Digital thoracic drainage: a new system to monitor air leaks in pediatric population.

Introduction: New digital thoracic drainage systems allow an objective measurement of air leakage. They have proven their usefulness in the postoperative thoracic surgery in adults, but there is little experience with its use in the pediatric population. The objective of our study is to analyze their safety and effectiveness in the postoperative period of the pediatric patients.

Three-Dimensional Custom-Made Titanium Ribs for Reconstruction of a Large Chest Wall Defect.

Reconstruction of large chest wall defects always demand surgeons of having lots of means available (both materials and resourceful) to apply a cover to chest wall defects which can range from a few centimeters to the lack of a few entire ribs. In this study, we present the case of a teenager who suffered from a complete resection of three ribs because of Ewing sarcoma dependent on the sixth rib. Given the size of the defect, a multidisciplinary approach was chosen to provide rigid and soft tissue coverage and minimal functional and aesthetic impact.

Diagnostic accuracy and prognostic utility of D Dimer in acute appendicitis in children.

Unlabelled: The objective was to determine the uselfulness of D Dimer (DD) as a diagnostic or prognostic marker in acute appendicitis (AA) in children using a prospective observational study in the pediatric emergency department of a tertiary hospital. We enrolled 135 patients aged 1-16 years presenting with abdominal pain consistent with AA, who required laboratory studies. We analyzed clinical, analytical variables and histopathology findings (when they underwent surgery).