Intrinsic pulmonary sealing, its mechanisms and impact on validity and translational value of lung sealant studies: a pooled analysis of animal studies.

Background: No validated and standardized animal models of pulmonary air leakage (PAL) exist for testing aerostatic efficacy of lung sealants. Lack of negative control groups in published studies and intrinsic sealing mechanisms of healthy animal lungs might contribute to a translational gap, leading to poor clinical results. This study aims to address the impact of intrinsic sealing mechanisms on the validity of PAL models, and investigate the conditions required for an ovine model of PAL for lung sealant testing. Methods: An ovine acute aerostasis model was developed, consisting of a bilateral thoracotomy with lesion creation, chest tube insertion and monitoring of air leaks using digital drains (≥80 minutes), under spontaneous respiration. Healthy mixed-breed adult female sheep were used and all in vivo procedures were performed under terminal anesthesia. Superficial parenchymal lesions were tested post-mortem and in vivo, extended lesions including bronchioles (deep bowl-shaped and sequential lung amputation lesions) were tested in vivo. Experiment outcomes include air leakage (AL), minimal leaking pressure (MLP) and histology. Results: Two post-mortem (N=4 superficial parenchymal lesions) and 10 in vivo experiments (N=5 superficial parenchymal and N=16 lesions involving bronchioles) were performed. In contrast to the post-mortem model, superficial parenchymal lesions in vivo showed less air leak [mean flow ± standard deviation (SD): 760±693 vs. 42±33 mL/min, P=0.055]. All superficial parenchymal lesions in vivo sealed intrinsically within a median time of 20 minutes [interquartile range (IQR), 10-75 minutes]. Histology of the intrinsic sealing layer revealed an extended area of alveolar collapse below the incision with intra-alveolar hemorrhage. Compared to superficial parenchymal lesions in vivo, lesions involving bronchioles induced significantly higher air leak post-operatively (normalized mean flow ± SD: 459±221 mL/min, P=0.003). At termination, 5/9 (55.6%) were still leaking (median drain time: 273 minutes, IQR, 207-435 minutes), and intrinsic sealing for the remaining lungs occurred within a median of 115 minutes (IQR, 52-245 minutes). Conclusions: Lung parenchyma of healthy sheep shows a strong intrinsic sealing mechanism, explained pathologically by an extended area of alveolar collapse, which may contribute to a translational gap in lung sealant research. A meaningful ovine model has to consist of deep lesions involving bronchioles of >⌀1.5 mm. Further research is needed to develop a standardized PAL model, to improve clinical effectiveness of lung sealants.

[Adhesions after abdominal surgery: developments in diagnosis and treatment]. / Adhesies na een buikoperatie.

Adhesions are a form of internal scar tissue, that develops in 70-90% of patients undergoing abdominal surgery. Although most adhesions are asymptomatic, adhesions cause a lifelong risk for complications, including adhesive small bowel obstruction (ASBO), chronic pain, infertility and difficulties during reoperations. ASBO is an abdominal emergency, resulting in hospital readmissions and a reoperation in 30-50% of cases. ASBO is associated with a high risk of recurrence. The risk of recurrence can be reduced by the use of adhesion barriers during operative treatment. Recent studies have demonstrated that elective adhesiolysis with use of adhesion barrier for pain is effective in selected patients. Novel imaging techniques, such as cineMRI, can help select patients in whom adhesiolysis is safe and effective. Reconstructive surgery with adhesiolysis is seldom performed for acquired infertility. However, this treatment has potential benefits over IVF in young couples.

ECLAPTE: Effective Closure of LAParoTomy in Emergency-2023 World Society of Emergency Surgery guidelines for the closure of laparotomy in emergency settings.

Laparotomy incisions provide easy and rapid access to the peritoneal cavity in case of emergency surgery. Incisional hernia (IH) is a late manifestation of the failure of abdominal wall closure and represents frequent complication of any abdominal incision: IHs can cause pain and discomfort to the patients but also clinical serious sequelae like bowel obstruction, incarceration, strangulation, and necessity of reoperation. Previous guidelines and indications in the literature consider elective settings and evidence about laparotomy closure in emergency settings is lacking. This paper aims to present the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) project called ECLAPTE (Effective Closure of LAParoTomy in Emergency): the final manuscript includes guidelines on the closure of emergency laparotomy.

