Video consent significantly improves patient knowledge of general surgery procedures.

INTRODUCTION: Informed consent is essential in ensuring patients' understanding of their medical condition, treatment, and potential risks. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of utilizing a video consent compared to standard consent for patient knowledge and satisfaction in selected general surgical procedures. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: We included 118 patients undergoing appendectomy, cholecystectomy, inguinal hernia repair, and fundoplication at two hospitals in Omaha, NE. Patients were randomized to either a standard consent or a video consent. Outcomes included a pretest and posttest objective knowledge assessment of their procedure, as well as a satisfaction survey which was completed immediately after consent and following discharge. Given the pre-post design, a linear mixed-effect model was estimated for both outcomes. A two-way interaction effect was of primary interest to assess whether pre-to-post change in the outcome differed between patients randomized to standard or video consent. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were mostly similar between groups except for patient sex, p = 0.041. Both groups showed a statistically significant increase in knowledge from pretest to posttest (standard group: 0.25, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.51, p = 0.048; video group: 0.68, 95% CI 0.36 to 1.00, p < 0.001), with the video group showing significantly greater change (interaction p = 0.043) indicating that incorporating a video into the consent process resulted in a better improvement in patient's knowledge of the proposed procedure. Further, both groups showed a decrease in satisfaction post-discharge, but no statistically significant difference in the magnitude of decrease between the groups (interaction p = 0.309). CONCLUSION: Video consent lead to a significant improvement in a patient's knowledge of the proposed treatment. Although the patient satisfaction survey didn't show a significant difference, it did show a trend. We propose incorporating videos into the consent process for routine general surgical procedures.

Bariatric Surgery Outcomes in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease in the United States: An Analysis of the Nationwide Readmissions Database.

PURPOSE: Bariatric surgery has been reported to produce durable weight loss in the management of obesity; sleeve gastrectomy (SG) is the most common bariatric procedure. Obesity is a common comorbidity of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and the impact of IBD on short-term SG outcomes has not been widely reported. This study assessed whether IBD was associated with adverse post-SG outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Hospitalizations of patients undergoing SG in the United States were identified using the 2010-2020 Nationwide Readmissions Database (NRD) and stratified by IBD diagnosis. The SG cohort was propensity-matched based on age, biological sex, body mass index (BMI), comorbid diabetes, hypertension, depression, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and discharge in quarter four. Primary aims were to compare in-hospital mortality, post-operative complications, and all-cause 90-day readmission between patients with and without IBD. Secondary outcomes were length of stay (LOS) and total hospital cost. RESULTS: A total of 2030 hospitalizations were matched. The odds of complication were 48% higher for hospitalizations of patients with IBD (11.1% vs. 7.8%; aOR 1.48, aOR 95% CI 1.10-2.00, p = .009). The most common complication was nausea (4.9% vs. 3.7%, p = .187). No statistically significant difference was observed for all-cause 90-day readmissions, LOS, or hospital cost. CONCLUSION: Hospitalizations of patients with IBD who underwent SG experienced significantly higher post-operative complication rates. However, the similar lengths of stay and readmission rates compared to propensity-matched SG hospitalizations without IBD suggest many complications were minor. SG remains a safe weight loss procedure for patients suffering from IBD and obesity.

miRNA profiling of esophageal adenocarcinoma using transcriptome analysis.

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) occurs following a series of histological changes through epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). A variable expression of normal and aberrant genes in the tissue can contribute to the development of EAC through the activation or inhibition of critical molecular signaling pathways. Gene expression is regulated by various regulatory factors, including transcription factors and microRNAs (miRs). The exact profile of miRs associated with the pathogenesis of EAC is largely unknown, though some candidate miRNAs have been reported in the literature. To identify the unique miR profile associated with EAC, we compared normal esophageal tissue to EAC tissue using bulk RNA sequencing. RNA sequence data was verified using qPCR of 18 selected genes. Fourteen were confirmed as being upregulated, which include CDH11, PCOLCE, SULF1, GJA4, LUM, CDH6, GNA12, F2RL2, CTSZ, TYROBP, and KDELR3 as well as the downregulation of UGT1A1. We then conducted Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) to analyze for novel miR-gene relationships through Causal Network Analysis and Upstream Regulator Analysis. We identified 46 miRs that were aberrantly expressed in EAC compared to control tissues. In EAC tissues, seven miRs were associated with activated networks, while 39 miRs were associated with inhibited networks. The miR-gene relationships identified provide novel insights into potentially oncogenic molecular pathways and genes associated with carcinogenesis in esophageal tissue. Our results revealed a distinct miR profile associated with dysregulated genes. The miRs and genes identified in this study may be used in the future as biomarkers and serve as potential therapeutic targets in EAC.

