Surgical infection in art

History of Mastoidectomy: PubMed, Best Matches, Secondary References, and Inaccuracies

OBJECTIVE

PubMed is the world's largest online collection of biomedical literature citations. A PubMed search (October 11, 2019) using the medical subject heading terms "history" and "mastoidectomy" was conducted. The heading "best matches" listed as first article "A brief history of mastoidectomy," a very relevant free full text. The aim of this study is to validate or not the relevance attributed to this study as the first article listed in best matches.

METHODOLOGY

All the references of the article mentioned before 1860 were checked, further completed with other original sources, and studied again, with particular attention to their extracted quotes.

RESULTS

Surprisingly, this article contains many inaccuracies, notably concerning Galen, Lucas van Leyden, Paré, Riolan the Younger, Justus von Berger, Jasser, Dezeimeris, Wilde and Toynbee. This was most certainly related to blind trust of some secondary references.

CONCLUSION

Never trust secondary references. This article also raises questions on the validity and the relevance of the best matches algorithm in PubMed.

Management of peritonitis in the critically ill patient

Severe secondary peritonitis carries significant mortality, despite advancements in critical care support and other therapies. Surgical management requires a multidisciplinary approach to guide the timing and the number of interventions necessary to eradicate the septic foci and create optimal healing with the fewest complications. Research is needed regarding the best surgical strategy for very severe cases. The use of deferred primary anastomosis seems safe in patients presenting with hemodynamic instability and hypoperfusion. These patients have a high risk of anastomotic failure and fistula formation. Allowing for aggressive resuscitation and judicious assessment of the progression of local inflammation are safe strategies to achieve the highest success and minimize serious and protracted complications in patients who survive the initial septic insult.