Pancreatic cyst features predict future development of pancreatic cancer: results of a nested case-control study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Risk factors for pancreatic cancer among patients with pancreatic cysts are incompletely characterized. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate risk factors for development of pancreatic cancer among patients with pancreatic cysts. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective case-control study of U.S. veterans with a suspected diagnosis of branch-duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm from 1999 to 2013. RESULTS: Age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.03 per year; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00-1.06), larger cyst size at cyst diagnosis (HR, 1.03 per mm; 95% CI, 1.01-1.04), cyst growth rate (HR, 1.22 per mm/y; 95% CI, 1.14-1.31), and pancreatic duct dilation (5-9.9 mm: HR, 3.78; 95% CI, 1.90-7.51; ≥10 mm: HR, 13.57; 95% CI, 5.49-33.53) were found to be significant predictors for pancreatic cancer on multivariable analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Age, cyst size, cyst growth rate, and high-risk or worrisome features were associated with a higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Applying current and developing novel strategies is required to optimize early detection of pancreatic cancer after cyst diagnosis.

Impact of COVID-19 infection and vaccination in pancreatobiliary IgG4-related disease patients: An international multicenter study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Dedicated studies evaluating the impact of COVID-19 on outcomes of pancreatobiliary IgG4 related disease (IgG4-RD) patients are scarce. Whether COVID-19 infection or vaccination would trigger IgG4-RD exacerbation remains unknown. METHODS: Pancreatobiliary IgG4-RD patients ≥ 18 years old with active follow-up since January 2020 from nine referral centers in Asia, Europe, and North America were included in this multicenter retrospective study. Outcome measures include incidence and severity of COVID-19 infection, IgG4-RD disease activity and treatment status, interruption of indicated IgG4-RD treatment. Prospective data on COVID-19 vaccination status and new COVID-19 infection during the Omicron outbreak were also retrieved in the Hong Kong cohort. RESULTS: Of the 124 pancreatobiliary IgG4-RD patients, 25.0% had active IgG4-RD, 71.0% were on immunosuppressive therapies and 80.6% had ≥ 1 risk factor for severe COVID. In 2020 (pre-vaccination period), two patients (1.6%) had COVID-19 infection (one requiring ICU admission), and 7.2% of patients had interruptions in indicated immunosuppressive treatment for IgG4-RD. Despite a high vaccination rate (85.0%), COVID-19 infection rate has increased to 20.0% during Omicron outbreak in the Hong Kong cohort. A trend towards higher COVID-19 infection rate was noted in the non-fully vaccinated/unvaccinated group (17.6% vs 33.3%, P = 0.376). No IgG4-RD exacerbation following COVID-19 vaccination or infection was observed. CONCLUSION: While a low COVID-19 infection rate with no mortality was observed in pancreatobiliary IgG4-RD patients in the pre-vaccination period of COVID-19, infection rate has increased during the Omicron outbreak despite a high vaccination rate. No IgG4-RD exacerbation after COVID-19 infection or vaccination was observed.

AGA Clinical Practice Update on Management of Subepithelial Lesions Encountered During Routine Endoscopy: Expert Review.

BEST PRACTICE ADVICE STATEMENTS: BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 1: Forceps bite-on-bite or deep-well biopsies or tunnel biopsies can sometimes establish a pathologic diagnosis of SEL. BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 2: EUS is the modality of choice to evaluate indeterminate SEL of the GI track and/or if non-diagnostic tissue by forceps biopsies. BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 3: SEL arising from the submucosa can be sampled using tunnel biopsies (or deep-well biopsies), EUS guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA), EUS guided fine-needle biopsy (FNB), or advanced endoscopic techniques (unroofing or endoscopic submucosal resection). BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 4: SEL arising from muscularis propria should be sampled (preferably using FNB or FNA) to determine whether the lesion is a GIST or leiomyoma. Structural assessment and staining will allow differentiation of mesenchymal tumors and assessing their malignant potential. BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 5: Endoscopic resection techniques have been described for removal of SEL and should be limited to endoscopists skilled in advanced tissue resection techniques. BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 6: Management of each SEL depends on the size of the lesion, histopathology, their malignant potential, and presence of symptoms. BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 7: SEL that have an endoscopic appearance consistent with a lipoma or pancreatic rest and normal mucosal biopsies do not need further evaluation or surveillance. BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 8: For SEL arising from muscularis propria that are less than 2 cm in size, surveillance using EUS should be considered. BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 9: Gastric GIST larger than 2 cm should be considered for resection. BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 10: Subepithelial lesions that are ulcerated, bleeding, or causing symptoms should be considered for resection.

