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There currently is no consensus on how to accurately predict early rebleeding and death after a major variceal bleed. This study investigated the relative predictive performances of the original Child–Pugh (CP), model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) and a four-category recalibrated Child–Pugh (rCP). This prospective study included all adult patients admitted to Groote Schuur Hospital with acute esophageal variceal bleeding secondary to alcoholic cirrhosis, between January 2000 and December 2017. CP and rCP grades and MELD score were calculated on admission, and the predictive ability in discriminating in-hospital rebleeding and death was compared by area under receiver-operating characteristic (AUROC) curves. During the study period, 403 consecutive adult patients were treated for bleeding esophageal varices of whom 225 were secondary to alcoholic cirrhosis. Twenty-four (10.6%) patients were CP grade A, 88 (39.1%) grade B and 113 (50.2%) grade C on hospital admission. MELD scores ranged from 6 to 40. Thirty-one (13.8%) patients rebleed, and 41 (18.2%) patients died. There was no difference in the discriminatory capacity of the CP (AUROC 0.59, 95% CI 0.50–0.670) and MELD (AUROC 0.62, 95% CI 0.51–0.73) to predict rebleeding (p = 0.72), or between the Child–Pugh (AUROC 0.75, 95% CI 0.71–0.81) and MELD (AUROC 0.71, 95% CI 0.62–0.80) to predict death (p = 0.35). The rCP classification (A–D) had a significantly improved discriminatory capacity (AUROC 0.83 95% CI 0.77–0.89) compared to the CP score (A–C) and MELD to predict death (p = 0.004). A recalibrated Child–Pugh score outperforms the original Child–Pugh grade and MELD score in predicting in-hospital death in patients with bleeding esophageal varices secondary to alcoholic cirrhosis.

Global trend has seen management shift towards selective conservatism in penetrating abdominal trauma (PAT). The purpose of this study is to compare the presentation; management; and outcomes of patients with PAT managed operatively versus non-operatively. Prospective cohort study of all patients Upresenting with PAT to Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town from 01 May 2015 to 30 April 2017. Presentation; management; and outcomes of patients were compared. Univariate predictors of delayed operative management (DOM) were explored. Over the 2-year study period, 805 patients with PAT were managed. There were 502 (62.4%); and 303 (37.6%) patients with gunshot (GSW) and stab wounds (SW), respectively. The majority were young men (94.7%), with a mean age of 28.3 years (95% CI 27.7–28.9) and median ISS of 13 (IQR 9–22). Successful non-operative management was achieved in 304 (37.7%) patients, and 501 (62.5%) were managed operatively. Of the operative cases, 477 (59.3%) underwent immediate laparotomy and 24 (3.0%) DOM. On univariate analysis, number; location; and mechanism of injuries were not associated with DOM. Rates of therapeutic laparotomy were achieved in 90.3% in the immediate, and 80.3% in the DOM cohorts. The mortality rate was 1.3, 11.3 and 0% in the in the NOM, immediate laparotomy and DOM subgroups, respectively. The rate of complications was no different in the immediate and DOM cohorts (p > 0.05). Patients with PAT in the absence of haemodynamic instability; peritonism; organ evisceration; positive radiological findings, or an unreliable clinical examination, can be managed expectantly without increased morbidity or mortality.

Summary Comparisons with other high-income countries suggest that Canada has been slower to adopt laparoscopic colectomy (LC). The Canadian Association of General Surgeons sought to evaluate the barriers to adoption of laparoscopic colon surgery and to propose potential intervention strategies to enhance the use of the procedure. Given the clinical benefits of laparoscopic surgery for patients, the increasing needs for surgical care and the desire of Canadian general surgeons to advance their specialty and enhance the care of their patients, it is an important priority to improve the utilization of LC.

BACKGROUND Evidence from randomized controlled trials published since 2004 shows that elective laparoscopic colectomy for colon cancer improves short-term postoperative outcomes with equivalent oncologic outcomes compared to open colectomy. The objective of this study was to examine the uptake of elective laparoscopic colectomy in Canada and compare its use among Canadian provinces. METHODS In this descriptive analysis, we identified from hospital discharge abstracts all patients in the Canadian provinces (except Quebec) who underwent elective colectomy for colon cancer between 2004/05 and 2014/15. We compared temporal changes in the proportion of patients who underwent laparoscopic colectomy or open colectomy among provinces using logistic regression. RESULTS Of 63 504 patients who underwent elective colectomy between 2004/05 and 2014/15, 19 691 (31.0%) underwent laparoscopic colectomy. The annual proportion of patients who underwent laparoscopic colectomy increased from 9.2% in 2004/05 to 51.5% in 2014/15 (mean annual percent increase 4.2%). There were significant differences between provinces in the overall proportion of patients who underwent laparoscopic colectomy (p < 0.001), ranging from 7.6% in Newfoundland and Labrador to 36.9% in Ontario. By 2014/15, most colectomy procedures were performed laparoscopically in 3 provinces; British Columbia (60.2%), Ontario (59.4%) and Alberta (53.1%). In addition to year and province, urban residence, younger age, female sex, fewer medical comorbidities, high surgeon volume, high hospital volume and right-sided tumours were significantly associated with increased likelihood of laparoscopic colectomy. INTERPRETATION Although the use of laparoscopic colectomy increased rapidly between 2004/05 and 2014/15 in Canada, substantial interprovincial variation exists. Further knowledge-translation strategies are needed to ensure equal access to laparoscopic colectomy for all Canadians.

