[Influence of specialization on primary success and complication rate in ERCP. Proposal to improve the quality of ERCP]. / Einfluss der Spezialisierung auf primäre Erfolgs- sowie Komplikationsrate bei der ERCP. Vorschlag zur Verbesserung der Qualität der ERCP.

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography [ERCP] is a complex procedure with a flat learning curve. It is associated with the risk of serious complications such as pancreatitis, bleeding, cholangitis and perforation. Endosonography should therefore also be offered for the precise indication of the higher-risk ERCP. Numerous factors influence the success of ERCP. In addition to structured training for the initial acquisition of skills and a minimum number of ERCPs of varying degrees of difficulty, maintaining a good quality of ERCP also requires a regular minimum number of examinations performed per year. There is extensive evidence that shows a significant correlation between ERCP volumes and primary success rates, lower lengths of hospital stay, fewer unwanted readmissions and fewer complications. The cut-offs for differentiating between high-volume and low-volume centers were chosen inconsistently in the studies, with the highest evidence for a cut-off value of 200 ERCPs/year. The question of specialization in ERCP has been given a relevance by the current developments in german hospital reform. Here, a minimum number of ERCPs should be defined for groups of different specialization. However, a minimum number alone will not be able to achieve good treatment quality. In terms of high-quality patient care, it is necessary to offer ERCPs in specialized gastroenterology center, which, in addition to a sufficient number of ERCPs for training and to maintain competence, offer an on-call service and complementary procedures such as EUS and which are embedded in appropriately accessible clinics that have the necessary resources for complication management.

[Structural, procedural, and personnel requirements for cross-sectoral provision of endoscopic gastroenterological procedures]. / Strukturelle, prozedurale und personelle Voraussetzungen für eine sektorenübergreifende Erbringung endoskopischer gastroenterologischer Leistungen.

Gastroenterology has made crucial advances in diagnostic and interventional endoscopic procedures, opening up improvements in the treatment of many patients. Thus, organ-preserving treatments are increasingly being made possible, replacing more invasive organ resecting surgical procedures. At the same time, the degree of complexity and risks varies widely between different endoscopic procedures. In many cases, simpler endoscopic procedures are now offered on an outpatient basis. Further potential for cross-sectoral performance of endoscopic procedures exists in the case of complex endoscopic procedures, which, however, require special structural, procedural and personnel requirements in order to provide quality-assured treatment, enable post-interventional monitoring and, if necessary, take measures to ensure the success of the treatment. We summarize the essential prerequisites and limitations for cross-sector performance of endoscopic procedures in gastroenterology.

Addendum to S3-Guidelines Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis: Management of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease in the COVID-19 Pandemic - open questions and answers.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global outbreak of new onset infections with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. To date, more than 3.4 million people have been infected throughout the world. In Germany, approximately 450,000 patients suffer from inflammatory bowel disease; these patients generally require continuous expert care and support. Against the background of a rapidly accumulating knowledge base on SARS-CoV-2, 68 expert authors of the current DGVS guidelines for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis took part in a virtual meeting to compile up-to-date, practice-orientated recommendations aimed at improving the care of patients with IBD. These recommendations address the risk of infection, including the risk for specific patient groups, the possible course of the disease, and consequences for pharmacological and surgical therapies of the underlying disease, as well as general measures for infection prevention and adjuvant prophylactic and therapeutic options.

Clinical Practice Guideline­Acute and Chronic Pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is among the commonest non-malignant admission diagnoses in gastroenterology. Its incidence in Germany lies between 13 and 43 per 100 000 inhabitants and is increasing. In 2017, 24 per 100 000 inhabitants were hospitalized for chronic pancreatitis. METHODS: From October 2018 to January 2019, we systematically searched the literature for original articles, meta-analyses, and evidence-based guidelines that were published in German or English between 1960 and 2018. RESULTS: 30-50% of cases of acute pancreatitis are caused by gallstone disease, and another 30-50% are due to alcohol abuse. The diagnosis is made when at least two of the following three criteria are met: typical abdominal pain, elevation of serum lipase, and characteristic imaging findings. If those criteria are ambiguous, transabdominal sonography is indicated. The early initiation of food intake lowers the rate of infected pancreatic necrosis, organ failure, or death (odds ratio 0.44; 95% confidence interval [0.2; 0.96]). In AP, Ringer's lactate solution should be preferred for fluid resuscitation, at 200-250 mL/hr for 24 hours. Severe pain should be treated with opiates. CONCLUSION: The current German clinical practice guideline reflects the developments in the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatitis that have taken place over the past few years. The long-term care and monitoring of patients with complication-free pancreatitis is the responsibility of primary care physicians and gastroenterologists.