Comparison of cold snare and hot snare polypectomy for the resection of sporadic nonampullary duodenal adenomas.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Nonampullary duodenal adenomas can undergo malignant transformation, making endoscopic resection, often by hot snare (HSP) or cold snare polypectomy (CSP), necessary. Although CSP has been shown to be safer for removal of colon polyps, data comparing these techniques for the resection of duodenal adenomas are limited. Our aim was to compare the safety and efficacy of CSP and HSP for the removal of nonampullary duodenal adenomas. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients referred to 2 academic medical centers with a histologically confirmed sporadic, nonampullary duodenal adenoma who underwent endoscopic snare polypectomy between January 1, 2007 and March 1, 2021. Patients with underlying polyposis syndromes were excluded. Outcomes included postprocedural adverse events and polyp recurrence. RESULTS: Of 110 total patients, 69 underwent HSP and 41 underwent CSP. Intraprocedural bleeding was similar between both groups, but 7 patients in the HSP group experienced delayed adverse events versus none in the CSP group (P = .04). Fifty-four patients had complete polyp resection and subsequent surveillance endoscopies. Multivariate analysis showed polyp size to be associated with recurrence (per mm; odds ratio, 1.11; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.20; P < .01). Endoscopic resection technique (HSP vs CSP) was not a predictor of recurrence (P = .18). CONCLUSIONS: HSP led to more delayed adverse events compared with CSP, whereas no significant differences on outcomes were noted, suggesting that CSP is equally effective and potentially safer for the removal of duodenal adenomas.

Pancreas Cancer Incidence and Pancreas Cancer-Associated Mortality Are Low in National Cohort of 7211 Pancreas Cyst Patients.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Pancreatic cancer incidence and mortality among patients with pancreas cysts are unclear. The aims of this study are to evaluate incidence of pancreatic cancer and cause-specific mortality among patients with pancreatic cysts using a large national cohort over a long follow-up period. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of US Veterans diagnosed with a pancreatic cyst 1999-2013, based on International Classification of Diseases, 9th edition (ICD9) coding within national Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) data. Pancreatic cancer incidence was ascertained using VA cancer registry data, ICD-9 codes, and the National Death Index, a national centralized database of death records, including cause-specific mortality. RESULTS: Among 7211 Veterans with pancreatic cysts contributing 31,501 person-years of follow-up (median follow-up 4.4 years), 79 (1.1%) developed pancreatic cancer. A total of 1982 patients (27.5%) died during the study follow-up period. Sixty-three patients (3.2% of deaths; 0.9% of pancreas cyst cohort) died from pancreatic cancer, but the leading causes of death in the cohort were non-pancreatic cancer (n = 498, 25% of deaths) and cardiovascular disease (n = 398, 20% of deaths). CONCLUSIONS: Pancreas cancer incidence and pancreatic cancer-associated mortality are very low in a large national cohort of VA pancreatic cyst patients with long-term follow-up. Most deaths were from non-pancreas cancers and cardiovascular causes, and only a minority (3.2%) were attributable to pancreas cancer. Given death from pancreas cancer is rare, future research should focus on identifying criteria for selecting individuals at high risk for death from pancreatic cancer for pancreatic cyst surveillance.

Protocol of early lumen apposing metal stent removal for pseudocysts and walled off necrosis avoids bleeding complications.

