Use of direct oral anticoagulants for postoperative venous thromboembolism prophylaxis after surgery for gynecologic malignancies

Venous thromboembolism is a preventable cause of postoperative mortality in patients undergoing surgery for malignancy. Current standard of care based on international guideline recommends 28 days of extended thromboprophylaxis after major abdominal and pelvic surgery for malignancies with unfractionated heparin or low molecular weight heparin. Direct oral anticoagulants have been approved for the treatment of venous thromboembolism in the general population. This regimen has a significant advantage over other types of anticoagulation regimens, particularly being administered by non-parenteral routes and without the need for laboratory monitoring. In this review, we evaluate the role of direct anticoagulation and provide an update on completed and ongoing clinical trials.

Vesical Gossypiboma with Urethral Migration Causing Acute Urinary Retention: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Introduction: Vesical gossypiboma is a retained surgical sponge in the urinary bladder following abdominal or pelvic surgery. It is probably under-reported due to medico-legal issues. It usually poses a diagnostic challenge to clinicians. A high index of suspicion is essential to make a timely diagnosis. Case Presentation: We present a case of vesical gossypiboma in a 64-year-old male patient who presented with a history of persistent lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and acute urinary retention following trans-vesical prostatectomy. The urinary retention was relieved by a suprapubic cystostomy. On cystoscopic examination, a large whitish spongiform structure in the urethra and bladder was revealed. A gentle attempt of cystoscopic removal was failed. At exploration, a retained surgical sponge was revealed and removed from the bladder. Postoperatively, the patient reported improvement of symptoms and was passing urine normally. Discussion Vesical gossypiboma is relatively rare as very few isolated cases have been reported, and its migration through the urethra is even rarer. Patients with intravesical gossypiboma may manifest with either acute or chronic symptoms due to complications. Gossypiboma is an avoidable condition, and its occurrence can be prevented by thorough exploration of the surgical site and count of surgical materials at the end of the procedure. Conclusion Vesical gossypiboma should be considered as a differential diagnosis in patients with persistent LUTS following open bladder or prostate surgery. Open surgical removal is one of the feasible treatment options. But prevention is a preferable solution.

A Risk Calculator for Post-Operative Urinary Retention (POUR) Following Vaginal Pelvic Floor Surgery: Multivariable Prediction Modelling

Objective: To determine the peri-operative characteristics associated with an increased risk of post-operative urinary retention (POUR) following vaginal pelvic floor surgery. Design: A retrospective cohort study using multivariable prediction modelling. Setting: A tertiary referral urogynaecology unit. Population: Patients undergoing vaginal pelvic floor surgery from January 2015 to February 2020. Methods: Eighteen variables (24 parameters) were compared between those with and without POUR and then included as potential predictors in statistical models to predict POUR. The final model was chosen as the one with the largest c-index from internal cross-validation. This was then externally validated using a separate data set (n=94) from another surgical centre. Main Outcome Measures: diagnosis of POUR following surgery while the patient was in hospital. Results: Among the 700 women undergoing surgery, 301 (43%) experienced POUR. Pre-operative variables with statistically significant univariate relationships with POUR included age, menopausal status, prolapse stage, and uroflow parameters. Significant peri-operative factors included estimated blood loss, amount of intravenous fluid administered, operative time, length of stay, and specific procedures including vaginal hysterectomy with intraperitoneal vault suspension, anterior colporrhaphy, posterior colporrhaphy, and colpocleisis. The lasso logistic regression model had the best combination of internally cross-validated c-index (0.73) and accurate calibration curve. Using this data, a POUR risk calculator was developed (https://pourrisk.shinyapps.io/POUR/). Conclusions: This POUR risk calculator will allow physicians to counsel patients pre-operatively on their risk of developing POUR after vaginal pelvic surgery and help focus discussion around potential management options.

Vesical Gossypiboma with Urethral Migration Causing Acute Urinary Retention: A Case Report and Literature Review

Introduction: Vesical gossypiboma is a retained surgical sponge in the urinary bladder following abdominal or pelvic surgery. It is probably under-reported due to medico-legal issues. It usually poses a diagnostic challenge to clinicians. A high index of suspicion is essential to make a timely diagnosis. Case Presentation: We present a case of vesical gossypiboma in a 64-year-old male patient who presented with a history of persistent lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and acute urinary retention following trans-vesical prostatectomy. The urinary retention was relieved by a suprapubic cystostomy. On cystoscopic examination, a large whitish spongiform structure in the urethra and bladder was revealed. A gentle attempt of cystoscopic removal was failed. At exploration, a retained surgical sponge was revealed and removed from the bladder. Postoperatively, the patient reported improvement of symptoms and was passing urine normally. Clinical Discussion: Vesical gossypiboma is relatively rare as very few isolated cases have been reported, and its migration through the urethra is even rarer. Patients with intravesical gossypiboma may manifest with either acute or chronic symptoms due to complications. Gossypiboma is an avoidable condition, and its occurrence can be prevented by thorough exploration of the surgical site and count of surgical materials at the end of the procedure. Conclusion Vesical gossypiboma should be considered as a differential diagnosis in patients with persistent LUTS following open bladder or prostate surgery. Open surgical removal is one of the feasible treatment options. But prevention is a preferable solution.

