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Traumatic lumbar hernias are rare, with little surgical literature describing their management. In this we report about a 41-year-old patient admitted to University Hospital Southampton following a high velocity road traffic collision, of estimated speed 140 mph. He suffered multiple bony injuries, and a traumatic right inferior lumbar hernia containing the ascending colon. The hernia was surgically repaired extra-peritoneally with mesh and abdominal wall muscles approximated and sutured., (Published by Oxford University Press and JSCR Publishing Ltd. © The Author(s) 2022.)

Background: Hernia surgery is often considered minor. However, emergency abdominal wall hernia (AWH) surgery is associated with significant morbidity. This study reviews a high-volume centre's experience., Methods: This is a retrospective review of all emergency AWH operations performed between 2014 and 2017. The following were analysed: patient demographics, ASA grade, type of hernia, time from admission to surgery, use of pre-operative imaging, sac content, details of bowel resection, rate of admission to high dependency unit (HDU)/intensive care unit (ICU), length of stay and morbidity/mortality., Results: A total of 198 cases were included. Median age was 67.4 years (range 19-95). 52.2% of patients were ASA III or above. Median time from admission to surgery was 13 h (range 1-341) and median length of stay was 4 days (range 1-75). The sac contained bowel in 93 cases (47.0%). These patients had longer length of stay (P < 0.01) and were more frequently admitted to HDU/ICU (P < 0.01). Thirty-one patients underwent bowel resection (33.3% of those with bowel involvement and 15.7% of the total). Twenty-seven patients (13.6%) were admitted to HDU/ICU post-operatively. Six patients (3.0%) had an unplanned return to theatre and 66 patients (33.3%) had a post-operative complication. Inpatient mortality was three (1.51%)., Conclusions: Patients who undergo emergency AWH surgery represent a relatively aged and co-morbid group. This surgery is associated with significant morbidity and consumes considerable hospital resources. Efforts should be made to identify the higher risk subgroup with bowel involvement. Elderly and co-morbid patients should be listed for timely elective surgery wherever suitable., (© 2021 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.)

Aims: Type and screen (T&S) samples are routinely requested before all laparoscopic cholecystectomies (LCs) at our centre despite the low reported risk of major vascular injury and peri-operative transfusion. Our retrospective case series aimed to identify local transfusion need to inform policy., Methods: Emergency and elective LC performed at a single tertiary centre between March 2014 and October 2016 (30 months) were analysed. This included all patients aged ≥ 16, and procedures converted to open where LC was the primary procedure. Peri-operative complications and transfusion data were obtained from electronic records., Results: In total, 1002 consecutive patients met inclusion criteria; 12 patients were transfused during index admission (1.20%). No patients required emergency transfusion or had major vascular injuries. Despite local policy, 106 patients (10.6%) did not have a valid T&S sample prior to their procedure. Transfused patients were more likely to be emergency admissions (n = 10/12). The most common indications for transfusion were pre-operative anaemia (n = 7/12) and septic coagulopathy (n = 2/12)., Conclusions: Peri-operative transfusions at our centre were low. No patients required intra-operative blood transfusions dependent on a pre-operative T&S sample. Patients requiring transfusion were predictable from their pre-operative clinical status. We propose that a highly selective T&S policy is safe and can reduce costs.

Background: Laparoscopic liver resection demands expertise and a long learning curve. Resection of the posterosuperior segments is challenging, and there are no data on the learning curve. The aim of this study was to evaluate the learning curve for laparoscopic resection of the posterosuperior segments., Methods: A cumulative sum (CUSUM) analysis of the difficulty score for resection was undertaken using patient data from four specialized centres. Risk-adjusted CUSUM analysis of duration of operation, blood loss and conversions was performed, adjusting for the difficulty score of the procedures. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to identify the completion of the learning curve., Results: According to the CUSUM analysis of 464 patients, the learning curve showed an initial decrease in the difficulty score followed by an increase and, finally, stabilization. More patients with cirrhosis or previous surgery were operated in the latest phase of the learning curve. A smaller number of wedge resections and a larger number of anatomical resections were performed progressively. Dissection using a Cavitron ultrasonic surgical aspirator and the Pringle manoeuvre were used more frequently with time. Risk-adjusted CUSUM analysis showed a progressive decrease in operating time. Blood loss initially increased slightly, then stabilized and finally decreased over time. A similar trend was found for conversions. The learning curve was estimated to be 40 procedures for wedge and 65 for anatomical resections., Conclusion: The learning curve for laparoscopic liver resection of the posterosuperior segments consists of a stepwise process, during which accurate patient selection is key., (© 2019 BJS Society Ltd Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Introduction Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a common emergency presentation and can be disabling. There is significant morbidity and mortality associated with AP, and it places a considerable burden on the healthcare system. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been shown to have a protective effect in some elective contexts. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the effect of NSAIDs on the course of AP and the severity of the disease. Methods A retrospective analysis was carried out of 324 patients admitted as an emergency with a diagnosis of AP to two UK hospitals. Patients were divided into two groups: those already taking NSAIDs for other co-morbidities and those not taking NSAIDs. Variables compared included: admission to a high dependency or intensive care unit; pancreatic necrosis; pseudocyst development; need for surgery; serum inflammatory markers; modified early warning scores on days 1, 3 and 5; length of stay; and mortality. Results Patients not taking NSAIDs were more likely to have a C-reactive protein level of ≥150mg/l (p=0.007). Patients in the NSAID group experienced less pancreatic necrosis (p=0.019) and lower rates of pseudocyst formation (p=0.010). Other variables showed no difference between the two groups, specifically length of stay and mortality. Conclusions Routine NSAID use may exert a protective effect on the development of AP, its severity, and complications. Therapeutic use of NSAIDs in acute presentations with pancreatitis should be further evaluated.

