Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulator Implantation in an Ambulatory Surgery Center Versus Hospital.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Hypoglossal nerve stimulator (HGNS) implantation is highly effective in treating obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in select patient populations that are intolerant of continuous positive airway pressure. Implantation surgery is traditionally performed in hospital outpatient departments (HOPD) due to concern about anesthetic effects and airway manipulation in an OSA population. In this study, we examined complications and efficiency of HGNS implantation in an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) versus HOPD. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. METHODS: Patients with HGNS implantation performed between May 2015-January 2021 at our HOPD or ACS were included. Patient-related characteristics, surgical times, and postoperative complications were obtained via chart review. Reimbursement data on a national level for Medicare patients were calculated based on publicly available data from the Center for Medicare Services. Patient characteristics, surgical times, and complications were summarized as medians with interquartile ranges (IQRs) and proportions in each surgical setting group as appropriate. These were compared between surgical setting groups via Wilcoxon rank-sum testing and χ2 testing. RESULTS: A total of 122 patients were included. Patients in the HOPD group had significantly higher median apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) (42.0 [IQR 27.9-51.0]) compared to the ASC group (31.0 [IQR 21.0-44.2], P = .005). The intervals between in-room and case start, case finish and out-of-room, and time in the postoperative area were significantly shorter in the ASC group compared to the HOPD group. Reimbursement on a national level was estimated at 18% lower for patients with surgery performed at the ASC. There was no significant difference in postoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: HGNS implantation in an ASC is safe and more efficient than in a HOPD, and may also be more cost-effective. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3 Laryngoscope, 132:706-710, 2022.

Evolución de la productividad quirúrgica en el Hospital Maciel durante la crisis sanitaria SARS-CoV-2 / Evolution of surgical services at the Maciel Hospital during the SARS-CoV-2 health emergency / Evolução da produtividade cirúrgica no Hospital Maciel durante a crise de saúde por SARS-CoV-2

Resumen: Introducción: la pandemia por COVID-19 ha producido un fuerte impacto en la práctica quirúrgica mundial y luego de trascurridos 15 meses de diferir cirugías y seleccionar pacientes, aún no está bien establecida la magnitud del problema. Objetivo: conocer la evolución de la cirugía programada y su perfil de comportamiento en los servicios del Hospital Maciel (HM) durante el período de pandemia COVID-19. Método: se estudia la productividad quirúrgica del HM durante los períodos de prepandemia (2019) y pandemia (2020/2021), a partir del análisis de la oportunidad y especialidad de la cirugía realizada y la demanda de camas de Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos (UCI). Resultado: durante el período de pandemia (13/3/2020-30/6/2021) se operaron 5.302 pacientes; solo 132 (2,5%) se realizaron en pacientes COVID-19 positivos. La actividad quirúrgica global descendió 22,2% y en cirugías coordinadas 37,4%. Se mantuvo incambiado el volumen de cirugías de urgencias en relación al período prepandemia. Se constató un incremento exponencial de actividad en traumatología, (214%) y otorrinolaringología (57,4%); leve aumento en cirugías de tórax (12,7%), la cirugía vascular y la neurocirugía mantuvieron su actividad (0,3% y -7,8% respectivamente). Las clínicas de cirugía general descendieron su producción en forma importante: 63,5%. Conclusiones: se cumplió con la asistencia a pacientes oncológicos e impostergables, lo cual cambio el perfil de la cirugía, aumentando la actividad en las especialidades en detrimento marcado de la cirugía general y de las disciplinas que operan fundamentalmente patologías postergables y benignas de alta prevalencia.

