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Time to initiation and completion of adjuvant therapy are critical to improve postoperative oncologic outcomes. This study aims to determine whether an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) pathway for gastric cancer surgery promotes early Return to Intended Oncologic Therapy (RIOT).This is a before-after intervention study including patients with gastric adenocarcinoma who underwent surgery from January 2016 to January 2021. Two periods were denoted based upon the implementation date of our institutional ERAS pathway (June 2018). Our primary outcome was time to RIOT after surgery. Hodges-Lehmann analysis was used to estimate median differences of non-parametric outcomes.Seventy patients with gastric adenocarcinoma were included (35 in pre-ERAS period and 35 in post-ERAS period). Fourteen of the pre-ERAS and twenty-two patients of the post-ERAS period received adjuvant therapy. Time to RIOT was reduced in the post-ERAS period (median 39 days, IQR 31-49) by 12 days (95% CI 3-14 days, p = 0.01) compared to the pre-ERAS period (median 51 days, IQR 42-62). Length of hospital stay (LOS) was lower in the ERAS group (6 days, IQR 5-11 vs 10 days, IQR 8-13, p 0.01).Our institutional ERAS pathway for gastric cancer surgery was associated with earlier RIOT and shorter LOS.

The objective of this review is to address the rationale behind the application of the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols that could improve oncologic outcomes in adult patients undergoing major surgery.The implementation of ERAS protocols has been associated with fewer postoperative complications as well as decreased return to intended oncologic treatment (RIOT). However, few studies have analyzed the influence of the application of ERAS protocols and long-term oncologic outcomes, although some of its individual elements have been associated with improvements in oncologic outcomes, including overall survival and disease-free survival. Targeted long-term follow-up studies in specific oncologic procedures are required to determine whether ERAS application results in improved oncologic outcomes.

ObjectiveOpen surgery has become the standard approach for radical hysterectomy in early stage cervical cancer (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 2018 IA1 with lymphovascular space invasion-IIA1). Our primary objective was to compare the length of stay in patients undergoing open radical hysterectomy before and after implementation of an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) program.MethodsThis was a single center, retrospective, before-and-after intervention study including patients who underwent open radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer from January 2009 to December 2020. Two groups were identified based on the time of ERAS implementation: pre-ERAS group included patients who were operated on between January 2009 and October 2014; post-ERAS group included patients who underwent surgery between November 2014 and December 2020.ResultsA total of 81 patients were included, of whom 29 patients were in the pre-ERAS group and 52 patients in the post-ERAS group. Both groups had similar clinical characteristics with no differences in terms of median age (42 years (interquartile range (IQR) 35–53) in pre-ERAS group vs 41 years (IQR 35–49) in post-ERAS group; p=0.47) and body mass index (26.1 kg/m2 (IQR 24.6–29.7) in pre-ERAS group vs 27.1 kg/m2 (IQR 23.5–33.5) in post-ERAS group; p=0.44). Patients in the post-ERAS group were discharged from the hospital earlier compared with those in the pre-ERAS group (median 3 days (IQR 2–3) vs 4 (IQR 3–4), pConclusionsPatients undergoing open radical hysterectomy on an ERAS pathway have a shorter length of hospital stay without increasing overall complications or readmissions rates.

The effectiveness of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) pathways in patients undergoing bariatric surgery remains unclear. Our objective was to determine the effect of the ERAS elements on patient outcomes following elective bariatric surgery.Prospective cohort study in adult patients undergoing elective bariatric surgery. Each participating center selected a single 3-month data collection period between October 2019 and September 2020. We assessed the 24 individual components of the ERAS pathways in all patients. We used a multivariable and multilevel logistic regression model to adjust for baseline risk factors, ERAS elements, and center differences RESULTS: We included 1419 patients. One hundred and fourteen patients (8%) developed postoperative complications. There were no differences in the incidence of overall postoperative complications between the self-designated ERAS and non-ERAS groups (54 (8.7%) vs. 60 (7.6%); OR, 1.14; 95% CI, 0.73-1.79; P = .56), neither for moderate-to-severe complications, readmissions, re-interventions, mortality, or hospital stay (2 [IQR 2-3] vs. 3 [IQR 2-4] days, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.62-1.17; P = .33) Adherence to the ERAS elements in the highest adherence quartile (Q1) was greater than 72.2%, while in the lowest adherence quartile (Q4) it was less than 55%. Patients with the highest adherence rates had shorter hospital stay (2 [IQR 2-3] vs. 3 [IQR 2-4] days, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.09-2.17; P = .015), while there were no differences in the other outcomes CONCLUSIONS: Higher adherence to ERAS Society® recommendations was associated with a shorter hospital stay without an increase in postoperative complications or readmissions.ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03864861.

IntroductionEnhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) programs have been shown to minimize the surgical inflammatory response in colorectal cancer, leading to early patient recovery and better postoperative outcomes. Our objective was to determine the association between an ERAS program for colorectal cancer surgery and oncologic recurrence and survival.MethodsA before-after intervention study was designed including patients who underwent colorectal cancer surgery between November 2010 and March 2016. During the study period the institutional criteria for adjuvant therapy remained unchanged and all patients were followed up for 5 years. Cox hazard regression analysis was performed per cumulative year of follow up to evaluate the association between ERAS program exposure and overall survival, cancer-related mortality, and oncologic recurrence. Subgroup analysis was performed by cancer stage (low [I/II] vs advanced [III/IV]).ResultsIn total, 612 patients were included, of which 321 were pre-ERAS and 291 ERAS. Our overall median compliance rate with ERAS interventions was 90% (IQR 85%-95%). Overall survival rates were higher in the ERAS group within the first 2-years after surgery (89.2% vs 83.2%, P=0.04), but there was no difference at 5-year follow up (73.3% vs 72.5%, P=0.82). Subgroup analysis revealed the ERAS enrollment was associated with a significantly lower risk in 5-year oncologic recurrence (aHR 0.55, 95%CI 0.33-0.94, P=0.03) and higher 4-year survival (aHR 0.59, 95%CI 0.37-0.93, P=0.02) among patients with advanced cancer stage compared to pre-ERAS counterparts. ConclusionsPatients with advanced colorectal cancer were less likely to suffer oncologic recurrence when managed during the ERAS period. Additional prospective trials are necessary to determine causation and identify best practice principles associated with long-term recurrence and survival.

Enhanced recovery pathways (ERPs) have been disseminated worldwide to improve the perioperative patient outcomes while lowering direct healthcare costs. Recent evidence has revealed a potential association between ERPs for colorectal surgery and acute kidney injury (AKI). We, therefore, sought to identify the risk factors associated with postoperative AKI among patients in an ERP for colorectal surgery.We analyzed the data resulting from a large multicenter, prospective cohort study of patients in an ERP for colorectal surgery. A multivariable analysis was performed to identify factors independently associated with postoperative AKI. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and contour representations were plotted for the diagnostic prediction analysis.Among those patients included in the analysis (n = 1652), the overall incidence of postoperative AKI was 7.7% (95% CI 6.5-9.1%). After adjustment, the independent risk factors for AKI included age 60 (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.05), male gender (OR 2.33, 95% CI 1.36-4.02), ASA III-IV (OR 2.43, 95% CI 1.39-4.26), CKD (OR 2.45, 95% CI 1.42-4.23), open surgical approach (OR 2.62, 95% CI 1.63-4.21) and serum albumin 3.5 g/dL (OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.02-2.79). An ROC analysis revealed that the composite of albumin, creatinine and age was a strong predictor of postoperative AKI [area under the curve (AUC) 0.756; 95% CI 0.705-0.808].Postoperative AKI is common in the setting of ERPs for colorectal surgery and it is associated with a poor clinical outcome. Of those characteristics associated with postoperative AKI, one modifiable factor is a low preoperative albumin level. Screening for malnourished patients or optimizing the nutritional status may be a useful preoperative intervention to prevent postoperative AKI and associated complications.

Background: Post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) is a relatively common complication of lumbar punctures for spinal anesthesia or neurologic diagnosis. For many years, a high number of drugs has been evaluated to treat PDPH, yet there is a minority to prevent this complication. The lateral decubitus position instead of sitting position during lumbar puncture has become an interesting approach because of its feasibility and patient satisfaction. Objectives: In this meta-analysis we hypothesized that lateral decubitus position is an effective manner to prophylactically reduce the incidence of PDPH. Study Design: This meta-analysis pooled all data published in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining the impact of position (sitting versus lateral decubitus) during lumbar puncture and the incidence of PDPH. Settings: This work was performed at Universidad del Valle, in Cali, Colombia, in collaboration with the Department of Anesthesiology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Methods: Our group searched in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar for relevant RCTs, dating from 1990 to July 2016, that compared the sitting and lateral decubitus position with regards to the incidence of PDPH in adult patients (age > 18 years) undergoing lumbar puncture for spinal anesthesia or neurologic diagnosis. Results: Literature search identified 7 eligible RCTs (6 on spinal anesthesia and only one on neurologic diagnosis) with 1,101 patients, of which 557 had lumbar punctures in lateral decubitus position and 544 in sitting position. Only 3 (out of 7) RCTs favored the lateral decubitus position to significantly reduce the PDPH. Meta-analysis showed that the lateral decubitus position was associated with a significant reduction of the incidence of PDPH (risk ratio [RR] = 0.61, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.44-0.86, P = 0.004, I2 = 25%, P for heterogeneity = 0.24) compared with the sitting position. Subgroup analysis showed that lateral decubitus position is also associated with reduction of PDPH in spinal anesthesia (RR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.50-0.95, I2 = 0%, P for heterogeneity = 0.42). We found no statistically significant association between lateral decubitus position and successful placement of spinal needle at first attempt (RR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.92- 1.09, P = 0.94, I2 = 73%, P for heterogeneity = 0.01). There was no evidence of publication bias in our analyses (Egger’s bias = -0.05, P = 0.96). Limitations: The low number of RCTs might be an important limitation on our results. Conclusion: Our results indicate that lateral decubitus position during lumbar puncture seems to be a good alternative for preventing PDPH. Further research should focus on the new prophylactic alternatives to reduce the incidence of PDPH. Keywords: Post-dural puncture headache, sitting, lateral decubitus, meta-analysis

The Experience For the last four years I have been fully dedicated and immersed in the study of Physics. I was part of the National Colombian Team for the Physics Olympiads tournament, organized by the Antonio Narino University for the past twenty-nine years. This great honor required intensive training sessions in Bogota, Colombia, and rigorous self-study to increase my knowledge and gain experience. With great responsibilities come not only great challenges but also important rewards. In my case, I was lucky to visit fascinating places around the world, such as Tallinn and Tartu, Estonia, and meet interesting people who shared my love and passion for science and the field of physics. In retrospect, now one year after having finished my experience in the Olympiads, I realize the heritage that these learning experiences in physics have imparted on me: the necessary skills to perform medical research in my university.