[Digital Health Innovation in Gastroenterology]. / Digitalisierung in der Gastroenterologie.

While digital health is changing the way we perform medicine, implementation of novel diagnostic or therapeutic approaches into clinical practice remains challenging. In this paper we discuss strategies and problems that need to be addressed to enable the translation of new technologies. With its broad spectrum of diseases and procedures the field of gastroenterology offers a perfect test bed for digital innovation. Two clusters of excellence funded by the German Research Foundation focus on data driven personalized therapeutic strategies for oncological and autoimmune diseases. On experimental level digital innovations in endoscopy and for ultrasound-guided interventions are being developed. In endoscopy artificial intelligence-driven decision support systems for adenoma detection have been developed that show promising results in clinical trails. However, for future development it will be crucial to follow an interdisciplinary approach with medical professionals and patients guiding the innovation process. Therefore digital health literacy will need to be implemented in medical education. In the academic field a strong cooperation of clinicians, patients, computer scientists and engineers will be essential.

Gentamicin supplementation of polyvinylidenfluoride mesh materials for infection prophylaxis.

Hernia repair evolved from pure tissue repair to mesh repair due to decreased recurrence rates. However, concern exists about mesh-related infections occurring even several years after initial operation. Therefore, a polyvinylidenfluoride (PVDF) mesh material was constructed and surface modified by plasma-induced graft polymerization of acrylic acid (PVDF+PAAc). Antimicrobial treatment was sought by binding of gentamicin (PVDF+PAAc+Gentamicin). In vitro efficacy and cytotoxicity was measured by agar diffusion test, L929 cytotoxicity testing and by analyzing the amount of gentamicin release from the mesh surface. In vivo biocompatibility was evaluated in 45 Sprague-Dawley rats. 7, 21 and 90 days after mesh implantation the amount of inflammatory and connective tissue as well as the percentage of proliferating (Ki67) and apoptotic cells (TUNEL) were analyzed at the perifilamentary region. Agar diffusion tests showed sufficient local antimicrobiotic effects against the bacteria tested after 24h of incubation. No signs of cytotoxicity could be identified by L929 testing. Furthermore, surface modification did not affect the in vivo biocompatibility. At the end of the observation period, no significant differences were found for the perifilamentary amount of inflammatory cells and connective tissue and the percentage of Ki67 and TUNEL positive stained cells. The presented data confirm that an antibiotic surface modification of PVDF mesh samples is feasible. By analyzing cytotoxicity in vitro as well as biocompatibility in vivo no side effects were observed.

Improved collagen type I/III ratio at the interface of gentamicin-supplemented polyvinylidenfluoride mesh materials.

BACKGROUND: Formation of recurrent inguinal and incisional hernia shows an underlying defect in the wound-healing process with an insufficient quality of scar formation. Even after mesh repair an altered collagen formation and insufficient mesh integration has been found as main reason for recurrences. Therefore, the development of bioactive mesh materials to achieve a local modification of the scar formation to improve patients outcome is advisable. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A polyvinylidenfluoride mesh material (PVDF) was constructed and surface modified by plasma-induced graft polymerization of acrylic acid (PVDF + PAAc). Surface supplementation was sought by binding of gentamicin to the provided active sites of the grafted mesh surfaces (PVDF+PAAc+Gentamicin). In vivo modulation of collagen formation was evaluated in a standardized animal model where an abdominal wall replacement was performed in 45 Sprague-Dawley rats. Seven, 21, and 90 days after mesh implantation, collagen/protein ratio and the collagen type I/III ratio as well as the expression of type I alpha 1 collagen mRNA (SYBR Green real-time RT-PCR) were analyzed at the perifilamentary region. Additionally, expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-8/-13) has been investigated immunohistochemically. RESULTS: Implantation of the PVDF + PAAc + Gentamicin mesh induced a significantly decreased expression of MMP-8 and MMP-13 at the interface 21 and 90 days after implantation compared to the other groups. Whereas no significant effect was observed comparing the overall collagen/protein ratio, the quality of collagen formation expressed by the collagen type I/III ratio showed significantly higher ratios around the PVDF + PAAc + Gentamicin mesh 21 and 90 days after implantation. Correspondingly, an up to 5.3-fold expression of type I alpha 1 collagen mRNA was found. CONCLUSION: The present data confirm that a surface modification of PVDF mesh samples using plasma-induced graft polymerization of acrylic acid and supplementation of gentamicin is able to improve scar quality and mesh integration.