Summary: Introduction: the COVID19 pandemic has caused a strong impact on surgical practices around the world, and after 15 months of differing surgeries and selecting patients, the actual magnitude of the problem has not been defined yet. Objective: to learn about the evolution of elective surgeries and behaviour profiles at the Maciel Hospital during the COVID19 pandemic. Method: the study analyses the delivery of elective surgeries at Maciel Hospital during the pre-pandemic (2019) and pandemic (2020/2021) periods by studying timing and area of specialization of the surgery performed and demand ICU beds. Results: during the pandemic period (13.3.2020-30.6.2021) 5302 patients were operated; and only 132 of them (2.5%) were COVID 19 positive. Global surgical services dropped 22.2% and 37.4% in elective surgeries. The number of emergency surgeries remained the same when compared to the pre-pandemic period. A huge growth was seen in traumatology (214%) and otorhinolaryngology (57.4%) services, a slight increase in thoracic consultations (12.7%) and no change was observed in vascular surgery consultations (0.3%). Consultations in other areas of specialization, such as urology, neurosurgery and general surgery significantly dropped, between 7.8% and 65.5%. Conclusions: health services were delivered to oncologic patients given their urgency, which, modfied the surgical profile, increasing activity in specializations and at the expense of general surgeries and the specialization areas the mainly operate bening conditions that may be delayed that are highly prevalent.

Resumo: Introdução: a pandemia COVID-19 teve um forte impacto na prática cirúrgica global e, após 15 meses de adiamento de cirurgias e seleção de pacientes, a magnitude do problema ainda não está bem estabelecida. Objetivo: conhecer a evolução da cirurgia programada e seu perfil de comportamento nos serviços do Hospital Maciel (HM) durante o período pandêmico de COVID-19. Método: estudou-se a produtividade cirúrgica programada do HM, nos períodos pré-pandêmico (2019) e pandêmico (2020/2021), a partir da análise da oportunidade e especialidade da cirurgia realizada e da demanda por leitos de UTI. Resultado: durante o período pandêmico (13/3/2020-30/6/2021), um total de 5.302 pacientes foram operados; Apenas 132 (2,5%) foram realizadas em pacientes COVID-19 positivos. A atividade cirúrgica global diminuiu 22,2% e 37,4% nas cirurgias coordenadas. Com relação ao período pré-pandêmico a quantidade de cirurgias de emergência permaneceu inalterada. Um aumento exponencial da atividade foi encontrado em trauma (214%) e otorrinolaringologia (57,4%); um pequeno aumento em tórax (12,7%); a cirurgia vascular manteve-se estável (0,3%), enquanto as demais disciplinas: urologia, neurocirurgia e ambas as clínicas de cirurgia geral diminuíram significativamente, entre 7,8% e 63,5%. Conclusões: foi cumprida a assistência aos doentes oncológicos e não postergáveis, o que alterou o perfil da cirurgia, aumentando a atividade nas especialidades, em acentuado detrimento da cirurgia geral e das disciplinas que operam sobretudo patologias postergáveis e benignas de alta prevalência.

Nurses and physicians attitudes towards factors related to hospitalized patient safety.

INTRODUCTION: The attitudes of healthcare staff towards patients' safety, including awareness of the risk for adverse events, are significant elements of an organization's safety culture. AIM OF RESEARCH: To evaluate nurses and physicians' attitudes towards factors influencing hospitalized patient safety. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The research included 606 nurses and 527 physicians employed in surgical and medical wards in 21 Polish hospitals around the country. The Polish adaptation of the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) was used to evaluate the factors influencing attitudes towards patient safety. RESULTS: Both nurses and physicians scored highest in stress recognition (SR) (71.6 and 80.86), while they evaluated working conditions (WC) the lowest (45.82 and 52,09). Nurses achieved statistically significantly lower scores compared to physicians in every aspect of the safety attitudes evaluation (p<0.05). The staff working in surgical wards obtained higher scores within stress recognition (SR) compared to the staff working in medical wards (78.12 vs. 73.72; p = 0.001). Overall, positive working conditions and effective teamwork can contribute to improving employees' attitudes towards patient safety. CONCLUSIONS: The results help identify unit level vulnerabilities associated with staff attitudes toward patient safety. They underscore the importance of management strategies that account for staff coping with occupational stressors to improve patient safety.

