Systematic Review Of Clinical Outcomes Research Articles

Effects of Perioperative Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug Administration on Soft Tissue Healing: A Systematic Review of Clinical Outcomes After Sports Medicine Orthopaedic Surgery Procedures.

Background:The effects of perioperative nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on soft tissue healing in humans have yet to be established.Purpose:To systematically review the literature addressing the effects of perioperative NSAID administration on soft tissue healing and clinical patient outcomes.Study Design:Systematic review; Level of evidence, 3.Methods:This review study was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement. A review of the literature regarding the existing evidence for clinical effects of NSAID use on soft tissue healing was performed through use of the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed (1980 to present), and MEDLINE. Inclusion criteria for articles were as follows: outcome studies after soft tissue (ligament, meniscus, tendon, muscle) healing after surgical procedure with perioperative NSAID administration, at least 1 year of follow-up, English language, and human participants.Results:A total of 466 studies were initially retrieved, with 4 studies satisfying all inclusion criteria. Among the surgical procedures reported, 93% of the patients (4144/4451) underwent anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, 3% (120/4451) underwent rotator cuff repair, 3% (155/4451) underwent Bankart shoulder repair, and 1% (32/4451) underwent meniscal repair. The reported surgical failure rate among patients administered NSAIDs was 3.6% (157/4360). The reported surgical failure rate among control participants not given NSAIDs was 3.7% (147/3996). NSAID use showed no statistically significant effect on need for reoperation in meniscal repair (P = .99), ACL reconstruction (P = .8), and Bankart repair (P = .8) compared with no NSAID administration. Celecoxib administration had a significantly higher rate of retear (37%) after rotator cuff repair compared with ibuprofen (7%) (P = .009).Conclusion:Insufficient data are available to definitively state the effects of perioperative NSAIDs on soft tissue healing. Use of NSAIDs should be considered on a case-by-case basis and may not affect healing rates following either meniscal, ACL, rotator cuff, or Bankart repair. However, celecoxib (a selective COX-2 inhibitor) may inhibit tendon-to-bone healing in rotator cuff repair. Further research through clinical trials is required to fully determine whether NSAIDs have an adverse effect on soft tissue healing.

Robotic Totally Endoscopic Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: Systematic Review of Clinical Outcomes from the Past two Decades.

Robotic totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass grafting (TECAB) was introduced in 1998 and has over a period of two decades gradually emerged from single-vessel revascularization to multivessel bypass grafting. Dedicated centers have continuously evolved and further developed this minimally invasive method of coronary bypass surgery. A literature review was conducted to assess intra- and postoperative outcomes of TECAB. PubMed returned 19 comprehensive articles on TECAB. Investigation was focused on perioperative outcome parameters, i.e.: operative time, conversion to larger incision, revision for bleeding, atrial fibrillation, stroke, acute renal failure, and mortality. Outcome from the analysis of 2,397 reported cases showed an average operative time of 291 ± 57 minutes (range 112 to 1,050), conversion rate to larger incisions at 11.5%, and perioperative mortality at 0.8%. Pooled data demonstrated 4.2% operative revision rate due to postoperative hemorrhage, 1.0% stroke incidence, 1.6% acute renal failure, and 13.3% de novo atrial fibrillation. The mean length of hospital stay measured 5.8 ± 1.7 days. Conversion rates and operative times decreased over time. According to data in the literature, coronary bypass surgery carried out in completely endoscopic fashion utilizing robotic assistance can require relatively extensive operative times and conversion rates are somewhat higher than in other robotic cardiac surgery. However, major postoperative events lie in an acceptable range. TECAB remains the surgical revascularization method with the least tissue trauma and represents an opportunity for coronary artery bypass grafting via port access. Rates of major complications are at least similar to conventional surgical access procedures.

Systematic review of clinical outcome reporting in randomised controlled trials of burn care

IntroductionSystematic reviews collate trial data to provide evidence to support clinical decision-making. For effective synthesis, there must be consistency in outcome reporting. There is no agreed set of outcomes for...

A systematic review of clinical outcomes and radiotherapy-associated toxicity in multicatheter accelerated partial breast irradiation.