Variation in the management of adhesive small bowel obstruction in the Netherlands: a prospective cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: ASBO is a frequent abdominal surgical emergency and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in emergency surgery. The aim of this study is to provide insight into the current management of adhesive small bowel obstruction (ASBO) and associated outcomes. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A nationwide prospective cross-sectional cohort study was conducted. All patients with clinical signs of ASBO admitted to participating Dutch hospitals were included during a 6 months inclusion period between April 2019 and December 2020. Ninety-day clinical outcomes were described and compared for nonoperative management (NOM) and laparoscopic and open surgery. RESULTS: In 34 participating hospitals, 510 patients were included, of whom 382 (74.9%) had a definitive diagnosis of ASBO. Initial management consisted of emergency surgery in 71 (18.6%) patients and NOM in 311 (81.4%) patients, 119 (31.1%) of whom required delayed surgery after failure of NOM. Surgical interventions started laparoscopically in 51.1%, of which 36.1% were converted to laparotomy. Intentional laparoscopy resulted in shorter hospital stays compared with open surgery (median 8.0 vs. 11.0 days; P <0.001) and comparable hospital mortality (5.2 vs. 4.3%; P =1.000). Oral water-soluble contrast use was associated with a decreased length of stay ( P =0.0001). Hospital stay for surgical patients was shorter in patients who were operated on within 72 h of admission ( P <0.001). CONCLUSION: This nationwide cross-sectional study demonstrates shorter hospital stay in ASBO patients who received water-soluble contrast, were operated within 72 h of admission or were operated with minimally invasive techniques. Results may support the standardization of ASBO treatment.

Quantifiable Measures of Abdominal Wall Motion for Quality Assessment of Cine-MRI Slices in Detection of Abdominal Adhesions.

Abdominal adhesions present a diagnostic challenge, and classic imaging modalities can miss their presence. Cine-MRI, which records visceral sliding during patient-controlled breathing, has proven useful in detecting and mapping adhesions. However, patient movements can affect the accuracy of these images, despite there being no standardized algorithm for defining sufficiently high-quality images. This study aims to develop a biomarker for patient movements and determine which patient-related factors influence movement during cine-MRI. Included patients underwent cine-MRI to detect adhesions for chronic abdominal complaints, data were collected from electronic patient files and radiologic reports. Ninety slices of cine-MRI were assessed for quality, using a five-point scale to quantify amplitude, frequency, and slope, from which an image-processing algorithm was developed. The biomarkers closely correlated with qualitative assessments, with an amplitude of 6.5 mm used to distinguish between sufficient and insufficient-quality slices. In multivariable analysis, the amplitude of movement was influenced by age, sex, length, and the presence of a stoma. Unfortunately, no factor was changeable. Strategies for mitigating their impact may be challenging. This study highlights the utility of the developed biomarker in evaluating image quality and providing useful feedback for clinicians. Future studies could improve diagnostic quality by implementing automated quality criteria during cine-MRI.

Predicting long-term risk of reoperations following abdominal and pelvic surgery: a nationwide retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The risk of reoperations after abdominal and pelvic surgery is multifactorial and difficult to predict. The risk of reoperation is frequently underestimated by surgeons as most reoperations are not related to the initial procedure and diagnosis. During reoperation, adhesiolysis is often required, and patients have an increased risk of complications. Therefore, the aim of this study was to provide an evidence-based prediction model based on the risk of reoperation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A nationwide cohort study was conducted including all patients undergoing an initial abdominal or pelvic operation between 1 June 2009 and 30 June 2011 in Scotland. Nomograms based on multivariable prediction models were constructed for the 2-year and 5-year overall risk of reoperation and risk of reoperation in the same surgical area. Internal cross-validation was applied to evaluate reliability. RESULTS: Of the 72 270 patients with an initial abdominal or pelvic surgery, 10 467 (14.5%) underwent reoperation within 5 years postoperatively. Mesh placement, colorectal surgery, diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease, previous radiotherapy, younger age, open surgical approach, malignancy, and female sex increased the risk of reoperation in all the prediction models. Intra-abdominal infection was also a risk factor for the risk of reoperation overall. The accuracy of the prediction model of risk of reoperation overall and risk for the same area was good for both parameters ( c -statistic=0.72 and 0.72). CONCLUSIONS: Risk factors for abdominal reoperation were identified and prediction models displayed as nomograms were constructed to predict the risk of reoperation in the individual patient. The prediction models were robust in internal cross-validation.