Audit of surgical specialty patients and beds at Pietersburg Hospital, Limpopo Province, South Africa in 2021.

BACKGROUND: While the absolute number of hospital beds is usually discussed, adequate utilisation of beds is a far better instrument to measure departmental efficiency. OBJECTIVE: To measure the number of beds for each surgical specialty in Pietersburg Hospital as well as the average length of stay (LoS) to compare bed utilisation. METHOD: We conducted a 1-day descriptive cross-sectional audit of patients admitted to surgical wards on 21 April 2021 at Pietersburg Hospital. RESULTS: There were huge discrepancies in the number of beds per surgical specialty as well as the LoS. Over one-third of surgical beds were occupied by patients waiting for either a computed tomography scan, surgical procedure, or transfer. CONCLUSION: There is a need to address the functioning of the surgical specialties with regards to the number of beds allocated as well as the ideal average length of stay.

The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on non-elective otolaryngology admissions and a positive change in clinical practice.

As the COVID-19 pandemic progressed across the UK and Northern Ireland in March 2020, our otolaryngology department began to make preparations and changes in practice to accommodate for potentially large numbers of patients with COVID-19 related respiratory illness in the hospital. We retrospectively reviewed the number of non-elective admissions to our department between the months of January and May in 2019 and 2020. A significant reduction in admissions of up to 94% during the months of the pandemic was observed. Our practice shifted to manage patients with epistaxis and peritonsillar abscess on an outpatient basis, and while prospectively collecting data on this, we did not observe any significant adverse events. We view this as a positive learning point and change in our practice as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Adapting an emergency general surgery service in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, our emergency general surgery (EGS) service underwent significant restructuring, including establishing an enhanced ambulatory service and undertaking nonoperative management of selected pathologies. The aim of this study was to compare the activity of our EGS service before and after these changes. METHODS: Patients referred by the emergency department were identified prospectively over a 4-week period beginning from the date our EGS service was reconfigured (COVID) and compared with patients identified retrospectively from the same period the previous year (Pre-COVID), and followed up for 30 days. Data were extracted from handover documents and electronic care records. The primary outcomes were the rate of admission, ambulation and discharge. RESULTS: There were 281 and 283 patients during the Pre-COVID and COVID periods respectively. Admission rate decreased from 78.7% to 41.7%, while there were increased rates of ambulation from 7.1% to 17.3% and discharge from 6% to 22.6% (all p<0.001). For inpatients, mean duration of admission decreased (6.9 to 4.8 days), and there were fewer operative or endoscopic interventions (78 to 40). There were increased ambulatory investigations (11 to 39) and telephone reviews (0 to 39), while early computed tomography scan was increasingly used to facilitate discharge (5% vs 34.7%). There were no differences in 30-day readmission or mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Restructuring of our EGS service in response to COVID-19 facilitated an increased use of ambulatory services and imaging, achieving a decrease of 952 inpatient bed days in this critical period, while maintaining patient safety.

Safety and feasibility of resuming bariatric surgery under the cloud of COVID-19.

INTRODUCTION: Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous bariatric surgical units globally have halted weight loss surgery. Obesity itself has been shown to be a predictor of poor outcome in people infected with the virus. The aim of this study was to report our experience as a high-volume bariatric institution resuming elective weight loss surgery safely amidst emergency admissions of COVID-19-positive patients. METHODS: A standard operating procedure based on national guidance and altered to accommodate local considerations was initiated across the hospital. Data were collected prospectively for 50 consecutive patients undergoing bariatric surgery following recommencement of elective surgery after the first national lockdown in the UK. RESULTS: Between 28 June and 5 August 2020, a total of 50 patients underwent bariatric surgery of whom 94% were female. Median age was 41 years and median body mass index was 43.8 (interquartile range 40.0-48.8)kg/m2. Half of the patients (n = 25/50) underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and half underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). Of these 50 patients, 9 (18%) had revisional bariatric surgery. Overall median length of hospital stay was 1 day, with 96% of the study population being discharged within 24h of surgery. The overall rate of readmission was 6% and one patient (2%) returned to theatre with an obstruction proximal to jejuno-jejunal anastomosis. None of the patients exhibited symptoms or tested positive for COVID-19. CONCLUSION: With appropriately implemented measures and precautions, resumption of bariatric surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic appears feasible and safe with no increased risk to patients.