To integrate relevant clinical data of multicatheter accelerated partial breast irradiation (mAPBI) for reaching a comprehensive conclusion. We did 3 meta-analyses for clinical outcomes including 1740 women from 4 articles, for acute radiotherapy (RT)-associated toxicity including 1255 patients from 5 articles, and for late RT-related toxicity involving 1565 patients from 9 papers. Clinical outcomes analyses were stratified by molecular subtypes, lymph nodes status, receptor status, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status. For the Luminal A/B phenotypes, the disease relapse and failure in survival significantly decreased when compared with triple negative (TN)/HER2-amplified subtypes (P < .00001). The 5-year regional nodal recurrence (RNR), 5-year distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) and 5-year disease free-survival (DFS) of TN patients were significantly superior to HER2-overexpression patients (P < .00001). The 5-year cause-specific survival (CSS), 5-year DMFS and 5-year overall survival (OS) in women with lymph nodes-negative were significantly improved versus patients with lymph nodes-positive (P = .0001). Conversely, the positive status of HER2 compared with negative one significantly increased the rate of local recurrence (LR) (P = .02). For acute toxicity, the morbidity of dermatitis was significantly higher than hematoma and implant infection (P = .01, P < .0001, respectively). For late toxicity, the occurrences of fibrosis (32%) and telangiectasia (14%) were significantly higher than other complications (P < .0001). HER2-enriched subtype compared with other subtypes has significantly increased disease relapse and failure in survival. HER2-positive status is positively associated with an increased incidence of LR. Dermatitis is the most common acute RT-related toxicity and fibrosis is the first rife late RT-related toxicity.

Outcomes of neck modularity in total hip arthroplasty: an Italian perspective.

The aim of this study is to conduct a systematic review of clinical outcomes and complications of modular neck THA among Italian cohorts. Only reviewed publications focused on Italian cohort patients in English language were considered for inclusion. Studies were included if they involved patients who underwent total hip replacement surgery with modular necks, and reported aetiology or survival rate or bone stability or clinical scores or complications. The studies included in our search reported data on 3714 patients and 3856 hips. Most of the studies were from high-volume surgery centres. The most frequent diagnosis was osteoarthritis that occurred in 2910 cases (75.9%). The average survival rate and average bone stability were 97.20% and 99.37%, respectively. The average HHS improved from 42.1 prior to surgery to 89.52 after surgery. Studies included in our search reported 40 complications. The most frequently reported complication was dislocation (40%). This review showed excellent survival rate and bone stability and good clinical outcomes in Italian cohort patients treated with modular neck THA, and these clinical results are comparable with international cohort rates. This review suggests that modular implants represent a very satisfying choice when practised by expert orthopaedic joint surgeons.

Osteochondral Allograft Transplantation in the Patellofemoral Joint: A Systematic Review

Background: The initial focus of cartilage restoration algorithms has been on the femur; however, the patellofemoral compartment accounts for 20% to 30% of significant symptomatic chondral pathologies. While patellofemoral compartment treatment involves a completely unique subset of comorbidities, with a comprehensive and thoughtful approach many patients may benefit from osteochondral allograft treatment. Purpose: To perform a systematic review of clinical outcomes and failure rates after osteochondral allograft transplantation (OCA) of the patellofemoral joint at a minimum 18-month follow-up. Study Design: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: A systematic review of the literature regarding the existing evidence for clinical outcomes and failure rates of OCA for patellofemoral joint chondral defects was performed with the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, and MEDLINE from studies published between 1990 and 2017. Inclusion criteria were as follows: clinical outcomes and failure rates of OCA for the treatment of chondral defects in the patellofemoral joint, English language, minimum follow-up of 18 months, minimum study size of 5 patients, and human studies. The methodological quality of each study was assessed with a modified version of the Coleman methodology score. Results: The systematic search identified 8 studies with a total of 129 patients. The methods of graft procurement and storage time included fresh (121 patients, 93.8%), and cryopreserved (8 patients, 6.2%) grafts. The mean survival rate was 87.9% at 5 years and 77.2% at 10 years. The following outcome scores showed significant improvement from pre- to postoperative status: modified d’Aubigné-Postel, International Knee Documentation Committee, Knee Society Score–Function, and Lysholm Knee Score. Conclusion: OCA of the patellofemoral joint results in improved patient-reported outcome measures with high patient satisfaction rates. Five- and 10-year survival rates of 87.9% and 77.2%, respectively, can be expected after this procedure. These findings should be taken with caution, as a high percentage of patellofemoral osteochondral allografts were associated with concomitant procedures; therefore, further research is warranted to determine the effect of isolated osteochondral transplantations.

