BACKGROUND: Advanced vessel sealing electrosurgical systems have been widely adopted for grasping, cutting, and sealing vessels. Data remain sparse with regard to its use in thoracic procedures. Thus, a prospective case series, utilizing the ENSEAL X1 Curved Jaw Tissue Sealer (X1CJ) and its companion energy source, the Generator 11 (GEN11), in thoracic procedures was performed in a Japanese cohort.
METHODS: Subjects were recruited at two Japanese surgical sites. The primary endpoint of this post-market study was the achievement of hemostasis (≤ Grade 3) for each thoracic vessel transection. Performance endpoints included scores for tasks completed with X1CJ (adhesiolysis, lymphatics or tissue bundles divided, tissue grasping, tissue cutting, or tissue dissection); hemostasis grading vessel transected; additional products required to achieve hemostasis for Grade 4 vessel transections. Safety was evaluated by evaluating device-related adverse events. All endpoint data were summarized.
RESULTS: Forty subjects (50.0% female) of Asian ethnicity with a mean age of 67.6 ± 11.3 years underwent a lung resection. Estimated mean blood loss was 39.5 mL. Hemostasis was achieved in 97.5% of vessel transections. Thirty-seven vessel sealings resulted in a hemostatic Grade 1 (92.5%). All surgeons reported satisfaction/neutral in terms of tissue grasping (100.0%) while most reported satisfaction/neutral with tissue cutting (95.7%). One device-related serious adverse event was reported (2.5%), a chylothorax requiring an extension of hospitalization. There was no post-operative bleeding or deaths reported during the study period.
CONCLUSIONS: The X1CJ demonstrated safe and effective performance without any reports of significant intra-operative or post-operative hemorrhage in thoracic vessel sealing.

BACKGROUND: A longitudinal vaginal septum (LVS) is a rare congenital anomaly often identified during adolescence. Surgical removal is a mainstay in treatment of symptomatic cases; however, there is variation in the techniques used. Little is known about the risk for postoperative complications associated with novel methods.
METHODS: We present the cases of 2 adolescent females, ages 15 and 22, diagnosed with an LVS who elected to undergo surgical removal. A LigaSure device was used for resection, and both individuals experienced significant postoperative bleeding almost 2 weeks following resection.
CONCLUSIONS: This report outlines two occurrences of postoperative bleeding after LVS resection, which may suggest inadequate surgical site hemostasis with use of the LigaSure apparatus. Further research on outcomes related to this technique is needed.

We report a case of open surgical hemostasis following transarterial embolization (TAE) that failed to stabilize the hemodynamics for renal injury after extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL). A 48-year-old man presented with severe left renal colic pain 1 day after ESWL for a left renal stone. Computed tomography revealed arterial bleeding from the lower pole of the left kidney and retroperitoneal hematoma. TAE was successfully performed for the lower poler bleeding. However, we were unable to complete the procedure for bleeding from an aberrant artery to the lower pole of the kidney that was supplied directly from the aorta. Therefore, an emergency laparotomy was performed and the injury in the aberrant artery was manually ligated. Hemostasis was obtained after the direct surgical ligation and he had a good postoperative recovery. Open surgical hemostasis is a treatment modality that should be considered following TAE that fails to control arterial bleeding after ESWL.

