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Background: Early recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols in breast surgery optimizes resources and reduces healthcare costs by facilitating early discharges. These protocols are well established in tertiary centres, but not commonly adopted in regional centres. ERAS implementation potentially impacts smaller hospitals significantly, where resources are limited and persistent bed shortages with mounting waitlist pressures exist. Our study evaluates the feasibility of early discharge with the application of our ERAS protocol to mastectomies in a resource-constrained and rural setting., Methods: Breast cancer patients who underwent mastectomies with or without reconstruction between January 2017 and July 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. From January 2022, we implemented a standardized ERAS protocol for patients undergoing mastectomy. This incorporated a combination of pre-, intra- and post-operative elements to enhance patient readiness for discharge. Our study compared these patients (post-ERAS group) with the outcomes of mastectomies performed prior to January 2022 (pre-ERAS group)., Results: 104 patients were identified. In the post-ERAS group, 74.4% were discharged within 24 h compared to 23.1% in the pre-ERAS group. Length of stay was reduced from 2.26 to 1.42 days. There were no differences in unplanned clinician reviews or early representation to the emergency department between the two groups., Conclusion: Reducing the length of stay without increased complications can be achieved in a resource-limited environment with our protocolized ERAS principals. Our protocol has been instrumental in allowing safe discharges within 24 h. Other regional centres may benefit in adopting strategies implemented by us for their own ERAS protocols in breast cancer surgery., (© 2024 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.)

Introduction: Bariatric surgery has demonstrated long-term effectiveness in inducing weight loss and improving metabolic parameters for obesity. Single anastomosis duodeno-ileal (SADI) bypass and single anastomosis sleeve-ileal (SASI) bypass have both emerged as new promising bariatric procedures. In this paper, we review the existing literature and compare the outcomes of SADI and SASI bypass procedures in regard to weight loss, complication rate, and improvement of type II diabetes (T2DM). This has not yet been done in the preexisting literature., Areas Covered: We conducted a systematic literature search of electronic databases focusing on weight loss outcomes, rate of complications and remission, or improvement of T2DM and other obesity-related comorbidities. Seventeen studies on SADI and nine studies on SASI were included. Both are similar in terms of surgical technique and have demonstrated fewer complications when compared to other bariatric procedures. Mean preoperative BMI was similar in both study groups: 46.4 kg/m 2 in SADI and 48.8 kg/m 2 in SASI. Mean %EWL at 12 months in the SADI group was 74.1% compared to 77.4% in the SASI group. Preoperative severity of T2DM appeared to be higher in the SASI patient group, with a higher preoperative HbA1c and fasting blood glucose levels. T2DM resolution was achieved in a significant proportion of both SADI and SASI patient populations (78.5% in SADI and 89.0% in SASI). Complication rates were comparable for both procedures., Expert Opinion: Both SADI and SASI are effective in inducing weight loss at 12 months, with a low rate of major complications and mortality. From the studies included in this review, the SASI procedure had a higher impact on T2DM resolution compared to SADI.

Objectives: Cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS/HIPEC) has enabled better prognosis for patients with peritoneal surface malignancies. However, in older age groups, short -and long-term outcomes are still perceived as poor. We evaluated patients aged 70 and over and determine if age is a predictor of morbidity, mortality and overall survival (OS)., Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis was performed on CRS/HIPEC patients and categorised by age. The primary outcome was overall survival. Secondary outcomes included morbidity, mortality, hospital and incentive care unit (ICU) stay and early postoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy (EPIC)., Results: A total of 1,129 patients were identified with 134 aged 70+ and 935 under 70. There was no difference in OS (p=0.175) or major morbidity (p=0.051). Advanced age was associated with higher mortality (4.48 vs. 1.11 %, p=0.010), longer ICU stay (p<0.001) and longer hospitalisation (p<0.001). The older group was less likely to achieve complete cytoreduction (61.2 vs. 73 %, p=0.004) and receive EPIC (23.9 vs. 32.7 %, p=0.040)., Conclusions: In patients undergoing CRS/HIPEC, age of 70 and above does not impact OS or major morbidity but is associated with increased mortality. Age alone should not be a limiting factor in selecting CRS/HIPEC patients. Careful multi-disciplinary approach is needed when considering those of advanced age., Competing Interests: Competing interests: Professor David L. Morris discloses an interest and shareholdings in Mucpharm Pty Ltd, licence of the patents family involving BromAc®. Authors other state no conflict of interest., (© 2023 the author(s), published by De Gruyter, Berlin/Boston.)