Outcomes after toxic alcohol poisoning: a systematic review protocol

BackgroundToxic alcohols have been implicated in accidental ingestions and intentional exposures. Recognition of toxic alcohol poisoning is challenging. The main treatment modalities include antidotes with alcohol dehydrogenase inhibitors and dialysis. Current guidelines exist for both methanol and ethylene glycol intoxication. However, treatment consensus related to other toxic alcohols is limited. Furthermore, uncertainties regarding thresholds for when to initiate antidotes and dialysis persist. As a consequence, variations exist in the interventions utilized for management of all toxic alcohol poisonings. To our knowledge, no prior systematic review of clinical outcomes of toxic alcohols exists. The objective of this study is to summarize existing evidence on short- and long-term outcomes of patients following toxic alcohol poisonings, including methanol, ethylene glycol, isopropanol, propylene glycol, and diethylene glycol.MethodsA literature search in PubMed, MEDLINE, and EMBASE will be performed based on pre-determined criteria. There will be no restrictions on publication dates or languages. The search will be supplemented by manual scan of bibliographies of eligible studies and gray literature assessment. Observational studies and clinical trials will be included in this review. Once eligible studies have been selected based on pre-specified criteria, two investigators will extract relevant data independently and perform quality assessment per validated tools. A pooled analysis of mortality and short- and long-term secondary outcomes will be performed. Pre-specified subgroup analyses will be performed according to the type of toxic alcohol intoxication, mode of renal replacement therapy, and medical interventions received. A meta-analysis will be performed if three or more studies with similar populations, type of toxic alcohol poisoning, and outcome measures, as well as adequate quality, are identified. This review will be reported according to the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Statement.DiscussionThis systematic review aims to synthesize current evidence in the short- and long-term outcomes of post-toxic alcohol poisoning. The results will enhance the understanding of patient morbidity and mortality after toxic alcohol poisoning, help inform uniform concrete management guideline development, identify gaps in the current state of knowledge, and provide evidence to help implement post-treatment follow-up.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42018101955

Erratum. Open-loop deep brain stimulation for the treatment of epilepsy: a systematic review of clinical outcomes over the past decade (2008-present).

"Erratum. Open-loop deep brain stimulation for the treatment of epilepsy: a systematic review of clinical outcomes over the past decade (2008–present)" published on Nov 2018 by American Association of Neurological Surgeons.

A systematic review of clinical outcomes on the WHO Category II retreatment regimen for tuberculosis.

OBJECTIVE:To assess the clinical outcomes of patients prescribed the World Health Organization (WHO) Category II retreatment regimen for tuberculosis (TB).DESIGN:A systematic review of the literature was performed by searching Medscape, Embase and Scopus databases for cohort studies and clinical trials reporting outcomes in adult patients on the Category II retreatment regimen.RESULTS:The proportion of patients successfully completing the retreatment regimen varied from 27% to 92% in the 39 studies included in this review. In only 2/39 (5%) studies was the treatment success rate > 85%. There are very few data concerning outcomes in patients categorised as ‘other’, and outcomes in this subgroup are variable. Of the five studies reporting disaggregated outcomes in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive people, four demonstrated worse outcomes than in HIV-negative people on the retreatment regimen. Only four studies reported disaggregated outcomes in patients with isoniazid (INH) resistance, and treatment success rates varied from 11% to 78%.CONCLUSION:Clinical outcomes on the Category II retreatment regimen are poor across various populations. Improvements in management should consider the holistic treatment of comorbidity and comprehensive approaches to drug resistance in patients with recurrent TB, including a standardised approach for the management of INH resistance in patients who develop recurrent TB in settings without reliable access to comprehensive drug susceptibility testing.

Open-loop deep brain stimulation for the treatment of epilepsy: a systematic review of clinical outcomes over the past decade (2008-present).

