Post-hepatectomy liver failure: A timeline centered review.

BACKGROUND: Post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) is a leading cause of postoperative mortality after liver surgery. Due to its significant impact, it is imperative to understand the risk stratification and preventative strategies for PHLF. The main objective of this review is to highlight the role of these strategies in a timeline centered way around curative resection. DATA SOURCES: This review includes studies on both humans and animals, where they addressed PHLF. A literature search was conducted across the Cochrane Library, Embase, MEDLINE/PubMed, and Web of Knowledge electronic databases for English language studies published between July 1997 and June 2020. Studies presented in other languages were equally considered. The quality of included publications was assessed using Downs and Black's checklist. The results were presented in qualitative summaries owing to the lack of studies qualifying for quantitative analysis. RESULTS: This systematic review with 245 studies, provides insight into the current prediction, prevention, diagnosis, and management options for PHLF. This review highlighted that liver volume manipulation is the most frequently studied preventive measure against PHLF in clinical practice, with modest improvement in the treatment strategies over the past decade. CONCLUSIONS: Remnant liver volume manipulation is the most consistent preventive measure against PHLF.

The value of liquid biopsy in the diagnosis and staging of hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Blood-borne tumour markers in the form of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) are of intense research interest in the diagnostic and prognostic work-up of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: This is a meta-analysis. Using a PICO strategy, adults with HCC was the population, with the individual CTCs as the intervention and comparators. The primary outcome was the sensitivity and specificity of HCC detection with tumour specific single gene methylation alteration. Secondary outcomes were the comparison using specific assay methods and the effect of early vs. late stages on CTC positivity. We included patients with HCC who had samples taken from peripheral blood and had sufficient data to assess the outcome data. ASSIA, Cochrane library, EMbase, Medline, PubMed and the knowledge network Scotland were systematically searched with appropriate Mesh terms employed. The quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies (QUADAS) was used to ensure quality of data. Statistical analysis was performed using the 'Rev Man' meta-analysis soft ward for Windows. RESULTS: The review included 36 studies, with a total of 5,853 patients. Here, we found that AFP has the highest overall diagnostic performance. The average Youden index amongst all CTC was 0.46 with a mode and median of 0.5 with highest of 0.87 and lowest of 0.01. CONCLUSIONS: The available literature provides weak evidence that there is potential in the use of CTC, however the lack of a standardised procedure in the study of CTC contribute to the lack of consensus of use. Future research should include large scaled, standardized studies for the diagnostic accuracy of CTCs.

Stapleless Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy: Reasoning and Technical Insights.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) with staple line reinforcement (SLR) is a popular and safe treatment option for morbid obesity. We have developed, devised, and described our own method of stapleless laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, which in our limited study appeared safe, efficacious, and potentially cost-effective. METHODS: We analyzed the outcome of our modified LSG in a case series of three middle-aged women (median age 42 years old). Our main modification was sutured closure of the stomach rather than the commonly utilized technique of stapled closure. Our primary measure of success was the occurrence of post-operative leak. Secondary measures were (a) length of operation, (b) duration of inpatient stay, and (c) percentage of weight loss at 6 and 12 months post operation. RESULTS: Median operative time = 132 min (120-195 min), and median inpatient stays were 2 days. No post-operative leaks were recorded. The median excess weight loss at 6 months was 39% of initial weight loss and 57.7% at 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: Stapleless LSG has the potential to be an affordable alternative to the traditional LSG. High-powered studies and a formal cost analysis are required.

How prepared are UK medical graduates for practice? A rapid review of the literature 2009-2014.

OBJECTIVE: To understand how prepared UK medical graduates are for practice and the effectiveness of workplace transition interventions. DESIGN: A rapid review of the literature (registration #CRD42013005305). DATA SOURCES: Nine major databases (and key websites) were searched in two timeframes (July-September 2013; updated May-June 2014): CINAHL, Embase, Educational Resources Information Centre, Health Management Information Consortium, MEDLINE, MEDLINE in Process, PsycINFO, Scopus and Web of Knowledge. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: Primary research or studies reporting UK medical graduates' preparedness between 2009 and 2014: manuscripts in English; all study types; participants who are final-year medical students, medical graduates, clinical educators, patients or NHS employers and all outcome measures. DATA EXTRACTION: At time 1, three researchers screened manuscripts (for duplicates, exclusion/inclusion criteria and quality). Remaining 81 manuscripts were coded. At time 2, one researcher repeated the process for 2013-2014 (adding six manuscripts). Data were analysed using a narrative synthesis and mapped against Tomorrow's Doctors (2009) graduate outcomes. RESULTS: Most studies comprised junior doctors' self-reports (65/87, 75%), few defined preparedness and a programmatic approach was lacking. Six themes were highlighted: individual skills/knowledge, interactional competence, systemic/technological competence, personal preparedness, demographic factors and transitional interventions. Graduates appear prepared for history taking, physical examinations and some clinical skills, but unprepared for other aspects, including prescribing, clinical reasoning/diagnoses, emergency management, multidisciplinary team-working, handover, error/safety incidents, understanding ethical/legal issues and ward environment familiarity. Shadowing and induction smooth transition into practice, but there is a paucity of evidence around assistantship efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: Educational interventions are needed to address areas of unpreparedness (eg, multidisciplinary team-working, prescribing and clinical reasoning). Future research in areas we are unsure about should adopt a programmatic and rigorous approach, with clear definitions of preparedness, multiple stakeholder perspectives along with multisite and longitudinal research designs to achieve a joined-up, systematic, approach to understanding future educational requirements for junior doctors.

A Rapid Review of the Factors Affecting Healthcare Students' Satisfaction with Small-Group, Active Learning Methods.

UNLABELLED: PHENOMENON: Problem-based learning (PBL) and other small-group, active learning methodologies have been widely adopted into undergraduate and postgraduate healthcare curricula across the world. Although much research has examined student perceptions of these innovative teaching pedagogies, there are still questions over which factors influence these views. This article aims to identify these key elements that affect healthcare student satisfaction with PBL and other small-group learning methods, including case-based and team-based learning. APPROACH: A systematic rapid review method was used to identify high-quality original research papers from the healthcare education literature from between 2009 and 2014. All papers were critically appraised before inclusion in line with published guidelines. Narrative synthesis was achieved using an inductively developed, thematic framework approach. FINDINGS: Fifty-four papers were included in the narrative synthesis. The evidence suggests that, despite an initial period of negative emotion and anxiety, the perspectives of healthcare students toward small-group, active learning methods are generally positive. The key factors influencing this satisfaction level include (a) the facilitator role, (b) tutorial structure, (c) individual student factors, (d) case authenticity, (e) increased feedback, (f) group harmony, and (g) resource availability. Insights: Student satisfaction is an important determinant of healthcare education quality, and the findings of this review may be of value in future curriculum design. The evidence described here suggests that an ideal curriculum may be based on an expert-led, hybrid PBL model.