Appraisal of Intraoperative Adverse Events to Improve Postoperative Care.

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative adverse events (iAEs) are associated with adverse postoperative outcomes and cause a significant healthcare burden. However, a critical appraisal of iAEs is lacking. Considering the details of iAEs could benefit postoperative care. We comprehensively analyzed iAEs in a large series including all types of operations and their relation to postoperative complications. METHODS: All patients enrolled in the multicenter ClassIntra® validation study (NCT03009929) were included in this analysis. The surgical and anesthesia team prospectively recorded all iAEs. Two researchers, blinded to each other's ratings, appraised all recorded iAEs according to their origin into four categories: surgery, anesthesia, organization, or other, including subcategories such as organ injury, arrhythmia, or instrument failure. They further descriptively analyzed subcategories of all iAEs. Postoperative complications were assessed using the Comprehensive Complication Index (CCI®), a weighted sum of all postoperative complications according to the Clavien-Dindo classification. The association of iAE origins in addition to the severity grade of ClassIntra® on CCI® was assessed with a multivariable mixed-effects generalized linear regression analysis. RESULTS: Of 2520 included patients, 778 iAEs were recorded in 610 patients. The origin was surgical in 420 (54%), anesthesia in 283 (36%), organizational in 34 (4%), and other in 41 (5%) events. Bleeding (n = 217, 28%), hypotension (n = 118, 15%), and organ injury (n = 98, 13%) were the three most frequent subcategories in surgery and anesthesia, respectively. In the multivariable mixed-effect analysis, no significant association between the origin and CCI® was observed. CONCLUSION: Analyzing the type and origin of an iAE offers individualized and contextualized information. This detailed descriptive information can be used for targeted surveillance of intra- and postoperative care, even though the overall predictive value for postoperative events was not improved by adding the origin in addition to the severity grade.

Evaluating and developing sealants for the prevention of pulmonary air leakage: A systematic review of animal models.

Sealants may provide a solution for pulmonary air leakage (PAL), but their clinical application is debatable. For sealant comparison, standardized animal models are lacking. This systematic review aims to assess methodology and quality of animal models for PAL and sealant evaluation. All animal models investigating lung sealing devices (e.g., staplers, glues, energy devices) to prevent or treat PAL were retrieved systematically from Embase, Pubmed and Web of science. Methodological study characteristics, risk of bias, reporting quality and publication bias were assessed. A total of 71 studies were included (N = 75 experiments, N = 1659 animals). Six different species and 18 strains were described; 92% of experiments used healthy animals, disease models were used in only six studies. Lesions to produce PAL were heterogenous, and only 11 studies used a previously reported technique, encompassing N = 5 unique lesions. Clinically relevant outcomes were used in the minority of studies (imaging 16%, air leak 10.7%, air leak duration 4%). Reporting quality was poor, but revealed an upward trend per decade. Overall, high risk of bias was present, and only 18.7% used a negative control group. All but one study without control groups claimed positive outcomes (95.8%), in contrast to 84.3% using positive or negative control groups, which also concluded equivocal, adverse or inconclusive outcomes. In conclusion, animal studies evaluating sealants for prevention of PAL are heterogenous and of poor reporting quality. Using negative control groups, disease models and quantifiable outcomes seem important to increase validity and relevance. Further research is needed to reach consensus for model development and standardization.

Efficacy of a novel polyoxazoline-based hemostatic patch in liver and spleen surgery.

