Category Archives: Immunology

Article of interest: Efficacy of harmonic focus scalpel in seroma prevention after axillary clearance.

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Selvendran S, Cheluvappa R, Tr Ng VK, Yarrow S, Pang TC, Segara D, Soon P. Efficacy of harmonic focus scalpel in seroma prevention after axillary clearance. Int J Surg. 2016 Jun;30:116-20. doi: 10.1016/j.ijsu.2016.04.041.

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“To summarise the salient findings of this retrospective study; we did not find a lower rate of seroma formation (as previously reported) when HF was used in ALND, instead of CD. Instead, we found increased seroma volume in patients after mastectomy and ALND compared to WLE and ALND or ALND alone. Our study had the second highest number of subjects examining HF and CD with respect to ALND.” (p. 119)

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Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP)

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Cooper N, Ghanima W. Immune Thrombocytopenia. N Engl J Med. 2019 Sep 5;381(10): 945-955. doi: 10.1056/NEJMcp1810479.

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Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disease characterized by isolated thrombocytopenia. Patients may be asymptomatic at presentation or they may present with mild mucocutaneous to life-threatening bleeding. Although only 5% of patients with ITP present with severe bleeding, [1] bleeding leading to hospital admission within 5 years after diagnosis develops in approximately 15%. [2] Irrespective of bleeding problems, patients with ITP often report fatigue and impaired health-related quality of life. [3] The risk of venous thromboembolism is twice as high among patients with ITP as among persons in the general population; the management of venous thromboembolism may be especially problematic given the concomitant risk of bleeding. [4]

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