SPECIALTY SURGERY Flashcards
(202 cards)
30 year old male smoker with painful blue fingertips
Buergers disease
aka thromboangiitis obliterans
What features of a AAA means there should be should there be surgical repair
above 5.5cm
symptomatic ie pain
rapidly growing
features of an acutely ischaemic limb
6 Ps
PAIN
PULSELESS
PARASTHESIA
PARALYSIS
PALE
PERISHINGLY COLD
What emergency treatments are there for acute limb ischaemia?
surgical embolectomy
Intra-venous heparin
Intra-arterial thrombolysis
ABSOLUTE contraindications for intra-arterial thrombolysis?
Non-viable limb (irreversible ischaemic change – insensate/fixed skin mottling)
Internal bleeding
Suspected aortic dissection
Prolonged or traumatic CPR
Previous allergic reaction
Heavy vaginal bleeding
Pregnancy or < 18 wks postnatal
Acute pancreatitis
Severe liver disease
Active lung disease with cavitation
Oesophageal varices
Recent trauma or surgery (< 2 wks)
Recent head trauma
Cerebral neoplasm
Recent haemorrhagic stroke
Severe hypertension (>200/120 mmHg)
RELATIVE contraindications for intra-arterial thrombolysis?
History of severe hypertension
Peptic ulcer
History of CVA
Bleeding diathesis
Anticoagulants
Complications of aortic dissection
o Cardiac complications include aortic rupture, aortic regurgitation, myocardial
ischaemia and congestive heart failure.
o Stroke and ischaemic neuropathy → Neurological deficit can occur in up to
40% of patients, and can dominate the clinical picture
o Mesenteric ischaemia
o Renal failure
o Death
Complications of surgery
Bleeding
Infection
Damage to surrounding structures
Return to theatre
VTE
difference in the managament of type A and type B aortic dissection
type A:
Medical emergency
A-E
surgical repair
type B:
A-E
If stable, best managed medically with BP and pain control
Lifestyle: smoking cessation
long term patients may be considered for thoracic endovascular repair
(TEVAR).
risk factors for AAA
o Increasing age
o Male gender 9:1 M:F
o Atherosclerotic disease
o Smoking
o Hypertension
Screening for AAA
o Screening in the UK offers an abdominal USS for all men at 65.
o Patients with a AAA >5.5cm should be seen by a vascular service within 2
weeks and considered for surgical intervention.
o Patients with AAA 4.5 – 5.4cm should be followed up by a vascular service
with 3-monthly USS.
o Patients with AAA 3.0 – 4.4cm should be followed up by a vascular service
with yearly USS.
o Patients <3cm can be discharged from the surveillance service.
common cause of acute limb ischaemia
o Embolism
o Trauma
o Aortic dissection
o Peripheral artery disease (PAD) progression
o Iatrogenic damage during surgery
common cause of chronic limb ischaemia
atherosclerotic disease
clinical features of chronic limb ischaemia
o Symptoms are usually bilateral.
o Claudication – patients initially have intermittent claudication, a cramping
pain brought on by exercise and relieved by rest.
o As the disease progresses patients begin to experience pain at rest.
o Finally, the blood supply becomes poor enough to result in gangrene and
tissue loss.
examination findings of chronic limb ischaemia
▪ Inspection may reveal marbled skin, hair loss, muscle wasting, arterial
ulcers and tissue loss.
▪ On palpation the limb will be cold, with weak or absent pulses and
delayed capillary refill time.
Classification system used for acute limb ischaemia
Rutherford classification:
I- viable
IIa- threatened: salvagable if promptly treated
IIb- threatened: salvagable with immediate revascularisation
III- major tissue loss or permanent nerve damage inevitable
Investigations for acute limb ischaemia
Bedside:
Doppler USS of the legs
ABPI
ECG
Bloods:
FBC
VBG- esp lactate
G&S
clotting profile
Imaging:
CT angiography
Management of acute limb ischaemia
A-E
15% O2 NRB
IV access and fluids
NBM
unfractionated heparin
analgaesia
surgical revascularisation
complications of revascularisation surgery
▪ Reperfusion injury:
* Revascularisation leads to increased blood flow and venous
return to flush out the toxic metabolites from the ischaemic
tissue. This results in a systemic inflammatory response.
▪ Compartment syndrome:
* Revascularisation can also lead to tissue swelling due to
oedema and the inflammatory response of reperfusion injury.
* Patients with long ischaemic time often have prophylactic
fasciotomies to prevent this.
▪ Rhabdomyolysis:
* The release of toxic muscle cell components from damaged
ischaemic muscle into the circulation.
* This can lead to AKI due to myoglobin release, and metabolic
disturbances such as hyperkalaemia and metabolic acidosis.
cholecystitis Mx
Medical:
IV fluids
analgaesia
IV antibiotics
surgical:
laparoscopic cholesystectomy within a week
causes of cholecystitis
gall stones causing statis of bile in gall bladder causing infection
gives breeding ground for infection so give prophylactic Abx
esp. Klebsiella
what are gall stones made of
pigment stones
cholesterol stones
RF for gall stones
Asian hispanic ethnicitis
Pregnancy
what is biliary colic
movement of bile stones in the gall bladder with contraction