BACKGROUND: A new hemostatic sealant based on a N-hydroxy-succinimide polyoxazoline (NHS-POx) polymer was evaluated to determine hemostatic efficacy and long-term wound healing and adverse effects in a large animal model of parenchymal organ surgical bleeds. METHODS: Experiment 1 included 20 pigs that were treated with two NHS-POx patch prototypes [a gelatin fibrous carrier (GFC) with NHS-POx and an oxidized regenerated cellulose (ORC) with poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-NHS-POx:NU-POx (nucleophilically activated polyoxazoline)], a blank gelatin patch (GFC Blank), TachoSil® and Veriset™ to stop moderate liver and spleen punch bleedings. After various survival periods (1-6 weeks), pigs were re-operated to evaluate patch degradation and parenchymal healing. During the re-operation, experiment 2 was performed: partial liver and spleen resections with severe bleeding, and hemostatic efficacy was evaluated under normal and heparinized conditions of the two previous prototypes and one additional NHS-POx patch. In the third experiment an improved NHS-POx patch (GATT-Patch; GFC-NHS-POx and added 20% as nucleophilically activated polyoxazoline; NU-POx) was compared with TachoSil®, Veriset™ and GFC Blank on punch bleedings and partial liver and spleen resections for rapid (10s) hemostatic efficacy. RESULTS: NHS-POx-based patches showed better (GFC-NHS-POx 83.1%, ORC-PLGA-NHS-POx: NU-POx 98.3%) hemostatic efficacy compared to TachoSil® (25.0%) and GFC Blank (43.3%), and comparable efficacy with Veriset™ (96.7%) on moderate standardized punch bleedings on liver and spleen. All patches demonstrated gradual degradation over 6 weeks with a reduced local inflammation rate and an improved wound healing. For severe bleedings under non-heparinized conditions, hemostasis was achieved in 100% for Veriset™, 40% for TachoSil and 80-100% for the three NHS-POx prototypes; similar differences between patches remained for heparinized conditions. In experiment 3, GATT-Patch, Veriset™, TachoSil and GFC Blank reached hemostasis after 10s in 100%, 42.8%, 7.1% and 14.3%, respectively, and at 3 min in 100%, 100%, 14.3% and 35.7%, respectively, on all liver and spleen punctures and resections. CONCLUSIONS: NHS-POx-based patches, and particularly the GATT-Patch, are fast in achieving effective hemostatic sealing on standardized moderate and severe bleedings without apparent long-term adverse events.

Inter- and Intra-Observer Variability and the Effect of Experience in Cine-MRI for Adhesion Detection.

Cine-MRI for adhesion detection is a promising novel modality that can help the large group of patients developing pain after abdominal surgery. Few studies into its diagnostic accuracy are available, and none address observer variability. This retrospective study explores the inter- and intra-observer variability, diagnostic accuracy, and the effect of experience. A total of 15 observers with a variety of experience reviewed 61 sagittal cine-MRI slices, placing box annotations with a confidence score at locations suspect for adhesions. Five observers reviewed the slices again one year later. Inter- and intra-observer variability are quantified using Fleiss' (inter) and Cohen's (intra) κ and percentage agreement. Diagnostic accuracy is quantified with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis based on a consensus standard. Inter-observer Fleiss' κ values range from 0.04 to 0.34, showing poor to fair agreement. High general and cine-MRI experience led to significantly (p < 0.001) better agreement among observers. The intra-observer results show Cohen's κ values between 0.37 and 0.53 for all observers, except one with a low κ of -0.11. Group AUC scores lie between 0.66 and 0.72, with individual observers reaching 0.78. This study confirms that cine-MRI can diagnose adhesions, with respect to a radiologist consensus panel and shows that experience improves reading cine-MRI. Observers without specific experience adapt to this modality quickly after a short online tutorial. Observer agreement is fair at best and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) scores leave room for improvement. Consistently interpreting this novel modality needs further research, for instance, by developing reporting guidelines or artificial intelligence-based methods.

Effect modifiers of virtual reality in pain management: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis.