Impact of lockdown on emergency general surgery during first 2020 COVID-19 outbreak.

PURPOSE: To evaluate and analyze the impact of lockdown strategy due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on emergency general surgery (EGS) in the Milan area at the beginning of pandemic outbreak. METHODS: A survey was distributed to 14 different hospitals of the Milan area to analyze the variation of EGS procedures. Each hospital reported the number of EGS procedures in the same time frame comparing 2019 and 2020. The survey revealed that the number of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in 2020 was reduced by 19% when compared with 2019. The decrease was statistically significant only for abdominal wall surgery. Interestingly, in 2020, there was an increase of three procedures: surgical intervention for acute mesenteric ischemia (p = 0.002), drainage of perianal abscesses (p = 0.000285), and cholecystostomy for acute cholecystitis (p = 0.08). CONCLUSIONS: During the first COVID-19 pandemic wave in the metropolitan area of Milan, the number of patients operated for emergency diseases decreased by around 19%. We believe that this decrease is related either to the fear of the population to ask for emergency department (ED) consultation and to a shift towards a more non-operative management in the surgeons 'decision making' process. The increase of acute mesenteric ischaemia and perianal abscess might be related to the modification of dietary habits and reduction of physical activity related to the lockdown.

District hospital surgical capacity in Western Cape Province, South Africa: A cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: The role of the district hospital (DH) in surgical care has been undervalued. However, decentralised surgical services at DHs have been identified as a key component of universal health coverage. Surgical capacity at DHs in Western Cape (WC) Province, South Africa, has not been described. OBJECTIVES: To describe DH surgical capacity in WC and identify barriers to scaling up surgical capacity at these facilities. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional survey of 33 DHs using the World Health Organization surgical situational analysis tool administered to hospital staff from June to December 2019. The survey addressed the following domains: general services and financing; service delivery and surgical volume; surgical workforce; hospital and operating theatre (OT) infrastructure, equipment and medication; and barriers to scaling up surgical care. RESULTS: Seven of 33 DHs (21%) did not have a functional OT. Of the 28 World Bank DH procedures, small WC DHs performed up to 22 (79%) and medium/large DHs up to 26 (93%). Only medium/large DHs performed all three bellwether procedures. Five DHs (15%) had a full-time surgeon, anaesthetist or obstetrician (SAO). Of DHs without any SAO specialists, 14 (50%) had family physicians (FPs). These DHs performed more operative procedures than those without FPs (p=0.005). Lack of finances dedicated for surgical care and lack of surgical providers were the most reported barriers to providing and expanding surgical services. CONCLUSIONS: WC DH surgical capacity varied by hospital size. However, FPs could play an essential role in surgery at DHs with appropriate training, oversight and support from SAO specialists. Strategies to scale up surgical capacity include dedicated financial and human resources.

