Laparoscopic Total Extraperitoneal Hernia Repair Outcomes.

Background And Objectives: Laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair has become increasingly popular as an alternative to open surgery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the laparoscopic total extraperitoneal procedure with the use of staple fixation and polypropylene mesh.

Methods: A retrospective chart review examined outcomes of 1240 laparoscopic hernia operations in 783 patients, focusing on intraoperative and early postoperative complications, pain, and time until return to work and normal physical activities.

The use of self-gripping (Progrip™) mesh during laparoscopic total extraperitoneal (TEP) inguinal hernia repair: a prospective feasibility and long-term outcomes study.

Background: The use of self-gripping mesh during laparoscopic TEP inguinal hernia repairs may eliminate the need for any additional fixation, and thus reduce post-operative pain without the added concern for mesh migration. Long-term outcomes are not yet prospectively studied in a controlled fashion.

Methods: Under IRB approval, from January 2011-April 2013, 91 hernias were repaired laparoscopically with self-gripping mesh without additional fixation.

A demand-centered, hybrid life-cycle methodology for city-scale greenhouse gas inventories.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting for individual cities is confounded by spatial scale and boundary effects that impact the allocation of regional material and energy flows. This paper develops a demand-centered, hybrid life-cycle-based methodology for conducting city-scale GHG inventories that incorporates (1) spatial allocation of surface and airline travel across colocated cities in larger metropolitan regions, and, (2) life-cycle assessment (LCA) to quantify the embodied energy of key urban materials--food, water, fuel, and concrete. The hybrid methodology enables cities to separately report the GHG impact associated with direct end-use of energy by cities (consistent with EPA and IPCC methods), as well as the impact of extra-boundary activities such as air travel and production of key urban materials (consistent with Scope 3 protocols recommended by the World Resources Institute).

Postoperative pain after laparoscopic ventral hernia repair: a prospective comparison of sutures versus tacks.

Background And Objectives: Mesh fixation in laparoscopic ventral hernia repair typically involves the use of tacks, transabdominal permanent sutures, or both of these. We compared postoperative pain after repair with either of these 2 methods.

Methods: Patients undergoing laparoscopic ventral hernia repair at the Mount Sinai Medical Center were prospectively enrolled in the study.

Laparoscopic surgery for diverticular disease complicated by fistulae.

Objectives: Elective laparoscopic surgery for recurrent, uncomplicated diverticular disease is considered safe and effective; however, little data exist on complicated cases. We investigated laparoscopic sigmoid resection for diverticulitis complicated by fistulae.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of patients who underwent laparoscopic treatment of enteric fistulae complicating diverticular disease performed by 4 surgeons at the Mount Sinai Medical Center.

Laparoscopic splenectomy: a selected retrospective review.

Previous investigators have suggested that laparoscopic splenectomy should be the procedure of choice for the treatment of benign hematologic disorders unresponsive to medical therapy. To evaluate the safety and utility of laparoscopic splenectomy for a variety of splenic disorders, we reviewed our collective experience at 2 institutions. We studied our 8-year experience by retrospective chart review.

Development of a successful non-heart-beating organ donation program.

To help alleviate the organ shortage, transplant centers are using organs from expanded-criteria donors, who were considered unsuitable just a few years ago, such as non-heart-beating donors. In 1998, we made a concerted effort to increase the number of non-heart-beating donors recovered by our organ procurement organization. In this paper, we discuss the steps in establishing this program, including transplant center support, estimating the number of potential non-heart-beating donors, organ procurement support, protocol development, hospital development, education, putting the protocol into practice, follow-up, and effect of the program on organ procurement.