ABSTRACT: There is a rapidly growing body of evidence for the application of virtual reality (VR) in pain management, however, with varying effectiveness. Little is known about patient-related and VR-related factors affecting efficacy of VR. A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed including 122 randomised controlled trials (9138 patients), reporting on subjectively reported pain scores comparing an immersive VR intervention to a non-VR control group. Virtual reality significantly reduced pain in the pooled analysis (standardized mean difference = -0.65, 95% CI -0.76 to -0.54, P < 0.001). Subgroup analyses showed no significant differences between type of pain, ie, VR effects were similar in acute, chronic, and procedural pain conditions. Univariate and multivariate meta-regression analyses were performed to investigate the effect of intervention, patient, and pain characteristics on VR. Virtual reality effectively reduced pain, especially in patients reporting moderate to severe pain and in younger subjects. Studies comparing VR with a control group receiving no distraction methods were associated with higher effect sizes. The effect of VR was not related to a specific frequency or duration of use. Type of software and interaction level were related to VR effects in the univariable, but not in the multivariable, meta-regression analysis. Heterogeneity was considerable for all meta-analyses, and risk of bias was moderate to high in most included studies. Studies on mechanisms behind VR analgesia in younger patients and patients reporting moderate to severe pain are recommended to confirm our hypotheses while taking into account risk of bias and the comparator. Optimal application of VR using treatment modules for long-term pain conditions are an important issue for future research.

Risk Factors for Adhesion-Related Readmission and Abdominal Reoperation after Gynecological Surgery: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

More than half of women in developed countries undergo surgery during their lifetime, putting them at risk of adhesion-related complications. Adhesion-related complications include small bowel obstruction, chronic (pelvic) pain, subfertility, and complications associated with adhesiolysis during reoperation. The aim of this study is to predict the risk for adhesion-related readmission and reoperation after gynecological surgery. A Scottish nationwide retrospective cohort study was conducted including all women undergoing a gynecological procedure as their initial abdominal or pelvic operation between 1 June 2009 and 30 June 2011, with a five-year follow-up. Prediction models for two- and five-year risk of adhesion-related readmission and reoperation were constructed and visualized using nomograms. To evaluate the reliability of the created prediction model, internal cross-validation was performed using bootstrap methods. During the study period, 18,452 women were operated on, and 2719 (14.7%) of them were readmitted for reasons possibly related to adhesions. A total of 2679 (14.5%) women underwent reoperation. Risk factors for adhesion-related readmission were younger age, malignancy as indication, intra-abdominal infection, previous radiotherapy, application of a mesh, and concomitant inflammatory bowel disease. Transvaginal surgery was associated with a lower risk of adhesion-related complications as compared to laparoscopic or open surgeries. The prediction model for both readmissions and reoperations had moderate predictive reliability (c-statistics 0.711 and 0.651). This study identified risk factors for adhesion-related morbidity. The constructed prediction models can guide the targeted use of adhesion prevention methods and preoperative patient information in decision-making.

Elective adhesiolysis for chronic abdominal pain reduces long-term risk of adhesive small bowel obstruction.

BACKGROUND: Selected patients with adhesion-related chronic abdominal pain can be treated effectively by adhesiolysis with the application of adhesion barriers. These patients might also have an increased risk to develop adhesive small bowel obstruction (ASBO). It is unknown how frequently these patients develop ASBO, and how elective adhesiolysis for pain impacts the risk of ASBO. METHODS: Patients with adhesion-related chronic pain were included in this cohort study with long-term follow-up. The diagnosis of adhesions was confirmed using CineMRI. The decision for operative treatment of adhesions was made by shared agreement based on the correlation of complaints with CineMRI findings. The primary outcome was the 5-years incidence of readmission for ASBO. Incidence was compared between patients with elective adhesiolysis and those treated non-operatively and between patients with and without previous ASBO. Univariable and multivariable Cox regression analysis was performed to identify predictive factors for ASBO. Secondary outcomes included reoperation for ASBO and self-reported pain and other abdominal symptoms. RESULTS: A total of 122 patients were included, 69 patients underwent elective adhesiolysis. Thirty patients in both groups had previous episodes of ASBO in history. During 5-year follow-up, the readmission rate for ASBO was 6.5% after elective adhesiolysis compared to 26.9% after non-operative treatment (p = 0.012). These percentages were 13.3% compared to 40% in the subgroup of patients with previous episodes of ASBO (p = 0.039). In multivariable analysis, elective adhesiolysis was associated with a decreased risk of readmission for ASBO with an odds ratio of 0.21 (95% CI 0.07-0.65), the risk was increased in patients with previous episodes with a odds ratio of 19.2 (95% CI 2.5-144.4). There was no difference between the groups in the prevalence of self-reported abdominal pain. However, in surgically treated patients the impact of pain on daily activities was lower, and the incidence of other symptoms was lower. CONCLUSION: More than one in four patients with chronic adhesion-related pain develop episodes of ASBO when treated non-operatively. Elective adhesiolysis reduces the incidence of ASBO in patients with chronic adhesion-related symptoms, both in patients with and without previous episodes of ASBO in history. Trial registration The study was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov under NCT01236625.

