Sushruta: The Father of Indian Surgical History

Sushruta, an ancient surgeon from 600 BCE in Kashi, India, is a pioneering figure in medical history. His innovations in surgical techniques, predating Hippocrates and Galen, have left an indelible mark in the field. This review article focuses on Sushruta's contributions to surgery, particularly his foundational work in plastic and reconstructive procedures. We delve into the Sushruta Samhita, the oldest surgical text, covering essential principles, pathology, anatomy, and surgical management. Sushruta's approach emphasized cleanliness, cadaver dissection, and innovative practices in anesthesia. Our article underscores the enduring impact of Sushruta's work on modern surgical science.

Association Between Blood Groups and COVID-19 CT Severity: A Retrospective Analysis From a Tertiary Care Center

INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 infection can have varied severity; presenting symptoms include fever, coughing, headaches, sore throats, exhaustion, muscle aches, loss of taste or smell, rhinorrhea, stomach pain, diarrhea, and vomiting. In various parts of the world, including India, researchers have looked into the relationship between blood type and the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between COVID-19 infection severity and blood group.

METHODOLOGY

A total of 1,222 COVID-19 patients with real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) confirmation of being COVID-positive were included in the study. Mortality rates, demographic information, comorbid illnesses, epidemiological information, laboratory test results, and comorbid disorders were all retrieved. Each participant's RH type and Groups A, B, O, and AB were determined. IBM SPSS software version 26 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) was used for the statistical analysis. For a normal distribution, quantitative variables were shown as mean standard deviation (SD), and for a non-normal distribution, median (interquartile range (IQR)). Frequency and percentages were used to present qualitative characteristics.

RESULTS

Out of the 1,222 patients included in the study, 369 were normal, 406 were mild, 317 were moderate, and 130 were severe based on COVID-19 CT severity scoring. Among the blood groups, O positive (+) was the most common with 503 (41.2%) study participants, and AB negative (-) was the least common with seven (0.6%) participants.

DISCUSSION

In our study, comparing various blood groups, blood group O individuals have the highest risk of developing severe COVID-19 illness, and blood group AB individuals have a reduced risk. In terms of Rh status, patients who are Rh-positive are at increased risk of developing severe COVID-19 infection when compared with Rh- individuals. In the Indian population, blood group O is the commonest, and blood group AB is the least prevalent. Most of the individuals were Rh+, and the rest were Rh-. This is attributed to the increased infection rate in individuals with O+ blood type seen in our study when compared with other studies.

CONCLUSION

The findings indicated that individuals with blood groups A, B, and AB may be at a higher risk of severe COVID-19 infection, while blood group O might provide some protective effect. These results align with previous studies worldwide, suggesting that blood groups could influence the susceptibility to and severity of viral infections. The study emphasizes the need for further research with larger sample sizes and diverse populations to validate these findings and explore the underlying mechanisms.

Stitch-induced caecal fecolith: An unusual long-term complication following laparoscopic appendicectomy

A fecolith is a mass of accumulated hardened faecal matter usually seen in patients with Chagas disease, Hirschsprung's disease and inflammatory bowel disease. We report a 21-year-old female with chronic right lower abdominal pain post-appendicectomy. An abdominal computed tomography revealed a fecolith near the caecum and a right simple ovarian cyst. On diagnostic laparoscopy, a Prolene stitch in the previous appendicectomy site acting as a nidus and forming a fecolith was noted. It was excised by a small enterotomy and primary closure of the same. She had an uneventful post-operative course. This case highlights the danger of using a non-absorbable suture for appendicectomy and the rare phenomenon of fecolith formation post-appendicectomy after 4 years presenting with features of chronic recurrent abdominal pain.

Scrotal Abdomen: Case Report and Management Principles

Hernias extending beyond the midpoint of the inner thigh in the standing position are called giant inguinal hernias or scrotal abdomen. They are rarely seen in common surgical practice. Huge inguinal hernias occur after years of neglect by the patient or in areas that are inaccessible to surgical services. Two cases of giant inguinal hernias which were managed successfully are presented here.

Case 1: 80-year-old male patient presented with left giant scrotal abdomen for the past 12 years. Preoperatively, the pulmonary function test was found to be normal for his age. He was given incentive spirometry for a week. Perioperatively, the sac contained the entire small bowel, sigmoid colon, and omentum with inter bowel loop adhesions. Adhesions were released and it was repaired by hernioplasty with left orchidectomy. In the postoperative period, the patient was put on non-invasive ventilation for two days and then later was weaned off.

Case 2: 42 years male patient presented with right-sided giant inguinoscrotal swelling for the past 15 years. The swelling was extending below midthigh. All the preoperative investigations were normal. Perioperatively, the sac contained omentum and small bowel and it was repaired by right hernioplasty. The postoperative period was uneventful and the patient recovered well.

These are interesting cases of giant inguinal hernias. The occurrence of such potentially dangerous surgical problems is more common in low-to-middle income countries owing to the unavailability of surgical services. The management involves specific measures to prepare the patient adequately preoperatively especially to prevent respiratory complications in the postoperative period.

Giant inguinal hernias can be comfortably managed if the patients are prepared adequately in the preoperative period. Their postoperative period will be uneventful if their pulmonary functions are normal.

