תוצאת חיפוש

The Diagnosis and Treatment of Fournier's Gangrene

M. Cohen, E. Tamir, S. Abu-Abid, Y. Galili, M. Giladi, S. Avital, R. Shafir, Y. Klausner

Surgery and Infectious Disease Depts. and Division of Surgery, Tel Aviv-Sourasky Medical Center, and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University

We treated 2 women and 8 men suffering from Fournier's gangrene during 1990-96. 2 had diabetes, 1 suffered from ulcerative colitis and 1 was an alcoholic. In 8 of them the infection was triggered by a mixture of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Treatment consisted of repeated wide debridement and early colostomy. This aggressive approach resulted in relief of the septic signs within 24 hours and permitted early skin grafting of the wounds. 2 patients died due to sepsis that caused multiple organ failure. The 8 who survived were hospitalized for an average of 35 days. On follow-up examination 1-5 years later all patients had undergone closure of the colostomy and were completely rehabilitated.

Fournier's gangrene is not rare in the geriatric population. We believe that early diagnosis and aggressive wide debridement, combined with early colostomy, are the keys to successful treatment.

Pheochromocytoma Multi-Organ Crisis: Nonseptic Hyperthermia and Shock

Michael Y. Shapira, Elena Zuckerman, Taufic Zuebi, Oded Jurim

Divisions of Medicine and Surgery, Hadassah-University Hospital; Geriatrics Dept.; Herzog Hospital, Jerusalem; and Dept. of Medicine, Yoseftal Hospital, Eilat

Pheochromocytoma usually presents with nonspecific symptoms such as headache, palpitation, chest pain and hypertension. We present a 48-year-old woman hospitalized due to a pheochromocytoma multi-organ crisis (PMC). It consists of a tetrad of symptoms: multi-organ failure, hyperthermia, encephalopathy and unstable blood pressure. Distinguishing PMC from septic shock may be difficult, and requires needs a high clinical index of suspicion.

Living-Related Liver Transplantation

N. Bar-Nathan, Z. Shapira, E. Shaharabani, A. Yussim, Y. Ben-Ari, T. Sheinfeld, I. Zehavi, R. Shapira, G. Dinari, Z. Ben-Ari, R. Tur-Kaspa, E. Mor

Dept. of Transplantation and Liver Institute, Rabin Medical Center (Beilinson Campus), and Pediatric Intensive Care and Pediatric Gastroenterology Units, Schneider Children's Medical Center, Petah Tikva

Our experience with living-related liver transplantation is described. In 2 boys and 1 girl, aged 4-4.5 years with acute, fulminating hepatitis A, the presence of very severe jaundice (bilirubin levels > 18 mg%) associated with severe coagulopathy (INR>10) and encephalopathy indicated the need for urgent liver transplantation. In all 3 cases the left lateral hepatic segment of a matched blood type parent was transplanted. None of the donors suffered a serious complication postoperatively and all returned to full activity in 6-16 weeks. The post-transplantation course was uneventful in 1 child, but in the other 2 there was hepatic arterial thrombosis in 1 at 1 day and in the other at 8 days post-transplantation. Early detection of arterial thrombosis by Doppler sonography permitted salvage of the 2 hepatic grafts after thrombectomy and re-anastomosis. In 1 of these 2 children an anastomotic biliary stricture was found 2 months after transplantation. It was corrected at surgery and a percutaneous stent was inserted. All 3 children are alive with normal graft function at 2, 7 and 8 months post-transplantation, respectively. This initial experience indicates that living-related liver transplantation is feasible in Israel. The technique might help to solve our severe organ shortage for children awaiting liver transplantation.

Participation of Patients with Uret-Eral Calculi in Clinical Decision Making, and Level of Anxiety

Ilana Margalith, Amos Shapiro

Hadassah-Hebrew University School of Nursing, and Dept. of Urology, Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem

In a study examining the relationship between patient participation in clinical decision making and levels of anxiety, patients were offered a choice of treatment for ureteral calculus. 42 received information about 2 treatment options, ultrasound fragmentation of the stone through a ureteroscope and extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), and were asked to choose the method that they preferred. 54 received treatment decided on by the physician without their participation in the decision making process. Anxiety was measured before meeting with the physician, immediately after the meeting and on hospitalization for treatment. The contribution of the patient's perception of participation in the decision- making process and level of education was also examined. There was a decrease in level of anxiety after meeting with the physician only among those who did not actually participate in the decision-making process (p<0.05). There was no change in the level of anxiety among those offered choice of treatment. However, a decrease in anxiety was evident among patients who perceived that they had received information about their illness and its treatment (p<0.01). This was not the case for patients who perceived themselves as participants in decision making unless they had a relatively high-level of education (p=0.05).

