A community hospital's experience with robotic thoracic surgery.

Introduction: The emergence of minimally invasive thoracic surgery has positively impacted postoperative recovery. Robotic-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS) has been shown to have equivalent short- and long-term outcomes as compared with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). The introduction of RATS offers a three-dimensional high-definition image, improved ergonomics, and wristed movement.

Study of the gastrointestinal bioavailability of a pancreatic extract product (Zenpep) in chronic pancreatitis patients with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.

Introduction: The Food and Drug Administration in 2006 required that all pancreatic enzyme products demonstrate bioavailability of lipase, amylase, and protease in the proximal small intestine.

Methods: In this phase I open-label, randomized, crossover trial, 17 adult chronic pancreatitis (CP) patients with severe exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) underwent two separate gastroduodenal perfusion procedures (Dreiling tube suctioning and [C]-PEG instillation by an attached Dobhoff tube in the duodenal bulb). Patients received Ensure Plus® alone and Ensure Plus with Zenpep (75,000 USP lipase units) in random order.

Iatrogenic Bilothorax: A Rare Complication of Orthotopic Liver Transplant.

Bilothorax is a rare condition involving drainage of bile from the biliary system into the lung's pleural space. Several cases have been reported in the literature, where the most commonly reported cause is iatrogenic injury. To date, no cases of bilothorax as a complication of liver transplantation have been reported.

Use of Computerized Tomography in Abdominal Pain.

Annually, approximately 70 million computed tomography (CT) scans are performed in emergency department (ED) settings in the United States of America. From 1995 to 2007, there has been a 5.9-fold increase in the use of CT scans nationally.