fascial advancement while reducing wound morbidity during abdominal wall reconstructions. Methods A retrospective review of consecutive components separation performed by a single surgeon over 5 years. Results One hundred eleven patients (56 ACS/55 PCS) were analyzed. The mean defect size was 472 and 531 cm 2 , respectively ( P = .28). Five patients in each group required a bridging repair. Wound complications occurred in significantly more ACS than PCS patients (48.2% vs 25.5%, P = .01). The recurrence rate was also higher in the ACS group (14.3% vs 3.6%, P = .09). Conclusions PCS provides equivalent myofascial advancement with significantly less wound morbidity when compared with ACS. Although further studies are needed, PCS has evolved as an important addition to the armamentarium of surgeons undertaking complex abdominal wall reconstructions.

Jeffrey A. Blatnik

Papers

Modified Hernia Grading Scale to Stratify Surgical Site Occurrence after Open Ventral Hernia Repairs

A 5-year clinical experience with single-staged repairs of infected and contaminated abdominal wall defects utilizing biologic mesh.

Use of Acellular Dermal Matrix for Complicated Ventral Hernia Repair: Does Technique Affect Outcomes?

Design and initial implementation of HerQLes: A hernia-related quality-of-life survey to assess abdominal wall function

Posterior and open anterior components separations: a comparative analysis.