Disparities in oesophageal cancer risk by age, sex, and nativity in Kuwait:1980-2019.

BACKGROUND: This cross-sectional cohort study assessed the inequalities in oesophageal carcinoma risk by age, sex and nativity in Kuwait: 1980-2019. METHODS: Using oesophageal cancer incidence data from the Kuwait National Cancer Registry, relevant Kuwaiti population data and World Standard Population as a reference, age-standardized incidence rates (ASIR) (per 100,000 person-years) overall and by subcohorts were computed. The incident oesophageal cancer cases count was overdispersed with excessive structural zeros, therefore, it was analyzed using multivariable zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB) model. RESULTS: Overall ASIR of oesophageal cancer was 10.51 (95% CI:  6.62-14.41). The multivariable ZINB model showed that compared with the younger age category (< 30 years), the individuals in higher age groups showed a significant (p < 0.001) increasing tendency to develop the oesophageal cancer.  Furthermore, compared with the non-Kuwaiti residents, the Kuwaiti nationals were significantly (p < 0.001) more likely to develop oesophageal cancer during the study period. Moreover, compared with 1980-84 period, ASIRs steadily and significantly  (p < 0.005) declined in subsequent periods till 2015-19. CONCLUSIONS: A high incidence of oesophageal cancer was recorded in Kuwait, which consistently declined from 1980 to 2019. Older adults (aged ≥ 60 years) and, Kuwaiti nationals were at high risk of oesophageal cancer. Focused educational intervention may minimize oesophageal cancer incidence in high-risk groups in this and other similar settings. Future studies may contemplate to evaluate such an intervention.

Long-term Outcomes of Sleeve Gastrectomy in Adolescent Patients: The Effect of Weight Loss in Younger Years to Outcomes in Adulthood.

BACKGROUND: Childhood obesity is associated with a variety of complications that see their light throughout adulthood. Due to the serious side effects of these morbidities, early intervention is essential. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (SG) is a safe and effective procedure for the treatment of obesity, however, the long-term data on its use in adolescents is lacking in the literature. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on all patients that underwent SG aged between 12 and 21 years old at a public hospital in Kuwait. Data on their weight and comorbidities was collected and analyzed. RESULTS: 164 adolescent patients with a mean age of 19 underwent SG. 71% of the patients were female, while the mean weight at surgery was 128.6 kg, corresponding to a BMI of 47.8 Kg/m2. 32% of patients had a starting BMI more than 50, while 6.7% had a BMI over 60. The highest weight loss was achieved at 18 months post-op, corresponding to an EWL of 82.66%. On long-term follow-up, weight loss was maintained over the 13 years post-op. Obstructive sleep apnea resolved in 75% of the patients while hypertension persisted in the 2 patients who were diagnosed with it pre-op. 21 patients developed gastro-esophageal reflux disease 5.7 years post-op, while 20 patients were treated for gall bladder stones 4.4 years post-op. CONCLUSION: It is of ample importance to tackle obesity during childhood before complications ensue later in life. Bariatric surgery, specifically SG, has been found to be an effective and safe weight loss tool, with sustained long-term weight maintenance and resolution of early comorbidities.

Development of a clinical risk score to predict death in patients with COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: To build a clinical risk score to aid risk stratification among hospitalised COVID-19 patients. METHODS: The score was built using data of 417 consecutive COVID-19 in patients from Kuwait. Risk factors for COVID-19 mortality were identified by multivariate logistic regressions and assigned weighted points proportional to their beta coefficient values. A final score was obtained for each patient and tested against death to calculate an Receiver-operating characteristic curve. Youden's index was used to determine the cut-off value for death prediction risk. The score was internally validated using another COVID-19 Kuwaiti-patient cohort of 923 patients. External validation was carried out using 178 patients from the Italian CoViDiab cohort. RESULTS: Deceased COVID-19 patients more likely showed glucose levels of 7.0-11.1 mmol/L (34.4%, p < 0.0001) or >11.1 mmol/L (44.3%, p < 0.0001), and comorbidities such as diabetes and hypertension compared to those who survived (39.3% vs. 20.4% [p = 0.0027] and 45.9% vs. 26.6% [p = 0.0036], respectively). The risk factors for in-hospital mortality in the final model were gender, nationality, asthma, and glucose categories (<5.0, 5.5-6.9, 7.0-11.1, or 11.1 > mmol/L). A score of ≥5.5 points predicted death with 75% sensitivity and 86.3% specificity (area under the curve (AUC) 0.901). Internal validation resulted in an AUC of 0.826, and external validation showed an AUC of 0.687. CONCLUSION: This clinical risk score was built with easy-to-collect data and had good probability of predicting in-hospital death among COVID-19 patients.