Bariatric Surgery Emergencies in Acute Care Surgery.

Patients who have undergone bariatric surgery present unique challenges in the acute care surgery setting. This review includes the presentation, workup, and management of most common bariatric surgery emergencies encountered by acute care surgery.

Robotic-Assisted Bariatric Surgery Is Associated with Increased Postoperative Complications Compared to Laparoscopic: a Nationwide Readmissions Database Study.

PURPOSE: Robotic-assisted (RA) bariatric surgery has been increasingly used without consistent benefit over a laparoscopic approach (LA). We compared intra- and post-operative complications and 30- and 90-day all-cause readmissions between RA and LA using the Nationwide Readmissions Database (NRD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We identified hospitalizations with adult patients who underwent RA or LA bariatric surgery from 2010 to 2019. Primary outcomes included intra- and post-operative complications and 30- and 90-day all-cause readmissions. Secondary outcomes included in-hospital death, length of stay (LOS), cost, and cause-specific readmissions. Multivariable regression models were estimated; analyses accounted for the NRD sampling design. RESULTS: A total of 1,371,778 hospitalizations met inclusion criteria with 7.1% using RA. Patient demographic and clinical characteristics were mostly similar between groups. Adjusted odds of complication were 13% higher for RA (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.03-1.23 p = .008); aORs differed across bariatric procedures. The most common complications included nausea/vomiting, acute blood loss anemia, incisional hernia, and transfusion. Adjusted odds of 30- and 90-day readmission were 10% higher for RA (aOR: 1.10, 95% CI: 1.04-1.17, p = .001 and aOR: 1.10, 95% CI: 1.04-1.16, p <.001, respectively). LOS was similar (1.6 vs. 1.6 days, p = .253); although, hospital costs were 31.1% higher for RA ($15,806 vs. $12,056, p < .001). CONCLUSION: RA bariatric surgery is associated with 13% higher odds of complication, 10% higher odds of readmission, and 31% hospital costs. Subsequent studies are required using databases that can include additional patient-, facility-, surgery-, and surgeon-specific characteristics.

Robotic Hiatal Hernia Repair Associated with Higher Morbidity and Readmission Rates Compared to Laparoscopic Repair: 10-Year Analysis from the National Readmissions Database (NRD).

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic techniques have been used for hiatal hernia repair. Robotic-assisted repairs have been increasingly used with unproven benefits. The aim of this study was to compare outcomes between laparoscopic and robotic-assisted hiatal hernia repair. METHODS: The Nationwide Readmissions Database (NRD) was used to identify hospitalizations for laparoscopic or robotic hiatal hernia repair from 2010 to 2019. Primary outcomes included post-operative complications and 30- and 90-day readmission rates. Secondary outcomes included in-hospital death, length of stay, and inflation-adjusted hospital cost. Multivariable models were estimated for overall complication and readmission rates. RESULTS: Approximately 517,864 hospitalizations met inclusion criteria with 11.3% including robotic repairs. Robotic repair was associated with a higher overall complication rate (9.2% vs. 6.8%, odds ratio [OR]: 1.4, 95% CI: 1.3-1.5, p < .001); however, the trend showed more similar complication rates across years. The higher overall complication rate remained after adjusting for patient and facility characteristics (adjusted OR [aOR]: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.2-1.4, p < .001). Robotic repairs were associated with higher 30-day (6.1% vs. 7.4%, aOR: 1.2, 95% CI: 1.2-1.3, p < .001) and 90-day readmission rates (9.4% vs. 11.2%, aOR: 1.2, 95% CI: 1.2-1.3, p < .001). In-hospital mortality and length of stay were similar, although, higher hospital costs were associated with robotic repairs. Both complications and readmission rates were lower as annual procedural volume increased. CONCLUSION: Robotic repairs had higher unadjusted and adjusted complication and readmission rates. The overall complication rate has shown a trend towards improvement which may be a result of increasing experience with robotic surgery.

