Hemorrhage associated with vitamin C deficiency in surgical patients.

Background: Diffuse hemorrhage in surgical patients with normal coagulation parameters may be caused by vitamin C deficiency and is rapidly reversed by vitamin C replacement.

Methods: Patients treated on a surgical service were entered into a clinical registry over a 12-month period if they experienced diffuse hemorrhage in the face of normal coagulation parameters and a plasma ascorbic acid level < 0.6 mg/dL (normal 0.

Obesity: is there an increase in perioperative complications in those undergoing elective colon and rectal resection for carcinoma?

The hypothesis of this study was that obese and overweight patients undergoing elective resection for colon and rectal cancer have longer operative times, increased intraoperative blood loss, and more postoperative complications compared with normal-weight individuals. Our study cohorts included all patients undergoing elective first-time colon resection for proven colorectal carcinoma. Patients undergoing resection for recurrent disease or for emergent indications such as obstruction, perforation, or hemorrhage and those who underwent an additional surgical procedure at the time of colon resection were excluded from analysis.