Prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in elective surgical patients at a public teaching hospital: an analysis of 1039 patients.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an increasingly common cause of postoperative surgical site infections (SSIs). It is unclear, however, whether asymptomatic colonization or nosocomial acquisition of MRSA results in postoperative SSI. We conducted a retrospective review of patients screened for MRSA between May 2008 and October 2010 at our institution.

Is thoracoscopic decortication sufficient for the treatment of empyema?

Before thoracoscopy became popular in the 1990s, thoracotomy and decortication was the treatment of choice for empyema thoracis not responding to tube thoracostomy. An Institutional Review Board-approved, retrospective review of all patients treated for empyema between September 1, 2006, and August 31, 2009, at Kern Medical Center was conducted. A total of 37 patients (male=33; female=4) with a mean age of 43.

Preoperative exercise Vo2 measurement for lung resection candidates: results of Cancer and Leukemia Group B Protocol 9238.

Introduction: A stepwise approach to the functional assessment of lung resection candidates is widely accepted, and this approach incorporates the measurement of exercise peak Vo2 when spirometry and radionuclear studies suggest medical inoperability. A new functional operability (FO) algorithm incorporates peak exercise Vo2 earlier in the preoperative assessment to determine which patients require preoperative radionuclear studies. This algorithm has not been studied in a multicenter study.

Phase III intergroup study of talc poudrage vs talc slurry sclerosis for malignant pleural effusion.

Study Objective: To demonstrate the efficacy, safety, and appropriate mode of instillation of talc for sclerosis in treatment of malignant pleural effusions (MPEs).

Design: A prospective, randomized trial was designed to compare thoracoscopy with talc insufflation (TTI) to thoracostomy and talc slurry (TS) for patients with documented MPE.

Measurements: The primary end point was 30-day freedom from radiographic MPE recurrence among surviving patients whose lungs initially re-expanded > 90%.