Surgical Treatment of Mediastinitis with Omentoplasty in Ventricular Assist Device Patients: Report of Referral Center Experience.

Mediastinitis is more frequent in patients with implantable ventricular assist devices (VADs) than in other cardiac surgery patients and carries significant mortality. We report our experience with a stepwise approach including aggressive debridement, jet lavage, vacuum assisted closure dressing, and finally coverage with well-vascularized and immune-active omental flaps in VAD patients with infective mediastinitis. We retrospectively collected and analyzed data of patients with continuous flow VAD who underwent plasty with the omental flap because of mediastinitis at Deutsches Herzzentrum Berlin between January 1, 2008 and October 30, 2015.

Surgical management of driveline infections in patients with left ventricular assist devices.

Background And Aim Of The Study: Driveline infections in patients with implantable left ventricular assist devices (VAD) carry increasing risk for pump infection, thromboembolic events, decreased quality of life, and increased hospitalization. We report our experience with a surgical technique for refractory driveline infections without mediastinitis consisting of translocation and wrapping of the driveline with greater omentum tissue.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed data of VAD patients who underwent surgical treatment by translocation and wrapping with omentum for severe chronic driveline infection.

Surgical outcome and midterm follow-up after transvaginal NOTES hybrid cholecystectomy: analysis of a prospective clinical series.

Background: In the last 3 years transvaginal hybrid cholecystectomy (TV-ChE) has gained widespread interest as a potential alternative to laparoscopic cholecystectomy. However, substantial doubts about the transvaginal access and possibly associated complaints and complications have been raised.

Materials And Methods: This was a prospective clinical series of 80 consecutive female patients, nonrandomly chosen and without a control group, who underwent a TV-ChE.

Treatment of postoperative ileus with choline citrate--results of a prospective, randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind multicentre trial.

Objectives: This was a prospective, randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind multicentre trial to analyse the efficacy of choline citrate in patients with postoperative ileus (POI) after elective colorectal surgery.

Methods: From October 2005 until June 2008, 122 patients with POI were randomised to receive choline citrate or placebo. One hundred twenty patients were evaluable for tolerability and 107 patients were evaluable for efficacy.

The German registry for natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery: report of the first 551 patients.

Objective: To analyze patient outcome in the first 14 months of the German natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) registry (GNR).

Summary Background Data: NOTES is a new surgical concept, which permits scarless intra-abdominal operations through natural orifices, such as the mouth, vagina, rectum, or urethra. The GNR was established as a nationwide outcome database to allow the monitoring and safe introduction of this technique in Germany.