Intrauterine Intussusception Presenting as Fetal Ascites and Meconium Peritonitis

Intussusception is a well-known cause of intestinal obstruction in children. Its occurrence in fetus as an intrauterine incidence is extremely rare and poses a diagnostic difficulty. Intrauterine intussusception may result in intestinal atresia once the gangrenous segment resorbed. However, a very late occurrence of intussusception just prior to delivery may present as meconium peritonitis. We are reporting a case of premature baby who was born at 35 weeks gestation via emergency caesarean for breech in labour. Routine scan 4 days prior to the delivery showed evidence of fetal ascites. She was born with good Apgar Score and weighed 2.5kg. Subsequently she developed respiratory distress syndrome requiring mechanical ventilation. She passed minimal meconium once after birth then developed progressive abdominal distension and vomiting. Abdominal radiograph on day 4 of life revealed gross pneumoperitoneum and bedside percutaneous drain was inserted to ease the ventilation. Upon exploratory laparotomy, a single ileal perforation was seen 20cm from ileocecal junction with an intussusceptum was seen in the distal bowel. Gross meconium contamination and bowel edema did not favour the option of primary anastomosis, thus stoma was created. Reversal of stoma was performed a month later and she recovered well. Fetus with a complicated intrauterine intussusception may present with fetal ascites and their postnatal clinical and radiological findings need to be carefully assessed for evidence of meconium peritonitis; in which a timely surgical intervention is required to prevent the sequelae of prolonged intraabdominal sepsis in this premature baby.International Journal of Human and Health Sciences Supplementary Issue-2: 2021 Page: S18

Evaluation of Amikacin Pharmacokinetics in Critically Ill Patients with Intra-abdominal Sepsis

Purpose: Although the current widespread use of amikacin is in intra-abdominal sepsis treatment, its pharmacokinetic changes in the present setting are not yet well known. This study was aimed to evaluate the amikacin pharmacokinetic profile in critically ill patients with intraabdominal sepsis compared to pneumosepsis. Methods: Adult septic patients received amikacin therapy were studied. Patients with intraabdominal sepsis were enrolled in group 1 (n=16), and patients with pneumosepsis were enrolled in group 2 (n=13). The amikacin serum concentrations were evaluated in the first, second, fourth and sixth hours after initiating 30-minute infusion. The pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated for each patient. Results: There was no significant difference in the volume of distribution between the two groups (0.33±0.08 vs. 0.28±0.10 L/kg, P=0.193). The amikacin clearance was significantly lower in group 1 compared to group 2 (58.5±21.7 vs. 83.9±37.0 mL/min, P=0.029). There was no significant correlation between amikacin clearance and creatinine clearance estimated by Cockcroft-Gault formula in all patients (P=0.206). The half-life was significantly longer in group 1 compared to group 2 (5.3±2.8 vs. 3.4±3.2 hours, P=0.015). Conclusion: Pathophysiologic changes following intra-abdominal sepsis can affect amikacin pharmacokinetics behavior. The clearance and half-life may change, but the alteration of the volume of distribution is not significantly different in comparison with pneumosepsis. Further studies are required to evaluate the pharmacokinetic variables of amikacin in critically ill patients with intra-abdominal sepsis.

Gossypiboma: Is it always what it appears to be? A Rare Complication in Everyday Practice

Background: While the management of liver injury is usually conservative, the major indication for surgery remains hemodynamic instability. Different techniques are described for hemostasis in cases which require surgery. Several commercial hemostatic agents are readily available and can be used as an adjunct after the repair of the liver injuries. One of the most well-known local agents is gelfoam, which is used in multiple fields of surgery. The aim of this work is to present a very rare complication while using gelfoam, mimicking gossipiboma. Design: A case study describing a hemodynamically unstable patient who suffered from a penetrating liver injury. Hemostasis was achieved by liver suture and Gelfoam with subsequent angioembolization. In the post-operative period, the patient demonstrated signs of intraabdominal sepsis due to liver abscess. Repeated attempts of percutaneous drainage failed, and all cultures were negative. Due to a strong suspicion of a forgotten abdominal pad (gossipiboma), the patient was operated on and the object was removed. The final pathological report showed no textile in the specimen, the findings were compatible with a piece of gelfoam without any signs of absorption. Discussion and Conclusions: Commonly used hemostatic agents are made of gelatin gelfoams, microfibrillar collagen, thrombin, and fibrin sealant. Gelfoam is available in sponge or powder form. The sponge can be left in place and is supposed to be completely absorbed in four to six weeks. We found in the relevant literature only one case of gelfoam use related to granuloma formation. In our case, the radiologic findings in the liver were interpreted as an abscess. The suspicion of a foreign body was raised only during his second admission and thus forced us to operate. There is no clear reason why the piece of gelfoam wasn’t absorbed in that time period. Our assumption is that post angiography liver ischemia may have disturbed the process of fibrin destruction. The possibility of such condition should be considered when liver angioembolization is performed adjunct to surgical hemostasis using gelfoam.

Vest-over-Pant Method for Closure of Residual Cavity of Liver Hydatid Cyst

Objective. Although several therapeutic strategies have proven to be effective for hydatid cyst of liver, but surgery is still the most common therapy despite its morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, a variety of technique has been recommended for managing the residual cavity after cystectomy. We report here a new technical method for the reconstruction of hydatid cyst residual cavity with using overlapping flaps of liver edges (Vest over Pant). Methods. In this technique after removing the cyst, the edges of one side of cyst cavity were sutured to the base of the cavity using three to four mattress sutures), and edges of other side of liver was overlapped on the dorsal part of previous layer using four to five mattress sutures. Therefore residual cavity dead space was obliterated with two surfaces of cavity. Results. Fifty males were treated by our method. The average cyst volume was mL. There was no intraabdominal sepsis, bile leakage, or hepatic necrosis. In follow-up ultrasound study, residual cavities were disappeared one month after operation. Conclusion. Overlapping flaps of liver edges (Vest over Pant) provides easy, safe closure of cyst with preservation of the liver anatomy.

Effects of Proton Pump Inhibitors andH2Receptor Antagonists on the Ileum Motility

Objectives. To investigate the effects of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and H2receptor antagonists on ileum motility in rats with peritonitis and compare changes with control group rats.Methods. Peritonitis was induced by cecal ligation and puncture in 8 rats. Another of 8 rats underwent a sham operation and were accepted as controls. Twenty-four hours later after the operation, the rats were killed, and their ileum smooth muscle was excised and placed in circular muscle direction in a 10 mL organ bath. Changes in amplitude and frequency of contractions were analyzed before and after PPIs and H2receptor blockers.Results. PPI agents decreased the motility in a dose-dependent manner in ileum in both control and intraabdominal sepsis groups. While famotidine had no significant effect on ileum motility, ranitidine and nizatidine enhanced motility in ileum in both control and intraabdominal sepsis groups. This excitatory effect of H2receptor antagonists and inhibitor effects of PPIs were significantly high in control group when compared to the peritonitis group. The inhibitor effect of pantoprazole on ileum motility was significantly higher than the other two PPI agents.Conclusions. It was concluded that H2receptor antagonists may be more effective than PPIs for recovering the bowel motility in the intraabdominal sepsis situation.