Long-term survival outcomes associated with robotic-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE) for esophageal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Minimally Invasive esophagectomy for esophageal cancer is associated with less morbidity compared to open approach. Whether robotic-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE) results in better long-term survival compared with open esophagectomy (OE) and minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) is unclear. METHODS: We analyzed data from the National Cancer Database (NCDB) for patients with primary esophageal cancers who underwent esophagectomy in 2010-2017. Those with unknown staging, distant metastasis, or diagnosed with another cancer were excluded. Patients were stratified by RAMIE, MIE, and OE operative techniques. The Kaplan-Meier method and associated log-rank test were employed to compare unadjusted survival outcomes by surgical technique, our primary outcome. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression model was employed to discern factors independently contributing to survival. RESULTS: A total of 5170 patients who underwent esophagectomy were included in the analysis; 428 underwent RAMIE, 1417 underwent MIE, and 3325 underwent OE. Overall median survival was 42 months. In comparison to RAMIE, there was an increased risk of death for those that underwent either MIE [Hazard Ratio (HR) = 1.19; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): > 1.00 to 1.41; P < 0.047)] or OE (HR = 1.22; 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.43; P < 0.017). Academic vs community program facility type was associated with decreased risk of death (HR = 0.84; 95% CI: 0.76 to 0.93; P < 0.001). In general, males from areas of lower income with advanced stages of cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy or radiation were at increased risk of death. Factors that were not associated with survival included race and ethnicity, Charlson-Devo Score, type of health insurance, zipcode level education, and population density. CONCLUSIONS: Overall survival was significantly longer in patients with esophageal cancers that underwent RAMIE in comparison to either MIE or OE in a 7-year NCDB cohort study.

The Role of Microbiota in the Pathogenesis of Esophageal Adenocarcinoma.

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is associated with poor overall five-year survival. The incidence of esophageal cancer is on the rise, especially in Western societies, and the pathophysiologic mechanisms by which EAC develops are of extreme interest. Several studies have proposed that the esophageal microbiome may play an important role in the pathophysiology of EAC, as well as its precursors-gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and Barrett's esophagus (BE). Gastrointestinal microbiomes altered by inflammatory states have been shown to mediate tumorigenesis directly and are now being considered as novel targets for both cancer treatment and prevention. Elucidating molecular mechanisms through which the esophageal microbiome potentiates the development of GERD, BE, and EAC will provide a foundation on which new therapeutic targets can be developed. This review summarizes current findings that elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which microbiota promote the pathogenesis of GERD, BE, and EAC, revealing potential directions for additional research on the microbiome-mediated pathophysiology of EAC.

Pressure-Sensing Gastric Calibration Tube for Minimizing Sleeve Volume Variation in Sleeve Gastrectomy Compared with Current Standard Technique.

The sleeve gastrectomy technique is dependent on the size of the bougie and the surgeon's technical skills. Standardization of the sleeve gastrectomy technique may potentially minimize the volume inconsistency and improve outcomes. A volume and pressure-sensitive gastric calibration tube may create a standard sleeve size and minimize interoperator variation. The objective of preliminary testing was to establish the variability of sleeve gastrectomy size in gastric explants, and to compare that with the variability of sleeve gastrectomy size when performed with a volume and pressure-sensitive gastric calibration tube. Three operators performed six sleeve gastrectomies each on commercially processed porcine gastric explants, half with a 40 Fr bougie, and a half with a pressure-sensing and volume-controllable gastric calibration tube prototype. The resulting sleeves were evaluated using standard statistical methods. The pressure-sensitive gastric calibration tube demonstrated superior consistency to a standard 40 Fr bougie by common measures of variation. However, further investigation is warranted to characterize the significance of this difference.

Obesity is Associated with Significantly More Anastomotic Leaks After Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy: A NSQIP Database Study.