Background: EUS-guided drainage of pancreatic fluid collections (PFCs; pancreatic pseudocyst (PPC) or walled-off necrosis (WON)) using lumen apposing metal stents (LAMSs) is now standard of care. We adopted a protocol of early LAMS removal and prospectively followed patients to determine if this protocol avoids bleeding complications.Methods: Prospective, consecutive case series of all patients with PPC and WON who underwent drainage with LAMS at a tertiary care referral center from July 2016 to November 2018. LAMS was removed within 4 weeks for PPC and within 6 weeks for WON. Patients with residual necrosis after 6 weeks underwent removal of initial LAMS and replacement with new LAMS every 6 weeks until resolution. Patients were followed within protocol while monitoring for bleeding complications and clinical success. We also performed a literature review to determine rates of LAMS related bleeding at various timepoints.Results: Forty patients (PPC n = 19, WON n = 21) underwent drainage with LAMS. Median time for LAMS removal was 21.0 days for PPC and 33.5 days for WON. Technical success and clinical success were achieved in 40/40 patients with zero cases of delayed bleeding. A literature review of 21 studies and 1378 patients showed 52/1378 (3.8%) bleeding events with 24/52 (46.2%) events occurring within 1 week of LAMS placement.Conclusions: An early removal LAMS protocol for PFC is highly efficacious and prevents delayed bleeding. Based on analysis of published cases, half of LAMS related bleeding occurs within the first week suggesting procedural factors rather than stent dwell time impact risk of bleeding.

Low Rates of Malignancy and Mortality in Asymptomatic Patients With Suspected Neoplastic Pancreatic Cysts Beyond 5 Years of Surveillance.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The 2015 American Gastroenterological Association guidelines recommend discontinuation of surveillance of pancreatic cysts after 5 years, although there are limited data to support this recommendation. We aimed to determine the rate of pancreatic cancer development from neoplastic pancreatic cysts after 5 years of surveillance. METHODS: We performed a retrospective multicenter study, collecting data from 310 patients with asymptomatic suspected neoplastic pancreatic cysts, identified by endoscopic ultrasound from January 2002 to June 2010 at 4 medical centers in California. All patients were followed up for 5 years or more (median, 87 mo; range, 60-189 mo). Data were used to calculate the risk for pancreatic cancer and all-cause mortality. RESULTS: Three patients (1%) developed invasive pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Based on American Gastroenterological Association high-risk features (cyst size > 3 cm, dilated pancreatic duct, mural nodule), risks for cancer were 0%, 1%, and 15% for patients with 0, 1, or 2 high-risk features, respectively. Mortality from nonpancreatic causes was 8-fold higher than mortality from pancreatic cancer after more than 5 years of surveillance. CONCLUSIONS: There is a very low risk of malignant transformation of asymptomatic neoplastic pancreatic cysts after 5 years. Patients with pancreatic lesions and 0 or 1 high-risk feature have a less than 1% risk of developing pancreatic cancer, therefore discontinuation of surveillance can be considered for select patients. Patients with neoplastic pancreatic cysts with 2 high-risk features have a 15% risk of subsequent pancreatic cancer, therefore surgery or continued surveillance should be considered.

Rapid Growth Rates of Suspected Pancreatic Cyst Branch Duct Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms Predict Malignancy.

BACKGROUND: The majority of branch duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (BD-IPMNs) are recommended for surveillance imaging based on consensus guidelines. However, growth rates that should prompt concern for malignant transformation of BD-IPMN are unknown. AIMS: To determine whether BD-IPMN growth can predict an increased risk of malignancy and define growth rates concerning for malignant BD-IPMN. METHODS: The study is a retrospective, multicenter study of suspected BD-IPMN patients undergoing imaging surveillance. All patients underwent EUS evaluation followed by surveillance imaging. RESULTS: Two hundred and eighty-four patients with suspected BD-IPMN without worrisome features or high-risk stigmata were followed for a median 56 months and underwent a median of four imaging studies. Nine patients (3.2 %) developed malignant BD-IPMN. Malignant BD-IPMN grew at a faster rate (18.6 vs. 0.8 mm/year; P = 0.05) compared to benign BD-IPMN. BD-IPMN growth rate between 2 and 5 mm/year was associated with an increased risk of malignancy with hazard ratio (HR) of 11.4 (95 % CI 2.2-58.6) when compared to subjects with BD-IPMN growth rate <2 mm/year (P = 0.004). BD-IPMN growth rate ≥5 mm/year had a hazard ratio of 19.5 (95 % CI 2.4-157.8) (P = 0.005). BD-IPMN growth rate of 2 mm/year had a sensitivity of 78 %, specificity of 90 %, and accuracy of 88 % to identify malignancy. Total BD-IPMN growth was also associated with increased risk of malignancy (P = 0.003) with all malignant IPMNs growing at least 10 mm prior to cancer diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: BD-IPMN growth rates ≥2 mm/year and total growth of ≥10 mm should be considered worrisome features for BD-IPMN at increased risk of malignancy.