Effective cleaning of endoscopic lenses to achieve visual clarity for minimally invasive abdominopelvic surgery: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To review the recently available interventions to achieve optimal visual clarity in laparoscopic abdominopelvic surgery compared to conventional cleaning alternatives. Currently, there is no consensus on the most effective method for the cleaning of endoscopic lenses used in minimally invasive abdominopelvic surgery. METHODS: Literature searching for articles relevant to answering a predefined research question was performed in December 2019 and involved searching of the electronic databases of MEDLINE, the Cochrane Registry, and EMBASE. Basic search terms were derived using the PICO (population, intervention, comparator and outcomes) framework and through a scoping search of literature via MEDLINE. A manual search of Google Scholar and citation screening of eligible studies was also performed to ensure the identification and inclusion of all pertinent studies to address the research question. RESULTS: Among conventional and readily available methods, the most effective approaches involved heated sterile water, heating of laparoscope lenses, and surfactant solutions, including FRED and Ultra-Stop, while evaluations of all novel devices and methods were more effective than controls, which included lens wiping systems and air and carbon dioxide flow systems. While the former surgical techniques were consistently associated with superior lens cleaning ability and/or defogging capability and subsequent optical clarity of images within the surgical field, no methods conferred any meaningful effects upon other clinically important outcomes, such as operative time, costs, complication rates and length of stay, suggesting that decision making concerning the selection of lens cleaning method/device should suit the preferences of the instrument operator and/or the responsible surgeon. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that a range of endoscopic lens cleaning methods and devices can be used to achieve sufficient optical clarity of the laparoscopic surgical field through either preventing lenses from fogging and/or facilitating the inter-operative cleaning of fouled lenses. Despite the various methods evaluated in this review, there were no significant differences in complication rates between the intervention and control groups.

Digital Contact Tracing Applications against COVID-19: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE: The novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has triggered public anxiety around the world. So far, the evidence suggests that prevention on a public scale is the most effective health measure for thwarting the progress of COVID-19. Another critical aspect of preventing COVID-19 is contact tracing. We aimed to investigate the effectiveness of digital contact tracing applications currently available in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We undertook a systematic review and narrative synthesis of all literature relating to digital contact tracing applications in the context of COVID-19. We searched 3 major scientific databases. Only articles that were published in English and were available as full-text articles were selected for review. Data were extracted and narrative syntheses conducted. RESULTS: Five studies relating to COVID-19 were included in the review. Our results suggest that digitalized contact tracing methods can be beneficial for impeding the progress of COVID-19. Three key themes were generated from this systematic review. First, the critical mass of adoption of applications must be attained at the population level before the sensitivity and positive predictive value of the solution can be increased. Second, usability factors such as access, ease of use, and the elimination of barriers are essential in driving this uptake. Third, privacy must be ensured where possible as it is the single most significant barrier against achieving critical mass. CONCLUSION: Contact tracing methods have proved to be beneficial for impeding the progress of COVID-19 as compared to older, more labour-intensive manual methods.

The impact of ABO blood groups on clinical outcomes and susceptibility to COVID-19: A retrospective study in an unselected population.

BACKGROUND: ABO blood groups have been linked to susceptibility to infection with certain microorganisms, including coronaviruses. We examined the relationship between blood group and clinical outcomes in individuals infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and compared their blood group distribution with the general population. METHODS: At the inception of the pandemic, all individuals testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 in Kuwait were admitted to one designated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hospital and enrolled in a prospective registry. Patients admitted from February 24 to May 27, 2020, were stratified according to blood group. As a control, blood groups of 3,730,027 anonymized individuals representing almost Kuwait's entire population were obtained from a national database. RESULTS: Of 3305 SARS-CoV-2-positive patients, 37.1%, 25.5%, 28.9%, and 8.5% were groups O, A, B, and AB, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed no significant differences in severe clinical outcomes or death among the blood groups. However, multivariable analysis demonstrated that group A individuals had higher odds of developing pneumonia compared with non-group A (adjusted odds ratio 1.32, 95% confidence interval 1.02-1.72, p < .036). Compared with the general population, the COVID-19 cohort had a lower frequency of group O, equivalent frequency of A, and higher frequency of B and AB. No significant difference in the RhD group was found. CONCLUSION: This study supports potential involvement of the ABO blood group system in predisposing to infection with SARS-CoV-2 in an unselected population. Examination of the mechanistic link between blood group and COVID-19 and its implications on controlling the current pandemic is warranted.