Objectives: Appendiceal cancer is a rare malignancy, occurring in roughly 1.2 per 100,000 per year. Low grade appendiceal neoplasams (LAMN) in particular can lead to pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP), and respond poorly to systemic chemotherapy. Standard treatment includes cytoreduction surgery (CRS) with addition of heated intraoperative peritoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). Several centres include early postoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy (EPIC) however; the literature is mixed on the benefits. We aim to examine the benefits of additional EPIC through a propensity-matched analysis., Methods: Patients with LAMN with PMP who underwent cytoreductive surgery at St George hospital between 1996 and 2020 were included in this retrospective analysis. Propensity score matching was performed with the following used to identify matched controls; sex, age, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade, peritoneal cancer index (PCI) and morbidity grade. Outcomes measured included length of stay and survival., Results: A total of 224 patients were identified of which 52 received HIPEC alone. Propensity matching was performed to identify 52 matched patients who received HIPEC + EPIC. Those receiving HIPEC + EPIC were younger at 54.3 vs. 58.4 years (p=0.044). There was a median survival benefit of 34.3 months for HIPEC + EPIC (127.3 vs. 93.0 months, p=0.02). Median length of stay was higher in those who received EPIC (25.0 vs. 23.5 days, p=0.028)., Conclusions: In LAMN with PMP, the addition of EPIC to HIPEC with CRS improves overall survival in propensity score matched cases but results in prolonged hospitalisation. The use of EPIC should still be considered in selected patients., Competing Interests: Competing interests: Authors state no conflict of interest., (© 2023 the author(s), published by De Gruyter, Berlin/Boston.)

Background/aim: While controversial, cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with heated intra-peritoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) and early postoperative intra-peritoneal chemotherapy (EPIC) remains the mainstay of treatment for low grade appendiceal neoplasm with pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP). Our study aimed to investigate the difference in survival when administering HIPEC alone vs. HIPEC + EPIC. Additionally, we examined whether the duration of EPIC affects survival., Patients and Methods: We compared the difference in survival in 238 patients who underwent CRS + HIPEC alone vs. CRS + HIPEC/EPIC combination for low grade appendiceal cancer. We also compared short course (1-2 days) vs. long course (3-5 days) of EPIC., Results: HIPEC/EPIC combination group (n=179) showed a significantly better 5-year survival of 95% compared to 71% in HIPEC alone (n=59). There was no statistically significant difference in 5-year survival between short course (n=22) and long course of EPIC (n=157)., Conclusion: Combined use of HIPEC and EPIC improves 5-year survival in low-grade appendiceal neoplasm. Two days of EPIC are sufficient., (Copyright © 2021 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

Background: The role of routine intraoperative cholangiograms (IOCs) for prevention of bile duct injury (BDI) is contentious. There are recent reports of limited utility of IOC in preventing BDI. In Australia, IOCs are used more frequently than internationally. This study aimed to evaluate the rate of IOC use in Australia and explore potential changes in practice in light of evolving evidence for the utility of IOC., Methods: Data were collated using service item numbers in Medicare Benefits Scheme records on the Australian Government Medicare website, for services claimed between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2019. These data were used to analyse trends in rates of IOC, cholecystectomy and BDI repair. Data were age-standardized to account for changes in the population over time., Results: The number of IOCs claimed increased by 31.8% and cholecystectomies by 7.0% over the study period. Age-standardized service rates per 100 000 persons increased by 5.5 and 32.6, respectively. Rates of IOC per 100 000 cholecystectomies steadily increased across the study period, while BDI repair rates remained low and erratic., Conclusion: Increasing use of IOC over the last 20 years reflects a trend towards routine rather than selective IOC; however, there is little discernible change in the number of BDIs requiring repair procedures. This suggests that routine IOC use to prevent or minimize BDI is unwarranted. Further investigation is required into the selective IOC use in high-risk patients rather than mandatory use in all patients., (© 2021 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.)