Laparo-endoscopic transgastric resection of gastric submucosal tumors.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic and endoluminal surgical techniques have evolved and allowed improvements in the methods for treating benign and malignant gastrointestinal diseases. To date, only case reports have been reported on the application of a laparo-endoscopic approach for resecting gastric submucosal tumors (SMT). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and oncologic outcomes of a laparo-endoscopic transgastric approach to resect tumors that would traditionally require either a laparoscopic or open surgical approach. Herein, we present the largest single institution series utilizing this technique for the resection of gastric SMT in North America. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of a prospectively collected patient database. Patients who presented for evaluation of gastric SMT were offered this surgical procedure and informed consents were obtained for participation in the study. RESULTS: Fourteen patients were included in this study between August/2010 and January/2013. Eight (8) patients (57.1 %) were female and the median age was 56 years (range 29-78). Of the 14 cases, 8 patients (57.1 %) underwent laparo-endoscopic resection of SMTs with transgastric extraction, 5 patients (35.7 %) had conversions to traditional laparoscopic surgery, and 1 patient (7.2 %) was abandoned intraoperatively. The median operative time for this cohort was 80 min (range 35-167). Ten patients (71.4 %) had GISTs, 3 (21.4 %) had leiomyomas, and 1 (7.1 %) had schwannoma. There were no intraoperative complications. Two patients had postoperative staple line bleeding that required repeat endoscopy. The median hospital stay was 1 day (range 1-6) and there were no postoperative mortalities. At 12-month follow-up visit, only one GIST patient (10 %) had tumor recurrence. CONCLUSION: Our experience suggests that this surgical approach is safe and efficient in the resection of gastric SMT with transgastric extraction. This study found no intraoperative complications and optimal oncologic outcomes during the follow-up period. Minimally invasive surgical approaches are emerging as a valid and potentially better approach for resecting malignancies; however, continued investigation is underway to further validate this data.

Malignant cell contamination may lead to false-positive findings at endosonographic fine needle aspiration for tumor staging.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) of lymph nodes is used for staging of gastrointestinal malignancies. False-positive rates of 5 % - 7 % are not well understood. Elements of EUS examinations that contribute to false-positive cytological findings were investigated. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 13 patients undergoing EUS staging of gastrointestinal luminal malignancy were consecutively enrolled together with 3 patients with extraluminal tumors (pancreas, lung) defined as controls. After EUS, cellular debris and fluid were collected from the FNA needle catheter, instrument channel, and endoscope tip for cytologic and histologic investigation. RESULTS: 6 of 13 patients (46 %) had malignant cells contaminating the FNA needle catheter, instrument channel, or endoscope tip. Malignant cells were present in the instrument channel in 5 cases (38 %), exterior tip of echoendoscope in 4 (31 %) and needle catheter in 2 (15 %). CONCLUSIONS: Echoendoscopes used for FNA in patients with luminal tumors are at risk for malignant cell contamination of the instrument channel, FNA needle catheter, and echoendoscope tip. FNA needle contamination can contribute to false-positive findings.

Increased rates of duodenal obstruction in pancreatic cancer patients receiving modern medical management.