Probabilities of ICU admission and hospital discharge according to patient characteristics in the designated COVID-19 hospital of Kuwait.

BACKGROUND: Subsequent epidemic waves have already emerged in many countries and in the absence of highly effective preventive and curative options, the role of patient characteristics on the development of outcomes needs to be thoroughly examined, especially in middle-east countries where such epidemiological studies are lacking. There is a huge pressure on the hospital services and in particular, on the Intensive Care Units (ICU). Describing the need for critical care as well as the chance of being discharged from hospital according to patient characteristics, is essential for a more efficient hospital management. The objective of this study is to describe the probabilities of admission to the ICU and the probabilities of hospital discharge among positive COVID-19 patients according to demographics and comorbidities recorded at hospital admission. METHODS: A prospective cohort study of all patients with COVID-19 found in the Electronic Medical Records of Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Hospital in Kuwait was conducted. The study included 3995 individuals (symptomatic and asymptomatic) of all ages who tested positive from February 24th to May 27th, 2020, out of which 315 were treated in the ICU and 3619 were discharged including those who were transferred to a different healthcare unit without having previously entered the ICU. A competing risk analysis considering two events, namely, ICU admission and hospital discharge using flexible hazard models was performed to describe the association between event-specific probabilities and patient characteristics. RESULTS: Results showed that being male, increasing age and comorbidities such as chronic kidney disease (CKD), asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and weakened immune system increased the risk of ICU admission within 10 days of entering the hospital. CKD and weakened immune system decreased the probabilities of discharge in both females and males however, the age-related pattern differed by gender. Diabetes, which was the most prevalent comorbid condition, had only a moderate impact on both probabilities (18% overall) in contrast to CKD which had the largest effect, but presented only in 7% of those admitted to ICU and in 1% of those who got discharged. For instance, within 5 days a 50-year-old male had 19% (95% C.I.: [15,23]) probability of entering the ICU if he had none of these comorbidities, yet this risk jumped to 31% (95% C.I.: [20,46]) if he had also CKD, and to 27% in the presence of asthma/COPD (95% C.I.: [19,36]) or of weakened immune system (95% C.I.: [16,42]). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides useful insight in describing the probabilities of ICU admission and hospital discharge according to age, gender, and comorbidities among confirmed COVID-19 cases in Kuwait. A web-tool is also provided to allow the user to estimate these probabilities for any combination of these covariates. These probabilities enable deeper understanding of the hospital demand according to patient characteristics which is essential to hospital management and useful for developing a vaccination strategy.

Low-Cost Polyester-Tipped Three-Dimensionally Printed Nasopharyngeal Swab for the Detection of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Related Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Case identification, isolation, and contact tracing are fundamental strategies used to control the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This has led to widespread testing that interrupted the supply chain for testing materials around the world. A prospective study was conducted to compare inexpensive and easily sourced 3-dimensionally (3D)-printed polylactic acid and polyester nasopharyngeal swabs to commercially manufactured swabs for the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). During the study period, 287 laboratory-confirmed hospitalized COVID-19 patients, at multiple stages of their illness, were enrolled. The median age for the study population was 47.6 years (interquartile range [IQR], 34.4 to 56.6 years), and two-thirds (67.6%) of the subjects were male. The median duration of hospitalization, at the time of sampling, was 13 days (IQR, 10 to 16 days). Overall concordance between the prototype and control swabs was 80.8% (Cohen's kappa coefficient, 0.61). Most discrepant results were due to prototype-positive control-negative results. When considering all positive results to be true positives, the prototype swab had a higher sensitivity (90.6% versus 80.8%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 85.7% to 94.0% and 74.7% to 85.7%, respectively; P < 0.015). The cost to produce the prototype swab was estimated to be $0.05 per swab. Polylactic acid 3D-printed polyester-tipped swabs were shown to be effective for nasopharyngeal sample collection. We believe that this design can easily be adopted in countries where commercial swabs are not readily available and can play a vital role in public health efforts for disease control in low-income countries.

