Novel Approach to Removal of Rectal Foreign Bodies.

BACKGROUND: Retained rectal foreign bodies are a common concern in patients presenting to the emergency department. Thankfully, the rates of injury from these retained objects are low. Numerous techniques have been described for the extraction of these foreign bodies, including using endoscopic snares, Foley catheters to break suction mechanisms, and various kinds of clamps to grasp the objects. Some foreign bodies may not be amenable to snaring or grasping with forceps. We describe the use of laparoscopic specimen extraction bags to remove such objects. TECHNIQUE: The patient is placed in the lithotomy position under the appropriate level of anesthesia. The extraction bag is opened out of the pouch, and the metallic ring is lubricated. The ring is then compressed with 1 hand and gently guided into the rectum between the rectal wall and the foreign body with the other hand. The ring is then allowed to expand, and the foreign body is encircled. The bag is then closed around it, and the object is removed. RESULTS: The specimen-extraction bag works especially well for spherical objects and objects that are hard to grasp with clamps. We were able to extract a billiard ball and a glitter ball with this technique. It has minimal risk of injury to the rectum. CONCLUSIONS: Colorectal surgeons have a wide array of tools to use, and it is prudent to cater the tool to the task at hand. We can refashion the laparoscopic specimen extraction bag for removal of certain foreign bodies. It behooves the surgeon to consider all the tools at his or her disposal and to consider the best one for the job.

Risk Factors for the Failure of Non-operative Management Among Patients Admitted for Colonic Diverticulitis.

BACKGROUND: Diverticulitis is one of the most diagnosed gastrointestinal diseases in the country, and its incidence has risen over time, especially among younger populations, with increasing attempts at non-operative management. We elected to look at acute diverticular disease from the lens of a failure analysis, where we could estimate the hazard of requiring operative intervention based upon several clinical factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The National Inpatient Sample (NIS) was queried between 2010 and 2015 for unplanned admissions among adults with a primary diagnosis of diverticulitis. We used a proportional hazards regression to estimate the hazard of failed non-operative management from multiple clinical covariates, measured as the number of inpatient days from admission until colonic resection. We also evaluated patients who received percutaneous drainage, to investigate whether this was associated with decreasing the failure rate of non-operative management. RESULTS: A total of 830,993 discharges over the study period, of whom 83,628 (10.1%) underwent operative resection during the hospitalization, and 35,796 (4.3%) patients underwent percutaneous drainage. Half of all operations occurred by hospital day 1. Among patients treated with percutaneous drainage, 11% went on to require operative intervention. The presence of a peritoneal abscess (HR 3.20, P < .01) and sepsis (HR 4.16, P < .01) were the strongest predictors of failing non-operative management. Among the subset of patients with percutaneous drains, the mean time from admission to drain placement was 2.3 days. CONCLUSION: Overall 10.1% of unplanned admissions for diverticulitis result in inpatient operative resection, most of which occurred on the day of admission. Percutaneous drainage was associated with an 11% operative rate.

Effect of Surgical Team Communication on Adherence to Opioid Discharge Guidelines in Post-Operative Inpatients.

OBJECTIVE: Current opioid prescribing guidelines state that post-operative inpatients who do not receive opioids in the 24 hours preceding discharge do not require an opioid prescription on discharge. This study was designed to assess providers' understanding of opioid discharge guidelines and explore drivers of adherence. DESIGN: An electronic survey was released which assessed knowledge of opioid discharge guidelines and probed surgical team communication. Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to determine differences between provider types. Spearman's correlation evaluated relationships between estimated and observed adherence to guidelines. SETTING: Yale New-Haven Hospital, (tertiary, university-based) PARTICIPANTS: Surgical residents, advanced practice providers (APPs) and attendings who discharged inpatients with opioids between November 2017-August 2019 RESULTS: The response rate was 36% (90/253), including 36% (49/136) of residents, 23% (13/56) of APPs, and 46% (28/61) of attendings. Seventy eight percent of participants believed patients who met the guideline should "never" or "sometimes" receive opioids on discharge. There was a significant difference between attending preferences and what residents (H22 = 202.7, p = 0.0001) and APPs (H22 = 24.6, p = 0.003) believed were the attending's preferences. Eleven percent of attendings preferred their patients to "most of the time" or "always" receive opioids on discharge, while 45% of residents and 54% of APPs reported the same. Overall, 57% of attendings reported they "most of the time" or "always" communicated their discharge preferences while 12% of residents (H22 = -20.4, p = 0.0003) and 8% of APPs (H22 = -23.5, p = 0.003) reported the same. There was no correlation between all groups' estimated adherence to the guidelines and observed adherence (rs = 0.135, p = 0.206). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that surgical residents, APPs, and attendings are aware of the guideline but breakdowns in communication between the attending and the surgical team may contribute to deviation from this guideline. Improving communication may lead to improved adherence to post-operative opioid discharge prescribing guidelines.

Appendiceal Cancer in the National Cancer Database: Increasing Frequency, Decreasing Age, and Shifting Histology.