BACKGROUND: Duodenal obstruction from pancreatic cancer historically occurs in 2-25 % of patients without surgery, but with new advances in chemotherapy and radiation therapy, the life expectancy of pancreatic cancer has increased. AIM: The aim of the study was to determine the rate of development of duodenal obstruction requiring intervention in patients with pancreatic head adenocarcinoma who do not undergo surgical resection, but receive modern chemoradiation. METHODS: It is a retrospective single center study. Inclusion criteria were patients with pancreatic cancer who underwent ERCP with metal biliary stent and then chemoradiation who subsequently developed symptomatic duodenal obstruction and underwent either metal duodenal stent placement or surgical duodenal bypass. RESULTS: Twenty-four of 63 patients (38 %, 95 % CI 26-50 %) with unresectable pancreatic cancer and biliary stents who received chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy developed duodenal obstruction. The average length of time from diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma to development of outlet obstruction was 11.4 ± 4.9 months (range 1.5-40 months). Average length of time from development of duodenal obstruction to death was 4.8 ± 2.1 months (range 0.5-60 months). Average survival time from diagnosis to death was 16.6 ± 5.6 months (range 4.5-58 months). CONCLUSION: Thirty-eight percent of patients with unresectable pancreatic head adenocarcinoma and metal biliary stents who receive chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy eventually develop symptomatic duodenal obstruction requiring duodenal stent or surgical bypass. This rate of duodenal obstruction is nearly twice that of previous reports using older oncologic therapy and will likely increase as patients survive longer with advances in medical therapy for pancreatic cancer.

The International Per Oral Endoscopic Myotomy Survey (IPOEMS): a snapshot of the global POEM experience.

BACKGROUND: Per oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) represents a Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) approach to Heller myotomy. Even though we are now entering an exponential phase of growth with a large number of centers interested in POEM, published data to guide them are limited. As part of the July 2012 NOSCAR meeting, a conference was organized to review POEM and develop a consensus document. Authors SNS and TS who chaired the NOSCAR panel recognized the dearth of published data, which also may lag the rapid developments in POEM. Therefore, they undertook a survey of early POEM adopters around the world to rapidly obtain global, extensive, and current data on POEM. The raw survey data were made available to NOSCAR panel participants to assist with their presentations. We summarize the salient findings of the survey. METHODS: A comprehensive POEM survey was created and tested. The final survey instrument consisted of 197 questions that covered all aspects of POEM, including operator discipline, prior training, patient selection, setting, technique preference, results, adverse events, regulatory requirements, and perspectives on the future. An automated online response collector was used. RESULTS: The International Per Oral Endoscopic Myotomy Survey (IPOEMS) involved 16 expert centers, 7 in North America, 5 in Asia, 4 in Europe, including all high-volume centers (≥30 POEMs per center), as of July 2012. These centers had performed 841 POEMs. There were modest variations among centers in technique and periprocedural management, but all centers uniformly reported excellent efficacy and safety outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The international POEM survey provides a "global snapshot" of the experience of early adopters. The excellent outcomes over a large cumulative volume of procedures are in line with those of published small series and lend further support to the notion that POEM represents a paradigm shift in the treatment of achalasia.

Broad clinical utilization of NOTES: is it safe?

