Effects of COVID-19 lockdown on a bariatric surgery waiting list cohort and its influence in surgical risk perception.

PURPOSE: The COVID-19 outbreak has forced a 2-month lockdown (LD) in Spain. We aimed to assess how that had affected our cohort of bariatric patients waiting for surgery. METHODS: A review of electronic records and a structured phone interview with each patient were conducted. Changes in severity of obesity were analyzed using the Obesity Surgery Score (OSS) and changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) using the validated EQ-5D questionnaire. Other miscellaneous questions about behavior modifications and surgical risk perception were also analyzed. RESULTS: All 51 patients fully answered the questionnaires. Mean age was 47 years and mean time on waiting list 91 days. Mean BMI increased during LD (42.7 vs 43.2; p < 0.001). Both OSS (2.84 vs 3; p = 0.011) and EQ-5D (69 vs 64; p < 0.001) mildly worsened during LD, mainly due to psychosocial issues. Twenty-seven patients (53%) thought that perioperative risks were higher under the current circumstances but they were as willing to undergo surgery as those who believed that the risks had not increased (74% vs 87%, p = 0.2). CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 LD had a significant but mild effect on our cohort of bariatric surgery waiting list patients. Although perioperative risk perception had increased, patients were still willing to undergo their planned surgeries.

Laparoscopic management of type II Mirizzi syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Mirizzi syndrome is an uncommon complication of longstanding gallstone disease. Pre-operative diagnosis is challenging, and to date, there is no consensus on the standard management for this condition. Until recently open cholecystectomy was the standard of care for type II Mirizzi syndrome (McSherry classification). The objective of this study was to assess the incidence and management of type II Mirizzi syndrome in patients with proven or suspected choledocholithiasis undergoing laparoscopic common bile duct (CBD) exploration and present our experience in the laparoscopic management of this rare condition over the last 21 years. METHODS: Prospective data collection of eleven cases of type II Mirizzi syndrome amongst a series of 425 laparoscopic bile duct explorations was performed between 1998 and 2019. Demographic, clinical, diagnostic, intra-operative, and post-operative data were recorded. RESULTS: The incidence of type II Mirizzi syndrome was 2.6% in 425 laparoscopic CBD explorations. All operations were completed laparoscopically with closure of the defect over a decompressed CBD (T-tube n = 3, antegrade stent n = 5, transcystic drain n = 2), and in one case a non-drained duct was closed with Endoloop. Stone clearance rate was 100% (11 cases). In two patients the transinfundibular approach was used in conjunction with holmium laser lithotripsy to enable choledochoscopy and successful stone clearance. Three patients were complicated in the post-operative period with bile leak (n = 2) and lower respiratory tract infection (n = 1). An incidental gallbladder carcinoma was found in one patient. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic management of type II Mirizzi syndrome is feasible and safe when performed by experienced laparoscopic foregut surgeons. Laparoscopy and choledochoscopy can be combined with novel approaches and techniques to increase the likelihood of treatment success.

High rate of de novo esophagitis 5 years after sleeve gastrectomy: a prospective multicenter study in Spain.

BACKGROUND: Major concerns years after the sleeve gastrectomy (SG) include weight regain, development of hiatal hernia (HH) and gastroesophageal reflux disease, with esophagitis and Barrett's esophagus (BE). Both problems could be related, and the incidence of asymptomatic patients is troubling. OBJECTIVE: To study the incidence of reflux symptoms, esophagitis, BE, HH, and asymptomatic pathology and their relationship with weight regain in patients 5 years after undergoing SG at different bariatric centers in Spain. SETTING: Public and private hospitals with bariatric surgery units. METHODS: Prospective, multicenter, nonrandomized study involving 13 Spanish hospitals with a cumulative experience of 4,500 patients having undergone the SG procedure and patients who had been subjected to the procedure at least 5 years previously along with preoperative gastroscopy. The clinical history, preoperative gastroscopy, and technical details of the SG were recorded. A specific clinical questionnaire was given that recorded the intake volume, perception of satiety, and gastroesophageal reflux (GER) symptoms. Gastroscopy, pH-metry, and manometry studies were carried out, and the data were analyzed statistically. The study has been authorized by the official Spanish ethics committee CEI/CEIm Hospital Universitario Gran Canaria Dr Negrín (code 2019-216-1). RESULTS: One hundred and five patients who underwent SG and who had with at least 5 years of follow-up were included. All procedures were performed laparoscopically. The mean age of patients was 51.1 years, and 70.5% were women. The mean characteristics of the SG procedure were a 37.2F probe, at 4.6 cm from the pylorus, and a crura closure was performed in 5 cases. There were no major complications (Clavien-Dindo grade >3) or deaths. The average preoperative body mass index was 46.3 kg/m2, the minimum reached was 20.6 kg/m2, whereas the average after 5 years was of 34.5 kg/m2. GER, HH, and esophagitis symptoms went from 17.1%, 28.6%, and 5.7%, respectively, before the SG to 76%, 30.5%, and 31.4%, respectively, 5 years after the procedure. Symptoms persisted over the years in 37.1% of cases and presented de novo in 52.8% of cases. Fifty-three percent of manometries (n = 27, total 51) and 64% of pH-metries (n = 32, total 53; DeMeester average score was 65) were pathologic 5 years after the procedure. Concerning gastroscopies, 5 years after the procedure, HH was found in 33 patients (30.5% of total) and esophagitis in 32 patients (31.4% of total). Eighty patients (76%) had GER symptoms, and 25 patients (24%) were asymptomatic. Only 1 patient (.9%) developed BE. CONCLUSIONS: Our study has confirmed a high rate of both persistent and de novo esophagitis and hiatal hernia, many of which were asymptomatic, 5 years after SG had been performed. Weight regain and a striking increase in gastric capacity are risk factors indicative of esophagitis, even when patients are asymptomatic. We consider a control gastroscopy and the preventive use of proton pump inhibitors necessary in these cases regardless of symptoms. We recommend that a control gastroscopy should be performed in all cases regardless of symptoms 5 years after SG. Further studies are needed to validate these recommendations.

Effectiveness and Safety of Rituximab in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Case Series Describing the Experience of 2 Centers. / Efectividad y seguridad de rituximab en el lupus eritematoso sistémico. Serie de casos. Experiencia de 2 centros.

BACKGROUND: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects multiple organs and systems. B cells have a critical role in the pathogenesis of SLE. Rituximab (RTX) is a drug composed of chimeric monoclonal antibodies against the CD20 protein, producing a depletion of B lymphocytes. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effectiveness and safety of RTX in patients with SLE in clinical practice. METHODS: Collection of retrospective variables of the medical records of 20 patients with SLE treated with RTX in 2hospitals (Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, and Hospital del Mar, in Barcelona, Spain). We evaluated demographic, clinical, serological and treatment variables. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant association in the following variables collected in the study before and after treatment: there was a decrease in the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) (P<.001), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (P=.017), use of glucocorticoids (P=.025) and IgM values (P=.031), as well as an increase in the C4 values (P=.014) after treatment with RTX. A patient with SLE, antiphospholipid syndrome, complex comorbidity and multiorgan lupus involvement died after developing a septic process, months after receiving a single treatment cycle with RTX. CONCLUSIONS: Although RTX currently has no official indication approved for SLE, our data suggest that it may be effective in reducing the activity of the disease and as a steroid-sparing agent, with an acceptable safety profile. However, larger follow-up periods with a greater number of patients are needed to solve the remaining doubts about the use of RTX in SLE.