A biomarker based severity progression indicator for COVID-19: the Kuwait prognosis indicator score.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is a worldwide pandemic that is mild in most patients but can result in a pneumonia like illness with progression to acute respiratory distress syndrome and death. Predicting the disease severity at time of diagnosis can be helpful in prioritizing hospital admission and resources. METHODS: We prospectively recruited 1096 consecutive patients of whom 643 met the inclusion criterion with COVID-19 from Jaber Hospital, a COVID-19 facility in Kuwait, between 24 February and 20 April 2020. The primary endpoint of interest was disease severity defined algorithmically. Predefined risk variables were collected at the time of PCR based diagnosis of the infection. Prognostic model development used 5-fold cross-validated regularized logit regression. The model was externally validated against data from Wuhan, China. RESULTS: There were 643 patients with clinical course data of whom 94 developed severe COVID-19. In the final model, age, CRP, procalcitonin, lymphocyte percentage, monocyte percentages and serum albumin were independent predictors of a more severe illness course. The final prognostic model demonstrated good discrimination, and both discrimination and calibration were confirmed with an external dataset. CONCLUSION: We developed and validated a simple score calculated at time of diagnosis that can predict patients with severe COVID-19 disease reliably and that has been validated externally. The KPI score calculator is now available online at covidkscore.com.

COVID-19 clinical outcomes and nationality: results from a Nationwide registry in Kuwait.

BACKGROUND: In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, many have flagged racial and ethnic differences in health outcomes in western countries as an urgent global public health priority. Kuwait has a unique demographic profile with two-thirds of the population consisting of non-nationals, most of which are migrant workers. We aimed to explore whether there is a significant difference in health outcomes between non-Kuwaiti and Kuwaiti patients diagnosed with COVID-19. METHODS: We used a prospective COVID-19 registry of all patients (symptomatic and asymptomatic) in Kuwait who tested positive from February 24th to April 20th, 2020, collected from Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Hospital, the officially-designated COVID-19 healthcare facility in the country. We ran separate logistic regression models comparing non-Kuwaitis to Kuwaitis for death, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and pneumonia. RESULTS: The first 1123 COVID-19 positive patients in Kuwait were all recruited in the study. About 26% were Kuwaitis and 73% were non-Kuwaiti. With adjustments made to age, gender, smoking and selected co-morbidities, non-Kuwaitis had two-fold increase in the odds of death or being admitted to the intensive care unit compared to Kuwaitis (OR: 2.14, 95% CI 1.12-4.32). Non-Kuwaitis had also higher odds of ARDS (OR:2.44, 95% CI 1.23-5.09) and pneumonia (OR: 2.24, 95% CI 1.27-4.12). CONCLUSION: This is the first study to report on COVID-19 outcomes between Kuwaiti and non-Kuwaiti patients. The current pandemic may have amplified the differences of health outcomes among marginalized subpopulations. A number of socioeconomic and environmental factors could explain this health disparity. More research is needed to advance the understanding of policymakers in Kuwait in order to make urgent public health interventions.

Results from the first Kuwait National Bariatric Surgery Report.

BACKGROUND: Currently, more than 30% of the population in the gulf demonstrate a body mass index (BMI) exceeding 30. This burden of obesity has proven to take a toll on the population; therefore, we created the first Kuwait National Bariatric Surgery Database to report on bariatric surgeries performed in Kuwait. METHODS: Data was collected from the six public hospitals in Kuwait. This data was then submitted to a merged National Registry. Data web portal were used to upload, merge, and analyze the data. RESULTS: The average age for participants was 32.6 years. The average preoperative BMI was 45.9 kg/m2 for males and 43.3 kg/m2 for females. 16.4% of males and 12.3% of females presented with type 2 diabetes, while the most prevalent obesity related disease was a poor functional status in both males and females (90.8% and 90.5%, respectively). Most procedures performed in Kuwait are sleeve gastrectomy. The most encountered in-hospital complication after primary bariatric surgery was bleeding (1.5%), with Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) having the highest recorded rate of post-operative complications (3.6% bleeding). The overall rate of operative complications was 2.6%, which was most prevalent post-RYGB (10.3%) and lowest post-sleeve gastrectomy (2.5%). CONCLUSION: The importance of tracking and documenting the journey and change in the rates of obesity and effectiveness of bariatric procedures in individual countries with significantly high obesity rates is imperative to be able to create a plan of action to tackle this worldwide epidemic. This report will be able to provide the population with an accurate accounting that demonstrates further the safety of bariatric/metabolic surgery.