BACKGROUND: Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) has been the focus of several studies as a less invasive alternative to conventional laparoscopy to access and treat intracavitary organs. For the last 5 years, much has been accomplished with animal studies, yet the clinical utilization of this novel technique is still modest. After 2 years of experience in the laboratory, we started our clinical experience. We report our experience with clinical utilization of NOTES procedures from 2007 to 2010. METHODS: Under UCSD institutional review board-approved trials, 104 patients were enrolled under seven different NOTES protocols from 2007 to 2010, where a NOTES procedure was offered as an alternative to conventional treatments. The treated pathologies were cholelithiasis, biliary dyskinesia, acute and chronic appendicitis, ventral hernias, morbid obesity, and achalasia. The access routes included transgastric (TG), transvaginal (TV), transesophageal (TE), and perirectal (PR). RESULTS: Among the 104 patients enrolled, 103 underwent a surgical procedure starting with diagnostic laparoscopy, and 94 cases were deemed appropriate to proceed via a NOTES approach. There were 9 aborted NOTES procedures at the time of the initial peritoneoscopy before creating a NOTES access route. The reasons to not proceed with a NOTES procedure in the TV cholecystectomy group (n = 5) were a large amount of pelvic adhesions in 4 patients and a severe inflammation of the gallbladder in 1 patient. In the TG cholecystectomy group (n = 1), it was severe inflammation of the gallbladder. In the TG appendectomy group (n = 1), it was the presence of localized peritonitis. In the TE endoscopic myotomy group (n = 2), it was the presence of megaesophagus with an inability to clean the esophagus of food debris. The NOTES procedures performed were 48 TV cholecystectomies, 4 TV appendectomies, 8 TG cholecystectomies, 2 PR peritoneoscopies, 3 TG appendectomies, 3 TV ventral hernia repairs, 5 TE endoscopic myotomies, 3 TV sleeve gastrectomies, and 18 TG sleeve gastrectomies. The average body mass indexes for those in the sleeve gastrectomy group was 42.1 kg/m(2) (TG route) and 40.6 kg/m(2) (TV route). There were no intraoperative complication and no conversions to standard laparoscopy during these procedures. The average hospital stay was 1-2 days. One patient who underwent TV cholecystectomy required an emergency department visit for nausea and vomiting. To date, 3 patients who underwent TV cholecystectomy have become pregnant and delivered normally. CONCLUSIONS: NOTES is safe, feasible, and reproducible with previous training in the laboratory and a consistent team at a high-volume center. Prospective randomized studies of a large patient population are necessary to assess long-term results.

Transesophageal endoscopic myotomy (TEEM) for the treatment of achalasia: the United States human experience.

BACKGROUND: From our early experience with NOTES, our group has acquired familiarity with transesophageal submucosal dissection and myotomy in swine model, which allowed us to perfect a model to perform purely endoscopic transesophageal myotomy (TEEM) for the treatment of achalasia and apply it into clinical practice. This study was designed to assess the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of TEEM in a series of patients with achalasia. METHODS: Under institutional review board approval, patients were enrolled on our study, where TEEM was offered as an alternative to laparoscopic or robotic Heller myotomy. The inclusion criteria were patients with achalasia confirmed by esophageal manometry, between age 18 and 50 years, and ASA class 2 or lower. The exclusion criteria were pregnancy, prior esophageal surgery, immunosuppression, coagulopathies, and severe medical comorbidities. The procedures were performed under general anesthesia, with the patient in supine position on positive pressure ventilation. With a GIF-180 (Olympus, Tokyo, Japan) positioned at 10 cm above the GEJ, a mucosotomy was performed at the 2 o'clock position, and a submucosal space was developed caudally creating a controlled submucosal tunnel extending 2 cm distal to the GEJ. Upon completion of this tunnel the gastroesophageal lumen was inspected for mucosal integrity. The scope was then reinserted into the submucosal tunnel and using a triangle-tip knife, myotomy was performed starting at 5 cm above the GEJ and ending at 2 cm below the GEJ. During this process the circular muscle layer of the esophagus was carefully divided with preservation of the longitudinal layer. At the end of the procedure, the mucosal incision was closed longitudinally with endoscopic clips and surgical glue. RESULTS: Five patients underwent TEEM, with no perioperative complication. All patients reported significant improvement of their dysphagia immediately after the procedure. On the first postoperative day, all barium swallows showed disappearance of the classical bird beak taper, rapid emptying of contrast into the stomach, and absence of leaks. All patients were discharged on the second postoperative day on liquid diet. Two patients reported transient heartburn, which were well controlled with medications. The average preoperative GERD-HRQL was 20, which improved to 11.3 at 7 days postoperative and 2 at 30 days postoperative. To date, three patients have already returned for their 6-month follow-up, reporting adequate swallowing and low LES pressures on esophageal manometry (their mean preoperative LES resting pressure was 36.46 mmHg and residual pressure was 43.16 mmHg, whereas the 6-month follow-up mean LES resting pressure was 10.06 mmHg and residual pressure was 0.43 mmHg). CONCLUSIONS: TEEM seems to be safe, feasible, and effective for the treatment of patients with achalasia. Long-term data are still necessary for wide-spread utilization of this novel technique.