Effect of tension induced by Shouldice repair on postoperative course and long-term outcome.

OBJECTIVE: To record intraoperative tension during Shouldice hernioplasty and correlate it with postoperative course and long-term outcome. DESIGN: Prospective clinical trial. SETTING: University clinic, Germany. SUBJECTS: 20 male patients undergoing elective primary inguinal hernia repair by Shouldice technique. INTERVENTION: Measurement of intraoperative tension during hernioplasty (low 0-2.0 N, moderate 2.1-4.0 N, high > 4.1 N). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Postoperative pain measured by visual analogue scale (VAS) at rest and activity, pain-related change of ventilatory measurements (8, 24 and 48 hours after intervention), postoperative complications, length of stay in hospital, and recurrence rate at mean 46.7 (range 43-54) months after operation. Data are given as mean (SD). RESULTS: The results for 18 patients were analysed, 2 being lost to follow up. Mean pain score was 17.5 (15.6), 14.8 (15.6) and 12.3 (14.9) at rest 8 hours, 24 hours and 48 hours after operation, during activity 42.0 (16.5), 36.4 (18.5) and 33.7 (19.1) respectively. Most depression of ventilatory measurements was found 8 hours after operation (vital capacity 88.4 (12.5)%. peak flow 81.3 (17.2)%) compared with preoperative values. Complications comprised one seroma, one subcutaneous wound infection, and 3 haematomas. Mean length of stay in hospital was 4.3 (range 2-7) days. At follow up, no recurrences were found. No correlation with intraoperatively-induced tension was found. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative pain and recurrences depend on many factors, but induced intraoperative tension can be excluded. The reported advantages of tension-free procedures are not based on the avoidance of tension. The Shouldice repair can therefore continued to be used as a routine technique in uncomplicated primary inguinal hernia repair.

Decreased collagen type I/III ratio in patients with recurring hernia after implantation of alloplastic prostheses.

BACKGROUND: Abnormal collagen metabolism is suspected to play an important role in the pathogenesis of recurring inguinal and incisional hernias. Whereas alloplastic prostheses are nowadays routinely used, the quantity and quality of collagen formation after repair in humans has not been analysed in a large cohort. METHOD: Seventy-eight prostheses (Prolene, Atrium, Marlex, Vypro, Mersilene, Gore-Tex) implanted for inguinal and incisional hernia repair were explanted because of recurrence, chronic pain or infection. The mean implantation period was 17.9+/-11.2 (range 0.5-48) months. Collagen formation was investigated quantitatively (collagen-protein ratio) and qualitatively (collagen type I/III ratio). Results were related to clinical data that included gender, age, implantation period, indication for implantation/explantation, type and location of prosthesis. RESULTS: Mean collagen-protein ratio was 45.3+/-8.5 microg/mg, with significant differences between male (43.8+/-9.1 microg/mg) and female tissue samples (48.1+/-6.8 microg/mg, P=0.033). The mean collagen type I/III ratio of all samples investigated was 2.1+/-1.4. Samples explanted for recurring hernias exhibited a significantly decreased ratio (1.3+/-0.7, P<0.05) compared to samples explanted because of pain (3.4+/-1.2) or infection (2.9+/-1.6). Multivariate analysis excluded independent effects of age, gender, indication for implantation of prostheses, location and implantation period on collagen type I/III ratio. CONCLUSION: The present study confirms the importance of a biological approach, next to technical aspects, to the understanding of the pathogenesis of recurrent hernia formation and underscores the presence of a disturbed scarring process. The composition of scar tissue with a lowered collagen type I/III ratio and, therefore, reduced tensile strength may be a major contribution to hernia recurrence.