Simulation training has evolved as an important component of postgraduate surgical education and has shown to be effective in teaching procedural skills. Despite potential benefits to low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), simulation training is predominately used in high-income settings. This study evaluates the effectiveness of simulation training in one LMIC (Rwanda). Twenty-six postgraduate surgical trainees at the University of Rwanda (Kigali, Rwanda) and Dalhousie University (Halifax, Canada) participated in the study. Participants attended one 3-hour simulation session using a high-fidelity, tissue-based model simulating the creation of an end ileostomy. Each participant was anonymously recorded completing the assigned task at three time points: prior to, immediately following, and 90 days following the simulation training. A single blinded expert reviewer assessed the performance using the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skill (OSATS) instrument. The mean OSATS score improvement for participants who completed all the assessments was 6.1 points [95 % Confidence Interval (CI) 2.2–9.9, p = 0.005]. Improvement was sustained over a 90-day period with a mean improvement of 4.1 points between the first and third attempts (95 % CI 0.3–7.9, p = 0.038). Simulation training was effective in both study sites, though most gains occurred with junior-level learners, with a mean improvement of 8.3 points (95 % CI 5.1–11.6, p

Surgical disease burden falls disproportionately on individuals in low- and middle-income countries. These populations are also the least likely to have access to surgical care. Understanding the barriers to access in these populations is therefore necessary to meet the global surgical need. Using geospatial methods, this study explores the district-level variation of two access barriers in Ghana: poverty and spatial access to care. National survey data were used to estimate the average total household expenditure (THE) in each district. Estimates of the spatial access to essential surgical care were generated from a cost-distance model based on a recent surgical capacity assessment. Correlations were analyzed using regression and displayed cartographically. Both THE and spatial access to surgical care were found to have statistically significant regional variation in Ghana (p

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is an increasingly performed operation for morbid obesity worldwide. To date there has been limited experience in Canada. We report our intermediate results, assessing whether LSG can be safely performed at a Canadian academic teaching hospital and whether it is effective as a bariatric procedure and as metabolic therapy for type 2 diabetes mellitus.We performed a retrospective review of all patients who underwent LSG at our institution from Sept. 1, 2007, to June 30, 2011.We included 166 patients (mean age 44 yr, 82% female) in our study. The mean preoperative body mass index was 49.61. At baseline, 87 (52%) patients had type 2 diabetes. For this subgroup, mean preoperative HbA1c and AC glucose were 7.6% and 8.3 mmol/L, respectively. The mean duration of surgery was 93 minutes. Major complications included 1 staple line leak (0.6%), and 2 patients required reintervention for bleeding (1.2%). The mean hospital stay was 2.6 days. Two patients required readmission (1.2%). Seven minor complications occurred (4%). Postoperative excess weight loss was 49.3% at 6 months, 54.2% at 12 months and 64.4% at 24 months. In the type 2 diabetes subgroup, resolution occurred in 78% and improvement in 7% of patients at 12 months.Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy can be safely performed at Canadian teaching hospitals. It is effective both as a bariatric procedure and as a therapeutic intervention for type 2 diabetes mellitus.La gastrectomie verticale par laparoscopie (GVL) est une intervention de plus en plus utilisée pour traiter l’obésité morbide partout dans le monde. À ce jour, au Canada, l’expérience en a été limitée. Nous faisons état de nos résultats intérimaires et nous évaluons si la GVL peut être effectuée de manière sécuritaire dans un hôpital d’enseignement universitaire canadien et si elle est efficace en tant qu’intervention bariatrique et comme traitement métabolique du diabète de type 2.Nous avons procédé à une revue rétrospective des dossiers de tous les patients qui ont subi une GVL dans notre établissement entre le 1er septembre 2007 et le 30 juin 2011.Nous avons ainsi inclus 166 patients (âge moyen 44 ans, 82 % de femmes) dans notre étude. L’indice de masse corporelle préopératoire moyen était de 49,61. Au départ, 87 patients (52 %) souffraient de diabète de type 2. Pour ce sous-groupe, l’HbA1c et la glycémie à jeun préopératoires moyennes étaient respectivement de 7,6 % et de 8,3 mmol/L. La durée moyenne de la chirurgie a été de 93 minutes. Les complications majeures ont inclus une fuite au niveau de la ligne d’agrafage (0,6 %) et on a dû réintervenir chez 2 patients en raison de saignements (1,2 %). Le séjour hospitalier moyen a été de 2,6 jours. Deux patients ont dû être réadmis (1,2 %). Sept complications mineures sont survenues (4 %). La perte de poids excédentaire postopératoire a été de 49,3 % à 6 mois, de 54,2 % à 12 mois et de 64,4 % à 24 mois. Dans le sousgroupe atteint de diabète de type 2, la résolution est survenue chez 78 % des patients et une amélioration, chez 7 % des patients à 12 mois.La gastrectomie verticale par laparoscopie peut être effectuée de façon sécuritaire dans les hôpitaux universitaires canadiens. Il s’agit à la fois d’une intervention bariatrique et d’un traitement pour le diabète de type 2.