The Influence of Irreversible Electroporation Parameters on the Size of the Ablation Zone and Thermal Effects: A Systematic Review.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to review the effect of irreversible electroporation parameter settings on the size of the ablation zone and the occurrence of thermal effects. This insight would help to optimize treatment protocols and effectively ablate a tumor while controlling the occurrence of thermal effects. Methods: Various individual studies report the influence of variation in electroporation parameters on the ablation zone size or occurrence of thermal effects. However, no connections have yet been established between these studies. With the aim of closing the gap in the understanding of and personalizing irreversible electroporation parameter settings, a systematic review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. A quality assessment was performed using an in-house developed grading tool based on components of commonly used grading domains. Data on the electroporation parameters voltage, number of electrodes, inter-electrode distance, active needle length, pulse length/number/protocol/frequency, and pulse interval were extracted. Ablation zone size and temperature data were grouped per parameter. Spearman correlation and linear regression were used to define the correlation with outcome measures. Results: A total of 7661 articles were screened, of which 18 preclinical studies (animal and phantom studies) met the inclusion criteria. These studies were graded as moderate (4/18) and low (14/18) quality. Only the applied voltage appeared to be a significant linear predictor of ablation zone size: length, surface, and volume. The pulse number was moderately but nonlinearly correlated with the ablation zone length. Thermal effects were more likely to occur for higher voltages (≥2000 V), higher number of electrodes, and increased active needle length. Conclusion: Firm conclusions are limited since studies that investigated and precisely reported the influence of electroporation parameters on the ablation zone size and thermal effects were scarce and mostly graded low quality. High-quality studies are needed to improve the predictability of the combined effect of variation in parameter combinations and optimize irreversible electroporation treatment protocols.

Acute mesenteric ischemia: updated guidelines of the World Society of Emergency Surgery.

Acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) is a group of diseases characterized by an interruption of the blood supply to varying portions of the intestine, leading to ischemia and secondary inflammatory changes. If untreated, this process may progress to life-threatening intestinal necrosis. The incidence is low, estimated at 0.09-0.2% of all acute surgical admissions, but increases with age. Although the entity is an uncommon cause of abdominal pain, diligence is required because if untreated, mortality remains in the range of 50%. Early diagnosis and timely surgical intervention are the cornerstones of modern treatment to reduce the high mortality associated with this entity. The advent of endovascular approaches in parallel with modern imaging techniques is evolving and provides new treatment options. Lastly, a focused multidisciplinary approach based on early diagnosis and individualized treatment is essential. Thus, we believe that updated guidelines from World Society of Emergency Surgery are warranted, in order to provide the most recent and practical recommendations for diagnosis and treatment of AMI.

Long-Term Oncological Outcomes After Colorectal Anastomotic Leakage: A Retrospective Dutch Population-based Study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to evaluate the impact of anastomotic leak (AL) after colon cancer (CC) and rectal cancer (RC) surgery on 5-year relative survival, disease-free survival (DFS), and disease recurrence. BACKGROUND: AL after CC and RC resection is a severe postoperative complication with conflicting evidence whether it deteriorates long-term outcomes. METHODS: Patients with stage I to IV CC and RC who underwent resection with primary anastomosis were included from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (2008-2018). Relative survival, measured from day of resection, and multivariable relative excess risks (RERs) were analyzed. DFS and recurrence were evaluated in a subset with stage I to III patients operated in 2015. All analyses were performed with patients who survived 90 days postoperatively. RESULTS: A total of 65,299 CC and 22,855 RC patients were included. Five-year relative survival after CC resection with and without AL was 95% versus 100%, 89% versus 94%, 66% versus 76%, and 28% versus 25% for stage I to IV disease. AL was associated with a significantly higher RER for death in stage II and III CC patients. Stage-specific 5-year relative survival in RC patients with and without AL was 97% versus 101%, 90% versus 95%, 74% versus 83%, and 32% versus 41%. AL was associated with a significantly higher RER for death in stage III and IV RC patients. DFS was significantly lower in CC patients with AL, but disease recurrence was not associated with AL after colorectal cancer resection. CONCLUSION: AL has a stage-dependent negative impact on survival in both CC and RC, but no independent association with disease recurrence.