BACKGROUND: Acquired hemophilia A is a rare coagulopathy caused by inhibitors of blood coagulation factor VIII. Patients with acquired hemophilia A have a higher mortality risk (5-10%) than those with congenital hemophilia. Moreover, there is no established evidence of management recommended for patients with acquired hemophilia A. Previous studies have reported the presence of hematomas in the oral cavities of patients with acquired hemophilia A, which were treated conservatively. Here, we describe the case of a patient with acquired hemophilia A, where emergency surgical hemostasis was required for large intraoral hematomas.
METHODS: A 65-year-old Japanese man was referred to our hospital with a chief complaint of bleeding from large intraoral hematomas. On examination, he could not close his mouth because of the hematomas, which were bleeding spontaneously. Computed tomography angiography revealed no evidence of arteriovenous malformation, and blood test results showed that the activated partial thromboplastin time was elevated beyond the normal limit. To avoid a life-threatening hemorrhage from hematomas, emergency surgical hemostasis was performed with nasotracheal intubation using fiberoptic bronchoscopy. Hemostasis was successfully performed, as the hematomas were carefully removed. Moreover, the clinical course was successfully completed using intravenously administered activated prothrombin complex concentrate for hemostasis after operation.
CONCLUSIONS: Acquired hemophilia A can cause a life-threatening hemorrhage without predictive factors. Intraoral hematoma may cause airway obstruction. There is no consensus regarding the management of hemorrhage in patients with acquired hemophilia A. As shown here, exophytic hematomas in the oral cavity can be safely removed and nasotracheal intubation with fiberoptic bronchoscopy may be useful in patients with coagulopathy disease.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the association between microfibrillar collagen hemostat and anastomotic leakage after anterior resection.
Between March 2015 and December 2019, a total of 203 consecutive rectal cancer patients who underwent elective anterior resection were included. Patient parameters were analyzed. The relevant risk factors were identified by univariate and multivariate analysis. Propensity score matching was performed to reduce the selection bias.
In total, 26 (12.8%) of the 203 study patients developed clinical anastomotic leakage. The length of hospital stay was significantly prolonged by anastomotic leakage. In univariate analysis and multivariate analysis, male sex, low tumor location, and intraoperative application of microfibrillar collagen hemostat significantly increased the risk of anastomotic leakage. Furthermore, analysis after propensity score matching confirmed the independent role of microfibrillar collagen hemostat in anastomotic leakage. In addition, the median time of anastomotic leakage occurrence from the initial operation in patients with microfibrillar collagen hemostat was 9.00 days, which was significantly later than that in patients without microfibrillar collagen hemostat.
In addition to male sex and low tumor location, intraoperative application of microfibrillar collagen hemostat was demonstrated to be a significant risk factor for anastomotic leakage. This finding suggested that surgeons should be fully aware of this potential risk in anterior resection. Because of the limitation of retrospective study, however, randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm this association in the future.

UNASSIGNED: Internal carotid artery (ICA) injuries represent a rare, potentially fatal complication of endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery (EESBS). The use of adenosine to induce transient hypotension and facilitate management of high-flow, high-pressure arterial lesions has been well-documented in neuro-endovascular literature. A similar setting in which adenosine-induced hypotension may prove beneficial is during the management of major vascular injury encountered during EESBS.
UNASSIGNED: A case of ICA injury and subsequent repair during EESBS is presented.
UNASSIGNED: A 74-year-old female underwent endoscopic transsphenoidal resection for a recurrent pituitary adenoma. During suprasellar resection, the right cavernous ICA was inadvertently injured resulting in brisk bleeding. Immediate vascular tamponade was applied, and a crushed muscle graft was obtained. Two intravenous doses of adenosine were administered in quick succession to produce transient hypotension and facilitate repair of the injury with the graft. Neurovascular imaging revealed a small pseudoaneurysm which remained stable throughout the postoperative course. The patient underwent definitive stent embolization of the pseudoaneurysm 1 month following discharge.
UNASSIGNED: Prompt repair of ICA injury during EESBS is crucial, but often limited by poor visualization. Adenosine-induced hypotension has demonstrated great efficacy as an adjuvant in neurovascular clipping of intracranial aneurysms and remains a valuable tool for the endoscopic skull-base surgeon as well. In cases with high risk for ICA injury, adenosine should be readily available.

Retained products of conception (RPOC) refer to the persistence of placental or fetal tissue in the uterus following delivery or miscarriage. RPOC may cause massive postpartum or post-abortion hemorrhage. Arterial embolization (AE) is an effective choice of management for postpartum hemorrhage including RPOC. We report a case of hemorrhagic RPOC, in which uterine artery embolization with transcervical resection did not achieve hemostasis, and laparotomy with uterine compression sutures was subsequently required. The RPOC was apparently fed by an aberrant branch derived from the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA). AE of IMA was not performed because of possible necrosis of the descending colon and rectum. A physician should be aware that AE is not an all-encompassing hemostatic technique for postpartum bleeding, such as with RPOC, and should keep alternatives in mind.