Suspensiones quirúrgicas electivas en el Hospital Docente Clínico Quirúrgico¨Aleida Fernández Chardiet¨ / Elective surgical suspensions at ¨Aleida Fernández Chardiet ¨Teaching Clinical Surgical Hospital

Introducción: La suspensión de una intervención quirúrgica es un hecho significativo y merece la debida atención por parte del equipo de salud, muchas son evitables. La suspensión delprocedimiento anestésico-quirúrgico es uno de los cuatro componentes del coste de la calidad.Objetivo: Caracterizar las suspensiones quirúrgicas electivas, en el Hospital Docente Clínico Quirúrgico Aleida Fernández Chardiet.Métodos: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo, retrospectivo y longitudinal, en el periodo del 2016 al 2019. El universo de estudio estuvo constituido por 408 pacientes suspendidos, para una intervención quirúrgica electiva.Resultados: El año de mayor afectación por suspensiones fue el 2019, en los servicios de cirugía y urología, en cirugías ambulatorias, en los meses de abril, mayo, noviembre y diciembre. Predominó como causa de suspensiones, las administrativas: contaminación del salón, porpaciente séptico, no disponibilidad de camas en la Unidad de Cuidado Intensivos, dificultades con el suministro de agua y con el servicio de anestesia, como causa atribuida alos pacientes la no asistencia el día de la intervención quirúrgica y la hipertensión en el momento de realizarse el proceder quirúrgico.Conclusiones: Después de la reparación del hospital muchas de las causas administrativas están resueltas. El médico general integral puede coadyuvar a la eliminación de la hipertensión arterial descompensada como causa de la suspensión quirúrgica.(AU)

Introduction: The suspension of a surgical intervention is a significant fact and it merits the adequate attention by the corresponding health team, many of them are avoidable. The suspension of the anesthetic-surgical procedure is one of the four components of the quality cost.Objective: To characterize the elective surgical suspensions, at Aleida Fernández Chardiet TeachingClinical Surgical Hospital.Methods: A descriptive, retrospective longitudinal study was carried out at Aleida Fernández Chardiet Teaching Clinical Surgical Hospital from 2016 to 2019. The study universe wasformed by suspended patients, for an elective surgical intervention.Results: The most affected year for suspensions was 2019, in the surgery and urology services, in ambulatory surgeries, in April, May, November and December. The cause of suspension thatprevails was the administrative ones: contamination, for septic patient, no availability of beds in the Intensive Care Unit, difficulties with the water supply and with the anestheticsservice, as causes ascribed to patients: the no attendance to the hospital the day of the surgery and hypertension at the moment of the surgery.Conclusions: After the repairing of the hospital, many of these administrative causes have been solved. General comprehensive doctors can contribute to the eradication of hypertension as a cause of a surgical suspension.(AU)

Impact of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on emergency department activity at the pediatric surgery unit of a third-level hospital. / Impacto en la actividad de Urgencias en el Servicio de Cirugía Pediátrica de un Hospital de tercer nivel durante la pandemia de SARS-CoV-2.

INTRODUCTION: As a result of the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 respiratory virus in Wuhan in December 2019, the Spanish Government declared the state of emergency with restrictions such as stay-at-home lockdown. The objective of this study was to analyze emergency activity at a referral pediatric surgery unit in its territory and determine whether surgical pathologies had decreased or not. METHODS: A retrospective study of pediatric patients presenting at the emergency department and referred to the pediatric surgery unit from March 14, 2020 to April 20, 2020 was carried out. The results were compared with those from the same dates of the previous year. Demographic variables, pathologies, and management strategies were studied for each case. The number of patients with abdominal pain requiring surgical assessment was also analyzed. RESULTS: 161 patients were included - 91 from 2019 and 70 from 2020. Of the 2020 patients, 62 (88.6%) underwent surgery and 8 (11.4%) were admitted, whereas in 2019, patient distribution was 67 (73.6%) and 24 (26.4%), which means there were fewer admissions in 2020 (p= 0.018). There were no differences in terms of hours to emergency department consultation - just an increase in the case of appendicular pathologies in the 2020 period, with 24 [23-48] hours vs. 24 [12-30] hours (p =  0.045). CONCLUSION: The current pandemic has not caused emergency surgeries to decrease. It has only increased time to consultation in patients with appendicular pathologies.

