Endobag use in laparoscopic gynecological surgeries: a systematic review.

Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review was to assess the characteristics of endobags present in the market, the weight of specimen removed, complications of the operations and time required for in-bag morcellation in women undergoing laparoscopic gynecologic surgeries.

Material And Methods: We performed a systematic review, including prospective and retrospective studies, with or without randomized allocation of the patients, using endobags in laparoscopic gynecologic surgeries. We extracted data about study design, type and price of bag used, type of surgical procedure, specimen weight, mean time for morcellation and for total surgical procedure, complications.

Is there proof of transferability of laparoscopic psychomotor skills from the simulator laboratory to the operating room? Results from a systematic review.

This systematic review aims to understand better the translation of laparoscopic psychomotor skills, acquired in dry lab training, into a direct patient benefit in actual clinical practice in the operating room. The review was performed according to PRISMA guidance, searching database-specific filters for controlled trials: 'laparoscopy', 'simulator', 'surgical training', 'dry lab', 'psychomotor skills'. We included only RCTs in which the study population was the surgical trainee or novice surgeon with no prior simulation training, and the intervention was simulation training in laparoscopic surgery, regardless of subspecialty.

Uterine manipulator in total laparoscopic hysterectomy: safety and usefulness.

The aim of this review is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of uterine manipulators in facilitating total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH). A literature search in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, UpToDate, SpringerLink, ClinicalKey and Elsevier ScienceDirect databases was performed, and articles describing TLH with or without the use of uterine manipulators were retrieved. Complications related to the use of uterine manipulators are numerous, and although uterine manipulator seems to facilitate TLH, the procedure without a uterine manipulator seems to have a comparable safety and effectiveness, although evidence based on a direct comparison of the two approaches is limited without available controlled trials.

A Novel Surgical Intervention for an Uncommon Entity: Laparoscopy-Assisted Resection of a Vaginal Septum in Obstructed Hemivagina and Ipsilateral Renal Anomaly Syndrome.

The management of the obstructed hemivagina and ipsilateral renal anomaly, or OHVIRA syndrome, requires vaginal access compromising sometimes the hymenal integrity. A vaginoplasty is the most commonly performed procedure in such scenarios. However, the necessity to maintain the hymen integrity may limit this technique.

Population Effects of Influenza A(H1N1) Pandemic among Health Plan Members, San Diego, California, USA, October-December 2009.

Lacking population-specific data, activity of seasonal and pandemic influenza is usually tracked by counting the number of diagnoses and visits to medical facilities above a baseline. This type of data does not address the delivery of services in a specific population. To provide population-specific data, this retrospective study of patients with influenza-like illness, influenza, and pneumonia among members of a Kaiser Permanente health plan in San Diego, California, USA, during October-December 2009 was initiated.

Utility of the Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) Risk Index Score as a Criterion for Nonadmission in Febrile Neutropenic Patients with Solid Tumors.

Febrile neutropenic episodes in patients with solid tumors were identified electronically from 10/1/2008 to 11/15/2010. Inclusion criteria were met in 198 episodes. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the MASCC risk index score vs complications were, respectively, 94%, 29.