Prosthetic Heart Valve Thrombosis: A 3-Year Experience

Yaron Shapira, Rafael Hirsch, Ruth Jortner, Moshe Nili, Bernardo Vidne, Alex Sagie

Sheingarten Echocardiography Unit and Cardiology Dept., Rabin Medical Center (Beilinson Campus), Petah Tikva and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University

A series of 12 patients with 16 episodes of prosthetic heart-valve thrombosis over 3 years is presented. Most episodes affected mitral or tricuspid bileaflet prostheses. All patients were inadequately anticoagulated at the time of thrombosis. The clinical presentation was acute and severe in 6 patients, and subacute or chronic in the rest. Physical examination was suggestive of stuck valves in most cases. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed increased transvalvular gradients in most. However, clearer evidence of valve thrombosis was obtained from transesophageal echocardiography or fluoroscopy. 9 patients eventually had their valves re-replaced successfully, and the preoperative diagnosis was confirmed in all. 5 patients were operated as soon as the diagnosis was established, and an additional 4 were operated after failure of anticoagulation. In 4 patients the valve leaflets became completely mobile after a course of thrombolysis. Prosthetic valve thrombosis is a severe and potentially fatal complication in patients with mechanical heart valves. Alertness of physicians at all levels- the general practitioner, the internist and the cardiologist- to the possibility of valve thrombosis and to its clinical presentation may lead to prompt and earlier diagnosis and to comprehensive therapy.

Radical Retropubic Prostatectomy

Ran Katz, Amos Shapiro, Shimon Meretyk, Ezekiel H. Landau, Dov Pode

Urology Dept., Hadassah,University Hospital and Hebrew University,Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem

Radical prostatectomy may cure most patients in whom the malignant tumor has not invaded through the prostatic capsule. Advances in surgical technique and accumulation of experience have decreased the complication rate significantly. Long-term results of surgical treatment are now better than those of other forms of treatment; hence radical prostatectomy is now recommended for men with life expectancies longer than 10 years. Between 1988 and 1995, 164 men with clinical stages T1 or T2 adenocarcinoma were admitted for radical prostatectomy. Most were not offered a nerve-sparing procedure, so as to allow wider, more complete resection. Those who wanted preservation of sexual function underwent the nerve- preserving procedure. In 6 patients operation was discontinued when metastases to the iliac lymph nodes were detected and in 1 when invasion of the pelvic wall was found. 157 underwent radical prostatectomy. Preoperative biopsy revealed a low-grade lesion (Gleason 2-4) in 19.1%, intermediate grade (Gleason 5-6) in 61.8% and high-grade (Gleason 7-9) in 19.1%; however, pathologic grading revealed that only 7.0% had grade 2-4 tumor, 60.5% grade 5-6 and 32.5% grade 7-9. Pathologic staging revealed T2 tumor in 58%, T3 in 38.8% (including microscopic invasion of the capsule or seminal vesicles); microscopic lymph node metastases were found in 3.2%. Tumor invasion through the capsule was found in only 2 of 13 treated with neoadjuvant androgen blockade, compared with 40% in those who did not receive this treatment. There was no operative mortality and only 14.7% has complications. All had urinary incontinence immediately after operation, but regained continence after an average of 4-5 months. 24 were incontinent for more than 12 months, but most of them had only mild stress incontinence. Most patients were impotent after the procedure. There was tumor recurrence, diagnosed by rise in serum PSA, in 26 during an average follow-up of 26.4 months (range 3-93). Cure rate of prostatic cancer by radical prostatectomy may be increased by improved preoperative staging methods and better patient selection; long term follow up is required for determining cure rate.

Liver Allografts from Donors older than 60: Benefits and Risks

Eytan Mor, Dan Shmueli, Ziv Ben-Ari, Nathan Bar-Nathan, Ezra Sharabani, Alexander Yussim, Boris Dorfman, Ran Tur-Kaspa, Zaki Shapira

Transplantation Dept. and Institute of Liver Diseases, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus; and Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University

With limited organ resources and an increasing number of candidates for liver transplantation, the world-wide trend is towards using liver allografts from donors older than 60 years. This strategy, however, may be hazardous because of the known correlation between advanced donor age and graft dysfunction. Since January 1996, each of 5 patients received a liver allograft from a donor older than 60 years. Preservation time in these cases was shortened as much as possible and liver allografts were used only if there were no other potential risk factors for primary nonfunction. Mean cold ischemic time was significantly shorter in this donor group (7.8 hrs) than for livers from 28 younger donors (10.2 hour; p<0.01). 3 of the 5 grafts from older donors had normal function immediately. The other 2 initially had biochemical features of preservation injury, but graft function returned to normal within the first week after transplantation. All 5 patients currently have normal graft function, with follow-up ranging from 3-8 months. There was no difference between the 5 recipients of grafts from older donors and 28 adult recipients of grafts from younger donors in extent of preservation injury and in immediate graft function. We conclude that in countries with limited organ resources, such as Israel, liver allografts from older donors can be used within defined limits and minimal preservation time.

The Homeless and The Health System: Profile of the Homeless Patient

J. Posen, N. Tanai, S. Spiro, D. Frumer

Social Work Dept., Ichilov Hospital, Tel Aviv and Faculty of Social Work, Tel Aviv University

The homeless population is mobile and does not use ambulatory health care services. Thus the major contact between the homeless and the medical establishment occurs primarily when they are treated for acute symptoms in hospital. We describe the clinical and sociodemographic profile of the homeless who require hospital services. The research population included 50 homeless treated in the emergency room and various departments of our medical center between October 1994 and August 1995. Social workers used a questionnaire relating to clinical, sociodemographic and social factors. Most patients were men, 76% under the age of 50. The most common diagnosis was alcoholism; other diagnoses included back, limb and joint injuries, infections, skin diseases, and general exhaustion. There were subgroups with differing needs within this homeless population for which appropriate rehabilitation programs are proposed.