BACKGROUND: Nonoperative management of acute appendicitis is increasingly common. However, small studies have demonstrated high rates of appendiceal cancer in interval appendectomy specimens. Therefore, we sought to identify national trends in appendiceal cancer incidence and histology. STUDY DESIGN: The National Cancer Database was queried for patients 18 years or older, diagnosed with a right-sided colon cancer (including appendiceal) from 2004 to 2017 who had undergone surgery. Outcomes included trends in appendiceal cancer compared with right-sided colon cancers and trends in appendiceal cancer histology. Logistic regression was used to assess trends over time while adjusting for patient age, insurance, income, area of residence, and comorbidity. Predicted probabilities of the outcomes were derived from the logistic regression models. RESULTS: Of 387,867 patients with right-sided colon cancer, 19,570 had appendiceal cancer and of those 5,628 had a carcinoid tumor. Odds of appendiceal cancer, relative to other right-sided colon cancers, increased from 2004 to 2017 (odds ratio [OR] 2.56, 95% CI 2.35-2.79). The increase occurred in all age groups; however, it was more markedly increased in patients 40-49 years old (2004: 10%, 95% CI 9-12 to 2017: 18%, 95% CI 16-20; pairwise comparisons p < 0.001). Odds of appendiceal carcinoid, relative to other appendiceal histologies, increased from 2004 to 2017 (OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.40-2.07) with the greatest increase in probability of a carcinoid in patients younger than 40 years old (2004: 24%, 95% CI 15-34 to 2017: 45%, 95% CI 37-53; pairwise comparisons p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Appendiceal cancer has increased over time, and the increase appears to be driven by a rise in carcinoids, most prevalent in patients 49 years of age or younger. When nonoperative management of acute appendicitis is undertaken, close follow-up may be appropriate given these findings.

Trends in Adjuvant Chemotherapy Use Among Stage III Colon Cancer in Non-Elderly and Low Comorbidity Patients.

BACKGROUND: Adjuvant chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer is underutilized in the United States. The aim of this study was to assess the use of adjuvant chemotherapy in younger and medically fit patients and analyze the socioeconomic factors associated with its utilization. METHODS: Using the National Cancer Database from 2004 to 2015, we selected stage III colon cancer patients between age 18 to 65, Charlson-Deyo Comorbidity Index (CDCI) of 0 or 1, and those that survived at least 12 months after surgery. We then compared patients that underwent surgery only with those that received adjuvant chemotherapy. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify variables associated with adjuvant chemotherapy use in the population. Overall survival was estimated by Kaplan-Meier curves. RESULTS: Of the 48,336 patients that met inclusion criteria, 43,315 (90%) received adjuvant chemotherapy. The utilization of adjuvant chemotherapy increased from 87% in 2004 to 91% in 2015. On multivariable regression analysis, the use of adjuvant chemotherapy was lower among males, Non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics, low-grade cancer, left-sided tumors, CDCI 1, those who travel ≥ 50 miles, yearly income < $40,227, and uninsured patients. The most common reason for the omission of adjuvant chemotherapy was the patient or caregiver's choice (40% between 2013 and 2015). The 5-year and 10-year overall survival rates were 76.7% and 63.8% respectively, in those who received adjuvant chemotherapy as compared to 65.1% and 49.3% in those who underwent surgery only (P < .001). CONCLUSION: In young and medically fit stage III colon cancer patients, most patients received guideline-compliant care in the United States. However, socioeconomic disparities adversely impacted the use of adjuvant chemotherapy. The patient or caregiver's decision was the most common reason for non-adherence to adjuvant chemotherapy and lead to poor survival outcomes. Emphasis should be placed on developing patient-centered strategies to improve adherence to chemotherapy in all patients.

The Survival Advantage of Lobectomy over Wedge Resection Lessens as Health-Related Life Expectancy Decreases.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with early-stage NSCLC typically must choose between a surgery with superior local control (lobectomy) or one that preserves lung parenchyma (wedge). Recognizing that many patients with cancer have competing mortality risks unrelated to cancer, we investigated whether an established model of predicting life expectancy could be used to identify patients with stage I NSCLC for whom survival after wedge is not different from lobectomy. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study using the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare was performed to evaluate survival among treatment-naive patients, diagnosed 2005-2015, who underwent lobectomy or wedge for stage I (≤2 cm tumors) NSCLC. Comorbidity-related life expectancy (CR-LE) was estimated using a standard life-table approach based on comorbid conditions, sex, and age. Cox models and perioperative complications were stratified by 5-year CR-LE. RESULTS: A total of 4560 patients (median age 74, interquartile range 70-78) were identified. CR-LE was greater than or equal to 5 years for 4016 patients (wedge = 23%). CR-LE was less than 5 years for 544 patients (wedge = 41%). Among patients with CR-LE greater than or equal to 5, wedge resection was associated with higher risk of mortality than lobectomy (hazard ratio: 1.68, 95% confidence interval: 1.52-1.86, p < 0.001). For those with CR-LE less than 5, there was no significant difference in mortality risk between lobectomy and wedge (hazard ratio: 1.19, 95% confidence interval: 0.96-1.47; p = 0.11). CR-LE less than five patients who underwent a lobectomy had higher 90-day mortality compared with wedge (9% versus 4%, p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: The survival advantage of lobectomy over wedge for stage I NSCLC seems to dissipate among patients with shorter life expectancy owing to age and comorbidities. Wedge resection may be a reasonable option for patients at high risk of dying from non-cancer-related causes.