Background: Most resectable pancreatic cancers are classified as T3, including those involving the porto-mesenteric vein. Survival and perioperative morbidity for venous resection have been found to be comparable to standard resection. We investigate factors associated with short and long term outcomes in pancreaticoduodenectomy with (PDVR) and without (PD) venous resection exclusively for T3 adenocarcinoma of the head of the pancreas., Methods: This is a UK multicenter retrospective cohort study assessing outcomes in patients undergoing PD and PDVR. All consecutive patients with T3 only adenocarcinoma of the head of the pancreas undergoing surgery between December 1998 and June 2011 were included. Multivariable logistic and proportional hazards regression analyses were performed to determine the association between the surgical groups and in-hospital mortality (IHM) and overall survival (OS)., Results: 1070 patients were included of whom 840 (78.5%) had PD and 230 (21.5%) had PDVR. Factors independently associated with IHM were a high creatinine (aHR 1.14, p = 0.02), post-operative bleeding (aHR 2.86, p = 0.04) and a re-laparotomy (aHR 8.42, p = 0.0001). For OS, multivariable analyses identified R1 resection margin status (aHR 1.22, p = 0.01), N1 nodal status (aHR 1.92, p = 0.0001), perineural invasion (aHR 1.37, p = 0.002), tumour size >20mm (aHR 0.63, p = 0.0001) and a relaparotomy (aHR 1.84, p = 0.0001) to be independently associated with overall mortality., Conclusion: This study on T3 adenocarcinoma of the head of the pancreas suggests that IHM is strongly associated with perioperative complications whilst OS is affected by histological parameters. Detailed pre-operative disease evaluation and advances in oncological treatment have the potential to improve OS., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Minimally invasive liver resection is gaining acceptance worldwide. However, the laparoscopic approach often is reserved for small segmental resections due to the fear of significant blood loss. The expansion of laparoscopic liver surgery will depend on the ability of expert surgeons and technological advances to address the management of bleeding and hemostasis with any new approach. The 4(1/2)- year experience of a single center performing totally laparoscopic liver resections is presented, with special reference to the techniques the authors have developed to limit blood loss., Methods: Between 2003 and 2007, 80 patients underwent laparoscopic liver surgery for benign and malignant conditions including colorectal cancer metastases (n = 31), hepatocellular carcinoma (n = 6), neuroendocrine tumor (n = 3), cystic lesion (n = 10), adenoma (n = 8), and focal nodular hyperplasia (n = 7). Totally laparoscopic resections included sectionectomy (n = 27), hemihepatectomy (n = 10), and single/multiple segmentectomies (n = 21). Data for all resections were recorded and analyzed retrospectively to assess blood loss, hospital stay, and morbidity., Results: The median operative time was 150 min, and the median blood loss was 120 ml, with significantly more blood loss for right-sided transections than for the left liver surgery (821 vs 147 ml; p = 0.012). Four (57%) of seven resections converted to open procedures because of bleeding. No deaths occurred, and only two patients required intraoperative blood transfusions. There were eight complications and one bile leak. The median length of hospital stay was 3 days., Conclusions: The authors' experience with 80 totally laparoscopic liver resections over a 4(1/2)-year period demonstrates that laparoscopic liver surgery is safe and effective in experienced hands for major resections. An intimate knowledge of the technology and techniques available for preventing and managing significant hemorrhage during laparoscopic liver resection is required for all surgeons performing laparoscopic liver surgery.

Background: Laparoscopic pancreatic surgery has been slow to gain wide acceptance due to the complex pancreatic anatomy and physiology. The aim of this study was to analyze our preliminary results and highlight the impact of centralization on surgeon workload and pancreatic surgical innovation., Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on all patients who underwent laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy from May 2007 to October 2008., Results: Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy was performed in 17 patients during that period. Median operative time was 180 min (range 120-300 min). Median blood loss was 100 ml (range 50-500 ml). Splenectomy was performed in 12 patients. None of the patients was converted to open operation. All patients were kept in high-dependency unit for median duration of 1 day (range 0-1 day). One patient with previous cardiac disease was kept in intensive therapy unit for one night, but discharged home on 7th postoperative day without any complications. Postoperative recovery was uneventful in 13 patients, while four patients had pancreatic leak. One pancreatic leak was observed in the last 11 patients, in which pancreatic stump was oversewn. In three patients, pancreatic leaks (PL) were minor and settled with conservative management, while one patient needed a computed tomography (CT)-guided drainage and subsequent minilaparotomy for wash out of the intra abdominal collection. None of the patients died in this series. Median hospital stay was 5 days (range 4-7 days)., Conclusions: Laparoscopic distal pancreatic resection is feasible, safe, and efficient. However, this surgery should only be performed in specialized centres with extensive experience in pancreatic and laparoscopic surgery. Oversewing the pancreatic stump after transaction with Endostapler may reduce the incidence of pancreatic leak. Centralization of pancreatic surgery has a positive impact on building up surgical expertise, resulting in obvious benefits for both patients and institutions.