Determination of the efficacy of ultrasound-guided bilateral transversus abdominis plane (US-TAP) block in laparoscopic total extraperitoneal (TEP) repair of unilateral hernia surgeries: A randomized controlled trial

Background and Aims:

Bilateral ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane (US-TAP) block has been successfully used to provide analgesia for most lower abdominal procedures. Our aim was to determine the efficacy of US-TAP block with levobupivacaine in laparoscopic total extraperitoneal (TEP) repair of unilateral hernia surgeries under general anaesthesia (GA) as compared to no block.

Material and Methods:

It is prospective randomised controlled study done in a tertiary care centre in South-East Asia. After obtaining Institute Ethics Committee approval and consent, 60 patients of ASA I-II aged between 18 to 80 years were randomized into two groups.After receiving GA, Group TAP - received bilateral US-TAP block with levobupivacaine 0.25% 0.3ml kg^-1 on either side whereas, the control group did not receive any block.The time taken to first request for rescue analgesic (T Rescue) by the patient and the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) at that time point were noted and tramadol 50mg i.v. was administered, followed by 50mg i.m. PRN for 24 h from the time of extubation. The 24 h analgesic requirement was noted in mg kg^-1.

Results:

Results were analysed using SPSS 16 and P < 0.05 was considered significant. T Rescue was significantly longer in the TAP Group (P = 0.02) with lower NRS at time points 24 h (P = 0.02) and 12 h (P = 0.004). Postoperative nausea and vomiting were significantly less in TAP Group (P < 0.001).

Conclusion:

Bilateral US-TAP block provided better analgesia and side effect profile as compared to no block when administered in laparoscopic TEP repair of hernia surgeries.

An inexpensive method of negative pressure wound therapy for extremities

Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is an established method for the faster wound healing of chronic non-healing wounds. It is also used for laparostomy wounds and healing of split skin grafts. The commercially available machine and the consumables for NPWT are very expensive and economically not feasible in developing and underdeveloped countries. So, we devised a NPWT system for wounds of the extremity using inexpensive, readily available materials in any hospital. The materials used are sterile glove, autoclaved sponge, Foley catheter, and a wall suction unit. The sponge was placed over the wound, and a sterile glove was pulled over it. A Foley catheter was placed over the sponge and taken out through one of the fingers of the glove. Adhesive plaster was used to air-seal the glove. The Foley catheter was fixed with silk ties and connected to wall suction. Granulation and wound healing was faster in this system. This system was safe and inexpensive for the treatment of wounds of the extremity.

A rare benign tumor of breast masquerading on fine needle aspiration cytology: A case report

Pleomorphic adenoma is a common tumor encountered in major salivary gland and very rarely seen in breast. This matrix producing tumor can be confused with fibroadenoma, phyllodes tumor and metaplastic carcinoma on fine needle aspiration cytology(FNAC). Pre-operative diagnosis of pleomorphic adenoma helps in preventing surgical over or under treatment of the disease. We present an extremely rare case of pleomorphic adenoma of breast diagnosed on FNAC with histopathological confirmation.

A rare content in inguinal hernial sac, masquerading as scrotal tumour

Some of the commonly performed operations can become difficult due to unusual findings which are seen during surgery. One such sort of operation is hernia repair. Decision making during such situations could be challenging, even for experienced surgeons. We are reporting here a rare case of a terminal ileal intussusception in inguinal hernial sac, which presented as a scrotal tumour. A 45-year-old man presented with an uncomplicated left inguinoscrotal swelling of 4 years duration. He had a large non-transilluminant hydrocoele (20x 10cm) with a partially reducible inguinal hernia, with another scrotal mass mimicking a scrotal tumour. Sonographic evaluation showed a complex scrotal mass with bowel loops in the sac. On surgical exploration, a terminal ileal intussusception mass was noted in the sac, which required ileocaecal resection by laparotomy. This case report is an unusual presentation of a common disease. Surgeons should be aware of these unusual contents in hernial sac, for better decision making and management during hernia operations.

Recurrence after groin hernia repair-revisited

One of the commonly performed operations all over the world is hernia repair. Various open and laparoscopic procedures are available now for hernia repair. They are judged mainly by the recurrence rate following operation. The recognition of the causes of recurrence makes their prevention/elimination possible. Articles on hernia recurrence published in various journals over the past 40 years have been analysed. This review article mainly focuses on the causes of recurrence of hernia and their prevention. The causes of recurrence following open and laparoscopic hernia repair have been analysed. In open repair, early recurrences are due to faults in operative technique and postoperative infection. Late recurrences are due to patient factors like collagen defects, age and medical morbidities. In laparoscopic repair, technical aspects of surgery like dissection, mesh placement and fixation are the important factors which decide hernia recurrence.

Design of achromatic doublets: evaluation of the double-graph technique

An example of doublet design using the double-graph technique as described by Kingslake is given. The potential of the double-graph technique is evaluated by applying it to three different cases of doublet design. The technique in its present form is found to give a solution only in one case. In the other two cases the solution can be obtained only by modifying the technique.

Significance of selection of Petzval curvature in triplet design

The significance of proper selection of Petzval curvature P in the Cooke triplet design has been investigated. Seven triplet systems at 100 mm, f/5.0 for a 35-mm camera, have been designed for seven different values of P (0.0037-0.0002-0.0049), and their performances are evaluated and compared. It is observed that the performance of the triplet does not vary linearly with the value of P. The triplet designed with a value of P = 0.0043 gives the best performance. Its performance deteriorates rapidly for designs developed with P values lying on either side of this optimum value.