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Background/Aim:To assess the prognostic indicators preoperatively presenting and influencing the mortality rate following esophagectomy for esophageal cancer.Materials and Methods:This study was a retrospective cohort study, conducted at the Department of Surgery, Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar, from 1 January 2003 till 31 December 2008. Group 1 included patients who had undergone sub-total esophagectomy and were alive at completion of 12 months; whereas Group 2 included those patients who died by the completion of 12 months. Data were recollected from the Data Bank. A list of variables common to all patients from both groups was categorized and subsequently all data related to each individual patient were placed and analyzed on the version 13.0 of SPSSR for Windows.Results:Significant findings of a lower mean level of serum albumin from Group 2 were observed, whereas serum transferrin levels, also found lower in Group 2, were not statistically significant. Findings of serum pre-albumin, with a mean value of 16.12 mg/dl (P<0.05) and Geansler’s index for the evaluation of the presence of obstructive pulmonary disease prior to surgery showed a lower reading of mean ratio in Group 2. Anastamotic leak was not a common finding in the entire study. In most cases, the choice of conduit was the remodeled stomach. Nine patients from Group 2 were observed with evident leak on the fifth to seventh post-operative day following contrast swallow studies. This was statistically insignificant (P = 0.051) on multivariate analysis.Conclusion:Pre-operative variables including weight loss, low serum albumin and pre-albumin, Geansler’s index, postoperative chylothorax, pleural effusion, and hospital stay, are predictive of mortality in patients who undergo esophagectomy for esophageal cancer.

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Background/Aim:To compare outcomes of light and heavy weight mesh for repair of inguinal hernia.Materials and Methods:This study was conducted at the Department of Surgery; Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2008. Patients were divided into two groups based on the type of mesh implanted for inguinal hernia repair. Group 1 included patients in whom light weight composite (VyproII®) mesh is implanted: Group 2 included patients in whom polypropylene (ProleneR) mesh is implanted. Data concerning the complications and post operative pain in the perioperative and postoperative period were collected and analyzed. Categorical data were presented as percentages with 95% confidence intervals and compared using a χ2test and P<0.05 were considered significant.Results:Following allocation and exclusion of violating cases, 111 patients in group 1 and 138 patients in group 2 were analyzed. The mean age in group 1 was 38.20 ± 13.34 years and in group 2 was 39.55 ± 13.70 (P = 0.434). In group 1, hematoma formation was observed in four cases (3.6%), while it was observed in six cases (4.2%) in group 2 (P = 0.766). During the entire study, ten patients in all developed urinary retention, three of which required transient catheterization. One year post operation, there was a recurrence in only five cases overall, while only two patients complained of pain (P = 0.826).Conclusion:The frequency of postoperative pain and complications in patients was similar in both groups.