Evaluation of decision-making in the treatment of acetabular fractures

Treatment of acetabular fractures is challenging and risky, especially when surgery is performed. Yet, stability and congruity of the hip joint need to be achieved to ensure early mobilization, painlessness, and good function. Therefore, coming up with an accurate decision, whether surgical treatment is indicated or not, is the key to successful therapy. Data from the German pelvic Trauma Registry (n = 4213) was evaluated retrospectively, especially regarding predictors for surgery. Furthermore, a logistic regression model with surgical treatment as the dependent variable was established. In total, 25.8% of all registered patients suffered from an acetabular fracture and 61.9% of them underwent surgery. The fracture classification is important for the indication of surgical therapy. Anterior wall fractures were treated surgically in 10.2%, and posterior column plus posterior wall fractures were operated on in 90.2%. Also, larger fracture gaps were treated surgically more often than fractures with smaller gaps (>3 mm 84.4%, <1 mm 20%). In total, 51.4% of women and 66.0% of men underwent surgery. Apart from the injury severity score (ISS), factors that characterize the overall picture of the injury were of no importance for the indication of a surgical therapy (isolated pelvic fracture: 62.0%, polytrauma: 58.8%). The most frequent reason for non-operative treatment was ‘minimal displacement’ in 42.2%. Besides fracture classification and fracture characteristics, no factors characterizing the overall injury, except for the ISS, and unexpectedly gender, are important for making a treatment decision. Further studies are needed to determine the relevance of these factors, and whether they should be used for the decision-making process, in particular surgeons with less experience in pelvic surgery, can orient themselves to.

Low-frequency Electrical Stimulation Combined with Preventative Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises and Knowledge-attitude-practice Model in Women with Urinary Retention after a Pelvic Surgery

This study was to explore the efficacy of low-frequency electrical stimulation (LFES) combined with preventative pelvic floor muscle exercises (PPFME) and knowledge-attitude-practice model (KAP model) in women with urinary retention (UR) after a pelvic surgery and the effect on quality of life (QOL). The clinical data of 153 women hospitalized with UR after a pelvic surgery from January 2015 to June 2019 were retrospectively analyzed and divided into the Control Group (CG, n=45, LFES+PPFME) and the Study Group (SG, n=108, LFES+PPFME+KAP model) according to the different treatment methods. Following indicators were compared between the two groups: clinical efficacy, time to first urination, urine output, rate of extubation in 3D, rate of repeated intubation, urodynamic indicators before and after treatment, postvoid residual (PVR), bladder compliance (BC), maximal flow rate (Q-max), pressure of detrusor at Pdet-Q-max (Pdet-Q-max), changes in QOL, incidence of urinary tract infection, and length of stay (LOS). Compared to CG, SG showed higher overall response rate (ORR) and rate of extubation in 3D, shorter time to first urination, higher urine output, lower rate of repeated intubation and incidence of urinary tract infection, and shorter LOS (P<0.05); both groups achieved improvements in urodynamic indicators and QOL score after treatment (P<0.05); the urodynamic indicators and QOL score in SG were better than the CG’s (P<0.05). LFES combined with PPFME and KAP model is effective in treating women with UR after a pelvic surgery by efficaciously improving patients’ urination and QOL.

Influence of steep Trendelenburg position on postoperative complications: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Intraoperative physiologic changes related to the steep Trendelenburg position have been investigated with the widespread adoption of robot-assisted pelvic surgery (RAPS). However, the impact of the steep Trendelenburg position on postoperative complications remains unclear. We conducted a meta-analysis to compare RAPS to laparoscopic/open pelvic surgery with regards to the rates of venous thromboembolism (VTE), cardiac, and cerebrovascular complications. Meta-regression was performed to evaluate the influence of confounding risk factors. Ten randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 47 non-randomized controlled studies (NRSs), with a total of 380,125 patients, were included. Although RAPS was associated with a decreased risk of VTE and cardiac complications compared to laparoscopic/open pelvic surgery in NRSs [risk ratio (RR), 0.59; 95% CI 0.51–0.72, p < 0.001 and RR 0.93; 95% CI 0.58–1.50, p = 0.78, respectively], these differences were not confirmed in RCTs (RR 0.92; 95% CI 0.52–1.62, p = 0.77 and RR 0.93; 95% CI 0.58–1.50, p = 0.78, respectively). In subgroup analyses of laparoscopic surgery, there was no significant difference in the risk of VTE and cardiac complications in both RCTs and NRSs. In the meta-regression, none of the risk factors were found to be associated with heterogeneity. Furthermore, no significant difference was observed in cerebrovascular complications between RAPS and laparoscopic/open pelvic surgery. Our meta-analysis suggests that the steep Trendelenburg position does not seem to affect postoperative complications and, therefore, can be considered safe with regard to the risk of VTE, cardiac, and cerebrovascular complications. However, proper individualized preventive measures should still be implemented during all surgeries including RAPS to warrant patient safety.