Endoscopic necrosectomy of pancreatic necrosis: a systematic review.

Aim: To review the current status of the novel technique of endoscopic necrosectomy in the management of pancreatic necrosis after acute pancreatitis.

Methods: Studies were identified by searching Medline, PubMed and Embase databases for articles from January 1990 to December 2009 using the keywords "acute pancreatitis", "pancreatic necrosis" and "endoscopy". Additional papers were identified by a manual search of the references from the key articles.

Intrathoracic application of a vacuum-assisted closure device in managing pleural space infection after lung resection: is it an option?

Empyema after lung resection is a challenging condition to manage and is associated with a high mortality. Intrathoracic application of a vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) device is recently introduced as an adjunct in the management of this condition. A best evidence topic was constructed to address whether this approach is effective in successful chest closure and reducing hospital stay.