BACKGROUND: This study assessed the association between obesity status and postoperative outcomes for patients who underwent transthoracic esophagectomy (TTE) or transhiatal esophagectomy (THE) via an open or minimally invasive (MIE) surgical approach. METHODS: The 2016-2018 national surgical quality improvement program esophagectomy-targeted database was used to identify adult patients who underwent TTE or THE, with stratification of patients by obesity status and surgical approach. Using a multivariable regression model for each outcome, the study evaluated whether the adjusted difference between obese and non-obese patients varied between the open and MIE approaches. RESULTS: In this study, 1260 patients underwent TTE (28.1% obese; 51.7% MIE), and 386 patients underwent THE (29.3% obese; 43.0% MIE). The obese patients in the TTE cohort who underwent MIE had 3.4 times higher odds of failing to wean from mechanical ventilation within 48 h (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.8-6.4), 1.7 times greater odds of returning to the operating room (95% CI 1.1- 3.0), 2.4 times greater odds of having an index hospital stay longer than 30 days, (95% CI 1.0-6.0), and 2.5 times greater odds of experiencing a grade 3 anastomotic leak (95% CI 1.3-4.9). No differences between obese and non-obese patients were observed among those who underwent TTE via an open approach or THE. CONCLUSIONS: The findings showed that obese patients undergoing TTE via an MIE approach had greater odds of failing to wean from mechanical ventilation within 48 h, returning to the operating room, having an index hospital stay longer than 30 days, and having a grade 3 anastomotic leak. These results are in contrast to the previously published literature and require replication as additional data become available.

Retraction Note to: TREM-1 associated macrophage polarization plays a significant role in inducing insulin resistance in obese population.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Erratum: Significant association of TREM-1 with HMGB1, TLRs and RAGE in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance in obese diabetic populations.

[This corrects the article on p. 3224 in vol. 9, PMID: 28804542.].

Significant association of TREM-1 with HMGB1, TLRs and RAGE in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance in obese diabetic populations.

Activated cell surface and intracellular receptors lead to insulin resistance in obesity. Among these receptors, triggering receptors expressed on myeloid cells (TREM)-1, toll like receptors (TLRs), and receptors for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) play a significant role in the induction of inflammatory response in innate immunity. TREM-1 potentially amplifies TLRs and RAGE synergistically with DNA-binding high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB-1). The objective of the study was to analyze the association between TREM-1/DAP12 and HMGB-1, RAGE and TLRs in obesity-induced insulin resistance. We examined the mRNA expression by RT-PCR and protein expression by Western blotting and immunofluorescence for TREM-1, TREM-2, DAP-12, HMGB-1, RAGE, TLR-4 and TLR-2 in omentum, subcutaneous and liver biopsy tissues of obese diabetic (n=22) and non-diabetic subjects (n=24) and compared with the non-obese non-diabetic controls (n=5). There was a significantly increased expression of TREM-1, DAP-12, HMGB-1, RAGE, TLR-4 and TLR-2 and decreased expression of TREM-2 in the omentum, subcutaneous and liver biopsy of obese diabetic subjects compared to obese non-diabetics and the non-obese population. Overall, obese diabetic subjects had high expression of TREM-1 in association with HMGB1 (100% vs 58.3%, P=0.003), RAGE (77.3% vs 41.7%, P=0.045), TLR4 (100% vs 58.3%, P=0.003), and TLR2 (100% vs 50%, P=0.003) in liver biopsy samples in comparison to obese non-diabetic subjects. Obese diabetics have significantly increased TREM-1, HMGB1, RAGE, and TLRs compared to obese non-diabetics. Our findings suggest a potential pathophysiological role of TREM-1 in conjunction with HMGB1 and inflammatory cell receptors (RAGE, TLR-4 and TLR-2) in obesity-induced insulin resistance.

TREM-1 associated macrophage polarization plays a significant role in inducing insulin resistance in obese population.

BACKGROUND: TREM-1 acts as an amplifier of inflammation expressed on macrophages. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between TREM-1 and macrophage polarization, and association of TREM-1 and M1 macrophage polarization with insulin resistance (IR) in obese population compared to non-obese population. METHODS: We enrolled 38 patients after obtaining IRB approval for this study. We evaluated the mRNA and protein expression levels of general macrophage marker (CD68), M1 marker (CD86, CCR7, iNOS, IFNγ, TNF-α and IL-6,), M2 marker (CD206, CD163, IL-10, IL-4) and chemokine axis (MCP-1, CCR2 and CCR5) along with TREM-1 and TREM-2 in omentum fat, subcutaneous fat, and liver biopsy tissues of non-obese (N = 5), obese non-diabetics, (N = 16) and obese diabetics (N = 17). RESULTS: The results of our study showed over-expression of TREM-1, M1 markers and down-regulation of TREM-2 and M2 markers in the omentum, subcutaneous and liver biopsies of obese patients (diabetics and non-diabetics) compared to non-obese patients. Overall, the obese diabetic group showed a significant (p < 0.05) higher number of patients with over expression of M1 markers (TREM-1, CD68, CD86, CCR-7, iNOS, IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-6, MCP-1, CCR-2 and CCR-5) and down-regulation of M2 markers (CD206, CD163 and IL-4) in liver biopsy compared to obese non-diabetics. CONCLUSIONS: TREM-1 expression is significantly increased along with the M1 markers in liver biopsy of obese diabetic (17/17) and obese non-diabetic patients (9/16). Our data suggests that TREM-1 overexpression and M1 macrophage polarization are associated with obesity-induced IR.