Female Physicians Leading Health Care in the Arab World.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A global trend in female leadership roles in the medical profession is on the rise, and females have been taking up leadership roles in varying and increasing levels. This study aims to identify changes in trends in the medical field in terms of gender in the last decade in Kuwait. METHODS: A case study was conducted, in which data on leadership positions in Kuwait's government hospitals were obtained from hospital registries. Demographic data about female to male physicians were collected from statistics published by the Department of Manpower, Statistics and Planning of Kuwait's Ministry of Health. In addition, statistics on medical graduates were obtained from the Faculty of Medicine (FOM), Kuwait University (KU). RESULTS: In general, every government hospital in Kuwait has experienced an increase in leadership roles among females; in 2008, among all leadership positions in Kuwait's general hospitals, males occupied a majority of positions (60%); whereas in 2016, the male to female ratio was 1:1. The most change in gender trends was witnessed at Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital, where female leaders went from 38% in 2008 to 73% in 2016. The specialties that have the highest number of females in leadership positions across all hospitals from 2008 to 2016 were nuclear medicine, radiology, and laboratory medicine. In KU's FOM, female graduates outweighed male graduates, except in 2005-2006, where females reached a minimum of 48%. The number of female physicians has also increased from its lowest of 31% of the total number of physicians in 2004-2006, to 37% in 2015. CONCLUSION: While women make up more than half of medical graduates in Kuwait at present, significant barriers had restricted their entry into formal medical leadership roles in the past. However, it is now seen that females currently occupy more leadership positions in government hospitals in Kuwait.

Endoscopic management of post-laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy stenosis.

INTRODUCTION: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is becoming an increasingly popular form of bariatric surgery, accounting for more than 50% of these procedures performed in the USA. Given this popularity, more is being understood about the complications associated with LSG, which, though uncommon, include the formation of strictures and stenosis. The purpose of this study is to establish a safe and effective protocol for the treatment of stenosis post-LSG using endoscopic balloon dilatation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a prospective review of 26 patients who had undergone LSG in Kuwait, followed by sleeve gastrectomy stenosis (SGS) and were then referred to Amiri Hospital for endoscopic balloon dilatation from October 2008 up to June 2016. RESULTS: A total of 26 patients (four males; 22 females) presented with symptoms of stenosis post-LSG during the study period. The mean age of the patients was 34.6 ± 10.8 years. The mean body mass index at the time of surgery was 43 ± 1.6 kg/m2. The median interval from the initial LSG surgery was 95 days. Nine patients had an early presentation (≤3 months from surgery), while 17 presented late (>3 months). The patients were followed for a mean duration of 156 ± 20 days from the last endoscopic balloon dilatation. A total of 23 (88.5%) patients had complete resolution of their symptoms. Adverse events were observed in one patients, who was removed from the study. CONCLUSIONS: Gastric stenosis is a rare but potentially serious complication of LSG. Serial dilatation of SGS employing endoscopic balloons is a safe method of treatment, with high efficacy rates. This new method may offer a less invasive alternative to surgical revision. However, if endoscopic treatment fails, surgery is necessary.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease resolution following sleeve gastrectomy.

