Operating Ethically: A Review of Surgical Ethics in Pakistan and Recommendations for the Way Forward.

Medical ethics underpin the moral framework that delineates the professional relationship between physicians and their patients and thereby is an integral part of making patient-centric healthcare decisions. The concept of ethics is deeply embedded in the field of surgery as surgeons confront a myriad of dilemmas as a part of their routine, whether it be in a preoperative or postoperative environment. The current review aims to describe the state of surgical ethics in Pakistan, with the intent of encouraging dialogues about the ethical considerations relevant to the field surgery that will identify actionable areas for improvement. While most surgeons are aware of the traditional principles of ethics and their practice, their surgical and clinical decisions may fall short of these standards because of time constraints and prevailing cultural and religious beliefs and taboos. The rigorous application of ethical principles in areas of patient-related communication, such as consenting, trainee education, palliative and end-of-life care, and surgical innovation and research, will have significant implications for patients, surgeons, and society. Our review has identified the lack of formal bioethics education and insufficient oversight and ethical regulations to be at the core of inadequate ethical practices in Pakistan and has highlighted actionable areas to be addressed in the future.

National cervical cancer burden estimation through systematic review and analysis of publicly available data in Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is a major cause of cancer-related deaths among women worldwide. Paucity of data on cervical cancer burden in countries like Pakistan hamper requisite resource allocation. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the burden of cervical cancer in Pakistan using available data sources. METHODS: We performed a systematic review to identify relevant data on Pakistan between 1995 to 2022. Study data identified through the systematic review that provided enough information to allow age specific incidence rates and age standardized incidence rates (ASIR) calculations for cervical cancer were merged. Population at risk estimates were derived and adjusted for important variables in the care-seeking pathway. The calculated ASIRs were applied to 2020 population estimates to estimate the number of cervical cancer cases in Pakistan. RESULTS: A total of 13 studies reported ASIRs for cervical cancer for Pakistan. Among the studies selected, the Karachi Cancer Registry reported the highest disease burden estimates for all reported time periods: 1995-1997 ASIR = 6.81, 1998-2002 ASIR = 7.47, and 2017-2019 ASIR = 6.02 per 100,000 women. Using data from Karachi, Punjab and Pakistan Atomic Energy Cancer Registries from 2015-2019, we derived an unadjusted ASIR for cervical cancer of 4.16 per 100,000 women (95% UI 3.28, 5.28). Varying model assumptions produced adjusted ASIRs ranging from 5.2 to 8.4 per 100,000 women. We derived an adjusted ASIR of 7.60, (95% UI 5.98, 10.01) and estimated 6166 (95% UI 4833, 8305) new cases of cervical cancer per year. CONCLUSION: The estimated cervical cancer burden in Pakistan is higher than the WHO target. Estimates are sensitive to health seeking behavior, and appropriate physician diagnostic intervention, factors that are relevant to the case of cervical cancer, a stigmatized disease in a low-lower middle income country setting. These estimates make the case for approaching cervical cancer elimination through a multi-pronged strategy.

A Prospective Evaluation of the Association of Ureteral Wall Thickness With Intraoperative Stone Impaction in Ureteroscopy.

Background and objective In this study, we aimed to analyze the association of ureteral wall thickness (UWT) measured on non-contrast CT (NCCT) with stone impaction as found in ureteroscopy (URS). Materials and methods We analyzed 43 patients who underwent URS and pneumatic/laser lithotripsy for ureteric stones from May to November 2022. The UWT was measured by an experienced radiologist on NCCT. Clinical predictors of the impacted stone were calculated by univariate and multivariate regression analysis. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was calculated for the UWT cutoff to apply it for impaction with different parameters. We also evaluated the association of intra- and postoperative parameters of the two groups with UWT. Results Out of the 43 patients with stones, 26 (60.46%) patients had impacted stones. Univariate analysis was used to analyze the site (left-sided stone impacted more commonly), stone size, stone density [Hounsfield unit (HU)], hydronephrosis, UWT, and duration between initial presentation and surgery, and multivariate analysis was utilized to assess stone density, as well as UWT's association with impacted stones. The ROC curve showed a cutoff of 3.5 mm for UWT with an accuracy of 0.83. High UWT (≥3.5 mm) was associated with a significantly lower stone-free rate, more complications, and mean operative time as compared to low UWT (<3.5 mm) (p<0.05). Conclusion Based on our findings, high UWT is associated with high rates of impacted stones and a lower stone-free rate when compared to low UWT.