Preventing Wernicke Encephalopathy After Bariatric Surgery

Half a million bariatric procedures are performed annually worldwide. Our aim was to review the signs and symptoms of Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) after bariatric surgery. We included 118 WE cases. Descriptions involved gastric bypass (52%), but also newer procedures like the gastric sleeve. Bariatric WE patients were younger (median = 33 years) than those in a recent meta-analysis of medical procedures (mean = 39.5 years), and often presented with vomiting (87.3%), ataxia (84.7%), altered mental status (76.3%), and eye movement disorder (73.7%). Younger age seemed to protect against mental alterations and higher BMI against eye movement disorders. The WE treatment was often insufficient, specifically ignoring low parenteral thiamine levels (77.2%). In case of suspicion, thiamine levels should be tested and treated adequately with parenteral thiamine supplementation.

Treatment of rats with the JAK-2 inhibitor fedratinib does not lead to experimental Wernicke's encephalopathy

Recent clinical trials suggest that patients with myelofibrosis can develop Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) when treated with fedratinib, a specific Janus kinase-2 (JAK-2) inhibitor. To investigate this issue, we have examined (1) if fedratinib can produce or alter the course of this disorder, (2) its effects on thiamine-dependent enzyme activity and thiamine status, and (3) its influence on the uptake of thiamine. Animals administered fedratinib for 28days at a comparable dose used to treat human cases of myelofibrosis showed no evidence of clinical signs of thiamine deficiency (TD). Rats treated with a combination of fedratinib and TD exhibited no neurological differences in their progress to the symptomatic stage when compared to thiamine-deficient animals only. Treatment with the JAK-2 inhibitor did not compromise erythrocyte transketolase activity, and thiamine status was not affected in a major way unlike animals with TD. In addition, treatment of cultured astrocytes with fedratinib did not diminish the uptake of thiamine into these cells. Our findings suggest that treatment with fedratinib does not lead to or alter the progress of TD, and do not support the notion that administration of this JAK-2 inhibitor directly results in the development of WE due to inhibition of thiamine transport. Known adverse effects of fedratinib involving compromised gastrointestinal function may be an important indirect contributing factor to previously reported cases of WE in patients with myelofibrosis.

Impact of a Transfusion-free Program on Patients Undergoing Pancreaticoduodenectomy

Patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) often require transfusion. However, transfusion-related complications and decreased blood donation in Korea encourage the development of new treatment strategies for PD patients. Although transfusion-free (TF) operation is thought to be beneficial, results supporting its beneficial effects are lacking. The aim of our study was to demonstrate the impact on PD patients of a TF program. From December 2003 to April 2013, 80 consecutive patients with periampullary lesions underwent PD performed. These patients were divided into two groups as follows: 39 PD patients in the “before TF program” (Group 1) and 41 PD patients in the “after TF program” (Group 2). Among patients in Group 2, patients who agreed with the TF program were enrolled and proceed with the TF program prospectively. Participants in the TF program had perioperative blood augmentation and intraoperative acute normovolemic hemodilution. The peri-operative data were compared with the two groups. The mean preoperative hemoglobin, operative times, and operative blood loss showed no significance between two groups. The mean postoperative hemoglobin was lower in Group 2 (11.7 g/dL vs 10.9 g/dL, P = 0.038). The mean amount of blood transfusion was significantly lower in Group 2. (950.8 mL vs 124.9 mL, P = 0.009). The TF program considerably decreases the amount of perioperative blood transfusion. The overall perioperative course and complication rate in the TF group were not inferior to those in the non-TF group. The TF program appears safe and should be considered in PD patients.