BACKGROUND: The world\'s understanding of COVID-19 continues to evolve as the scientific community discovers unique presentations of this disease. This case report depicts an unexpected intraoperative coagulopathy during a cesarean section in an otherwise asymptomatic patient who was later found to have COVID-19. This case suggests that there may be a higher risk for intrapartum bleeding in the pregnant, largely asymptomatic COVID-positive patient with more abnormal COVID laboratory values.
METHODS: The case patient displayed D-Dimer elevations beyond what is typically observed among this hospital\'s COVID-positive peripartum population and displayed significantly more oozing than expected intraoperatively, despite normal prothrombin time, international normalized ratio, fibrinogen, and platelets.
CONCLUSIONS: There is little published evidence on the association between D-Dimer and coagulopathy among the pregnant population infected with SARS-CoV-2. This case report contributes to the growing body of evidence on the effects of COVID-19 in pregnancy. A clinical picture concerning for intraoperative coagulopathy may be associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection during cesarean sections, and abnormal COVID laboratory tests, particularly D-Dimer, may help identify the patients in which this presentation occurs.

BACKGROUND: Vascular complications of transradial percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are rare and usually occur at the access site below the elbow. However, vessels along the tract of the wire or catheter can be injured at any point, causing various types of bleeding complications.
UNASSIGNED: A 57-year-old man visited due to chest discomfort. Coronary angiography showed significant stenosis at the distal right coronary artery (RCA). Immediately after the coronary guidewire was passed through the distal RCA, he started a vigorous cough. The voice changed, dyspnea occurred within minutes, and lip cyanosis and stridor were observed. After endotracheal intubation, successful stenting of the distal RCA was achieved. He was extubated at 30 minutes after coronary stenting, but 1-hour post-extubation, his blood pressure suddenly decreased to 70/50 mmHg.
METHODS: Mediastinal widening was newly noted on chest X-ray, and blood hemoglobin was decreased. Contrast-enhanced chest computed tomography showed mediastinal hematoma, tracheal compression, and hemothorax. Contrast extravasation was noted in the terminal branches of the inferior thyroid artery on brachiocephalic angiography.
METHODS: Successful hemostasis was achieved with endovascular embolization therapy using a Tornado embolization microcoil, Gelfoam gelatin sponge, and Histoacryl glue. The next day, the mediastinal hemorrhage was drained by mediastinoscopy. The endotracheal intubation and ventilator care were maintained for 2 days, and 6 units of packed red blood cells were transfused. Antithrombotics were used to prevent stent thrombosis, and antibiotics to control infection, respectively.
RESULTS: After successful hemostasis, thrombocytosis and high on-treatment platelet reactivity that disappeared at 2 weeks post-discharge were noted. Follow-up chest imaging showed the normalized mediastinal widening. At 14 months post-discharge, the patient remains healthy.
CONCLUSIONS: As life-threating vascular complications, such as brachiocephalic, subclavian vessel dissection, and vessel perforation in the internal mammary, costocervical, and thyrocervical arteries, can occur anytime during transradial PCI, the intervention cardiologist should be well aware of it and have the appropriate countermeasures implemented in the routine procedure.

A 72-year-old morbidly obese nonambulatory woman with bilateral chronically infected revision knee prostheses and incompetent extensor mechanisms who uses a wheelchair had limited functionality and presented with recalcitrant chronic infection with multiple hospitalizations. The patient underwent staged bilateral above-knee amputations. The first procedure caused extensive morbidity secondary to poor vascular control. For the second surgery, collaboration with vascular surgery was used to achieve endovascular control of the external iliac artery with improved postoperative course.
Endovascular balloon occlusion may be an effective adjunct to customary hemostasis modalities during above-knee amputations in morbidly obese patients.