Dissection revisited: Deciphering bodies and ancient medical texts.

Unlike traditional approaches to Greco-Roman medicine, which are strongly based on textual evidence, we addressed some problems, currently debated by historians, through a technique borrowed from the biological sciences: We reenacted an ancient anatomical dissection of the abdominal wall, the peritoneal cavity, and its organs (as described by Galen during the 2nd century CE, in his major treatise Anatomical Proceedings). Our aim was to clarify incongruencies about the text itself-considering the errors generated during its 14-century-long hand-copied manuscript tradition-and infer answers to contextual questions, such as the aim of the author, his audience, and the setting where the dissections took place. This hands-on practical method provided extratextual evidence to ongoing scholarly debates, which until now were mainly approached through textual scrutiny.

Audit of transfusion among the oldest old: treading the fine line between undertransfusion and optimum trigger.

Background: Recent research has questioned restrictive transfusion policies in vulnerable elderly populations. Our audit assesses the prevalence and postoperative outcomes of extremely elderly patients undergoing the stress of surgery with perioperative hemoglobin (Hb) less than 9 g/dL.

Study Design And Methods: This retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data addressed patients aged 85+ undergoing elective surgery.

Mortality, Geriatric, and Nongeriatric Surgical Risk Factors Among the Eldest Old: A Prospective Observational Study.

Background: Preoperative risk and postoperative outcomes among the elderly are the subject of extensive debate. However, the eldest old, that is, the fastest-growing and most vulnerable group, are insufficiently studied; even their mortality rate is unclear. This prospective observational study was performed with the aim of determining the mortality rate of this population and establishing which preoperative conditions were predictors of which postoperative outcomes.

Mortality and surgical risk assessment among the extreme old undergoing emergency surgery.

Background: Although longevity is becoming frequent, there are no scores to assess nonagenarians undergoing emergency surgery. The aim of this prospective observational study was to determine 30-day mortality and the individual performance of the Physiological and Operative Severity Score for Enumeration of Mortality and Morbidity (POSSUM) and other scores in predicting their risk for death.

Methods: A total of 126 patients were included (2006-2011) and followed for 30 days.