Immediate versus delayed repair of destructive bowel injuries in patients with an open abdomen.

Trauma surgeons frequently encounter destructive bowel injuries. The timing of the repair of the bowel injury should be performed in patients with planned open abdomen management and second-look laparotomy has not been specifically addressed. Our primary objective was to determine if there was a significant difference in the incidence of major complications between immediate and delayed repair among patients with traumatic bowel injuries and planned open abdomens.

Enteral fish oil in critical illness: perspectives and systematic review.

Purpose Of Review: To summarize recent research addressing the role of enteral fish oil supplementation in critical illness.

Recent Findings: A number of new multicenter trials examining both the use of fish oil given as a supplement to enteral nutrition support and given as a separate bolus, independent of nutrition delivery, have recently been reported.

Summary: Mechanistic data suggest that administration of fish oil may help attenuate the systemic inflammatory response and allow for appropriate resolution of inflammation in critically ill patients.