Retraction: Laparoscopic Port Site Hernia: A Rare Etiology of Intestinal Obstruction.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.7759/cureus.19681.].

Emphasizing the link between blood types in multi-ethnic disparities and COVID-19 infection in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the impact and distribution of blood groups in different ethnicities and the extent of susceptibility to infection with COVID-19 in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed on 4,609 COVID-19 patients from five ethnic groups to assess the impact and distribution of different blood types and susceptibility to COVID-19 infection. The study was carried out between November 2020 and June 2021 in the College of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University in collaboration with the General Directorate of Health Affairs, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. RESULTS: Blood group (A, B, and O) distributions in 2,617 COVID-19 patients with local control populations was done. Our study found that in both Saudi and non-Saudi populations, blood groups O and A were associated with higher infection rates, whereas blood group AB was associated with lower infection rates (p=0.0001). COVID-19 seems to be associated with blood groups A, B, and AB (RR=3.23, 95% CI=2.702-3.821, p=0.0001). COVID-19 risk was lower in people with O blood group (RR=0.783, 95% CI=0.733-0.836, p=0.0001). South Asians had higher odds of COVID-19 infection when compared to Saudi cases and other ethnic groups (OR=1.12, 95 % CI: 1.074-1.24, p=0.04). CONCLUSION: We emphasize that COVID-19 infection is not proportional among ethnically related blood groups. Notably, RhD-negative protect against COVID-19, whereas A and O blood types are more susceptible. Thus, when assessing COVID-19 prognosis and vaccination priority, blood groups A and O are critical.

Laparoscopic Port Site Hernia: A Rare Etiology of Intestinal Obstruction.

Small intestinal obstruction is a common indication for hospitalization and emergency surgeries. The most frequent etiologies are adhesions, hernia, and benign or malignant neoplasms. Abdominal imaging plays an important role in making the diagnosis and evaluating the complications of the obstruction. We report a case of a young woman who presented with sudden abdominal pain and vomiting. She had a relevant past medical history of sickle cell disease and multiple episodes of biliary colic for which she underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy two months before her current presentation. Laboratory findings indicated mild inflammation in the form of elevated C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate with the leukocytes count in the upper normal limits. Abdominal computed tomography demonstrated a knuckle of small bowel incarcerated in the port location of the previous laparoscopy. The bowel was reduced and the defect was repaired. The patient had complete resolution of her symptoms following the surgery. The case highlighted the importance of considering port-site hernia as an etiology of bowel obstruction in the relevant clinical settings since laparoscopic operations are being increasingly performed.