INTRODUCCION: A raíz de la aparición del virus respiratorio SARS-CoV-2 en Wuhan en diciembre de 2019, el Gobierno de España decretó el estado de alarma con medidas que han incluido el confinamiento domiciliario. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar la actividad urgente de un Servicio de Cirugía Pediátrica referente en su Comunidad Autónoma y comprobar si ha existido disminución o no en la patología quirúrgica. METODOS: Estudio retrospectivo de los pacientes pediátricos que acudieron a Urgencias y fueron derivados a Cirugía Pediátrica entre los periodos del 14 de marzo hasta el 20 de abril de 2020, comparándolos con aquellos que acudieron en las mismas fechas del año previo. Se analizaron variables demográficas, la patología y el tipo de manejo en cada caso. Se analizó también el número de pacientes con dolor abdominal que precisaron valoración quirúrgica. RESULTADOS: Se incluyeron 161 pacientes, de los que 91 acudieron en 2019 y 70 acudieron en 2020. De estos últimos, 62 (88,6%) fueron intervenidos y 8 (11,4%) fueron hospitalizados, mientras que en 2019 fueron 67 (73,6%) y 24 (26,4%), respectivamente, observando un menor número de ingresos en 2020 (p=  0,018). El número de horas de evolución hasta la consulta en Urgencias del total de pacientes no demostró diferencias, únicamente existió un aumento en los pacientes con patología apendicular en el periodo de 2020, 24 [23-48] respecto al periodo del año previo 24 [12-30] (p=  0,045). CONCLUSION: La situación actual de pandemia no ha provocado una disminución del número de intervenciones quirúrgicas urgentes. Únicamente aumentó el tiempo hasta la consulta en los pacientes con patología apendicular.

Application of ERAS protocol in esophagectomy: a national survey among Italian centers performing esophageal surgery.

The application of enhanced recovery after surgery guidelines for esophageal surgery in different units remains unclear. This survey intended to investigate how such protocol is applied among Italian esophageal surgery units. A survey with 40 questions was mailed to Italian centers that performed at least 10 esophagectomies per year. It included questions about the type of hospital and unit and pre-, intra- and post-operative items. Difficulties encountered were investigated. Thirteen (65%) centers answered the survey, and all met the minimal safety requirements, e.g., the presence of intensive care units and 24-h on-call operative endoscopy and radiology facilities. Fifty percent of esophagectomies with a minimally invasive approach were performed in 84.6% of the centers. Regarding pre-operative items, the highest scores were for the application of nutritional support, dysphagia palliation and presence of a multidisciplinary tumor board, whereas the lowest score was for the use of immunonutrition. Regarding intra-operative items, hypothermia prevention and the use of goal-directed fluid therapy and volatile anesthesia were diffusely adopted, whereas the rate of using abdominal drains was high. Regarding post-operative items, nausea prevention, multimodal analgesia and early mobilization were applied frequently, whereas the use of nasogastric tubes and regular transfer to intensive care units was diffused. The primary barriers in enhanced recovery after surgery protocol application were resistance and a lack of paramedic personnel. This survey's results highlight the efforts undertaken by several centers to apply enhanced recovery after surgery philosophy and in this regard, demonstrate a good standing in Italy.

Current status of trauma surgery at a Japanese prefectural academic institute: improved organization in a regional prefecture.

