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The closure of the abdominal wall after making a laparotomy is a major challenge for surgeons, since a significant percentage of closures fail and incisional hernias rise. The suture has to withstand the forces required to close the incision, while not hindering the adequate wound healing progression. Currently, there is no surgical measuring device that could be used to determine the required closing forces, which can be very different depending on the patient. This paper presents a dynamometer to measure the tension forces to be applied while closing a surgical incision, and it simultaneously measures the distance between wound edges. It is a compass-like instrument. A mechanism between the two legs incorporates a load cell, whose signal is read by an electronic device that computes the values of the tension forces between wound edges. An angular position sensor at the pin joint between legs provides the distance between both sides of the incision. Measuring capabilities of the instrument prototype were verified at the laboratory. Thereafter, its functionality was demonstrated in experimental surgery tests. Therefore, the instrument could be very useful in clinical applications, assisting personalized surgical techniques.

Aim: Acute calculous cholecystitis is a frequent complication of gallstones that can manifest in up to 10-15 per cent of previously asymptomatic patients. Current guidelines recommend laparoscopic cholecystectomy as the gold standard treatment; however, the presence of surgery risk factors might compel physicians to opt for conservative treatment, which is often associated with longer hospital stay. Home hospitalization could be an alternative to inpatient stay for these patients. Patients and Methods: The present study was a retrospective analysis of data from a prospective patient single-centre registry. Data from 915 patients with mild or moderate acute calculous cholecystitis, who presented in the Department of General Surgery of our hospital between 2010 and 2015, were analysed. The variables included grade of acute cholecystitis, type of treatment, use of antibiotics, inpatient stay, stay in hospital-at-home, complications, mortality, readmissions and relapse. Results: A total of 147 (16 per cent) patients were referred to hospital-at-home, while the rest completed their treatment in the hospital ward. There were no significant differences between the home hospitalization and conventional hospitalization groups in the rates of complications, mortality, readmissions, relapse and length of antibiotherapy. Home hospitalization was associated with shorter inpatient stay, but longer total hospitalization, likely due to a prolonged follow up by the home care unit. Conclusions: Home hospitalization is an effective and safe alternative to conventional hospitalization, as it provides hospital-level care and reduces the number of admissions and length of inpatient stay. The timely referral of patients to other levels of assistance, such as primary care, is needed to ensure economic benefits of home hospitalization programmes.