Medical Bulletin 6/March/2023

Here are the top medical news for the day:

Study finds children with developmental delay undergoing tonsillectomy have heightened complication risks

Children with developmental delay may be at risk for higher complication rates following tonsillectomy compared to children without developmental delay, according to research published in International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology. Developmental delay (DD) refers to a broad group of conditions that involve impairments in communication, gross and fine motor skills, problem solving and social interactions. Children with DD often have complex medical histories with comorbidities, increasing their need for more health care treatment than children without DD.

Researchers reviewed chart data from 400 tonsillectomy patients to compare post-operative complication rates between children with and without DD. Of these patients, 56 (13.9%) had a DD diagnosis.

Reference:

Outcomes and considerations in children with developmental delay undergoing tonsillectomy, International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology,doi 10.1016/j.ijporl.2022.111393

Hope in stem cell therapy for perianal fistulas in patients with Crohn’s disease

A dissolvable plug delivered stem cell therapy with few side effects in patients with single tract perianal fistulas, Mayo Clinic researchers discovered. Perianal fistulas are painful tunnels between the intestine and the skin that often do not go away with standard medical or surgical care. People with Crohn's disease or other inflammatory bowel conditions are most at risk for this condition. In a prospective, phase 1 clinical trial, researchers loaded stem cells from a patient's own fat tissue onto a bioabsorbable plug that was then surgically implanted to close the anal fistula tract.

Reference:

Eric Dozois, et al,Durable Response in Patients With Refractory Fistulizing Perianal Crohn’s Disease Using Autologous Mesenchymal Stem Cells on a Dissolvable Matrix: Results from the Phase I Stem Cell on Matrix Plug Trial,Diseases of the Colon & Rectum.

Existing chest scans may be used for predicting surgical risks: Study

Instead of special heart scans, physicians can use images of the chest captured months earlier, and for other reasons, to estimate patients’ risk of heart attack or death during several kinds of major surgeries, a new study shows.

Researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine analyzed existing computed tomography (CT) scans to estimate levels of hardened (calcified) fatty plaque deposits in the heart’s three largest blood vessels. They found that patients with greater buildup of this plaque had higher chances of developing serious health issues following surgery.

Reference:

Daniel Choi, et al,“A Novel Index of Coronary Artery Calcium From Pre-operative Non-gated Chest Computed Tomography is Associated With Perioperative Cardiovascular Risk.”MEETING American College of Cardiology’s 72nd Annual Scientific Session Together With World Heart Federation’s World Congress of Cardiology.