PURPOSES: Balancing scheduled surgery and trauma surgery is difficult with a limited number of surgeons. To address the issues and systematize education, we analyzed the current situation and the effectiveness of having a trauma team in the ER of a regional hospital. METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed the demographics, traumatic variables, procedures, postoperative morbidities, and outcomes of 110 patients who underwent trauma surgery between 2012 and 2019. The trauma team was established in 2016 and our university hospital Emergency Room (ER) opened in 2012. RESULTS: Blunt trauma accounted for 82% of the trauma injuries and 39% of trauma victims were transported from local centers to our institute. The most frequently injured organs were in the digestive tract and about half of the interventions were for hemostatic surgery alone. Concomitant treatments for multiple organ injuries were performed in 31% of the patients. The rates of postoperative severe complications (over Clavien-Dindo IIIb) and mortality were 10% and 13%, respectively. Fourteen (12.7%) of 24 patients who underwent damage-control surgery died, with multiple organ injury being the predominant cause of death. CONCLUSION: Systematic education or training of medical students and general surgeons, as well as the co-operation of the team at the regional academic institute, are necessary to overcome the limited human resources and save trauma patients.

Efecto de una intervención educativa para cuidadores familiares de personas con cáncer en cirugía / Effect of an educational intervention for family caregivers of individuals with cancer in surgery

OBJETIVO: Evaluar el efecto de una intervención educativa en cuidadores familiares de adultos con cáncer que se encuentran en postoperatorio de cirugía oncológica, para fortalecer la competencia de cuidado en el hogar y disminuir la sobrecarga. MÉTODO: Se trata de un abordaje cuantitativo cuasi-experimental con grupo de intervención y grupo control; se incluyeron 290 cuidadores familiares de pacientes intervenidos por cirugía, se aplicó la intervención educativa desde el ingreso hasta seis semanas después del egreso, se realizó medición antes y después de la competencia para el cuidado en el hogar y de la sobrecarga de cuidado. RESULTADOS: En el grupo intervenido se obtuvo impacto positivo y estadísticamente significativo en la competencia para el cuidado en el hogar y disminución de sobrecarga. CONCLUSIONES: La intervención educativa es una estrategia que aumenta la competencia para cuidar en el hogar, y disminuye la sobrecarga en cuidadores de personas con cáncer sometidos a cirugía

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of an educational intervention on family caregivers of adults with cancer who are in the postoperative period of oncological surgery, to strengthen the competence of home care and reduce overload. METHOD: This was a quasi-experimental quantitative approach with intervention group and control group; 290 family caregivers of patients undergoing surgery were included, educational intervention was applied from admission to six weeks after discharge, measurement was made before and after competence for home care and care overload. RESULTS: In the group intervened, a positive and statistically significant impact was obtained in the competence for home care and decreased overload. CONCLUSIONS: The educational intervention is a strategy that increases skills for care at home, and reduces the burden on caregivers of people with cancer undergoing surgery

Effects of COVID-19 pandemic on general surgical emergencies: are some emergencies really urgent? Level 1 trauma center experience.

PURPOSE: The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on general surgical emergencies as well as analyzing the effectiveness of measures taken in reducing the incidence of COVID-19 in patients and healthcare professionals. METHODS: Patients who underwent emergency surgery between the pandemic period of March 14th to May 15th 2020 and within the same period from the previous year were reviewed retrospectively. COVID-19 incidence in patients and health professionals working in the general surgery department during these periods was questioned. RESULTS: Demographic data were similar between the two time periods. The number of patients who underwent surgery in the pandemic group (n = 103) was lower than the control group (n = 252). There was a 59.1% reduction in emergency surgeries. The biggest decreases were the admissions of incarcerated hernia, uncomplicated appendicitis and acute cholecystitis (92%, 81.3%, 47.3%, respectively). During the pandemic, an increase was of patient rates who underwent surgery for complicated appendicitis and AMIO (p = 0.001, p = 0.019, respectively). The rate of mortality was higher in patients who underwent emergency surgery during pandemic (p = 0.049). The results of COVID-19 screening were positive in 6 (6/103, 5.82%) patients undergoing emergency surgery. None of the doctors working in the ward were infected with COVID-19 infection (0/20). The screening tests were positive in only two nurses working on the ward (2/24, 8.33%). CONCLUSION: In this and similar pandemics, we suggest that a new algorithm is necessary to approach emergencies and the results of this study can contribute to that end.