Ričardas Janilionis

Preoperative predictors of conversion in thoracoscopic surgery for pleural empyema

OBJECTIVES Thoracoscopy is an effective treatment method for pleural empyema; however, it is still not well defined as to which patient subgroups could benefit from it the most. The aim of the study was to identify preoperative factors that could facilitate selecting appropriate surgical intervention and to evaluate early postoperative period. METHODS Seventy-one patients were prospectively included in the study, which was conducted from January 2011 to June 2014. Thoracoscopic surgery for Stage II/III pleural empyema was performed in all patients. Thoracoscopy failed in 18 (25.4%) patients, requiring conversion to thoracotomy. The preoperative factors that could possibly predict conversion were analysed. RESULTS Obliterated pleural space (12 patients) and failure to achieve lung re-expansion (6 patients) were the main reasons for conversion. Multivariable logistic regression analysis demonstrated that each day of illness [odds ratio 1.1 (95% confidence interval 1.0-1.2], P  = 0.004] and frank pus [odds ratio 4.4 (95% confidence interval 1.2-15.3), P  = 0.021] were independent predictors of conversion. Using receiver-operating characteristic analysis, it was determined that the duration of illness had a high predictive value for conversion [area under the curve 0.8 (95% confidence interval 0.7-0.9), P  < 0.001]. The cut-off value for duration of illness was 16 days (sensitivity 94.4%, specificity 54.7%). The conversion group had a significantly greater need for postoperative intensive care unit stay ( P  = 0.022) but a lower rate of reoperations ( P  = 0.105). CONCLUSIONS Duration of illness and frank pus discovered during thoracocentesis can help in selecting the patient for appropriate intervention. Earlier surgery for pleural empyema can reduce the rate of conversion and reoperation.

Successful management of gastropulmonary fistula due to invasive fungal infection after chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation: a case report

Background. Invasive fungal infections (IFI) contribute significantly to mortality and morbidity in patients receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy for hematologic malignancies. Acquired gastropulmonary fistula is a rare complication of IFI. Material and methods. We present a case history of a patient with malignant myeloma. She was treated with autologous stem cell transplantation and chemotherapy for three years. She had been treated with antifungal agents as well. Following a specific treatment, she developed an invasive fungal infection (IFI) of the left lung which had been complicated with left gastropulmonary fistula. The patient’s general condition was deteriorating, so it was decided to perform a surgical intervention. At the first procedure, open-window thoracostomy was created in order to facilitate treatment by daily packing of the cavity. Four weeks after the thoracostomy, a thoracomyoplasty was performed to repair a gastropleural fistula. During the laparotomy, the gastric fundus was freed from adjacent tissues and repaired. Intrathoracic transposition of the latissimus dorsi and anterior serratus muscle flaps was performed simultaneously to create a new diaphragm. The open-window thoracostomy was left open due to some small bronchial fistulas. The thoracostomy opening healed spontaneously during the following six months. Conclusion. We report what is, to the best of our knowledge, the first case of an invasive fungal infection (Geotrichum capitatum) successfully treated with intravenous amphotericin B, voriconazole, and surgery on infected soft tissues (organs) for a patient with multiple myeloma in prolonged neutropenia. The efficacy and safety of the surgery for infected soft tissues requires further evaluation.