OBJECTIVE The field of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for epilepsy has grown tremendously since its inception in the 1970s and 1980s. The goal of this review is to identify and evaluate all studies published on the topic of open-loop DBS for epilepsy over the past decade (2008 to present). METHODS A PubMed search was conducted to identify all articles reporting clinical outcomes of open-loop DBS for the treatment of epilepsy published since January 1, 2008. The following composite search terms were used: ("epilepsy" [MeSH] OR "seizures" [MeSH] OR "kindling, neurologic" [MeSH] OR epilep* OR seizure* OR convuls*) AND ("deep brain stimulation" [MeSH] OR "deep brain stimulation" OR "DBS") OR ("electric stimulation therapy" [MeSH] OR "electric stimulation therapy" OR "implantable neurostimulators" [MeSH]). RESULTS The authors identified 41 studies that met the criteria for inclusion. The anterior nucleus of the thalamus, centromedian nucleus of the thalamus, and hippocampus were the most frequently evaluated targets. Among the 41 articles, 19 reported on stimulation of the anterior nucleus of the thalamus, 6 evaluated stimulation of the centromedian nucleus of the thalamus, and 9 evaluated stimulation of the hippocampus. The remaining 7 articles reported on the evaluation of alternative DBS targets, including the posterior hypothalamus, subthalamic nucleus, ventral intermediate nucleus of the thalamus, nucleus accumbens, caudal zone incerta, mammillothalamic tract, and fornix. The authors evaluated each study for overall epilepsy response rates as well as adverse events and other significant, nonepilepsy outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Level I evidence supports the safety and efficacy of stimulating the anterior nucleus of the thalamus and the hippocampus for the treatment of medically refractory epilepsy. Level III and IV evidence supports stimulation of other targets for epilepsy. Ongoing research into the efficacy, adverse effects, and mechanisms of open-loop DBS continues to expand the knowledge supporting the use of these treatment modalities in patients with refractory epilepsy.

Articular Cartilage Repair of the Pediatric and Adolescent Knee with Regard to Minimal Clinically Important Difference: A Systematic Review.

To perform a systematic review of clinical outcomes following microfracture (MFX), autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI), osteochondral allograft transplantation (OCA), and osteochondral autograft transplantation system (OATS) to treat articular cartilage lesions in pediatric and adolescent patients. We sought to compare postoperative improvements for each cartilage repair method to minimal clinically important difference (MCID) thresholds. MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for studies reporting MCID-validated outcome scores in a minimum of 5 patients ≤19 years treated for symptomatic knee chondral lesions with minimum 1-year follow-up. One-sample t tests were used to compare mean outcome score improvements to established MCID thresholds. Twelve studies reporting clinical outcomes on a total of 330 patients following cartilage repair were identified. The mean age of patients ranged from 13.7 to 16.7 years and the mean follow-up was 2.2 to 9.6 years. Six studies reported on ACI, 4 studies reported on MFX, 2 studies reported on OATS, and 1 study reported on OCA. ACI (P < 0.001, P = 0.008) and OCA (P < 0.001) showed significant improvement for International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) scores with regard to MCID while MFX (P = 0.66) and OATS (P = 0.11) did not. ACI (P < 0.001) and OATS (P = 0.010) both showed significant improvement above MCID thresholds for Lysholm scores. MFX (P = 0.002) showed visual analog scale (VAS) pain score improvement above MCID threshold while ACI (P = 0.037, P = 0.070) was equivocal. Outcomes data on cartilage repair in the pediatric and adolescent knee are limited. This review demonstrates that all available procedures provide postoperative improvement above published MCID thresholds for at least one reported clinical pain or functional outcome score.

Systematic Review of Clinical Outcomes Following Various Treatment Options for Patients with Extraabdominal Desmoid Tumors

Desmoid tumors (DT) are rare clonal proliferations that arise from mesenchymal cells. These tumors do not metastasize but are locally aggressive, and their growth may lead to significant morbidity. Their clinical course is both variable and unpredictable; tumors may rapidly progress but in other instances remain stable or regress without intervention. To examine current treatment of DT and assist with decision-making at time of presentation. A literature search was conducted of MEDLINE and Cochrane databases for published studies (1995-July 2015) using the search terms fibromatosis aggressive, desmoid with drug therapy, radiation therapy, prevention and control, radiotherapy, surgery, and therapy. Articles were categorized as surgery, radiation, surgery + radiation, systemic therapy, and front-line observation. Articles were included if they reported a retrospective or prospective comparative or observational study with an analyzed sample size of 10 patients or more with confirmed diagnosis of desmoid tumor and described one of the following clinical outcomes: relapse- or progression-free survival, local control rate, response rate. 258 articles were reviewed; following screening for eligibility, 54 were identified; following full-text screen, 31 were included in final evaluation. The control rate for patients treated with a "wait and see" observational approach compared favorably with management with surgery and resulted in disease control rates of between 60 and 92%. Decision-making in this rare tumor is complicated by the range of treatment options available. Our evidence supports use of an upfront observational approach.

