Marijuana use does not affect weight loss or complication rate after bariatric surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Marijuana use has been legalized in several states. It is unclear if marijuana use affects weight loss outcomes or complication rates following bariatric surgery. The purpose of this study was to determine if patients who use marijuana had higher complication rates or lower weight loss compared with non-users. METHODS: All patients at a single institution who underwent primary bariatric surgery between July 2015 and July 2020 at a single institution after the legalization of marijuana within the jurisdiction were included. Data regarding marijuana use, weight and complications were abstracted retrospectively. Differences between groups were evaluated with Wilcoxon Rank-Sum tests and Fisher Freeman Halton test. Trends for marijuana use over time was evaluated with simple linear regression on summary data. RESULTS: 1107 patients met inclusion criteria. 798 (73.3%) were never users, 225 (19.4%) were previous users, and 84 (7.2%) were active users. The proportion of active users and previous users increased over time, with significantly more prior marijuana use reported in more recent years (p = 0.014). Active users had significantly higher pre-procedural BMIs than never users: 48.7 vs. 46.3 (p = 0.03). Any marijuana use (active and previous users) was associated with higher preoperative weight compared to never: 136.4 kg vs. 130.6 kg (p = 0.001). Overall complication rate was low in all groups, and there was no difference in the rates of any complications. Active and previous users tended to lose less weight than never users, but this was not statistically significant (p = 0.17). CONCLUSIONS: Active and prior marijuana users tend to have higher BMIs on presentation, but use was not associated with complications or percent weight loss. The incidence of patient reported marijuana use is increasing in the study population. More studies on the effects of marijuana use in this patient population are warranted.

Long-term remission rates after splenectomy in adults with Evans syndrome compared to immune thrombocytopenia: A single-center retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: Evans syndrome, the combination of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) and autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) or autoimmune neutropenia, is associated with a high rate of relapsed/refractory disease. There are limited data on the efficacy of splenectomy for this condition. We reviewed patient outcomes after splenectomy for Evans syndrome compared to ITP at our institution. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent splenectomy for autoimmune cytopenias over a 23-year period with the intention of comparing disease relapse rates after splenectomy in patients with Evans syndrome and in those with ITP. RESULTS: During the study period, 77 patients underwent splenectomy for ITP and seven underwent splenectomy for Evans syndrome. In the Evans cohort, splenectomy led to an 85.7% initial response rate with a 42.8% rate of relapse within one year and a long-term (one-year) response rate of 42.8%. In the ITP cohort, the initial response rate was 90.9% with a long-term response rate of 70.1%. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that long-term remission rates after splenectomy are lower in adults with Evans syndrome compared to those with ITP, although splenectomy may still be an acceptable treatment for certain patients with Evans syndrome. Our findings underscore the need for further research and development of additional therapeutic strategies for this patient population.

Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura Splenectomy in the Context of New Medical Therapies.

BACKGROUND: As medical therapy improves, splenectomy has been relegated to third- or fourth-line therapy for immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) in many hematologic practices. However, these medications have well-known associated morbidity and changes in treatment algorithms may affect the timing and degree of response to splenectomy as well as complications in heavily treated ITP patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective study of consecutive patients who underwent ITP splenectomy from January 1994 to June 2017. Nonresponders after splenectomy and those with recurrent disease were compared to complete responders. RESULTS: The cohort included 84 patients. Median number of medications received before splenectomy was 3 (1-6). 14.3% of patients had a medication-related complication, including heart failure, adrenal insufficiency, diabetes mellitus, infection, and osteoporosis. After splenectomy, 83.5% had a complete response, 7.5% partial response, and 9% no response. Complete response was associated with response to steroids before surgery (P < 0.01). Among responders, 19% had recurrent disease, which was associated with lower platelet count at diagnosis (P < 0.01). Forty-four patients (52.0%) had nonelective splenectomies for persistent bleeding or dangerously low platelets despite maximal medical therapy. Ten patients had Clavien-Dindo grade II or higher surgical complications (11.9%). Seven of these complications were related to recurrent or refractory ITP. CONCLUSIONS: Many ITP patients have complications related to medication use, and 52.0% required nonelective splenectomy despite maximal medical therapy. Earlier splenectomy may avoid medication-related complications and may reduce the complications from splenectomy. Splenectomy remains an effective and safe treatment for ITP.

Laparoscopic vagal nerve blocking device explantation: case series and report of operative technique.

BACKGROUND: Vagal nerve blockade with the vBloc device (ReShape Lifesciences, St. Paul, MN) has been shown to provide durable 2-year weight loss in patients with moderate obesity. These devices may require removal. We present a series of patients and report our technique for laparoscopic removal of this device. METHODS: From December 2009 to December 2016, the medical records of patients who underwent laparoscopic explantation of a vagal blocking device at our institution were retrospectively reviewed. All patients initially underwent device placement as part of a multi-center, randomized, controlled trial. The device leads were removed with the application of firm traction in order to safely dissect them away from the stomach and esophagus as the body tended to form a fibrotic capsule surrounding the leads. Operative details, length of stay, 30-day post-operative complications, demographics and reasons for device removal were reported. RESULTS: Thirty patients were identified. Median age was 54 (37-65) years. Average operative time was 227.63 (± 100.21) min. Median time from implantation to removal was 41 (11-96) months. Removal reasons included device malfunction (7 patients, 23.3%), pain at the neuroregulator site (5 patients, 16.7%), retrosternal or epigastric pain (11 patients, 36.7%), weight regain or dissatisfaction with weight loss (15 patients, 50%), and severe nausea (2 patients, 6.7%). Two patients (6.7%) had Clavien-Dindo grade II complications following explantation. Thirteen patients (43.3%) had dense adhesions noted at the time of operation. Seroma formation at the neuroregulator site was the most common complication (7 patients, 23.3%). CONCLUSION: The vagal nerve blocking device can be safely removed laparoscopically with a low 30-day complication rate. Surgeons should be familiar with the details of the device appearance, the typical lead location, and should anticipate dense adhesions surrounding the leads. In addition, experience operating in the region of the gastroesophageal junction is imperative.

Pheochromocytoma: 20 years of improving surgical care.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic adrenalectomy is now the standard for pheochromocytoma. We report two decades of institutional experience with pheochromocytoma adrenalectomy. METHODS: A retrospective review was undertaken of pheochromocytoma adrenalectomy patients between 1997 and 2017. Clinical variables and postoperative complications were recorded. Patients were divided into quartiles for analysis: group 1 from 1997 to 2001, group 2 from 2002 to 2006, group 3 from 2007 to 2011, and group 4 from 2012 to 2017. RESULTS: Eighty-two pheochromocytoma adrenalectomies were identified. The percentage of laparoscopic adrenalectomies increased over time: 60% in group 1-87.5% in group 4 (p = 0.03). The average tumor size decreased: 6.4 cm (2.8-14.3 cm) in group 1-4.6 cm (1.2-7.8 cm) in group 4 (p = 0.03). ICU utilization decreased from 80% to 40.6% (p = 0.03) and length of stay decreased from 7.2 days to 2.7 days (p = 0.005). Clavien-Dindo grade>3 complications did not differ between the quartiles (p = 0.08). CONCLUSION: Pheochromocytoma care has evolved from more open procedures with standard postoperative ICU stay to a laparoscopic resection with targeted ICU care and decreased length of stay. As experience with laparoscopic adrenalectomy increases, patient outcomes improve.