Association of physician burnout with perceived EHR work stress and potentially actionable factors.

OBJECTIVE: Physicians of all specialties experienced unprecedented stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic, exacerbating preexisting burnout. We examine burnout's association with perceived and actionable electronic health record (EHR) workload factors and personal, professional, and organizational characteristics with the goal of identifying levers that can be targeted to address burnout. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Survey of physicians of all specialties in an academic health center, using a standard measure of burnout, self-reported EHR work stress, and EHR-based work assessed by the number of messages regarding prescription reauthorization and use of a staff pool to triage messages. Descriptive and multivariable regression analyses examined the relationship among burnout, perceived EHR work stress, and actionable EHR work factors. RESULTS: Of 1038 eligible physicians, 627 responded (60% response rate), 49.8% reported burnout symptoms. Logistic regression analysis suggests that higher odds of burnout are associated with physicians feeling higher level of EHR stress (odds ratio [OR], 1.15; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07-1.25), having more prescription reauthorization messages (OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.04-1.47), not feeling valued (OR, 3.38; 95% CI, 1.69-7.22) or aligned in values with clinic leaders (OR, 2.81; 95% CI, 1.87-4.27), in medical practice for ≤15 years (OR, 2.57; 95% CI, 1.63-4.12), and sleeping for <6 h/night (OR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.12-2.67). DISCUSSION: Perceived EHR stress and prescription reauthorization messages are significantly associated with burnout, as are non-EHR factors such as not feeling valued or aligned in values with clinic leaders. Younger physicians need more support. CONCLUSION: A multipronged approach targeting actionable levers and supporting young physicians is needed to implement sustainable improvements in physician well-being.

Long-term risk of cholangitis in patients with metal stents for malignant biliary obstruction.

BACKGROUND: Patients with malignant biliary obstruction are commonly living longer than previously due to improved oncologic therapies, often exceeding expected times of self-expanding metal stent patency. AIMS: The purpose of this study was to assess the long-term risk and impact of cholangitis in these patients. METHODS: Retrospective review of electronic medical records at an academic medical center. RESULTS: One hundred and one patients had a self-expanding metal stent placed for malignant biliary obstruction. The median survival after SEMS was 214 days. Of these patients, 22 % developed at least one episode of cholangitis requiring inpatient admission, 20 % (9/45) of patients were hospitalized for cholangitis at 6 months, 40 % (8/20) at 1 year, and 75 % (3/4) at 2 years. All of the (8/8) patients receiving chemotherapy prior to hospitalization for cholangitis experienced delays in subsequent chemotherapy. Follow-up of 36 episodes of cholangitis revealed a 14 % 30-day mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Cholangitis develops commonly in long-term survivors with self-expanding metal stents for malignant biliary obstruction, and is associated with delays in chemotherapy and a 14 % 30-day mortality.

Initial experience with an innovative endoscopic clipping system.

There are few options for the treatment of fistulas, leaks, and perforations endoscopically. Here we describe our experience with an endoscopic clipping system. A retrospective review of all cases using the Over-The-Scope-Clip system (Ovesco Endoscopy AG, Tuebingen, Germany) was performed. The system was utilized in ten patients with gastrointestinal surgical complications. Four patients had gastric leaks following sleeve gastrectomy, one had a post-operative colonic leak, two had gastro-gastric fistulas following gastric bypass, and three had esophageal perforations. Two leak patients had complete resolution, one had a contained leak following clip placement that was clinically insignificant, and the fourth patient had a persistent leak despite two clipping procedures. Two patients had gastro-gastric fistulas following roux-en-y gastric bypass surgery and, while they both had initial success, the fistulas recurred. One patient presented with anastomotic leak following colon resection but the system was unable to reach the treatment site. Three patients were successfully treated for esophageal perforation. There were no complications. This over-the-scope endoscopic clip system is simple to use, safe, and successful in approximating tissue to treat traditionally difficult surgical complications. Further experience and longer follow-up are needed to assess its indications as related to defect size and location.