ACL reconstruction with hamstring tendon autograft and accelerated brace-free rehabilitation: a systematic review of clinical outcomes

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical outcomes after hamstring tendon autograft ACL reconstruction (ACLR) with accelerated, brace-free rehabilitation.DesignSystematic review according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines.Data sourcesEmbase, MEDLINE...

Revisiting embryo assisted hatching approaches: a systematic review of the current protocols.

Zona pellucida (ZP) manipulation, termed "assisted hatching" (AH), has been introduced in order to favor embryo hatching and ultimately improve assisted reproductive technology success but with poor proofs of safety and biological plausibility. We herein provide a systematic review of clinical outcomes following the application of different methods of ZP manipulation on fresh or frozen/thawed embryos at different developmental stages in different groups of patients. Out of the 69 papers that compared the clinical outcomes deriving from hatched versus non-hatched embryos, only 11 considered blastocysts while the rest referred to cleavage stage embryos. The ZP thinning of fresh embryos either by chemical or laser approach was shown to provide very limited benefit in terms of clinical outcomes. Better results were observed with procedures implying a higher degree of zona manipulation, including zona removal. Studies comparing the mechanical or chemical procedures to those laser-mediated consistently reported a superiority of the latter ones over the former. Literature is consistent for a benefit of ZP breaching in thawed blastocysts. This review provides the current knowledge on the AH procedure in order to improve its efficacy in the appropriate context. Embryologists might benefit from the approaches presented herein in order to improve Assisted Reproduction Technologies (ART) outcomes.

Clinical Outcomes and Failure Rates of Osteochondral Allograft Transplantation in the Knee: A Systematic Review

Background: Cartilage lesions are a significant cause of morbidity and impaired knee function; however, cartilage repair procedures have failed to reproduce native cartilage to date. Thus, osteochondral allograft (OCA) transplantation represents a 1-step procedure to repair large chondral defects without the donor site morbidity of osteochondral autograft transplantation. Purpose: To perform a systematic review of clinical outcomes and failure rates after OCA transplantation in the knee at a minimum mean 2 years’ follow-up. Study Design: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: A systematic review of the literature regarding the existing evidence for clinical outcomes and failure rates of OCA transplantation in the knee joint was performed using the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, and MEDLINE from studies published between 1980 and 2017. Inclusion criteria were as follows: clinical outcomes and failure rates of OCAs for the treatment of chondral defects in the knee joint, English language, mean follow-up of 2 years and minimum follow-up of 18 months, minimum study size of 20 patients, and human studies. The methodological quality of each study was assessed using a modified version of the Coleman methodology score. Results: The systematic search identified 19 studies with a total of 1036 patients. The mean 5-year survival rate across the studies included in this review was 86.7% (range, 64.1%-100.0%), while the mean 10-year survival rate was 78.7% (range, 39.0%-93.0%). The mean survival rate was 72.8% at 15 years (range, 55.8%-84.0%) and 67.5% at 20 years (range, 66.0%-69.0%). The weighted mean patient age was 31.5 years (range, 10-82 years), and the weighted mean follow-up was 8.7 years (range, 2-32 years). The following outcome measures showed significant improvement from preoperatively to postoperatively: d’Aubigné-Postel, International Knee Documentation Committee, Knee Society function, and Lysholm scores. The weighted mean reoperation rate was 30.2% (range, 0%-63%). The weighted mean failure rate was 18.2% (range, 0%-31%). Of note, revision cases, patellar lesions, and bipolar lesions demonstrated worse survival rates. Conclusion: Improved patient-reported outcomes can be expected after OCA transplantation, with a survival rate of 78.7% at 10 years. Revision cases, patellar lesions, and bipolar lesions were associated with worse survival rates; therefore, utilization of the most appropriate index cartilage restoration procedure and proper patient selection are key to improving results.