BACKGROUND: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a disease highly prevalent among the morbidly obese population, is one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease today. The purpose of this study was to observe the effect of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) on the resolution of NAFLD. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted of 84 patients diagnosed with NAFLD prior to undergoing LSG. The diagnosis of NAFLD was achieved based on transabdominal ultrasonographic imaging as per the 2012 joint guidelines for the diagnosis of NAFLD (American Gastroenterological Association, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, and American College of Gastroenterology). The patients had follow-up anthropometric measurements and were re-evaluated with postoperative ultrasounds at different time frames to assess the resolution of the disease. RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 44 (17-62), and 66.7 % were female. Average time since surgery was 3.3 years (range 1-5 years). The mean pre- and postoperative BMIs were 46.6 ± 7.8 and 33.0 ± 7.1, respectively, with a mean percent excess weight loss (%EWL) of 55.7 % ± 23.0. A total of 47 (56 %) patients showed complete resolution of NAFLD postoperatively. Multivariate analysis showed a significant resolution of NAFLD in patients achieving >50 % EWL (OR 10.1; p < 0.001) after controlling for age and sex. CONCLUSIONS: Weight loss after LSG effectively resolved NAFLD in more than half of the obese patients in this study and can prove to be a useful tool in tackling the disease in the future.

Efficacy of intragastric balloon for the management of obesity: experience from Kuwait.

INTRODUCTION: Traditional methods of treating obesity have shown only limited efficacy. Intragastric balloon (BIB) is considered a new potential alternative method in the management of obesity. There is limited information in the literature about the outcome of BIB in the region of the Arabian Gulf. This study examined the efficacy and satisfaction of BIB in obese patients in Al-Amiri Hospital in Kuwait. METHODS: A retrospective review of BIB in patients from October 2009 through December 2012 at Al-Amiri Hospital, Kuwait, included 179 patients. Weight loss, complications, satisfaction level, and weight gain after removal of the balloon were assessed. The weight loss was analyzed further according to different demographic groups. RESULTS: A total of 179 patients were included in the study. Their data were collected, and the pre-insertion and post-removal body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Before insertion of the BIB, there was a mean weight of 99.7 kg (SD 26.7); after removal, they showed a mean weight of 88.9 kg (SD 25). There was a mean weight loss of 10.9 kg (SD 8). The patients experienced a median excess weight loss of 38.5%. There was no significant variation in the weight loss according to age, gender, and nationality. There was a satisfaction level of 44% among the patients. Weight gain after removal was experienced by 34.7% of patients. CONCLUSION: BIB seems to be an effective method of significant weight reduction with little complications, making it a good alternative in the management of obesity in females with lower BMI.

Treating sleeve gastrectomy leak with endoscopic stenting: the Kuwaiti experience and review of recent literature.

BACKGROUND: Obesity today is a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality, and bariatric surgeries such as laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) are increasingly playing a key role in its management. Such operations, however, carry many difficult and sometimes fatal complications, including leaks. This study aims at evaluating the effectiveness of endoscopic stenting in treating gastric leaks post-LSG. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted to the patients who were admitted with post-LSG gastric leak at Al-Amiri Hospital Kuwait from October 2008 to December 2012 and were subsequently treated with stenting. The patients were stented endoscopically with self-expandable metal stent (SEMS), and a self-expandable plastic stent (SEPS) was used to facilitate stent removal. RESULTS: A total of 17 patients with post-LSG leaks underwent endoscopic stenting. The median age was 34 years (range 19-56), 53% of the patients were male, and mean body mass index (BMI) was 43 kg/m(2). The median duration of SEMS placement per patient was 42 days (range 28-84). The SEPS-assisted retrieval process took a median duration of 11 days (range 14-35). Successful treatment of gastric leak was evident in 13 (76%) patients, as evident by gastrografin swallow 1 week after stent removal. In addition, a shorter duration between the LSG and the time of stent placement was associated with a higher success rate of leak seal. CONCLUSIONS: The use of SEMS appears to be a safe and effective method in the treatment of post-LSG leaks, with a success rate of 76%. The time frame of intervention after surgery is critical, as earlier stent placement is associated with favorable outcomes. Finally, SEPS is often required to facilitate SEMS removal, and further modification of stents and its delivery system may improve results.

