No abstract

Three new cases of small intestinal adenocarcinoma complicating Crohn's disease are reported. Seventy‐five other cases have been reported to date. Analysis of these cases in comparison with de novo adenocarcinoma of the small bowel shows that they: (1) occur at a younger age; (2) occur in distal small bowel; (3) show a male predilection; and (4) have a worse prognosis. The increasing number of these cases suggests that small intestinal regional enteritis predisposes to adenocarcinoma. Improved prognosis can only be achieved with earlier diagnosis.

Clinical pathways significantly improve the length of stay and decrease inpatient charges for major vascular surgical procedures while maintaining high standards of care. Factors that favorably affected the length of stay and hospital charges were outpatient arteriography, same-day admission, early ambulation, physical therapy, home care, use of the intensive care unit on a selective basis, and early discharge. Factors that adversely affected these outcomes were emergency admission, inpatient arteriography, thrombolytic therapy, complications, and the need for dialysis or anticoagulation.

A case of acute cardiac tamponade caused by an internal jugular central venous catheter which was successfully treated is reported. The English literature is reviewed and shows that tamponade can occur up to 37 days after insertion and has a 65% mortality. The tamponade is usually caused by the actual infusate and not by blood.

Of 724 bypasses with polytetrafluoroethylene grafts performed for critical ischemia during a 6-year period, 165 (23%) failed and necessitated reoperation for continued limb salvage. Forty-three failures occurred in 199 femoral-above-knee-popliteal bypasses (F-AKP), 33 failures in 177 femoral-below-knee-popliteal bypasses (F-BKP), 52 failures in 182 femorodistal bypasses (F-D), 28 failures in 85 axillofemoral bypasses (Ax-F), and nine failures in 81 femorofemoral bypasses (F-F). Our reoperative approach consisted of dissection of the distal anastomosis, longitudinal incision in the hood of the graft directly over the anastomosis, and proximal graft thrombectomy. Intimal hyperplasia was treated by patch angioplasty, proximal or distal progression of atherosclerosis was treated by a graft extension, and thrombectomy alone was performed when no cause of graft failure was identified. More recently, a totally new bypass was constructed in 27 cases of F-BKP or F-D failures. Reoperations featuring graft salvage for failed extra-anatomic and F-AKP bypasses yielded 3-year patency rates from the time of first reoperation of 71% and 52%, respectively, whereas for F-BKP and F-D reoperations, 3-year patency rates were 13% and 15%, respectively, at 3 years. However, totally new grafts to a different outflow artery in these settings had 3-year patency rates of 48% and 39%. These data support the aggressive use of reoperation with graft salvage when F-AKP or extra-anatomic graft failure reproduces critical ischemia. Conversely, a new bypass to a virginal outflow site, preferably with autologous vein, should be performed when a polytetrafluoroethylene F-BKP or F-D bypass fails.