Systematic Review : Osteochondral Allograft in Treatment of Knee Articular Cartilage Injuries

Purpose: The objectives of this study were designed to conduct a systematic review of clinical outcomes after osteochondral allograft transplantation in the knee and to identify patients, defects, and graft-specific prognostic factors. Methods: We searched PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Studies that evaluated clinical outcomes in patients after osteochondral allograft transplantation for chondral defects in the knee were included. Results: There were 11 eligible studies resulting in 550 knees with a mean follow-up of 150 months (range, 30 to 261 months). The overall follow-up rate was 93%. The mean age was 31 years (range, 15 to 52 years), and 478 patients (63%) were men. With regard to etiology, the most common indications for transplantation included post-traumatic (38%), osteochondritis dissecans (31%), osteonecrosis from all causes (12%), AVN (1%) and idiopathic (9%). 63% of patients had concomitant procedures, and the mean defect size across studies was 6.3 cm2. The overall satisfaction rate was 93%. Conclusions: Osteochondral allograft transplantation for focal and diffuse chondral defects results in predictably favorable outcomes and high satisfaction rates. Patients with osteochondritis dissecans, traumatic and idiopathic etiologies have more favorable outcomes as younger patients with unipolar lesions and short symptom duration. Future studies should include comparative control groups and use established outcome instruments that will allow for pooling of data across studies. The level of Evidence: Level IV, a systematic review of Level IV studies.

A Systematic Review of Clinical Outcomes Following Chemoadiation Therapy for Anal Cancer in HIV-Positive Patients on Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy

A Systematic Review of Clinical Outcomes Following Chemoadiation Therapy for Anal Cancer in HIV-Positive Patients on Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy

Erratum: A systematic review of clinical outcomes for patients diagnosed with skin cancer spinal metastases.

Erratum: A systematic review of clinical outcomes for patients diagnosed with skin cancer spinal metastases.

Discordant Immune Response with Antiretroviral Therapy in HIV-1: A Systematic Review of Clinical Outcomes.

BackgroundA discordant immune response (DIR) is a failure to satisfactorily increase CD4 counts on ART despite successful virological control. Literature on the clinical effects of DIR has not been systematically evaluated. We aimed to summarise the risk of mortality, AIDS and serious non-AIDS events associated with DIR with a systematic review.MethodsThe protocol is registered with the Centre for Review Dissemination, University of York (registration number CRD42014010821). Included studies investigated the effect of DIR on mortality, AIDS, or serious non-AIDS events in cohort studies or cohorts contained in arms of randomised controlled trials for adults aged 16 years or older. DIR was classified as a suboptimal CD4 count (as defined by the study) despite virological suppression following at least 6 months of ART. We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library to December 2015. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane tool for assessing risk of bias in cohort studies. Two authors applied inclusion criteria and one author extracted data. Risk ratios were calculated for each clinical outcome reported.ResultsOf 20 studies that met the inclusion criteria, 14 different definitions of DIR were used. Risk ratios for mortality in patients with and without DIR ranged between 1.00 (95% CI 0.26 to 3.92) and 4.29 (95% CI 1.96 to 9.38) with the majority of studies reporting a 2 to 3 fold increase in risk.ConclusionsDIR is associated with a marked increase in mortality in most studies but definitions vary widely. We propose a standardised definition to aid the development of management options for DIR.

Systematic review of clinical outcomes after prophylactic surgery.

Introduction Prophylactic appendicectomy is performed prior to military, polar and space expeditions to prevent acute appendicitis in the field. However, the risk-benefit ratio of prophylactic surgery is controversial. This study aimed to systematically review the evidence for prophylactic appendicectomy. It is supplemented by a clinical example of prophylactic surgery resulting in life-threatening complications. Methods A systematic review was performed using MEDLINE(®) and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Keyword variants of 'prophylaxis' and 'appendicectomy' were combined to identify potential papers for inclusion. Papers related to prophylactic appendicectomy risks and benefits were reviewed. Results Overall, 511 papers were identified, with 37 papers satisfying the inclusion criteria. Nine reported outcomes after incidental appendicectomy during concurrent surgical procedures. No papers focused explicitly on prophylactic appendicectomy in asymptomatic patients. The clinical example outlined acute obstruction secondary to adhesions from a prophylactic appendicectomy. Complications after elective appendicectomy versus the natural history of acute appendicitis in scenarios such as polar expeditions or covert operations suggest prophylactic appendicectomy may be appropriate prior to extreme situations. Nevertheless, the long-term risk of adhesion related complications render prophylactic appendicectomy feasible only when the short-term risk of acute appendicitis outweighs the long-term risks of surgery. Conclusions Prophylactic appendicectomy is rarely performed and not without risk. This is the first documented evidence of long-term complications following prophylactic appendicectomy. Surgery should be considered on an individual basis by balancing the risks of acute appendicitis in the field with the potential consequences of an otherwise unnecessary surgical procedure in a healthy patient.