Semaglutide and Tirzepatide for the Management of Weight Recurrence After Sleeve Gastrectomy: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) is the most effective treatment for obesity and improvement of obesity-associated comorbidities. However, a proportion of these patients may suffer from weight recurrence and recurrence of obesity-associated comorbidities. METHOD: A retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent SG between January 2008 and August 2022 and sought treatment for weight recurrence with semaglutide or tirzepetide from January 2022 onwards. RESULT: A total of 115 patients were included, of which 70 had SG and treated for weight recurrence with semaglutide and 45 had SG and treated with tirzepatide. The mean age of patients was 38.8 (10.4) and 80.9% of patients were female. The mean pre-treatment weight and BMI was 94.0 (23.8) kg and 35.1 (6.0) kg/m2. Following treatment with semaglutide and tirzepatide, the mean post-treatment weight at 6 months was 81.0 (19.0) kg from 90.1 (19.6) kg and 87.6 (28.3) kg from 100.2 (28.5) kg respectively, corresponding to a clinically significant mean weight loss from baseline to 6 months of 10.3 (5.9)% (p < 0.05) and 15.5 (6.3)% (p < 0.05). Weight loss in tirzepatide patients was significantly greater than the semaglutide patients at 6 months (p < 0.02). There were no reported severe adverse events to the treatment. CONCLUSION: Short-term outcomes show that semaglutide and tirzepatide can be an effective treatment for managing weight recurrence after SG. Studies with longer follow-up are needed to determine the durability, as weight regain after discontinuation of the medication is highly likely, and the high cost of these medications can limit their use.

Metabolic Bariatric Surgery Across the IFSO Chapters: Key Insights on the Baseline Patient Demographics, Procedure Types, and Mortality from the Eighth IFSO Global Registry Report.

INTRODUCTION: The International Federation for Surgery for Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO) Global Registry aims to provide descriptive data about the caseload and penetrance of surgery for metabolic disease and obesity in member countries. The data presented in this report represent the key findings of the eighth report of the IFSO Global Registry. METHODS: All existing Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (MBS) registries known to IFSO were invited to contribute to the eighth report. Aggregated data was provided by each MBS registry to the team at the Australia and New Zealand Bariatric Surgery Registry (ANZBSR) and was securely stored on a Redcap™ database housed at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. Data was checked for completeness and analyzed by the IFSO Global Registry Committee. Prior to the finalization of the report, all graphs were circulated to contributors and to the global registry committee of IFSO to ensure data accuracy. RESULTS: Data was received from 24 national and 2 regional registries, providing information on 502,150 procedures. The most performed primary MBS procedure was sleeve gastrectomy, whereas the most performed revisional MBS procedure was Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Asian countries reported people with lower BMI undergoing MBS along with higher rates of diabetes. Mortality was a rare event. CONCLUSION: Registries enable meaningful comparisons between countries on the demographics, characteristics, operation types and approaches, and trends in MBS procedures. Reported outcomes can be seen as flags of potential issues or relationships that could be studied in more detail in specific research studies.

The economic impact of obesity in Kuwait: a micro-costing study evaluating the burden of obesity-related comorbidities.

OBJECTIVE: 44% of Kuwait's population live with obesity and the health consequences place a significant burden on the public health system. This study provides an assessment of the cost burden of obesity-related comorbidities (ORC). METHODS: A retrospective micro-costing analysis was conducted to quantify the direct cost associated with ORCs. ORCs and their cost categories were informed by a systematic literature review and validated by a local steering committee comprising three experts. Seventy public sector clinicians and eight hospital procurement staff were surveyed to provide healthcare resource utilization estimates and medical resource cost data, respectively. The annual cost of each ORC and the cost drivers were also validated by the steering committee. RESULTS: Individuals in Kuwait with any single ORC incurred direct healthcare costs ranging 1,748-4,205 KWD annually. Asthma, chronic kidney disease and type 2 diabetes were the costliest ORCs, incurring an annual cost that exceeds 3,500 KWD per patient. Hypertension, angina and atrial fibrillation were the least costly ORCs. In general, costs were driven by drug costs and resources allocated to address treatment-related adverse events. LIMITATIONS: In the absence of an official patient registry in Kuwait, our study provides a conservative estimate of direct costs derived from a nationwide survey. Additionally, the cost estimates in this study assumes that a patient with obesity will only experience one ORC. In reality, multi-morbid states may incur additional costs that are not currently captured. CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms that ORCs generate a significant financial burden to the public payer. The study provides an economic case for policymakers to recognize the exigency for obesity prevention and control in accordance with the ORC prevalence, and the need for sustainable investments towards body-mass index management to prevent individuals from developing multiple comorbidities.