Functional constipation in patients with hemorrhoids: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Hemorrhoids are common anorectal pathology, with high recurrence rates after surgical treatment. It is hypothesized that high straining forces during paradoxical contractions and inadequate relaxation are causally related to hemorrhoids. This review aimed to assess the coprevalence of functional constipation and dyssynergic defecation in a population with hemorrhoids. Moreover, the effects of rubber band ligation (RBL) were analyzed. Sources included Pubmed, Embase and CENTRAL . Randomized trials, cohort and case-control studies that investigated the prevalence of constipation in patients with hemorrhoids or the prevalence of hemorrhoids in patients with constipation compared to healthy subjects were included. Manometric studies were also eligible. Quality assessment was performed by using the Newcastle Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. The primary outcome was the prevalence of functional constipation or dyssynergic defecation in patients with hemorrhoids. Nineteen studies were included. Prevalence of constipation was significantly higher in patients with hemorrhoids compared to controls [OR (odds ratio), 2.09; 95% CI (confidence interval), 1.27-3.44]. No significant difference in the prevalence of hemorrhoids between patients with constipation compared to controls was found (OR, 2.37; 95% CI, 0.67-8.44). Anal pressures in patients with hemorrhoids were significantly higher compared to healthy controls in all manometric studies. After RBL, these pressures remained significantly higher in patients with hemorrhoids ( P = 0.001). Functional constipation, dyssynergic defecation and higher basal anal pressures are more prevalent in patients with hemorrhoids compared to controls. Improvement of therapy for functional constipation, especially dyssynergic defecation patterns, might lead to better long-term outcomes and reduce recurrence.

It's time for a minimum synoptic operation template in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Despite the call to enhance accuracy and value of operation records few international recommended minimal standards for operative notes documentation have been described. This study undertook a systematic review of existing operative reporting systems for laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) to fashion a comprehensive, synoptic operative reporting template for the future. METHODS: A search for all relevant articles was conducted using PubMed version of Medline, Scopus and Web of Science databases in June 2021, for publications from January 1st 2011 to October 25th 2021, using the keywords: laparoscopic cholecystectomy AND operation notes OR operative notes OR proforma OR documentation OR report OR narrative OR audio-visual OR synoptic OR digital. Two reviewers (NOC, GMC) independently assessed each published study using a MINORS score of ≥ 16 for comparative and ≥ 10 for non-comparative for inclusion. This systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines and was registered with PROSPERO. Synoptic operative templates from published data were assimilated into one "ideal" laparoscopic operative report template following international input from the World Society of Emergency Surgery board. RESULTS: A total of 3567 articles were reviewed. Following MINORS grading 25 studies were selected spanning 14 countries and 4 continents. Twenty-two studies were prospective. A holistic overview of the operative procedure documentation was reported in 6/25 studies and a further 19 papers dealt with selective surgical aspects of LC. A unique synoptic LC operative reporting template was developed and translated into Chinese/Mandarin, French and Arabic. CONCLUSION: This systematic review identified a paucity of publications dealing with operative reporting of LC. The proposed new template may be integrated digitally with hospitals' medical systems and include additional narrative text and audio-visual data. The template may help define new OR (operating room) recording standards and impact on care for patients undergoing LC.

WSES guidelines on blunt and penetrating bowel injury: diagnosis, investigations, and treatment.

The aim of this paper was to review the recent literature to create recommendations for the day-to-day diagnosis and surgical management of small bowel and colon injuries. Where knowledge gaps were identified, expert consensus was pursued during the 8th International Congress of the World Society of Emergency Surgery Annual (September 2021, Edinburgh). This process also aimed to guide future research.