The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of late defecation (absence of laxation for more than 6 days after admission) as an indicator of lower-gastrointestinal (GI) tract dysfunction in burn patients. In addition, the authors wanted to determine whether the addition of polyethylene glycol 3350 to the standard bowel regimen led to improvement in markers of lower-GI function and out...

Early diagnosis followed by primary repair is the best treatment for spontaneous esophageal perforation. However, the appropriate management of esophageal leakage after surgical repair is still controversial. Recently, the successful adaptation of vacuum-assisted closure therapy, which is well established for the treatment of chronic surface wounds, has been demonstrated for esophageal perforat...

The aim of this study was to determine the energy expenditure and respiratory quotient (RQ) of ventilated and non-ventilated low birthweight infants during the first five days of life, in order to determine optimal feeding regimens. Eighty six infants, of birthweight less than 1750 g, were grouped according to whether they were artificially ventilated or breathing air spontaneously, and whether...

Small bowel resection stimulates intestinal adaptive growth by a neuroendocrine process thought to involve both sympathetic and parasympathetic innervation and enterotrophic hormones such as glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2). We investigated whether capsaicin-sensitive vagal afferent neurons are essential for maximal resection-induced intestinal growth. Rats received systemic or perivagal capsaic...

PATIENT Female, 17 FINAL DIAGNOSIS: Wernicke's encephalopathy Symptoms: Blurred vision • dizziness • nystygmus • tachycardia MEDICATION - Clinical Procedure: - Specialty: Neurology. OBJECTIVE Mistake in diagnosis. BACKGROUND Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) is an acute and life-threatening illness which is not only seen in alcoholics, but also in persons with poor nutrition lacking thiamine...

Chyloperitoneum is a rare complication of abdominal or retroperitoneal surgery, and the combined occurrence of chylothorax and chyloperitoneum has been reported in only a few cases. We describe a case of this complication, which became clinically apparent 20 days after a Warren shunt operation. The large chylous effusion compromised breathing and required chest tube drainage, pleurodesis, mediu...

Malnutrition is a common manifestation of cancer patients and has a significant negative impact on treatment and survival. The metabolic aberrations associated with tumor growth are complex, and nutritional repletion cannot always be accomplished with nutritional support. Ultimate survival depends upon the primary lesion. Oral nutrition should be used whenever patients can eat and are able to t...

BACKGROUND There is no standardized procedure or consensus to which tests should be performed to judge compatibility/incompatibility of intravenous drugs. The purpose of this study was to establish and evaluate a test program of methods suitable for detection of physical incompatibility in Y-site administration of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) and drugs. METHODS Eight frequently used metho...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of low-nitrogen and low-calorie parenteral nutrition (PN) combined with enteral nutrition (EN) on the inflammatory cytokines and immune function in patients with gastric cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Between May 2012 and May 2014, 90 patients undergoing surgery for gastric cancer in our institution were involved in this double blind ...