Long-term outcomes of PGA-TMC absorbable synthetic scaffold in both clean and contaminated ventral hernia repairs.

BACKGROUND: Biosynthetic meshes afford the cost advantages of being made from fully synthetic material, but are also biodegradable, making them a versatile option that can be used in both clean and contaminated cases. The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety profile and long-term outcomes of using GORE BIO-A (BIO-A) as an adjunct to abdominal wall reconstruction in all wound classes. METHODS: A retrospective review identified patients undergoing abdominal hernia repair using BIO-A from October 2008 to June 2018. The primary outcome was hernia recurrence rate. Only patients with at least 6-month follow-up were included when looking at recurrence rates. Secondary outcomes included 30-day morbidity categorized according to CDC Surgical Site Infection Criteria, return to operating/procedure room (RTOR), 30-day readmission, length of stay (LOS), and mortality. RESULTS: A total of 207 patients were identified, CDC Wound Classification breakdown was 127 (61.4%), 41 (19.8%), 14 (6.8%), and 25 (12.1%) for wound classes I, II, III, and IV, respectively. Median follow-up was 55.4 months (range 0.2-162.4). Overall recurrence rate was 17.4%. Contaminated cases experienced higher recurrence rates (28.8% versus 10.4%, p = 0.002) at a mean follow up of 46.9 and 60.8 months for contaminated and clean patients, respectively. Recurrent patients had higher BMI (32.4 versus 28.4 kg/m2, p = 0.0011), larger hernias (162.2 versus 106.7 cm2, p = 0.10), higher LOS (11.1 versus 5.6 days, p = 0.0051), and higher RTOR rates (16.7% versus 5.6%, p = 0.053). 51 (24.5%) patients experienced some morbidity, including 19 (9.2%) surgical site occurences, 7 (3.4%) superficial surgical site infections, 16 (7.7%) deep surgical site infections, and 1 (0.5%) organ space infection. CONCLUSION: This study affirms the use of biosynthetic mesh as a cost-effective alternative in all wound classifications, yielding good outcomes, limited long-term complications, and low recurrence. rates.

A Multidisciplinary Minimally Invasive Approach Is Necessary for the Contemporary Management of Esophageal Diverticula.

Background: Esophageal diverticula were traditionally treated with open surgery, which is associated with significant morbidity and mortality rates. Management has shifted to minimally invasive approaches with several advantages. We examine outcomes in patients with esophageal diverticula treated with minimally invasive techniques by a multidisciplinary surgical team at a single center. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database was performed for patients who underwent minimally invasive surgery for esophageal diverticula at our institution from June 2010 to December 2022. Primary outcomes were 30-day morbidity and mortality rates. Secondary outcomes were symptom resolution, length of stay (LOS), readmission, and need for reintervention. Results: A total of 28 patients were identified. Twelve patients had pharyngeal diverticula, 7 patients had midesophageal diverticula, and 9 patients had epiphrenic diverticula. Thirty-day morbidity and readmission rates were 10.7% (3 patients), 1 pharyngeal (sepsis), 1 midesophageal (refractory nausea), and 1 epiphrenic (poor oral intake). There were no esophageal leaks. Average LOS was 2.3 days, with the pharyngeal group experiencing a significantly shorter LOS (1.3 days versus 3.4 days for midesophageal, P < .01 versus 2.8 days for epiphrenic, P < .05). Symptom resolution after initial operation was 78.6%. Reintervention rate was 17.9%, and symptom resolution after reintervention was 100%. There were no mortalities. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that esophageal diverticula can be repaired safely and efficiently when performed by a multidisciplinary team utilizing advanced minimally invasive endoscopic and robotic surgical techniques. We advocate for the management of this rare condition at a high-volume center with extensive experience in foregut surgery.

Duplicate inferior vena cava complicating the evaluation of primary aldosteronism.

A 64-year-old man with a known duplicate inferior vena cava (D-IVC) and resistant hypertension presented to our emergency department in a hypertensive crisis. He had a longstanding history of hypertension and unexplained hypokalemia treated with oral potassium supplementation. The patient was diagnosed with primary aldosteronism and MRI of the abdomen revealed a left-sided adrenal adenoma. Adrenal venous sampling (AVS) lateralised aldosterone hypersecretion to the left adrenal gland. The patient subsequently underwent an uncomplicated laparoscopic left adrenalectomy. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful, and he was discharged on a single antihypertensive medication on postoperative day 1. D-IVC is one of several rare IVC anatomical variants that have been well described in the literature. Knowledge of this patient's unique abdominal venous anatomy enabled successful AVS and appropriate surgical management. It is necessary to identify potential anatomical variants of abdominal venous anatomy that may complicate these invasive procedures.