Increased expression of triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 in the population with obesity and insulin resistance.

OBJECTIVE: Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells (TREM)-1 has recently been recognized as one of the potent amplifiers of acute and chronic inflammation. However, the exact role of TREM-1 in regard to insulin insensitivity is unknown. METHODS: mRNA transcripts and protein expression of TREM-1, TREM-2, and TREM-1/TREM-2 ratio were examined in the tissue biopsies (liver, omentum, and subcutaneous fat) and blood samples (neutrophils and monocytes) of subjects with obesity and diabetes (SO+ D+ ; n = 15), subjects with obesity but not diabetes (SO+ D- ; n = 7), and subjects without obesity (BMI < 30) and diabetes (SO- D- ; n = 5). RESULTS: The immunofluorescence and RT-PCR revealed significant increase in TREM-1, decrease in TREM-2, and increase in the TREM1/TREM2 ratio in SO+ D+ group compared with other groups. Overall, increased liver TREM-1 expression and soluble-TREM-1 were found in SO+ D+ group compared with SO+ D- group (100% vs. 57.14%, r = 0.582; P = 0.023). TREM-1 was significantly increased in all subjects with obesity and those with HOMA-IR index of >2. CONCLUSIONS: TREM-1 was found to be significantly higher in tissues biopsies and blood of subjects with obesity. Greater expression and activity of TREM-1 suggest a possible role in the underlying pathophysiology of obesity and associated comorbidities.

Protein kinases: mechanisms and downstream targets in inflammation-mediated obesity and insulin resistance.

Obesity-induced low-grade inflammation (metaflammation) impairs insulin receptor signaling. This has been implicated in the development of insulin resistance. Insulin signaling in the target tissues is mediated by stress kinases such as p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase, inhibitor of NF-kB kinase complex ß (IKKß), AMP-activated protein kinase, protein kinase C, Rho-associated coiled-coil containing protein kinase, and RNA-activated protein kinase. Most of these kinases phosphorylate several key regulators in glucose homeostasis. The phosphorylation of serine residues in the insulin receptor and IRS-1 molecule results in diminished enzymatic activity in the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway. This has been one of the key mechanisms observed in the tissues that are implicated in insulin resistance especially in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2-DM). Identifying the specific protein kinases involved in obesity-induced chronic inflammation may help in developing the targeted drug therapies to minimize the insulin resistance. This review is focused on the protein kinases involved in the inflammatory cascade and molecular mechanisms and their downstream targets with special reference to obesity-induced T2-DM.

Association of Body Mass Index (BMI) with Patterns of Fundoplication Failure: Insights Gained.

BACKGROUND: Obesity has been implicated as an important risk factor for fundoplication failure. However, the mechanism of fundoplication in obese patients is not fully understood. Our objective is to evaluate the patterns of failure in relation to the body mass index (BMI) undergoing re-operative intervention after failed fundoplication. METHODS: After Institutional Review Board approval, the patients who underwent re-operative intervention for failed fundoplication between November 2008 and December 2013 were identified. Patients were classified into three groups: non-obese, obese, and morbidly obese (<30, 30-35, >35 BMI, respectively). Pre-operative assessment and operative procedure performed were compared between the groups. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-four patients satisfied study criteria. Non-obese patients (53.2 %) had significantly more dysphagia as an indication for re-operative procedure (obese 31.6 %, p < 0.05; morbidly 16.7 %, p < 0.05). Obese and morbidly obese patients had significantly higher incidence of recurrent hiatal hernia than non-obese patients (88.7 vs. 65.6 %, p < 0.05). Morbidly obese patients had significantly higher incidence of disrupted fundoplication than non-obese patients (41.7 vs. 19.4 %, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Similar anatomical failure patterns of state of fundoplication and recurrent hiatal hernia were noted between obese patients and morbidly obese patients and were distinct from non-obese patients.