Surgical meshes, in particular those used to repair hernias, have been in use since 1891. Since then, research in the area has expanded, given the vast number of post-surgery complications such as infection, fibrosis, adhesions, mesh rejection, and hernia recurrence. Researchers have focused on the analysis and implementation of a wide range of materials: meshes with different fiber size and porosity, a variety of manufacturing methods, and certainly a variety of surgical and implantation procedures. Currently, surface modification methods and development of nanofiber based systems are actively being explored as areas of opportunity to retain material strength and increase biocompatibility of available meshes. This review summarizes the history of surgical meshes and presents an overview of commercial surgical meshes, their properties, manufacturing methods, and observed biological response, as well as the requirements for an ideal surgical mesh and potential manufacturing methods.

Wound site infections increase costs, hospital stay, morbidity, and mortality. Techniques used for wounds management after laparotomy are primary, delayed primary, and vacuum-assisted closures. The objective of this study is to compare infection rates between those techniques in contaminated and dirty/ infected wounds. Eighty-one laparotomized patients with Class III or IV surgical wounds were enrolled in a three-arm randomized prospective study. Patients were allocated to each group with the software Research Randomizer® (Urbaniak, G. C, & Plous, S., Version 4.0). Presence of infection was determined by a certified board physician according to Centers for Disease Control's Criteria for Defining a Surgical Site Infection. Twenty-seven patients received primary closure, 29 delayed primary closure, and 25 vacuum-assisted closure, with no exclusions for analysis. Surgical site infection was present in 10 (37%) patients treated with primary closure, 5 (17%) with primary delayed closure, and 0 (0%) patients receiving vacuum-assisted closure. Statistical significance was found between infection rates of the vacuum-assisted group and the other two groups. No significant difference was found between the primary and primary delayed closure groups. The infection rate in contaminated/dirty-infected laparotomy wounds decreases from 37 and 17 per cent with a primary and delayed primary closures, respectively, to 0 per cent with vacuum-assisted systems.

The use of bupivacaine irrigated over the surgical bed was found to be an effective method for reducing pain following laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Introduction Mirizzi syndrome is an infrequent complication of long-standing cholelithiasis. Extrinsic compression of the common hepatic duct is usually caused by an impacted stone in Hartmann's pouch or cystic duct resulting in the development of cholecystobiliary fistula. This syndrome is classified based on the presence and severity of cholecystobiliary fistula. Mirizzi syndrome is challenging to diagnose preoperatively and may require complex biliary surgical procedures for resolution. Results We present three patients with Mirizzi syndrome with different clinical presentations. All were successfully treated by cholangioscopy with electrohydraulic lithotripsy. Endoscopic treatment is a safe alternative with a high success rate. Single-operator cholangioscopy combined with lithotripsy has been shown to have a 90–100% success rate in the treatment of biliary stones. Conclusion Herein, we present our experience treating Mirizzi syndrome with single-operator cholangioscopy guided electrohydraulic lithotripsy. Difficult management of Mirizzi syndrome has led to research of new treatment options to minimize the risk of high-rate complications. Single-operator cholangioscopy in combination with laser lithotripsy is an adequate and safe alternative for the treatment of this condition.

This work explores the viability of 3D printed intervertebral lumbar cages based on biocompatible polycarbonate (PC-ISO® material). Several design concepts are proposed for the generation of patient-specific intervertebral lumbar cages. The 3D printed material achieved compressive yield strength of 55 MPa under a specific combination of manufacturing parameters. The literature recommends a reference load of 4,000 N for design of intervertebral lumbar cages. Under compression testing conditions, the proposed design concepts withstand between 7,500 and 10,000 N of load before showing yielding. Although some stress concentration regions were found during analysis, the overall viability of the proposed design concepts was validated.